Quit Smoking: Now is the Right Time

Now is the time to quit smoking.

If you don’t know by now that smoking is bad, I mean deadly, you’re either in denial or have been living under a rock for the past 30 years.
Consequences of smoking include lung and throat cancer, premature wrinkles, an increase in men’s risk of impotence, and complication of pregnancies for women. And these are just some of smoking's effects.
The repetitive puckering of lips around a cigarette causes wrinkles. Plus, the habit deprives your skin of necessary nutrients - smoking dehydrates and kills elasticity.
While smoking is addictive and quitting can be challenging, it’s one of the best things you can do for your health today.

I've been trying to quit smoking for about 5 years now. Every year, I produce a sadly familiar repertoire of aspirations dealing with that bad habit but until now I only manage to to cut into 10 sticks a day from more than a pack.

For a motivation to myself and to my fellow smokers who wants to quit or in the process on quitting smoking, I want to share this:

10 Reasons to Quit Smoking

1. Smokers Die Young
Smoking is the No. 1 leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S.
And it’s not a pleasant way to go. Smokers risk chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer of the mouth, throat and lungs, as well as asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
They’re also more prone to high blood pressure, high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, stroke and heart disease.
In fact, a smoker’s risk of dying from a heart attack is 2-4 times greater than in non-smokers.  

2. You Stink!
You don’t just smell like cigarettes while you’re smoking... you reek all day. The scent of stale smokes saturates hair, clothes, your vehicle, workplace and home. Smoking also gives you bad breath, and no mint in the world can get rid of the smell of a pack-a-day habit. Kick the habit to reclaim a pleasant aroma.

3. You Have 10 Times More Wrinkles
You can always pick a regular smoker out of a crowd, not just by the stench, but also by his skin. Smoking accelerates aging.
“It inhibits the body’s ability to repair damage caused by the environment,” says Michelle Aszterbaum, M.D., a dermatologist in Newport Beach, Calif.
That means more wrinkles. The damage is more than skin deep: Smokers with prominent wrinkles are five times more likely to suffer from COPD than non-smokers, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal.
Smokers also have pale, ashen skin and yellowing teeth, fingers and fingernails -- all extremely visible reasons to quit smoking.

4. Your Lungs Are Full of Phlegm and Tar
Smoking causes sticky, black tar to build up in your lungs, which reduces the exchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide and nutrients between the tissues and bloodstream. This hurts your entire body, but you’ll especially feel it in the lungs.
Smokers have a harder time breathing and are more likely to develop painful, chronic coughing because of the increased phlegm.
The good news? If you kick the habit, your lungs can clear some of the tar. Your body begins to heal just 12 hours after your last cigarette, according to the National Cancer Institute.
But it’ll take up to three months for improved lung function and circulation.

5. Smoking Can Cause Depression
Feeling blue lately? Is your outlook on life pessimistic? Smoking is a major cause of depression.
A study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry followed more than 1,000 people over five years and found that smokers were twice as likely as non-smokers to be depressed.
Some smokers turn to cigarettes to ease depression, but they only make it worse. Kick the habit and you may see life sunny-side up. 

6. It’s Expensive
You now know smoking burns a big hole in your health and happiness. It’s also taking a wallop out of your wallet.
Depending on where you live, a single pack of cigarettes can cost up to $9; if you smoke a pack a day, that’s almost $3,285 a year.
If you picked up the habit at age 18 and live to age 68, you'll spend almost $164,250 on cigarettes alone. And that doesn’t include the cost of health care bills, extra gum and breath mints. Kick the habit and take several vacations instead!

7. You Could Become Infertile
 Infertility and sexual problems are great reasons to quit smoking. Female smokers may have a harder time getting pregnant, and male smokers generally have a low sperm count.
“Smoking appears to accelerate the loss of eggs and reproductive function and may advance the time of menopause by several years,” according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
The society’s study also showed that genetic mutations of sperm may cause infertility. Men who smoke are also at a higher risk for erectile dysfunction. 

8. You’re a Bad Influence
Kids imitate their parents. So if you smoke in front of your children, there's a good chance they'll pick up a cigarette. It gives them indirect permission to smoke too.
One study showed that 50% of kids whose parents were smokers thought the habit was “cool;” 55% planned on smoking in the future.
Still not convinced? Smokers’ children are generally less active and develop poor nutrition habits. 

9. Second-Hand Smoke Kills
Not only is your smoke annoying to others, it’s killing them too.
Non-smokers breathe in your second-hand smoke, which increases their risk of developing lung cancer, heart disease and other respiratory problems, including shortness of breath, coughing and more phlegm. Children exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to develop asthma. 

10. One is the Loneliest Number
 It’s the question asked on every roommate form and dating website: Smoker or non-smoker?
You may love your cigs, but they’re putting you on the dark side of one of the world’s greatest social divides.
According to Harvard and UC San Diego research, smokers are increasingly edged out and marginalized by their peers.
A study published in the Australian Medical Journal suggested smokers are far more likely to be dateless.
It may have something to do with the way they smell, their wrinkly, yellowed skin, or the fact that parents don’t want their kids bringing home a smoker.

You want to quit, but it never seems to be the right time. You’ll wait until after that big exam, or after the holidays, or once your in-laws leave town.
But when it comes to saving your life, there’s no time like the present.



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