This might be the billionth time someone tried to convince you to quit smoking, or tried to tell you why it’s bad for you. Here we’ll take a different approach. We’ll also try to convince you to quit, but we’ll back it up with facts! How can you say no to a fact?

If you find yourself convinced, we’ll try to help you at least start that not-so-easy journey towards quitting. Hey, what can you lose?

So, without further ado, let us start with the cold facts. In order to convince you we’re not making this stuff up, we attached links to the actual scientific content backing each fact up.

1. More than 400,000 people die each year in the US as a result of smoking. (Link to scientific article)
2. By smoking you also harm those around you: Exposure to second-hand smoking is responsible for 40,000 (!) deaths each year from heart disease. Don’t believe us? A research done just last month (February 2009) showed that 11 year old children who were exposed to cigarette smoke developed problems with their blood vessels which are usually seen in elderly people with heart problems. Smoking also raises the chances of sudden infant death syndrome in babies.  (Link to scientific article)
3. Cigarette smoking is responsible for almost 90% of cases of lung cancer, and is responsible for most cancers of the throat, mouth, esophagus and urinary bladder. (Link to article).
4. Smoking leads to a lung disease called Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This causes narrowing of your airways and shortness of breath that worsens over time. (Link to scientific article).
5. Smoking doubles the risk of developing coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attacks. Smoking also leads to stroke. (Link to scientific article).
6. Smoking also leads to peptic ulcer disease – These are wounds in your intestines or stomach, which are painful and can cause serious bleeding and death. (Link to scientific article).
7. Smoking causes bone loss, and can lead to hip fractures. A study in 2006 showed a 29% risk of dying from a hip fracture!. (Link to scientific article).
8. Smoking can cause skin wrinkling at a young age. (Link to scientific article).
9. Smoking can cause impotence. Men who smoke more than 20 cigarettes daily have a 60% higher risk of erectile dysfunction, compared to men who never smoked. (Link to scientific article).
10. In pregnancy, smoking increases the risk of having a low-birth-weight baby. It also increases the risk of having a preterm delivery (before 37 weeks), putting the baby at added risks. (Link to article).

Smoking = Bad. Convinced yet? (Photo by faeryboots)

Is it too late to quit?

Like the phrase goes, it’s never too late. The earlier you quit, the greater the benefit: People who quit smoking before age 50 reduce their risk of dying over the next 15 years by one-half, as compared to those who continue to smoke. But quitting at any time can help -

1. One year after stopping smoking, the risk of dying from a heart attack is reduced by about one half (!) and continues to decline.
2. Lung damage caused by smoking is irreversible, but if you quit smoking, you can reduce further damage to the lung.
3. Stopping smoking may reduce the risk of cancer. Even after a cancer is diagnosed, quitting smoking can help, because it reduces the risk of having a second cancer, and also improves the chances of recovering from the first one.

How do I quit?

If you’ve read this far and are convinced that it’s worth it, you’re on the right track. Let’s divide the path to quitting into steps:

Step 1: Decide on a quitting date:  Ideally it should be within two weeks (or you’ll forget why you wanted to quit in the first place). It can also be a special date – like a birthday, anniversary, or the Great American Smokeout.

Step 2: The speed of quitting: Most people think that taking a few cigarettes off each day until reaching zero is the best and easiest method. But actually, going “cold turkey” is more successful. Also trying to switch to a brand that is lower in nicotine was not shown to help – you just inhale more often or more deeply.

Other helpful tips here include:

1. Ask family, friends and coworkers for support.
2. Try to think about other times you tried to quit: What worked? What didn’t?
3. Know that you’ll have withdrawal symptoms: Anxiety, frustration, depression, intense craving to smoke. If you’re prepared to deal with them, it will be easier. Know that they will go away in a few weeks.

Step 3: If you see that you can’t deal with it yourself, try visiting your doctor. He/she will let you know about nicotine replacement therapy, as well as drugs that can assist you in your efforts, such as bupropion.

Have you tried any of these? Do you have any tricks of your own you would like to share? You can help others by sharing them in the comments.

What next?

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