More than 440,000 Americans die each year from tobacco use, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Even if you don't die from smoking, there are a host of negative effects that can ruin your life. If you're finding it difficult to quit smoking, talk to your doctor about smoking cessation methods, such as nicotine gum or patches.
Health Hazards
Smoking can cause cancer of the lungs, esophagus, stomach, mouth, pancreas, cervix, kidney and bladder. Smokers also might contract lung diseases such as bronchitis and emphysema, experience sexual impotence and infertility, face increased risk of heart disease and stroke, and suffer from depression and anxiety. Constant exposure to smoke can damage your eyes, causing cataracts.
Endangers Loved Ones
About 50,000 Americans die every year from secondhand smoke, according to the DVA. If you smoke around your family or friends, you are endangering their health. Risks include sudden infant death syndrome, ear infections, severe respiratory illnesses and asthma. It is not enough to smoke in a different room. Protect your loved ones by smoking outside or, better, quitting entirely.
Financial Burden
Increasing prices for tobacco products make it difficult to maintain a smoking habit. If you are well off, this might be less of a problem, but you still could put the money you spend on tobacco into savings and investments or toward other needs. While it might not seem expensive in the short term, over time the costs add up. For example, at just $4 per pack, a pack-a-day habit costs you $1,460 a year.
Hygiene Problems
Discolored fingers and teeth, bad breath and nasty smell are just a few of the hygiene problems smokers experience. Tobacco smoke also causes wrinkles, making you look older than you are. Although smokers might not notice it, their clothes often reek of old cigarettes. If you drop your cigarette occasionally, chances are you will burn holes in your clothes, furniture, car seats and other difficult-to-repair items.
