Do I really want to stop smoking?
A lot of people that get this far and know the answer
before they read another word......... For those who are
unsure read on.
It has been estimated that, in England , 364,000 patients
are admitted to NHS hospitals each year due to diseases
caused by smoking.
One in two long-term smokers (50%)
will die prematurely as a result of smoking - half of these in middle age. The
most recent estimates show that around 114,000 people in
the UK are killed by smoking every year, accounting for
one fifth of all UK deaths.
| Cigarettes contain at least 43
distinct cancer-causing chemicals. Smoking
is directly responsible for 87% of lung cancer cases
and causes most cases of emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Smoking is also a major factor in coronary heart
disease, stroke, and asthma. |
Smoking claims the lives of 13,000
people in Scotland every year.
The total for Drug related deaths is 317.
|
Smoking by parents is also associated with a wide range of adverse effects
in their children, including exacerbation of asthma, increased frequency of
colds and ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome.
Damage caused by smoking in
your own body:
-
Shortness of breath.
-
Long-lasting chest colds.
-
Morning smoker's cough.
-
Increase the severity of asthma and
-
Common cause of chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD).
How
Hazardous Is Smoking? |
Smoking
is the single largest preventable cause of premature
death and disability. Smoking
kills more British people each year than cocaine,
heroin, alcohol abuse, car accidents, crime,
AIDS and suicide combined
|
Fact File
At today's rates, a 20-a-day smoker
will spend £31,025 (or
£1550 per year) over the next 20 years!
|
|
|
|
Thousands die annually prematurely from
the effects of smoking, millions more live with damaged
lungs and hearts. |
Cigarette smoking accounts for the vast majority
of deaths from lung cancer and from chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. For years, lung cancer has been the
number 1 cause of cancer death in men; lung cancer has
now surpassed breast cancer as the leading cancer killer
of women, too.
Smoking contributes substantially to the
development of atherosclerosis which affects the heart
and peripheral blood vessels. Smoking is also implicated
as a cause or is associated with other diseases and types
of cancer (such as cancer of the larynx, oral cavity, esophagus,
urinary bladder, kidney, pancreas, stomach, and uterine
cervix).
Smoking and
Skin Wrinkles
We all develop skin wrinkles with age, but cigarette smoking can accelerate
the process. Smokers in the 40-49 age group frequently have facial wrinkles
equal to those of nonsmokers who are 20 years older.
Tobacco can affect your cardiovascular system,
including blood circulation within your skin. Nicotine
constricts small blood vessels and thus may impair your
skin's nutrition. Direct exposure to cigarette smoke, which
contains hundreds of toxic substances, can dry and irritate
your skin and promote wrinkles.
The telltale wrinkles
caused by smoking may include :
- Lines or wrinkles spreading from the upper or lower
lips, or at right angles from the corners of the eyes
(crow's feet).
- Deep lines or numerous shallow lines
on the cheeks and lower jaw.
- Slight hollowness of the cheeks, which
emphasizes the bony contours of the face
and leads to a gaunt appearance, a leathery
or worn appearance to the facial side,
which may have a grayish tinge.
Want to know what is allowed to go into your cigarette
Click
here
Smoking Stats at Mensstuff
Click
here
