Why Quitting Is Important.

If you smoke, it is in your best interest to quit, not just for your health, but for the health and well being of your family. Second hand smoke puts your family at the same risk for lung cancer as it does for the smoker. I know it's difficult, but you can do it. Find a support group, talk to your doctor, do what you can. Quitting will add fifteen years to your life. My husband quit by reducing his cigarette intake per day, and once he eliminated the first and last cigarettes of the day, he was able to stop completely. This year will be the tenth year since he quit smoking.

I also want to congratulate my friend's parents, who put the cigarettes down once they realized they were jeopardizing their health. I hope my friend can do the same. I can list several reasons why quitting is important.

1. You will feel better. I had relatives who smoked, and they used to spend most of the morning hacking stuff up, for lack of a better phrase. You also won't be prone to as many colds or lung infections if you stop.

2. You will smell better. All you single ladies out there, a word of advice. Men don't like women who smell like an ashtray. Also, hacking up stuff is not attractive. And there are more effective ways to lose weight than to use that as an excuse to continue smoking. I wouldn't want a guy who smelled like an ashtray, and I certainly do have a problem kissing a guy who hacks something up.

3. You will look better. Smoking causes your skin to age prematurely, plus your fingers will become stained with nicotine from holding the cigarette in your hand, and that is not an attractive look.

4. You will no longer put people at risk. Second hand smoke does pose the same lung cancer risk on the bystander as it does on the smoker. Non smokers breathe in as much smoke as you do, only not through the cigarette. Carcinogens released from the lit tobacco and the smoke cling to your hair and skin. First time mommies, if you smoke and then hold your newborn baby, even if you wash your hands, they come into contact with these carcinogens. Same with mommies who decide to light up, when you hug or kiss your children, or hold them in your lap while you watch television or read them a book, or you rock your children to sleep, the children are coming into contact with those carcinogens, putting them at risk for illness, disease, and cancer. If you have to light up, do your kids a favor and take a shower before interacting with them.

Tobacco, no matter what form it's in, will cause cancer. Chewing and dipping are just as bad. The only difference is the cancer is localized to the face. Still, not a pretty look. If the reasons I've shared are not enough, take a look at the picture below...

Healthy lungs at left, the lungs of a smoker at right.

There's no shame in quitting...