Smoking is a bad habit, and we all know it – even those who smoke! Yet it can be extremely difficult and challenging to give up. It is hard to give up for a number of reasons, not least because those who do it find that it makes them feel calmer, but also because some of the chemicals that are found in tobacco products are known to be addictive. Once you start, it can be difficult to stop unless you find the right motivation. Here are just some of the reasons why quitting cigarettes once and for all is a good idea; you might find your motivation right here.
Your Health
Perhaps the most important reason of all to give up smoking is the negative impact it has on your health. Cancer is the main disease that people think of when it comes to the problems associated with smoking (particularly lung, mouth, and throat cancer), but there are other issues too. Smoking can give you high blood pressure, and this can lead to strokes and other debilitating conditions. Smoking can also cause problems with your heart. Each cigarette contains at least trace elements of highly dangerous chemicals including formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide; you wouldn’t knowingly ingest these normally, so why do so when smoking?
Your Family’s Health
Although your own health is going to be most readily affected by cigarette smoking, don’t forget that your family’s health can be negatively impacted too. This is known as second-hand smoking or passive smoking, as the people around you are breathing in the fumes from your cigarettes, and they can get sick from that just as smokers can. The difference is, they had no choice in the matter. To keep your family and friends safe, stop smoking.
You’ll Save Money
If you’re a smoker, you’re burning money every time you buy a packet of cigarettes or buy a pouch of tobacco. What’s even worse is that when you have smoked that packet of cigarettes, you have nothing to show for it apart from slightly worse health, less money, and an ever-worsening habit. If you take a good look at your finances and work out exactly how much money you’re spending on your smoking each month, you could be very surprised, and once you know that shock, it will make it easier to stop.
A good idea is to put the money you would have spent on cigarettes into a savings account instead. That way, you can buy something great with the money that you’re saving, or even pay off some debt. Remember that the cigarettes themselves aren’t the only thing that costs you money; your life insurance is sure to be more expensive if you’re a smoker too.
Your Skin, Teeth, And Hair
Smoking has a seriously detrimental effect on your looks too, especially your skin, teeth, and hair. Your skin will become sallow and prematurely wrinkled, especially around the mouth and cheeks. Your teeth will be stained yellow even if you brush them two or three times a day. Your hair will become lackluster, and studies have shown that smoking causes your hair to gray more quickly.
For men (and for some women), it can even accelerate baldness. Once you stop smoking, you can stop these problems from getting worse, and the earlier you stop, the less chance you’ll have of losing your looks. If you do find that your teeth are yellowing, teeth whitening solution might help, and for baldness, you can learn more about hair transplants.
Your Odor
It’s easy to tell someone who smokes (especially if they smoke a lot) from someone who doesn’t because a smoker will smell different. They will smell of smoke and tobacco, and it will be on their clothes, bedding, vehicle, in their homes, as well as their bodies; the molecules from cigarettes stick to everything. Even their breath will be unpleasant because of it. You’ll need to use more water, laundry detergent, soap, and energy to remove the smell, and that costs money.
Your Fertility
If you’re trying for a baby, you should stop smoking as it will lower a man’s sperm count and can even affect a woman’s ovaries and eggs are released less frequently. Both of these things will make it much more difficult to conceive, and if you and your partner both smoke, it will be even harder.
If you or your partner are already pregnant, then this is another excellent reason to stop smoking. Smoking when pregnant can harm the baby, making their birth weight lower or even causing premature birth. A premature baby is at much more risk of developing other illnesses later in life, especially those to do with their lungs.
Your Social Life
Your friends will appreciate it if you quit smoking too. The smoker in the group is the one that everyone else always has to wait for; they can’t go into a restaurant or bar until you’re done, and if you need a cigarette during the meal, they are left at the table on their own.
On a date, this is even worse! It can be truly embarrassing, and it could spell the end of your relationship, especially if you do this right at the start. You can be a much better friend if you quit smoking and join in with the evening’s entertainment.
Your Enjoyment
When you smoke, it can be hard to enjoy life to the fullest. Smokers are often out of breath, for example, because the tar they are inhaling in their cigarettes prevents their lungs from being able to take in enough oxygen. It means they can’t walk too far; they can’t run or play sports for extended periods of time.
Often they can’t play with their children for very long. All of this can mean that the enjoyment of life can be limited. However, when you quit smoking your lungs repairs themselves quickly, and soon you will be fit and healthy again, and able to take part in life’s fun activities.
