5 Reasons to Quit Smoking Today

Most people who smoke started the habit when they were teenagers or young adults. It can be difficult for them to quit after years of consuming nicotine and other addictive toxins every day. According to studies, smoking cigarettes can cause serious health and socioeconomic problems. If you use tobacco products, you can reduce your risk of severe health problems, among other countless benefits, so let’s quit smoking today!

1. Stop Skin Damage

Quitting smoking lets your skin recover from tobacco-linked hazards like wrinkling and cancer. Researchers believe that some toxins in cigarette smoke may damage your skin’s elasticity, causing premature sagging and folding. Besides affecting skin aesthetics, harmful chemicals in tobacco products may be a risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma, a type of cancer. The harmful smoke you inhale may compromise your immunity, exposing your skin to cancerous growth.  

Other effects that may go away if you stop smoking include:

• Yellow tar stains on your fingers from holding cigarettes for many years
• Telangiectasia (unsightly spider veins on the skin following the widening of tiny blood vessels in the body)
• Tobacco-induced acne inversa (painful nodules in parts like armpits and groin)    

2. Save Money

Smoking has a high cost, and it can adversely impact your finances for years. A pack a day may cost you nearly $2,000 a year or higher if you smoke more. That’s a lot of money to spend on something that negatively impacts your health.

Instead of spending thousands of dollars on cigarettes your entire adult life, consider investing the money in your children’s college fund. You could also increase your 401(k) or IRA retirement contributions to better secure your financial future. Try saving a few thousand dollars for two or more years, and you might have enough for a family vacation. That’s just one of the many wholesome recreational activities you can incorporate into your lifestyle after quitting smoking.  

3. Risk of a Cerebral Aneurysm

Each cigarette you smoke increases your risk of cerebral aneurysm, which is a swollen, blood-filled artery in the brain. This potentially life-threatening complication develops when the blood vessel’s wall becomes weak and bulges. Individuals with mild forms of the condition may experience symptoms like facial paralysis, soreness around the eye, and vision difficulties. 

In severe cases, the bulging artery may rupture, causing a brain hemorrhage. The localized bleeding can cause severe complications, including stroke, brain damage, or death. Inhaling tobacco smoke can even cause several aneurysms to develop or rupture in the brain. As cigarette smoking is one of the major aneurysm risk factors, quitting the habit before it’s too late can save your life. 

4. Your Household

Concern for the wellbeing of the people around you—family, neighbors, etc.—is another good reason to quit smoking. The habit affects every person that lives in the house, with secondhand smoke exposing infants and children to the risk of asthma, respiratory disorders, ear infections, and other health disorders. Some of the immediate adverse effects of passive smoking are heart disease and premature death in non-smoking adults. If you opt to smoke outside, some of your neighbors may be affected too. 

Keep in mind that smoking indoors can reduce your home’s market value. Smoke stains or damage on surfaces like walls, the ceiling, or flooring may introduce high restoration costs, putting off potential buyers. Some homebuyers may even walk away upon detecting the usually repulsive smoke odor. Plus, your company is forced to smell the odor every time they step into your home.

5. Lung Cancer

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), inhaling cigarette smoke is the biggest risk factor for developing malignant lung tumors. Moreover, about nine out of every 10 lung cancer deaths result from cigarette smoking. The high lung cancer risk is partly why tobacco packaging carries explicit health warnings.

Non-smokers exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke aren’t immune to this severe health risk. They too may inhale the thousands of toxic compounds in tobacco smoke, 70 of which are proven carcinogens. By quitting smoking, you can lower your lung cancer risk and extend your life expectancy. Make it a priority to stop the habit altogether as occasional smoking still exposes you and those around you to the deadly disease.

 Saying Goodbye to Tobacco

The benefits of quitting tobacco use outweigh any short-lived pleasantness from every puff. Consuming nicotine eventually harms you, but stopping can help reverse or avert further damage, including death. When a strong craving strikes, remember the health and financial perks you get from complete tobacco abstinence.

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