Read this from EverydayHealth.com. Might help to those who are trying hard to quit.
"5 Great Reasons to Quit Smoking"
If you still need good reasons to quit smoking, here's the ultimate list.
Why should you stop smoking? That's the question that kicks off every attempt at smoking cessation. Here are five overwhelming reasons to quit smoking for good.
1. You’ll Live Longer if You Quit Smoking
To quit smoking is to literally gain a new lease on life. "There's no single thing you can do to your body on a regular basis that's as negative as smoking," says Thomas Glynn, PhD, director of cancer science and trends and international cancer control for the American Cancer Society. "The Surgeon General said it causes damage to nearly every organ in your body."
About half of all smokers who continue with their habit will die of a smoking-related disease, according to the American Cancer Society. Cancer is the biggie, of course; smoking is linked to 15 forms of cancer. Then there's lung disease, heart disease, and other smoking-related illnesses. Male smokers lose an average of 13.2 years of life due to smoking, while female smokers lose an average of 14.5 years of life.
Don't fall for the old dodge that it's too late to quit smoking because “the damage is already done.” "There's a lot of data to suggest that quitting at any age is positive for your health," Glynn says. People who quit smoking at age 50 cut their odds of dying during the next 15 years in half.
2. You’ll Be Protecting Family and Friends if You Quit Smoking
Smokers aren't just taking themselves down. They're also harming everyone exposed to their smoke. #
Says Glynn, "Secondhand smoke kills about 50,000 people a year and sickens many more, particularly children."
Secondhand smoke contains all the same carcinogens found in the smoke that's been inhaled into your lungs. Infants and children in smokers' homes suffer more colds, bronchitis, ear infections, and other lung and breathing problems than kids in smoke-free homes.
# Your Body Can Start to Repair Itself When You Quit Smoking
Your body starts repairing itself within hours after that last cigarette. "You start getting your strength back within a week to 10 days after you quit," Glyn says. "You also get back your sense of smell and taste. " Your heart rate and blood pressure drops almost immediately, and within weeks your circulation and ability to breathe improve dramatically.
You’ll also look better. Smoking prematurely ages the skin, causing wrinkles. Smoking stains your teeth, fingers, and fingernails, and causes bad breath.
# People Will Like You More if You Quit Smoking
Smoking is much less socially acceptable these days. Nearly all workplaces ban smoking from buildings. Some landlords don't rent to smokers, due to higher maintenance costs and more expensive insurance rates. Most public events are now smoke-free, and more states and communities are enacting laws to ban smoking from all indoor public places, including bars and restaurants.
A survey of current and former New York City smokers found that 81 percent agreed that most folks wouldn't hire a smoker to care for their children, 72 percent thought non-smokers would be reluctant to date a smoker, and 39 percent believe most people think less of smokers.
# You’ll Be Saving Money
Smoking is a very expensive habit. "The average smoker spends about $2,200 a year on tobacco use," Glynn says. Just add up all the money you're spending on a day's worth of smokes, then multiply that by 365. Don't forget to figure in higher health and life insurance rates, as well as higher health care costs down the line when your habit catches up with you.
Your health, your family, your finances — what reason could you possibly have not to quit?
