4 Terrible Reasons To Keep Smoking

August 09, 2015
by Tony Barber
4 Terrible Reasons To Keep Smoking

1. You’re Okay With Taking Risks.

Like skydiving and bungee jumping, you’ve just hiked up your chances for an untimely death by a fair bit … only far slower, and far uglier.

You won’t go out in a blaze of glory. Instead, you’ll sputter through a myriad of painful, chronic conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Smoking causes:

  • 90% of lung cancer deaths in men and women
  • Double to quadruple the risk for coronary heart disease
  • Peripheral artery disease
  • Double to quadruple the risk for stroke
  • 80% of COPD deaths

Every year, more people die of smoking than all of the following conditions combined, according to the CDC:

  • HIV
  • Illegal drug use
  • Alcohol use
  • Motor vehicle injuries
  • Firearm incidents

Smoking-Related Deaths

480,000

Annual US premature deaths caused by cigarette smoking or secondhand smoke.

Source: US Department of Health & Human Services

2. You’re Sharing With Others.

You’re not just breathing in that smoke. You’re exhaling it. And that little cloud of smoke is doing big damage.

More than 40,000 people in the US die from secondhand smoke every year, says the American Lung Association. Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their chances of obtaining lung cancer by 20 to 30%, says the CDC.

If you’re a parent, an uncle or aunt, or have younger siblings, you’re doing them no favors. Secondhand smoke causes a number of health issues in children, reports the CDC. This includes middle ear infections, severe asthma, and respiratory infections.

3. You’re Keeping Your Heart Very Busy.

Your heart does plenty of work already, but the effects of smoking push it to its limits—and probably a bit beyond.

Chemicals in tobacco smoke assault your blood cells and blood vessels, both of which are vital to your circulatory system. They also put you at increased risk for atherosclerosis, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Atherosclerosis is a complex name for a simple, but awful condition—a buildup of plaque in the vessels. If that’s not bad enough, the plaque hardens over time.

The more room hard plaque takes up, the less room there is for blood flow. So, your heart has to work twice as hard to pump the limited blood squeezing through your veins.

4. It’s An All-In-One Package.

You’re not harming only your heart or lungs with smoking. Smoking damages practically every organ in your body, says the National Library of Medicine.

Most everybody knows that tobacco use carries a risk of lung and throat cancer, but there are many other cancers caused by smoking, according to the US Department of Health & Human Services. These include:

  • Nose
  • Trachea
  • Liver
  • Bladder
  • Pancreas
  • Cervix
  • Rectum

Overall, one-third of all cancers are linked to cigarette smoking, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

On average, smokers cut their lives short by 10 years compared to non-smokers.

Are you ready to quit now?

If you’re ready to stop smoking, it’s easier if you get help. Visit the DOTexams website to find a provider who can help you kick the habit.