Why is smoking bad for you?

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Overall, about 47 million Americans still smoke cigarettes. It makes me wonder if everyone really knows why they are bad for us. It makes me wonder, what the barriers are to get them to quit smoking. Read on for some facts and some tips.

Facts about smoking:
(adapted from the PCNA National Guidelines and Tools for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction, 2009)
 

• More men then women smoke
• American Indian or Alaskan Native males have the highest % of smokers (35.6%)
• The next highest % of smokers falls to black males (26.1%) and then white males (23.5%)
• Don't worry women, you are right behind these men as far as % goes
• Cigarette smoking is responsible for 438,000 deaths each year
• smoking reduces your lifespan by 13-15 years
• secondhand smoke contributes up to 69,600 premature deaths from heart disease in nonsmokers
• smokeless tobacco, cigars and pipes also cause cancer in the mouth and throat
• smoking is associated with all heart and vascular disease

 
If you could do one thing to improve your quality of life today, it would be to quit smoking.
 
The first step in being able to quit smoking, is that you have to be willing. Get your mind set:  you have to be mentally prepared that you are going to quit. 
 
Set a quit date
 
Prepare for your quit date:

• tell family, friends, and coworkers (they can help you stay on track!)
• Remove all tobacco products from your home: make your home smoke free
• Know that this is going to be a challenge and you may have some withdrawal symptoms
• Talk with your doctor or nurse practitioner: medications and counceling can help a lot!
• If there are other smokers in the house, ask them to quit with you.

1-800-QUIT-NOW is a great support network that can also help with free medications
 
Your goal is to quit smoking completely! One cigarette every day or once per week is still smoking. Get rid of it completely!
 
You can do it! I know you can! Get yourself mentally ready. Have faith in yourself, you can do it, you can do it because you deserve to feel better, look better and be healthier!
 
Go luck!
 
Other resources to help quit smoking:
http://www.smokefree.gov/
http://whyquit.com/
http://www.quitnet.com/qnhomepage.aspx
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ped/content/ped_10_13x_guide_for_quitting_smoking.asp
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/how_to_quit/index.htm
 

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