The Hidden Dangers Of Smoking

Tomorrow is the 35th Great American Smokeout. 

You know the dangers of cigarettes. Or, do you?  Yes, smoking increases your risk of heart disease, lung ailments and smoking-related cancers but did you know that smoking cigarettes also promotes a variety of other ailments?

Even smokers in their 30s can develop peripheral vascular disease, which constricts blood flow to the feet, hands and organs. Considering the alarming rise in diabetes in this country, (a disease where inadequate blood flow can lead to blindness, leg and foot infections, erectile dysfunction, organ failure, and even amputation), the fact that smoking accelerates constricted blood flow should be a double whammy cause for concern to any smoker. 

The dangers of cigarette smoking increase with age.  Smokers in their 40s and 50s have a four times greater risk of death over the next ten years than their nonsmoking counterparts. Smoking also promotes gum disease and macular degeneration, the number one cause of blindness in older people.

Quitting cigarettes will improve the quality of your life. You will be healthier and wealthier- how much does a pack of smokes cost nowadays? You will no longer reek of cigarettes. Quitting will also slow down the wrinkle train, which is accelerated by smoking (once again, due to restricted blood flow.) 

Did you know that each year, more people die prematurely from smoking than die from vehicle accidents, alcohol, drug abuse and AIDS combined?  

I’m not saying that it’ll be easy but it will definitely be worth it. If you’ve tried before, try again and keep trying until you succeed. It takes many people more than one attempt before quitting for good.

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