20 Reasons to Quit Smoking

20 Reasons to Quit Smoking

Courtesy of Health.com

Most people try to quit smoking a few times before they finally succeed. Therefore, failing is not failure-it's practice. Keep at it: Studies have shown that some combination of drugs, stop-smoking aids, counseling, support, and changes of habit can work for you. If you (or your loved ones) need more motivation, here are 20 reasons why you should quit today.


1. You won't have to pay more and more and more and more each year.

Yup, taxes will almost certainly continue to go up. New Jersey, Vermont, and Connecticut are among the states leaning harder on smokers for revenue, but even some tobacco-growing states are beginning to milk the coffin-nail cash cow. Lawmakers' reasoning: There is evidence that price increases cause smokers to reduce consumption. And the medical costs of smoking are astronomical-a huge burden to the states.


2. Really, if you think cigarette prices can't go up much more, you've got Wall Street against you as well as the government.

Addiction-to oil, tobacco, etc.-is a very good thing to bank on. Many on Wall Street remain bullish about Big Tobacco's ability to jack up prices, even if sales drop because of tax increases.


3. The Pill suddenly becomes a lot safer to use.

If you're on the Pill and smoke, you should cut out one or the other. The Pill is not recommended for smokers because oral contraceptives carry a risk of clots, heart attacks, and strokes; those risks are increased if you smoke.


4. You'll be less wrinkly.

After 10 years, smoking can speed up your skin's aging process by narrowing your skin's blood vessels and damaging the tissues that give the skin its strength and elasticity.


5. Eat less.

(Despite muting the taste buds, smoking brings food cravings of its own.) Smoking increases food cravings in women, particularly for starchy carbohydrates and high-fat foods.


6. Keep your walls the color you painted them.

Cigarette smoke creates persistent yellow stains on painted walls that take a concentrated effort to remove.


7. Reduce the premature need for expensive hair treatments.

Smokers are three to six times more likely to go prematurely gray than nonsmokers.


8. Protect Fido and Fluffy.

A number of studies show that secondhand smoke at home may be associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, lung and nasal cancer in dogs, and lung cancer in birds.


9. Use the cigarette lighter for a higher purpose: Keep your kids from fighting in the car.

Most portable appliances, including iPods and personal DVD players, plug in to the cigarette lighter in your car via an adapter. Chuck the lighter and deploy the power source to keep the kids entertained with movies or music.