The number of people actively smoking over the years has decreased dramatically because of the increased awareness around the health consequences of the habit. However, there are still many others who are not sure whether or not they should make the switch because they're content in their addiction to tobacco. If you're one of these individuals and you're thinking about putting down your cigarettes, here are five reasons to quit smoking that may persuade you to ditch the habit.
1. Smoking Doesn't Just Affect Your Lungs, It Affects Your Mouth As Well
A lot of emphasis is placed on the damage that smoking does to your lungs, but the truth is that smoking can cause many health problems in the mouth. Besides developing oral cancer, smoking can quicken bone loss and tooth or gum disease, slow down your body's ability to heal wounds in the mouth, increase plaque and tartar buildup, and cause inflammation in your salivary glands. Besides some of these health issues, smoking can cause other undesirable issues such as yellowing teeth, bad breath, and loss of taste. Unless you have amazing dental insurance to help you deal with these problems down the road, you can expect to deal with these issues if you continue smoking.
2. You Will Look and Feel More Vibrant
Smoking makes you look unhealthy. From the graying skin to the sunken eyes that heavy smokers often have, people can tell that your health is not the best, and you will most likely notice these subtle changes yourself as you continue to smoke. Beyond the appearance, however, you can feel the effects as well as you will have trouble breathing as you engage in basic activity or feel fatigued. Quitting will allow your body to heal from the damage so that you can look and feel healthier.
3. You Will Have More Money to Spend on Necessities
Smoking is an expensive habit, and the price is continuing to rise as regulations target tobacco products. For example, let's imagine that you smoke two packs a day at $10 a pack. That is $140 weekly, $560 monthly, and a staggering $6,720 per year. If you were able to quit your habit, you would have this much money to spend on other things such as necessities or weekends out with friends. One great way to see the impact of your habit on your budget is to save that money in a separate account or jar and watch it build over time.
4. You Don't Have to Worry About Cravings You Can't Satisfy
Before our awareness of tobacco health hazards, you could smoke almost anywhere. These days, you will be hard-pressed to find any areas where smoking is allowed, and this can make it hard for you to satisfy your cravings. If you decided to quit, this concern over when you would be able to smoke would be a thing of the past, and you would have much more time to focus on the things that matter in your life.
5. Friends and Family Will Thank You
Smoking affects not only you but your loved ones as well. The first major inconvenience that comes from smoking is that the smell sticks to everything, which makes it hard for people to be around you and enjoy your company. Beyond that, you put your friends and your loved ones at risk by smoking around them, which can harm their health too. Finally, those who smoke heavily for years may end up taking away valuable time that their friends and family could have with them. If you develop cancer that can't be treated, you lose out on the memories that you could've created with them. If you have already smoked for a significant amount of time, it may be smart to take precautionary measures like looking for a desirable Life Insurance quote so that your family is protected in the event of these developments.
As you can see from the above, smoking has no benefits. If you are on the fence about quitting, use these five reasons above as incentive to put down your cigarettes today.
