Your decision to start smoking is often driven by a desire to be perceived as an adult. Many smokers pick up the habit during the early teen years, notes researcher Martin J. Jarvis in the "British Medical Journal." Jarvis recognizes that you may have an actual aversion to your first few cigarettes. During that time, notes tobacco company Philip Morris, the excitement of smoking is replaced by the nicotine's pharmacological effects.
Significant Health Risks
Smoking causes many deaths from lung cancer and chronic obstructive lung disease, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, smoking leads to heart disease and emphysema. Smoking causes bladder, uterine, cervical and throat cancers, among others. If you're a woman of childbearing age, smoking increases your risk for preterm delivery, low baby birth weight and stillbirth. Postmenopausal female smokers have lower bone density than similarly aged non-smoking women.
Reduced Life Expectancy
If you're a smoker, you add a significant risk factor that reduces your life expectancy. In a 2010 published study, the Harvard School of Public Health found that when the smoking risk factor alone was lowered to a desirable level, men gained 2.5 years of life expectancy. Women gained 1.8 years.
Skin and Dental Problems
Smoking results in decreased amounts of oxygen and nutrients in your skin. This gives you a pale and unhealthy look, and can lead to wrinkles, as well. You may also have an increased risk of psoriasis, an uncomfortable skin disorder. Finally, nicotine leads to staining of your teeth and bad breath, notes Kids Health.
Higher Life Insurance Rates
Life insurance rates for smokers are considerably higher than for non-smokers of similar age, sex and body composition. Insurance4USA.com states that insurers have determined that smokers collectively have a higher mortality rate than non-smokers. Because you are likely to die sooner, insurers collect your premium for a shorter time period. As a result, you pay a higher premium than a non-smoker with a longer life expectancy.
Financial Consequences
Cigarette smoking can take a high toll on your pocketbook. A 2010 MSN Money study noted that if you spend $4.50 on one pack of cigarettes a day, you spend approximately $1,638 each year. If you quit smoking at age 40, for example, you can realize nearly $250,000 by age 70 with a 401(k) account drawing 9 percent interest.
References
- British Medical Journal: Why People Smoke: Martin J. Jarvis: January 2004
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking
- Harvard School of Public Health: Four Preventable Risk Factors Reduce Life Expectancy in United States
- Kids Health: Teens Health: Nemours Foundation: Smoking
- Insurance 4 USA.com: Why Are Life Insurance Rates So Much Higher for Smokers?
