| Smoking has many health risks and absolutely no | | | | There are many benefits to quitting smoking: |
| health benefits. Why do people keep smoking? | | | | Heart rate and blood pressure drop after 20 minutes |
| Because it has become a habit and they are hooked | | | | of not smoking. |
| on nicotine. | | | | Carbon monoxide levels in the blood normalize after 12 |
| Smoking causes premature skin wrinkles, bad breath, | | | | hours of not smoking. |
| clothes that smell of smoke, yellow hair and yellow | | | | Circulation improves and lung function expands from 2 |
| fingernails. Smoking makes a smoker at increased risk | | | | weeks-3 months after not smoking. |
| for macular degeneration, a common cause of | | | | Coughing, shortness of breath and cilia regain normal |
| blindness for the elderly. | | | | lung functions (cleaning the lungs, handle mucus |
| Women's health risks are many. If a woman is over 35 | | | | effectively, reduce infection) 1 to 9 months after not |
| and using birth control and smokes more than 10 | | | | smoking. |
| cigarettes a day, she is in a higher risk group for heart | | | | Higher risk of coronary heart disease from smoking |
| attacks, strokes and blood clots in the legs. | | | | reduces after 1 year to normal. |
| Miscarriages and lower birth-weight for babies are | | | | Higher risk of stroke as a result of smoking is |
| common problems for female smokers. | | | | normalized to a nonsmoker's 5-15 years after not |
| The US Center for Disease Control estimates that | | | | smoking. |
| women who smoke lose 14.5 years of life on average | | | | The lung cancer death rate is halved in 10 years, |
| and men lose 13.2 years of life. If you quit smoking | | | | compared with a continuing smoker. Mouth, throat, |
| before you are 50, the risk of dying by 65 is sliced in | | | | esophagus, cervix, bladder and pancreas cancer risks |
| half, compared with smokers who don't quit. | | | | decrease. |
| Ex-smokers will live longer and have a higher quality of | | | | Coronary heart disease is at the level of a |
| life, fewer sicknesses such as cold and flu viruses and | | | | nonsmokers after 15 years of quitting smoking. |
| lesser rates of pneumonia and bronchitis. | | | | FAST HEALTH BENEFITS FOR QUITTING |
| The US Surgeon General has stated: | | | | You can taste your food better. |
| "Quitting smoking has major and immediate health | | | | The sense of smell is normalized. |
| benefits for men and women of all ages. Benefits | | | | Cleaning, climbing up stairs and normal activity do not |
| apply to people with and without smoking-related | | | | result in breathlessness. |
| disease. | | | | Financial Cost of Smoking |
| Former smokers live longer than continuing smokers. | | | | The health costs of smoking are plentiful and many. |
| Quitting smoking decreases the risk of lung cancer, | | | | That is plain and can be accounted for. So can your |
| other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung | | | | monetary cost of cigarettes. How much do you spend |
| disease. | | | | on ciggies?? One pack a day x 365 days @ $5/pack |
| Women who stop smoking before pregnancy or | | | | (modest price in some areas, expensive in others but |
| during the first 3 to 4 months of pregnancy reduce | | | | you get the idea) equals $1,825 in a year multiplied by |
| their risk of having a low birth weight baby to that of | | | | however many years you smoke ($18,250 for ten |
| women who never smoked. | | | | years, $27,375 for fifteen years, $36,500 for twenty |
| The health benefits of quitting smoking far exceed any | | | | years!) |
| risks from the less than 10 pound weight gain or any | | | | How would you rather spend the money? |
| adverse psychological effects that may follow quitting." | | | | |