It’s no secret that smoking is harmful. Northwestern University reports that more than 480,000 people die every year from smoking-related issues like cardiovascular disease. Smoking cigarettes damage the cilia or the tiny hairs that line and protect the respiratory tract. As a result, smokers are more susceptible to infections like seasonal flu and colds. More importantly, bacteria stay in the airways when cilia are damaged. This can result in more serious issues like breathing problems.
But if that alone is not enough to convince you, there are a lot more reasons for you to quit smoking. Below, we will discuss four of them:
Secondhand smoke kills
Smoking not only affects the smoker’s own health, but also those who are in their surroundings. The American Lung Association lists the worst diseases caused by secondhand smoke. This includes lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. What’s more alarming is that it has worse effects on infants and children. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is one such consequence. It can happen when a pregnant woman smokes or when an infant is frequently exposed to secondhand smoke. Middle ear disease in children is also caused by secondhand smoke, as well as lower respiratory illness.
Smoking harms the environment
Cigarette smoke contributes to air pollution. Action on Smoking and Health discloses that burning cigarettes release more than 7,000 chemicals into the air that are poisonous and known to cause cancer. Further, cigarettes have been found to release 10 times the amount of particulate matter (mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets) as a diesel engine, which gives rise to climate change and acid rain. Cigarette butts also cause a lot of environmental damage as they are the most littered object in the world. After being washed off of the street by rain they often end up in rivers or the ocean. The Truth Initiative found that the chemicals that leached from a single cigarette butt (soaked for 24 hours in a liter of water) released enough toxins to kill 50 percent of the saltwater and freshwater fish exposed to it for 96 hours.
There are less harmful nicotine alternatives
Most smokers smoke due to their addiction to nicotine. The good news is that there are many cigarette alternatives available that are safer for smokers, those around them, and the environment. A popular option is the nicotine pouch. These are small pouches that slowly release nicotine into the user’s gum and are smokeless with no tobacco content. Prilla highlights how nicotine pouches come in different flavors, such as peppermint and cinnamon, and in various nicotine strengths. For those looking to quit, these are ideal as they can slowly reduce their nicotine levels without ingesting the harmful effects of tobacco. Other alternatives include nicotine patches, nicotine sprays (see below), and nicotine lozenges.
Smoking is very costly
Spending a few dollars for a pack doesn’t seem much at first. Nonetheless, those dollars add up and eventually turn out to be a huge amount of money. Verywell Mind informs us that the average cost of a pack is $6.28. One pack a day will have you spending $188 monthly. In a year, you would have spent $2,292 on cigarettes alone. In five years, this will amount to $11,460. An alternative such as the Nicorette nicotine spray usually goes for $21 per bottle, but it contains 150 sprays equivalent to 150 cigarettes. It’s much cheaper than buying a pack of cigarettes while still getting a dose of nicotine.
Smoking may be difficult to stop, but there are a lot of reasons why you should. We at OpenID Directory make health a priority, so quit smoking today to prevent its harmful effects on your health and your surroundings.