Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the release of the landmark U.S. Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health that linked smoking with deadly diseases like lung cancer.
Since then, there have been remarkable changes in tobacco use and smoke-free policies in the U.S. Current cigarette smoking among adults has dropped from 42% in 1965 to 18% in 2012. And today there are more former smokers than there are current smokers.
Knowing the many reasons to quit can help you put a plan in place – today.
Yet tobacco use still remains the single most preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the U.S., and nearly 50 million U.S. adults still smoke cigarettes. And some 3.4 million high school students are current smokers. According to the CDC, tobacco kills over 400,000 people annually from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, and another 8.6 million live with a serious illness caused by smoking. Here’s a list of reasons to quit, with selected summaries of health risks provided by a comprehensive report released by the Surgeon General in 2014.
10 reasons to quit:
- You’ll reduce your chances of getting cancer, heart attacks, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, even cataracts. Cigarette smoking is the main cause of lung cancer in the U.S. – the leading cause of cancer death in our country.
- Lower your blood pressure and your risk of diabetes. The risk of developing diabetes is 30–40% higher for smokers than nonsmokers.
- Improve your sex life. Smoking has been linked to male erectile dysfunction.
- Breathe easier. Smoking is the dominant cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and smoking can make asthma symptoms worse.
- Healthier skin.
- Teeth and fingernails won’t be stained.
- Protect your friends and family from secondhand smoke. For example, exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of stroke by about 20-30%.
- Clothes, car, home and family won’t smell like smoke.
- Set a good example for others – including your children.
- More money to save or spend. (Use this Cost of Smoking Calculator from the American Heart Association to find out how much money you will save if you don’t smoke.)
Be well, stay well ~
Pharmacist Andy
Andy Stergachis, Ph.D., R.Ph. is the Director of the Global Medicines Program at the University of Washington in Seattle and a subject expert on public health and pharmacy-related topics.
