Why quit? Smoking up a storm

If you're looking for some inspiration to ditch the darts, then look no further than your health. In less than the time it takes to read this article, you may find yourself excited by what you can gain by flicking the cigs and, more importantly, what you can lose by not giving it a go.

Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi Oi Oi!

Australians like helping each other out, and a little mateship can go a long way. Since 2001, more and more Australians are finding strength in numbers when it comes to quitting smoking. It's not surprising when you consider that smoking is Australia's second biggest killer and around 15,000 Aussies die from smoking each year.

The country and doctors alike recognise how hard it is to master the art of quitting, which is why it's so important to know what you're quitting for. Use your brain to think about all the health benefits which will arise – after all, it's your biggest asset.

Check out the big brain on Brad

It seems smart to quit when you know what you can gain from saying goodbye to old smokey. There is a laundry list of reasons, besides just having a few more lobsters in your pocket to spend on whatever you like.

It is medically proven that quitting improves your health, both immediately and in the long term. And the earlier you quit, the better your health will be as you age. For example, if you are 30 and quit smoking now, you can avoid most of the excess risk of disease you would have experienced if you'd kept on smoking. You'll also add about 10 years to your life expectancy!

Even if you quit at 60, you still add years to your life – and that is worth anything.

You'll notice the difference straight away. After only 5 days of quitting, your sense of taste and smell will improve, so you can actually start enjoying your food. Your immune system will be stronger because it's not bogged down by smoke, so you won't cop the cold and flu so badly either.

Your blood pressure will normalise within just 2 months of quitting too, because your oxygen won't be competing with nasty carbon monoxide just to let your body function. Give your body a chance and you won't regret it.

Look into my crystal ball

Lung cancer is no joke, but if you stop smoking right now, you'll find the last horrible laugh is less likely to be on you.

We know lung cancer risk is substantially reduced in those who quit smoking by 30. For those who quit at 50, the risk for lung cancer is halved, compared with someone who continues smoking for another 25 years.

The risks of heart attack, stroke and throat, mouth and oesophageal cancers are halved after just 5 years of dumping your murderous friend! Halved: now, that's gold.

You can get back into your old sports because your fitness will improve. If you get back into sports, you may also find you can also get back into your old shorts too.

Getting less wrinkles, improved vision and whiter teeth is not a bad trade either. And for the gentlemen, you also have less chance of erectile dysfunction. Can't argue with that.

Baby love

Planning to have a baby one day? Then it's absolutely time to send the smokes packing. If you quit before you even conceive, then you increase the health of your baby and yourself during and after pregnancy.

Smokers have higher rates of miscarriage, pregnancy complications and low birth weight infants. It's a nasty picture, but one you can choose to change.

If you're a bloke, you may not worry about getting pregnant, but your second-hand smoke can be incredibly damaging to your unborn baby. Mum shouldn't have to breathe in other people's smoke, so don't make her.

No man is an island

Nor are women. So men and women who smoke are putting everyone else at risk too. You wouldn't stick your mate's head in front of your muffler, so you shouldn't be sticking their head in front of your cigarette either.

You also certainly wouldn't put your child's head around a dirty exhaust. Just remember, smoking around them means you're putting them at risk of things like asthma, cancer and infection.

Miami Vice

Smoking is a vice and many people think they are stuck with it. This is not true and many Australians just like you have found the strength to quit. You can too. As you can see, there are more than enough reasons to quit, even if it takes a few times to hold.

Quit.

Why? Because you're worth it!

More information

For more information on the impact of smoking and the physiological benefits of quitting, see Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking.

Article Date: 2/11/2010

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Article Comments

Comment from: harleyrider1978 | 11/2/2010 10:28:04 PM
They have created a fear that is based on nothing World-renowned pulmonologist, president of the prestigious Research Institute Necker for the last decade, Professor Philippe Even, now retired, tells us that hes convinced of the absence of harm from passive smoking. A shocking interview. What do the studies on passive smoking tell us? PHILIPPE EVEN. There are about a hundred studies on the issue. First surprise: 40% of them claim a total absence of harmful effects of passive smoking on health. The remaining 60% estimate that the cancer risk is multiplied by 0.02 for the most optimistic and by 0.15 for the more pessimistic compared to a risk multiplied by 10 or 20 for active smoking! It is therefore negligible. Clearly, the harm is either nonexistent, or it is extremely low. It is an indisputable scientific fact. Anti-tobacco associations report 3 000-6 000 deaths per year in France ... I am curious to know their sources. No study has ever produced such a result. Many experts argue that passive smoking is also responsible for cardiovascular disease and other asthma attacks. Not you? They dont base it on any solid scientific evidence. Take the case of cardiovascular diseases: the four main causes are obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes. To determine whether passive smoking is an aggravating factor, there should be a study on people who have none of these four symptoms. But this was never done. Regarding chronic bronchitis, although the role of active smoking is undeniable, that of passive smoking is yet to be proven. For asthma, it is indeed a contributing factor ... but not greater than pollen! The purpose of the ban on smoking in public places, however, was to protect non-smokers. It was thus based on nothing? Absolutely nothing! The psychosis began with the publication of a report by the IARC, International Agency for Research on Cancer, which depends on the WHO (Editor's note: World Health Organization). The report released in 2002 says it is now proven that passive smoking carries serious health risks, but without showing the evidence. Where are the data? What was the methodology? It's everything but a scientific approach. It was creating fear that is not based on anything. Why would anti-tobacco organizations wave a threat that does not exist? The anti-smoking campaigns and higher cigarette prices having failed, they had to find a new way to lower the number of smokers. By waving the threat of passive smoking, they found a tool that really works: social pressure. In good faith, non-smokers felt in danger and started to stand up against smokers. As a result, passive smoking has become a public health problem, paving the way for the Evin Law and the decree banning smoking in public places. The cause may be good, but I do not think it is good to legislate on a lie. And the worst part is that it does not work: since the entry into force of the decree, cigarette sales are rising again. Why not speak up earlier? As a civil servant, dean of the largest medical faculty in France, I was held to confidentiality. If I had deviated from official positions, I would have had to pay the consequences. Today, I am a free man. Le Parisien