The American Heart Association reports that nearly 80 percent of smokers say they want to quit. According to the surgeon general, quitting smoking benefits the smoker's health and the health of family, friends and associates who are near enough to breathe secondhand smoke. Beyond these health effects, the advantages of quitting smoking are social and financial.
Health Advantages
The surgeon general reports that quitting smoking provides multiple health benefits. These benefits include a drop in heart rate (which can also help reduce blood pressure), better circulation, a lower risk of heart attack, stroke, and lung cancer. The American Cancer Society reports that after quitting smoking for one year, the risk of heart disease drops by 50 percent. After 15 years of not smoking, the risk of heart disease is approximately equal to that of non-smokers. Between 5 years and 15 years, the risk of stroke is also similar to that of non-smokers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking also increases the risk of lung cancer 23 times in men and 14 times in women. Smoking also increases the risk of dying due to a chronic obstructive lung disease by 12 to 13 times. Quitting smoking reduces these risks. The American Cancer Society reports that, strikingly, women who quit between ages 35 and 39 added three years to their life expectancy; men in the same age range lived about five years longer.
Financial Advantages
The price of cigarettes has soared in recent years, making smoking a huge financial drain. An article published by MSN Money by reporter Hilary Smith elucidates the high cost of smoking using this fictional exercise: "A 40-year-old who quits smoking and puts the savings into a 401(k) earning 9 percent a year would have nearly $250,000 by age 70." She says that smoking in one's car and/or house damages their value; the effect of smoke on clothing increases cleaning and clothing replacement bills; insurance premiums are higher for a smoker (approximately double in Smith's estimation); and out-of-pocket health costs are much higher for a smoker due to smoking-related diseases. Thus, quitting smoking has definite financial advantages. General cost of living is drastically reduced.
Social Advantages
Every smoker can attest to the social disadvantages of being a smoker. The approximate 80 percent of the population who are non-smokers generally don't enjoy breathing secondhand smoke. In many cities and states, smoking is no longer allowed in bars and restaurants, such as California, Connecticut and North Carolina. Quitting smoking offers the social advantage of not having cigarette smoke as a social barrier.
Physical Advantages
Long-term smoking stains teeth an unsightly yellow or gray. Quitting maximizes the chances of having the whitest teeth possible. Smoking is also very drying to the skin, causing it to wrinkle and age faster. Smoking also causes hair to gray more quickly. Quitting smoking provides a more youthful, robust appearance.
