Choosing to quit smoking can be a difficult decision. While you may understand that smoking is bad for your health and social life, it can be hard to actually take the first step to stop smoking. Finding a few good reasons to give up smoking can help you to remain firm in your decision to become a non-smoker.
Reduced Cancer Risk
Cancer is probably the most well-known consequence of cigarette smoking. Quitting smoking reduces your risk of getting certain kinds of cancer, including lung, esophageal, mouth, bladder, cervical, larynx, kidney, stomach, pharynx and pancreatic cancer. Quitting smoking also reduces the risk that you will develop some forms of leukemia, according to the American Cancer Society.
Other Health Benefits
The presence of nicotine in your body raises your pulse rate, blood pressure and temperature. Quitting smoking allows these levels to return to normal, reducing strain on your body. As the nicotine leaves your body, your oxygen and carbon monoxide levels reach normal levels again and your lung capacity increases, making breathing easier. When you quit smoking, tiny hairlike structures that remove mucus in the lungs begin to grow again. The presence of these structures helps to keep your lungs clear, decreasing shortness of breath, coughing, sinus congestion and fatigue, and reducing your risk of developing lung infections.
Your heart and blood vessels also benefit when you quit smoking, and your risk for having a heart attack or stroke decreases over time. Ex-smokers enjoy a higher quality of life with fewer illnesses from cold and flu viruses, lower rates of pneumonia and bronchitis and better self-reported health, according to the American Cancer Society.
Cost
Quitting smoking can benefit your health and your budget. In addition to saving money on buying cigarettes, you may also receive lower rates for life and health insurance as a non-smoker and may spend less on medical visits and treatment. A pack of cigarettes can cost from $5 to $10, Even at $5, a pack-a-day habit costs you $1,825 in a year, says the American Lung Association.
Social Factors
Finding places to smoke becomes more difficult each year as more states and businesses impose smoking bans. You may find that your job prospects are significantly better when you give up smoking. Some companies only hire non-smokers, due to increased sick time for smokers and higher health insurance premiums for the entire company because of smokers. Quitting smoking may also improve your romantic life, as non-smokers who previously wouldn't have considered dating you may change their minds when you are smoke-free. Friends and relatives may be more likely to visit you once your home no longer reeks of cigarette smoke.
Your Family's Health
The health of your friends and family may improve when they are no longer subjected to secondhand smoke. If you have children, you can expect that they will experience fewer illnesses. Children who live with smokers get more chest colds and ear infections, while babies born to mothers who smoke have an increased risk of low birth weight, premature delivery and sudden infant death syndrome, according to the American Lung Association.
