Reasons to Stop Smoking

Most people know that smoking is bad for them but many don't really understand just how bad it is. They know there are health risks but they push them to the back of their minds. If you are a smoker thinking, "well you've got to die of something haven't you" or "it won't happen to me" then you really should consider the facts and reasons to stop smoking.

A regular smoker is likely to have their life expectancy reduced by up to ten years. Do you really want to lose ten years of your life when you don't have to? Coupled with this is the likely prospect that the latter few years of your life if you are a regular smoker are likely to be of poor quality due to some heart or lung disease that could have been avoided.

The adverse effects on one's health through smoking are manifest in the lungs, the blood circulatory system and the heart. In the lungs the constant irritation of inhaled smoke causes damage leading to reduced lung capacity and bronchitis. The lining of the airways tends to lose its cilia, the little hair-like protuberances which help to clear them of mucous and contaminants so that infection in the lungs becomes more likely. Older people who are regular smokers are more likely to succumb to a bout of flu and a secondary infection because of damaged lungs.

The effect of nicotine on the blood vessels is to constrict them, and, since the small blood vessels that supply blood to the heart, are all ready narrow and may have been further narrowed by a build up of plaque (atherosclerosis) which is very common, the last thing you need is further narrowing and restriction of blood flow. Such further restriction can easily lead to arterial blockage and a heart attack.

These serious health risks should be enough in themselves to persuade you to give up smoking but if you are young you may dismiss all this as being too far into the future for you to worry about. If you not heed the advice and give up now though, you will surely regret it in the future.

If you need good reasons to stop smoking right now then there are both social and financial reasons that can affect you right now. Financially you can be surprisingly better off if you don't buy cigarettes. Most smokers, like most drinkers, seriously underestimate the amount of money they spend on the habit. If you put aside the money you would have spent and save it for two to three months, you could have a sizeable sum - enough to buy a new bike or an Armani suit probably! Your lifestyle would have improved as, not only will you be feeing more fit and healthy but you will have more money in your pocket.

Smoking is generally becoming less and less socially acceptable. It is now banned in many public places including even pubs, once the safe haven for the inveterate smoker. You will not find ash trays in restaurants so much these days, let alone the workplace. You will feel like an outcast if you have to excuse yourself from a social gathering to nip out the back for a quick cigarette.

The anti-social aspect of smoking is heightened by the now recognised threat of passive smoking. People just don't want to near smokers, especially in confined spaces and this has to be respected.

A smoker on a date should be aware of the possible consequences of bad breath or stained fingers from smoking. Along with hair and fingernails these are things that women tend to notice.

There are then, very good reasons to stop smoking. Quitting now will save you money, make you more socially successful and allow you to live longer. You know the reasons to quit- you must now make the decision to quit.

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