When you're still at school it's easy to fall in with the wrong crowd and before you know it you have a 20 per day habit. Giving in to your cravings is the easiest thing you can do, but letting go of your smoking habit is a lot more difficult.
Just because they stick some horrible pictures onto the front of your cigarette packet it doesn't mean anything if you don't pay any attention to them, so maybe you'll think differently after we look at a few ways cigarettes will destroy your life. I think you'll finally realize quitting for good should be your number one priority.
Complications during pregnancy
If you plan on having a child you don't want to go anywhere near a cigarette. I know some women think they can sneak a quick draw every now and again to satisfy their cravings, but you're doing a disservice to your baby. There is a much higher chance of you having a stillbirth, plus your baby is more likely to be premature and they could also weight less than a normal baby even if they don't come early. Now that you know the facts I don't think you'll even chance it.
Oral health problems
How long do you spend putting your makeup on before you leave home in the morning? If you're like most women you'll spend some time in front of the mirror because you care about your appearance, but if you smoke you better hope people admire you from a distance. If they get too close they might see your stained teeth and they'll definitely smell your smokey mouth. Smoking will also damage your sense of smell and taste, which is a big price to pay for a little nicotine.
Weaker bones
After you reach menopause there is more chance of you suffering from hip fractures and osteoporosis because of your smoking habit. You better hope you never fall down because you might end up with a trip to the hospital before you can stand back up. This is actually more common than you think and around 10% of hip fractures in females is because of smoking. If you live to see your eightieth birthday your risk of a fracture is 80% higher than a nonsmoker.
Heart and lung disease
If you smoke you're two to four times more likely to suffer from heart disease. Nearly half of smokers also have chronic bronchitis and a quarter of them have emphysema. Your blood vessels will become narrower until it's hard for the blood to reach your body tissues. Your chances of dying from lung disease raise tenfold when you smoke, but if that doesn't happen first you might suffer from a stroke or a heart attack when you rupture an aneurysm.
An early death
Most people who smoke will know there is a much greater chance of them getting cancer, but they don't seem to care because they don't pay any attention to the future. Maybe you will change your mind once you realize female smokers die nearly 15 years before nonsmokers. 15 years is an extraordinary amount of time and you wouldn't let anyone take those years away from you, but if you continue smoking you'll be taking them away from yourself.
Don't ruin your life
You're hurting yourself right now even though you don't realize it. You might be a few years away from dropping down dead, but the damage it's doing to your body and your purse is frightening. Luckily you still have a chance because if you kick the habit your body will start walking down the long road to recovery. Do you think you have what it takes to say goodbye to those little white sticks forever?
Today’s guest author, Karen Fernandes, is a fitness enthusiast who often writes on topics related to health and wellness online. She is associated with EsmokerCanada, a company dedicated to help people quit smoking. She enjoys dancing and working out in her free time.