Smoking: Reasons To Quit
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The facts:

• Absence from work due chest complaints/infections.
• Smoking kills approximately more than 100,000 people each year.
• Second hand smoke claims 500 lives per week (health select committee figures).
• Smoking cigarettes that contain 4000 toxins including arsenic and cyanide. At least 50 of these chemicals are carcinogenic.
• Smoking on average 20 cigarettes per day will cost about £1800 per year, or about £18000 over 10 years ... that would pay for a few holidays!
• Smoking kills more than 6 times as many people as any other form of death (like road accidents, suicide, murder etc). put together.
• Greater risk of a heart attack than non-smokers through the hardening of arteries and lack of blood to the heart.
• Smoking increases the risk of many other forms of cancer.
• A major factor in lung cancer, emphysema and bronchitis.
• Pregnant women that smoke increase the chances of suffering a miscarriage, lower birth rates and child development.
• Nearly 300,000 people are admitted to NHS hospitals with smoking related illnesses per year.
• The more you smoke the greater the risks .
• Most of the cost of cigarettes goes in tax/duty to the government (as much as 70-80%) .

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The benefits of quitting:

Within the first hour
  •  drop in high blood pressure

Within 8 hours
  •  increase in oxygen in the blood
  •  carbon monoxide levels in the blood return to normal

After the first full day
  •  your risk of a heart attack in already starting to fall

Within the first few days
  •  your taste and smell starts to improve

By the end of your first year
  •  circulation has improved
  •  lung function has increased
  •  walking more
  •  risk of heart attack reduced by 50%
  •  coughing, sinus congestion and general fatigue has improved significantly
  •  you've saved £,000's

After 5 years
  •  the risk of a stroke has been reduced to that of a non smoker

After 10 years
  •  risk of cancer of the mouth, tongue, throat, lungs have dropped significantly.

From 15 years on
  •  risk of death returns to normal with that of a non smoker
  •  risk of lung disease falls to a level similar to a non smoker
  •  you've now saved many £,000's
  •  you're living a fuller, more active life

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Useful links:

http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068824/

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/smokehealth.htm

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