Tobacco
Quitting
Don't get discouraged. It takes most people several tries to quit for good. It's never too late. The damage tobacco does to your body will begin to heal very soon after you quit. Smoking "light" cigarettes and cutting back the number you smoke does not reduce the harmful effects of tobacco. The only way to stop those physical effects is to quit.
Diseases
Here is a list of diseases known today to be caused by tobacco. Stomach cancer Ulcers in the stomach Abdominal aortic aneurysm Acute myeloid leukemia Atherosclerosis Bladder cancer Cataracts Cervical cancer Coronary heart disease Pancreatic cancer Kidney cancer Lung cancer Mouth cancer Periodontitis (gum disease) Injury to air sacks in the lungs, which can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Pneumonia (a lung disease) Stroke
Tobacco and Death
Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, and lung diseases. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death. Smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined and thousands more die from using chewing tobacco. Worldwide, tobacco use causes more than 5 million deaths per year, and current trends show that tobacco use will cause more than 8 million deaths annually by 2030. On average, smokers die at least 10 years earlier than nonsmokers do. For every person who dies from a smoking-related disease, 20 more people suffer with at least one serious illness from smoking. Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent. There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Other Effects
Your hair and clothes stink of smoke. If you're a smoker, you may not be able to smell it. But nonsmokers can tell; check it out next time you're around someone who smokes. Nonsmokers will stink, too, after being around someone else's smoke. Tobacco stains your teeth and causes bad breath. Smoking makes your fingers and nails turn yellow. Smoking causes your skin to wrinkle prematurely. Spit tobacco creates cracked lips, white spots, sores, and bleeding in the mouth. Smoking affects athletic performance; smokers run slower and can't run as far.
