New Evidence Why You Should Stop Smoking

Every year, more than 400,000 people die from tobacco-related illnesses – and according to a new report, even a single cigarette can damage your health. Here are 12 more reasons why you need to stop smoking now...

Everyone knows smoking is bad for you, but you probably didn’t know how bad.

Even tiny amounts of cigarette smoke harm your lungs and DNA, according to a just-released Surgeon General’s report.

“The chemicals in tobacco smoke reach lungs quickly every time you inhale, causing damage immediately,” U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D., said in a statement.

The more you smoke, the harder it is for your body to repair DNA damage or respond to treatment if you develop cancer, she added.

As the report notes, studies have shown that cigarettes kill 443,000 people every year in the U.S. due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer, heart disease, lung disease and other causes.

In fact, 1 in every 5 Americans dies of a smoking-related illness.

And that doesn’t even take into account the effects on your skin, mood, fertility and finances.

The Food and Drug Administration recently banned flavored cigarettes and began investigating menthol cigarettes. In November, it issued rules requiring graphic images on cigarette packages.

But efforts to reduce smoking have stalled in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 1998 and 2008, the number of smokers fell by just 3.5%, from 24.1%-20.6%.

If you’re among those who still aren’t convinced, here are 12 reasons to stop smoking now.

1. Smokers die young.
Smoking is the No. 1 cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S.

Half of all long-term smokers are killed by smoking-related diseases, according to the Surgeon General’s report.

And it’s not a pleasant way to go. Besides COPD, smokers risk cancer of the mouth, throat and lungs; as well as asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

They’re also more prone to high blood pressure, high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, stroke and heart disease.

If you smoke, your risk of dying from a heart attack is 2-4 times greater than a nonsmoker’s.

2. You stink!
You don’t just smell like cigarettes while you’re smoking... you reek all day long. The scent of stale smoke saturates hair, clothes, vehicles, workplaces and homes.

Smoking also gives you bad breath, and no mint in the world can get rid of the pack-a-day smell.

3. You have 10 times more wrinkles.
You can always pick a regular smoker out of a crowd simply by her skin. Smoking accelerates aging.

“It inhibits the body’s ability to repair damage caused by the environment,” leading to more wrinkles, says Michelle Aszterbaum, M.D., a dermatologist in Newport Beach, Calif.

The damage is more than skin deep: Smokers with prominent wrinkles are five times more likely to suffer from COPD than non-smokers, according to a study published by the British Medical Journal.

Smokers also have pale, ashen skin and yellowing teeth, fingers and fingernails.

4. Your lungs are full of phlegm and tar.
Smoking causes sticky, black tar to build up in your lungs, which reduces the exchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide and nutrients between the tissues and bloodstream. This hurts your entire body, but you’ll especially feel it in the lungs.

Smokers have a harder time breathing and are more likely to develop painful, chronic coughing because of the increased phlegm.

The good news? If you stop smoking, your lungs can clear some of the tar. Your body begins to heal just 12 hours after your last cigarette, according to the National Cancer Institute.

But it’ll take up to three months for improved lung function and circulation.

5. Smoking can cause depression.
Feeling blue lately? Is your outlook on life pessimistic? Smoking is a major cause of depression.

A study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry followed more than 1,000 people over five years and found that smokers were twice as likely as non-smokers to be depressed.

Meanwhile, smokers have fewer depressive symptoms if they quit – but that happier mood goes away if they resume smoking, according to a November 2010 Brown University study.

Kick the habit for good, and you may see life sunny-side up.

6. It’s expensive.
Smoking not only burns a big hole in your health and happiness, it also takes a wallop out of your wallet.

Depending on where you live, a single pack of cigarettes can cost up to $9; at one pack a day, that’s almost $3,285 per year!
If you picked up the habit at age 18 and live to age 68, you'll spend almost $164,250 on cigarettes alone. And that doesn’t include the cost of health care bills, extra gum and breath mints.

7. You could become infertile.
Female smokers may have a harder time getting pregnant, and male smokers generally have a low sperm count.

“Smoking appears to accelerate the loss of eggs and reproductive function and may advance the time of menopause by several years,” according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

The society’s study also showed that genetic mutations of sperm may cause infertility. Men who smoke are also at a higher risk for erectile dysfunction.

8. You’ll have a difficult pregnancy.
Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to experience life-threatening ectopic pregnancies, in which the fertilized egg begins to develop in the slender fallopian tube instead of the uterus.

Toxins from cigarettes travel into the placenta, which cuts oxygen flow to your baby by up to 25%.

Smoking can cause your baby to have birth defects and a lower birth weight, according to the American Lung Association. You’re also 50% more likely to deliver prematurely, according to a National Institutes of Health study.

9. Your PMS will get worse.
Smokers are more than twice as likely to develop premenstrual syndrome (PMS) than non-smokers, according to a 2008 University of Massachusetts study.

We’re not talking about a few cramps and some water retention. Women who began puffing before age 15 reported suffering from severe PMS – backaches, bloating, breast tenderness, acne, severe cramps, headaches and mood swings.

The habit may affect the levels of several hormones involved in the menstrual cycle, such as estrogen and progesterone, says Edward C. Geehr, M.D., Lifescript’s chief medical officer.
And the likelihood of irregular cycles increases with the number of cigarettes smoked. Smokers on birth-control pills are nearly 50% more likely to have spotting or bleeding.

10. You’re a bad influence.
Kids imitate their parents. So if you smoke in front of your children, there’s a good chance they’ll pick up a cigarette. It gives them indirect permission to smoke.

One study showed that 55% of kids whose parents were smokers planned on smoking in the future.

And smokers’ children are generally less active and develop poor eating habits.

11. Second-hand smoke kills.
Not only is your smoke annoying to others, it’s killing them too.

Non-smokers breathe in your second-hand smoke, which increases their risk of developing lung cancer, heart disease and other respiratory problems, including shortness of breath, coughing and more phlegm.

Children exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to develop asthma. And a 2010 British study found they have an increased tendency for mental-health problems too.

12. One is the loneliest number.
It’s the question asked on every roommate form and dating website: Smoker or non-smoker?

You may love your cigs, but they’re putting you on the dark side of one of the world’s greatest social divides.
According to Harvard and University of California San Diego research, smokers are increasingly edged out and marginalized by their peers.

A study published in the Australian Medical Journal suggested smokers are far more likely to be dateless.

For more information on this dangerous habit, check out:

Aspire

The American Heart Association

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The National Cancer Institute

The American Cancer Society

Get support:

QuitNet

Nicotine Anonymous

1-800-QUIT-NOW, a toll-free telephone counseling service

Online quit plans:

Become an Ex

American Lung Association