Tackling Smoking


We all know smoking is bad, however you look at it. Thought to have over 7000 different chemicals, many of which are known to cause cancer, yet the reality is that we continue to smoke and struggle to quit. In the UK, it accounts for nearly 80,000 deaths each year with one in two smokers dying from a smoking-related disease. In the US, smoking causes 1 in every 5 deaths every year. A staggering 84% of deaths from lung cancer is due to smoking (see the video Lung Cancer Staging Non-Small Cell but also the comments left by the YouTubers, which highlights how real it is) and 15 types of cancer are thought to be associated with smoking. It is the number 1 preventable cause of cancer.

Tobacco is the only legally sold product that kills half of all the people who use it.

However, despite all of the facts highlighting the harmful effects of smoking, how much more can we really do to stop people from smoking or better yet, prevent people from smoking in the first place? The tobacco packs have those vivid health warnings (Cancer Research UK even suggest having them on each of the cigarettes), many work and public places are now smoke-free, the younger generation are more aware of the negative effects of smoking through education and media coverage, e-cigarettes is starting to make its mark (and emerging evidence has shown it to be less harmful than smoking), but the reality is there is still a long way go to getting UK smoke-free by 2030. The NHS, Public Health England, the countless organisation have smoke-free campaigns but it ultimately boils down to you – and you really need to be motivated to turn that leaf.

 

Courtesy of TEDEd (taken from YouTube) Terms of Service

 

Well, we know that a current smoker is around 50% more likely to quit smoking if they have counselling together with their intervention (see What’s the most successful way to stop smoking). Admittedly, reading just a single website is unlikely to stop you from smoking (if it does, that’s absolutely fantastic!) but let’s see if reading the below facts may plant enough of a seed to spark that initial change to your mindset. The rest is really up to you!

 

Choose one of following (or both) to help YOU stop smoking

Negative Facts
  • Tobacco smoke has more than 7000 chemicals, at least 250 are known to be harmful and more than 50 are known to cause cancer (WHO).
  • Around 106,000 people in the UK are killed by smoking every year (Deaths From Smoking)
  • Linked with 15 cancers (Cancer Research UK) and various other diseases (Action on Smoking and Health)
  • The harmful effects are worse if alcohol is in the mix compared to either smoking or alcohol alone (See Tackling Alcohol for a bit of help)
  • The awful smell and staining of fingers and teeth
  • Reduces the immune system
  • Prevents healing
  • Poorer skin completion and early ageing including wrinkles and grey hair
  • Causes harm to others with passive smoking
  • If that wasn’t enough, think of the money wasted!
  • The list just goes on……
  • See the latest Tobacco Statistics provided by CRUK

 

 

Let’s do a bit of calculation – Money Wasted

Assuming you bought a pack of 20 cigarettes costing £10 and you smoked 10 a day

You would be wasting £152.08 per month = £1825 per year   AND that’s a lot of money that could have been used for better purposes.

 

To calculate the actual amount money YOU are wasting on cigarettes click here

 

Positive Facts
  • Being smoke-free can prevent 15 types of cancer (CRUK) and improve your health (NHS)
  • Allows you to breath better
  • Allows you to have more energy
  • Allows you to have better sex
  • Improves fertility
  • Improves smell and taste
  • Improves skin complexion
  • Improves life expectancy
  • If that wasn’t enough, think of the money saved if you stopped!

 

 

Let’s do a bit of calculation – Money Saved

Assuming you were buying a pack of 20 cigarettes costing £10 and you smoked 20 a day and you decided to stop.

You would be saving £304.16 per month = £3650 per year   OR money that could be used for a nice holiday (see How to Get You in the Holiday Mood).

 

To calculate the actual amount of money YOU would save by not smoking, click here

 

 

 

Make Your Decision Now (as it’s your life at stake)

 

For active smokers, please consider making a pledge in the comments section below to inspire others to stop smoking.


Cancer Prevention Research  >>  Achieving Good Health & Resisting Cancer (n = 1)  I  Tackling Stress  I  Tackling Sleep  I  Tackling Obesity  I  Tackling Alcohol  I  Tackling Poor Diet  I  Tackling the Lack of Exercise  I  Tackling Sun Exposure  I  Tackling the Work-Life Balance  I  Tackling the Fear of Seeing Your Doctor  I  Cancer Screening  I  Cancer Vaccination  I  Genetic Testing

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