It’s almost the new year, and for many, that means making New Year’s resolutions. These promises to yourself can be wonderful ways to kickstart a new year in the way you want to go on, making you happier and healthier in the process.
For a lot of smokers, their new year’s resolution will be to give up, and that is a sensible idea. Giving up smoking is something that should be a priority, and although it is certainly not an easy challenge, it is not an impossible one either. Here are some of the reasons why giving up smoking is such a good idea; once you read them, you’ll want to quit even more than you do now.
Your Health
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of the damage smoking is doing and why it’s a bad habit to have will probably be your health. Smoking has been shown to cause a variety of different – sometimes fatal – conditions, including many kinds of cancers, lung diseases, heart problems, and high blood pressure. Your teeth will also deteriorate and you’ll need to see the dentist more. Every time you smoke, you are increasing your chances of becoming ill (or more ill). Cigarettes contain many dangerous chemicals, including formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide, which are what cause most of the problems.
The Health Of Those Around You
If your own health isn’t a top priority, what about those around you? If you smoke, your family and friends, and anyone who is living in the same house as you, or even nearby when you light up, will be ingesting the same dangerous chemicals as you, although to a lesser extent.
Known as second-hand smoking, this can be just as dangerous as smoking itself and leads to the same conditions and diseases. What makes second-hand smoking even worse is that those who are subjected to it may not have a choice. Stop smoking, and your friends and family will be healthier.
The Money
Smoking is an expensive habit, no matter what brand of cigarette or cigar you might choose. Every time you buy a packet, you are spending money that you could easily spend elsewhere, or perhaps even save so that you can buy something really special or head off on a family vacation. It will probably surprise you if you add up all the money you spend on cigarettes throughout the year; it will likely be more than you thought.
It’s not just the initial spend on the cigarettes themselves that is an issue. Your life insurance repayments are likely to be higher, and perhaps your home insurance too.
Living Your Life
Smokers can find it hard to live their lives to the fullest. They become out of breath more easily, so they can’t run around with their children as much or even take a walk out in nature without needing a break. When you stop to think about it, having to go outside and smoke, no matter what the weather, or stopping whatever activity you are doing because you need a cigarette, is not a good way to live.
When you stop smoking, your lungs start to repair themselves immediately, meaning that within a few months, you can be back to normal and really start enjoying your life again.
*Collaborative Post