Smoking Facts

For anyone who smokes, is planning to stop smoking or even just for general information, it is useful to know the essential smoking facts as obviously the cigarette habit has affected everyone at one time or other, directly or indirectly.

Smoking is today known to be the biggest cause of both preventable and premature death not only in the US, but worldwide. Smoking- related diseases are a cause of over 440,000 deaths in the US annually. In the UK this figure stands at over 105,000 annually.

The life expectancy of the smoker is cut short by 10- 12 years and more than half of all smokers die from smoking-related diseases. The younger the onset of smoking the longer one will most likely smoke and younger one is more likely to die.Smoking is a slow killer, not just to the smoker but to those also around him as they are affected by second- hand smoke.

Comparative smoking facts show that the risk of heart attack is 70% higher among smokers than among non-smokers. The incidence of lung cancer is 10 times greater in smokers than non-smokers and one out of ten of people that smoke will die from this disease. Some 80% of smokers will at one time be diagnosed with heart disease, emphysema or chronic bronchitis.Of the diseases attributable to the tobacco habit, 29% are from lung cancer and 24% are caused by heart disease.

Over and above that,other cancers have also been linked to smoking, including cancer of the throat, mouth, stomach, cervix, breast and pancreas. All this is small wonder as cigarette smoke has been found to contain over 4,000 chemical compounds and toxins, all with very harmful to human health.

The good news is you can make a big difference to your health and these smoking facts can be turned around. It is never too late to stop smoking and greatly benefit your health. And today is a good day to stop.