Quitting smoking is good for your health and your family’s health and finances. Giving up smoking can be a real challenge but has many benefits. Quitting smoking will reduce your risk of developing serious illness including cardiovascular disease, respiratory conditions and cancer, meaning you can live a longer healthier life.
Smoking health risks
There are many health risks associated with smoking. Smoking increases your risk of serious illness. This includes cigarettes, Shisha and Cannabis.
Did you know smoking causes around seven out of every 10 cases of lung cancer (70%) Smoking causes cancer in many other parts of the body, including the:
- mouth
- throat
- voice box (larynx)
- oesophagus (the tube between your mouth and stomach)
- bladder
- bowel
- cervix
- kidney
- liver
- stomach
- pancreas
Smoking is very harmful to the cardiovascular system (the heart and the blood vessels that carry blood around your body), which has many negative impacts on health and increases your risk of developing conditions such as:
- coronary heart disease
- heart attack
- stroke
- peripheral vascular disease (damaged blood vessels)
- cerebrovascular disease (damaged arteries that supply blood to your brain)
Smoking also damages your lungs, leading to conditions such as:
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which incorporates bronchitis and emphysema
- pneumonia
Smoking can also worsen or prolong the symptoms of respiratory conditions such as asthma, or respiratory tract infections such as the common cold.
It can also reduce the fertility of both men and women.
Find out more on the NHS website.
Health risks of Second-Hand Smoking
Breathing in other people's smoke is known as exposure to second-hand smoke or passive smoking. When you smoke, it's not just your health that's put at risk, but the health of anyone around you.
Facts about second-hand smoke:
- It moves - most second-hand smoke comes from the tip of a burning cigarette. This makes it incredibly difficult to direct smoke away from those around you. If you smoke in one area of your home the harmful chemicals will spread quickly from room to room.
- It lingers – when you smoke indoors, the harmful chemicals can linger for up to 5 hours
- It’s invisible - more than 80 per cent of second-hand smoke is invisible and has no smell
- It puts kids at risk - children are especially vulnerable to second-hand smoke as they breathe faster than adults and therefore take in more harmful chemicals in second-hand smoke. This can put children at risk of bronchitis, asthma attacks, meningitis, ear infections and cot death.
- It puts pregnant women at risk – pregnant women who are exposed to second-hand smoke, are at an increased risk of complications during the pregnancy and after the birth. Second-hand smoke can reduce your baby's birthweight and increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as "cot death".
Find out more on the NHS website.
