Can quitting really help a lifelong smoker?

Quitting smoking is another issue to smokers but do they know that quitting smoking can help them a lifelong?

Diagram 5: Smokers' Challenge
Sources:

http://bum.net/pics/

The sooner smokers quit, the more they can reduce the chances of getting cancer and other diseases. Do you know?

1. 20 minutes after quitting
Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.

(Effect of smoking on arterial stiffness and pulse pressure amplification, Mahmud A, Feely J. 2003. Hypertension:41:183.)

2. 12 hours after quitting
The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

(US Surgeon General's Report, 1988, p. 202)

3. 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting
Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.

(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp.193, 194,196, 285, 323)

4. 1 to 9 months after quitting
Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.

(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. 285-287, 304)

5. 1 year after quitting
The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.

(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)

6. 5 years after quitting
Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.

(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)

7. 10 years after quitting
The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a person who is still smoking. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decreases.

(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. vi, 131, 148, 152, 155, 164,166)

8. 15 years after quitting
The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker's.

(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2x_Questions_About_Smoking_Tobacco_and_Health.asp

Therefore, do you think that A MINUTE of quitting smoking are important and does reduces the chances of smokers from getting cancer and other diseases?

Smoking affected the Economy!!!!

Some said that government benefits from smoking taxes but some said that by quitting smoking will give economic benefits for you and for the government. In my opinion,both research are true depending on the economic costs of smoking.





Diagram 4: Freedom of Smoking
Sources:
http://blog.bunnybot.com/blog/images/smoking_bunny.jpg

First of all,the immediate benefits of quitting smoking to you is that you will have more cash in your pocket. In economic language, there is whooping $130 billion of real resource costs of smoking in The United States. That is to say this $130 billion is more burdensome to the US economy than collecting the taxes. It imposes a tax on the consumer, but provides offsetting revenues to the government.

According to a study, smoking related illnesses cost the US, $60 billion per year. It can only mean one thing- the waste of scarce medical resources. If we can eliminate smoking tomorrow, the resulting savings can partially offset our GDP deficits. If a smoker smokes more than one packet a day, he will spend an amount of $25000.

Other than that,the cost of shortened lives also have give an impact to the government. Smokers tend to be younger and retire sooner. This carries a price of $80 billion to the US economy due to lost output and lost wages. Also the absentee rate among smokers is very high.

http://www.stop-smoking-updates.com/quitsmoking/quitting-benefits/economic-benefits/economic-benefits.htm



Therefore, by quitting smoking it can give economic benefits to the government by reducing the losses of the wages,medical resources,cost of smoking and etc. Do you think the same?Why?

Secondhand Smoke!

Do you know?Secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and in adults who do not smoke. Children who exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma. Secondhand smoke immediately affects the heart and blood circulation in a harmful way. Over a longer time it also causes heart disease and lung cancer.

The scientific evidence shows that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Many millions of Americans, both children and adults, are still exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes and workplaces despite a great deal of progress in tobacco control.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Secondhand_Smoke-Clean_Indoor_Air.asp

In fact,secondhand tobacco smoke can get into hair and clothing.I myself experienced this where all of my clothes and hair smell cigarettes smoke becaused I lived in a house with a smoker.It is a big problem for me because I felt uncomfortable with the smell.

Therefore,what do you think can be done with secondhand smoke?

Pregnant Women Smoking!

First of all,one of the way to prevent people from beginning to smoke starts from the parents.They should not smoke in front of their children and even better not to have smoking habit at all.This habit can be followed by the children when they are grown up.Mothers are playing an important role in a family and also to the next generations therefore,up to 5% of infants death would be prevented if pregnant women did not smoke.

Diagram 2: Pregnant Woman
Sources:

http://beingnoisy.blogspot.com/

Do you know?More than 10% of women smoke throughout their pregnancies.Smoking is linked to an increased risk of early delivery and infant death. Research also suggests that infants of mothers who smoke during and after pregnancy are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than babies born to non-smoking mothers. The risk of SIDS is somewhat less for infants whose mothers stop smoking during pregnancy, even if they start smoking again after delivery.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Women_and_Smoking.asp

Other than that,the negative effects towards the baby is not only during the pregnancy but also after delivery through the breast milk that contains some harmful chemical from the tobacco.

Therefore,What do you think mothers should do to quit smoking during and after pregnancy?