| Smoking is one
of the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK. Figures
show that approximately 114,000 people in the UK die from
smoking related diseases every year.
Smoking not only affects the health of the
individual who smokes, but the health of anyone else who breaths
in the smoke around them (known as passive smoking).
Smokers only inhale about 15% of the smoke
from cigarettes, with the other 85% being absorbed into the
atmosphere, or inhaled by other people. (Statistics from
NHS Direct)
Tobacco smoke contains over 4000 chemical
components and smoking has been associated with more than
50 diseases, many of which are fatal.
About 30% of all cancer deaths are caused
by smoking, and other health problems include lung cancer
and other lung diseases, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis,
heart disease, osteoporosis, infertility, early menopause
and strokes.
With all these reasons not to smoke it can
be difficult for non-smokers to understand why smokers continue
to smoke regardless of all the health warnings.
About 70% of smokers say they want to quit
but don’t believe they are able to. However, around
50% of all smokers do eventually manage to give up once they
try.
Smokers become addicted to nicotine, which
is a habit forming drug, and soon smoking becomes a habit;
the more an individual smoke, the more nicotine they need
to become satisfied.
Many smokers also relate smoking to other
things such as drinking, driving, eating or talking on the
phone. These then become triggers, which make smoking even
harder to resist.
It may take more than a few attempts to finally
quit smoking, but it is achievable and millions of people
have successfully kicked the habit.
If you are a smoker, giving up the habit is
the greatest single step you can do to improve your health.
Within 10 to15 years of giving up smoking, an ex-smoker will
only be slightly more likely to develop lung cancer than a
non-smoker.
The effects of smoking have been hugely publicised
and since 1st July 2007 virtually all enclosed public places
and workplaces in England have been smoke free.
It is now against the law to smoke inside
pubs, bars, nightclubs, cafes and restaurants, lunch rooms,
membership clubs and shopping centres.
Why
do I smoke and how can I stop? >>
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