Everyone has their own reasons to finally put an end to using tobacco. But just in case you’re looking for a few more, here are 14 of our favorites. We’ve even got the research to back them up.
• Your appeal to the opposite sex could triple as a non-smoker.1
• Minimal smoking during pregnancy can significantly increase the risk of having a child with various toe and finger defects.2
• Quitting smoking could help to slow facial aging and the appearance of wrinkles.3
• The more strategies you use to quit, the higher your odds of remaining tobacco-free.4
• The more intensively you focus on quitting, the higher your odds of quitting.5
• The use of cessation materials, like this website, directly increases your chances of quitting.6
• Quitting smoking can be one of the biggest factors in improving sexual functioning.7
• Expectant mothers who quit cigarettes reduce their baby’s chances of having attention, motor control and perception problems.8
• Increasing one’s amount of exercise has been linked with success in quitting smoking.9
• The excess risk of heart disease caused by smoking could be cut in half after just one year of quitting smoking.10
• Secondhand smoke exposure causes respiratory symptoms in children and slows their lung growth.*
• Secondhand smoke causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems and more frequent and severe asthma attacks in children.*
• There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure. Even brief exposure can be dangerous.*
FOOTNOTES:
1. Hines, D; Fretz, AC; Nollen, NL. 1998. Regular occasional smoking by college students: Personality attributions of smokers and nonsmokers. Psychological Reports. V3(2):1299-1306. & Amos, A; Currie, C; Gray, D; Elton, R. 1998. Perceptions of fashion images from youth magazines: Does a cigarette make a difference? Health Education Research 1998. V4:491-501.
2. Man, L. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, January 2006; vol 117: pp 301-308. WebMD Medical Reference provided in collaboration with The Cleveland Clinic: "Smoking During Pregnancy.” WebMD Medical News: "Older Moms Among Latest Birth Trends in U.S." News release, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
3. Demierre, MF; Brooks, D; Koh, HK; Geller, AC. 1999. Public knowledge, awareness, and perceptions of the association between skin aging and smoking. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 41(1):27-30.
4. Pederson, L; Bull, SB; Ashley, MJ; Mac Donald, JK. 1996. Quitting smoking: why, how, and what might help. Tobacco Control. V5:209-214.
5. Hatsukami, D; Mooney, M. 1999. Pharmacological and behavioral strategies for smoking cessation. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. V6(1):11-38.
6.Curry, SJ. 1993. Self-help interventions for smoking cessation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 61(5):790-803
7. Dinsmore, WW. 1996. Clinical aspects of erectile dysfunction. International Journal of Std and Aids. 7 Suppl 3:2-4.
8. Landgren, M; Kjellman, B; Gillberg, C. 1998. Attention deficit disorder with developmental coordination disorders. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 79(3):207-12).
9. Pederson, L; Bull, SB; Ashley, MJ; Mac Donald, JK. 1996. Quitting smoking: why, how, and what might help. Tobacco Control. V5:209-214.
10. Manley, AF. 1997. Cardiovascular implications of smoking: the surgeon general's point of view. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 8(3):303-10.
* U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006 [cited 2006 Sep 27]. Available from: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/report/.