The cost of smoking beyond financial.
I write this after running into a neighbour who just has had a baby. I said “I didn’t know you smoked?”. He said, “I don’t / didn’t, but I am under a little stress at work, and adjusting to being a daddy”. I told him that I totally got it as I was in the same boat once and it was why I became a hypnotherapist. I’m sad that people still believe the cigarette “relaxes” them, when it really just adds to their problem. It doesn’t relax you! The extra air and a walk relaxes you. Then he acknowledged he did know and that his cousin was just diagnosed with cancer who just had a baby too! I hope this is a wake up call for some of you who still smoke.
I guess I could understand it more if there were not so many visible side effects (unlike drinking, you have a headache from a hangover and might throw up but you can’t see the damage as much as you can with smoking). People cough, get sore throats, have trouble getting their breath, they stink (nose blind), and their skin looks bad.
Half of all life-long smokers die early, losing on average 10 years of their life. Smoking related deaths continue to grow and we include all of the other health risks to our bodies. Smoking is the largest cause of preventable death in England. PREVENTABLE! Smoking has an effect on most organs: (From www.everyoneheath.co.uk)
Brain: Smoking increases the risk of having a stroke by at least 50%.
Heart: Smoking can double the risk of having a heart attack.
Bones: Smoking can cause bones to become week and brittle which increases the risk of osteoporosis in women
Lungs: Smoking causes 84% of deaths from lung cancer and 83% of deaths from COPD
Circulation: Smoking increases blood pressure and heart rate
Fertility: Smoking can cause a lack of sexual appetite and impotency in men, and can make it harder for females to conceive Mouth and throat: Smoking can increase the risk of cancer in lips, tongue, throat, voice box and gullet
Stomach: Smoking increases the chance of getting stomach cancer or ulcers
Skin: Smoking prematurely ages skin by between 10 and 20 years.
And, what the heck, In the UK, a smoker who smokes 20 cigarettes a day spends approximately £4,841.20 per year. Close your eyes for a moment and think about what you could spend that on next year if you stopped today. Be a kid, get a jar, and start putting £13.30 into it every day. This calculation is based on an average pack price of £13.30. This translates to a weekly spend of around £93.10
Stop today!