Improved health benefits from the time of quitting smoking

20 minutes - Blood pressure and pulse return to normal

8 hours - Chances of a heart attack start to fall

24 hours - The lungs start to clear out mucus and debris

48 hours - Nicotine is no longer found in the body. Sense of taste and smell improve

72 hours - Breathing becomes easier. Energy levels increase

2-12 weeks - Circulation improves throughout the body

3-9 months - Coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing improve.

5 years - Risk of having a heart attack falls to about half of that of a smoker.

10 years - Risk of lung cancer falls to around half of that of a smoker.

Cost benefits:Smoking is an expensive habit. Multiply how much money you spend on tobacco every day by 365 (days per year). Now multiply that by the number of years you have been smoking, and the resultant amount will probably astound you.Now multiply the cost per year by 10 (for the upcoming 10 years), and ask yourself what you would rather do with that much money. And this doesn’t include other possible expenses, such as the healthcare expense due to tobacco-related conditions.

Social acceptance:Smoking is less socially acceptable now than it was in the past. Some employers even prefer to hire nonsmokers. The reason for this strategy is that employers are unwilling to take on smokers who are more liable to fall ill, raising the employers’ need for expensive temporary replacement workers.

Health of others:Smoking not only harms your health but the health of those around you. Studies have shown that secondhand smoke causes thousands of deaths each year from lung cancer and heart disease in healthy nonsmokers.

Smoking by mothers is linked to a higher risk of their babies developing asthma in childhood, especially if the mother smokes while pregnant. It is also associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and low-birth weight infants. Babies and children raised in a household where there is smoking are more prone to ear infections, colds and other respiratory problems compared to children from non-smoking families. Moreover, secondhand smoke is also known to cause eye irritation, headaches, nausea and dizziness.

Physical addiction:Nicotine is a drug found naturally in tobacco, and is highly addictive. Over time, the body becomes both physically and psychologically dependent on nicotine. After a while, the smoker develops a tolerance, and then smokes to maintain this level of nicotine dependence.

Psychological and emotional dependence:Smoking means different things to different people. For many, cigarettes are a friend, a relief from boredom and a form of relief from stress. For those on a low income, smoking is often identified as their ‘one luxury ’.

Stress:Many smokers believe that smoking relieves stress and there is no doubt that nicotine withdrawal may be followed by unpleasant mood changes. Stress levels can worsen withdrawal symptoms.

·        Coronary heart disease - may result in heart attack, other vascular disease, and perhaps lead to stroke.

·        Lung diseases - infections such as pneumonia are more likely to be fatal for smokers.

·        Lung cancer - as well as most other forms of cancer.

·        Additionally, impotence, stomach ulcers and fertility problems may be associated with smoking.

·        Everyday complaints such as coughing, sneezing and shortness of breath on exertion can be attributed to smoking.

·        Smoking also causes premature wrinkling of the skin, bad breath, and an increased risk of macular degeneration, one of the most common causes of blindness in the elderly.

Women smokers are up against some unique risks.

·         Women over 35 who smoke and also use birth control pills are in a high-risk group for heart attack, stroke and blood clots of the legs.

·         Women who smoke are more likely to have a miscarriage or to deliver babies with comparatively lower birth weights. And babies born of mothers who smoke are not only likely to have low birth weight, they are more likely to die or to be impaired.

How Nicotine Works

Nicotine causes chemical and biological changes in the brain. Although it is less dramatic than heroin or cocaine, the strength of the addiction is just as powerful. It is a “reinforcing” drug, which means that users desire the drug regardless of the damaging effects.The human body builds a tolerance to nicotine and the effect of the drug is reduced over time. As a result, regular smokers can inhale greater amounts of smoke and toxins without showing immediate effects (ie. coughing, nausea).Nicotine is considered addictive because it alters brain functioning and because people use it compulsively. Addiction to nicotine is not immediate – it may take weeks or months to develop.

Did you know : there are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke? These include formaldehyde (used to preserve dead bodies), ammonia (used in strong cleaning liquids) and cadmium (a highly poisonous metal used in batteries).And if that isn’t reason enough for you to quit smoking, there are more.