The benefits of stopping smoking

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STOPPING SMOKING is the biggest single thing you can do to improve your health. Once you stop taking in nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar and other poisons, your body can begin to repair the damage done by smoking. Giving up will: 

■ Reduce your chances of developing cancer 

■ Help you breathe more easily 

■ Help you cope better with sudden exertion, like running for a bus  

■ Reduce the phlegm in your lungs so you cough less 

■ Improve your sense of taste and smell

■ Stop your hair, skin and breath smelling of smoke 

■ Stop any decline in lung efficiency 

Giving up increases your chances of living a longer and healthier life. After about 15 years the risk of getting lung cancer is only slighter greater than that of someone who has never smoked, and your risk of a heart attack is reduced to almost the same level as someone who has never smoked. The graph on page 4 shows how much more efficient ex-smoker’s lungs are than the lungs of someone who carries on smoking. 

In Great Britain, an estimated 10 million people have now stopped. Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do to improve your health and increase your life expectancy. For more facts and information on tobacco, visit the Action on Smoking and Health website at www.ash.org.uk  and www.tobaccofactfile.org  

For advice on giving up, go to www.givingupsmoking.co.uk  or call the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0 169. 

SECONDHAND SMOKE 

Breathing in other people’s cigarette smoke – second-hand smoke – can also cause cancer. Second-hand smoke is made up of “side stream smoke” which escapes from the burning cigarette, and ‘mainstream smoke’ exhaled by the smoker. 

Medical research shows that adults exposed to second-hand smoke can experience: 

■ Irritation of the eyes, nose and throat 

■ Headaches, dizziness and sickness 

■ Aggravation of asthma and allergies 

■ Increased risk of coronary heart disease. 

For non-smokers, long-term exposure to second-hand smoke can increase the risk of lung cancer by 10-30% 

Medical research shows that babies and children exposed to second-hand smoke have:

■ A much higher risk of cot death than the children of non-smokers 

■ An increased risk of meningitis 

■ More chances of getting ear infections and ‘glue ear’ which can lead to partial deafness and chronic middle ear disease 

■ More coughs, colds and wheezes. 

Research also shows that babies and children who ate exposed to a smoky atmosphere are: 

■ Twice as likely to have asthma attacks and chest infections 

■More likely to need hospital care in their first year of life

■Off sick from school more often 

Nearly half the children in England live in homes where at least one person smokes. Unlike adults, young children do not have any choice about whether or not they are exposed to tobacco smoke. The most important thing a parent can do to keep their child healthy is to ensure they live in a smoke-free environment.

THE BAD NEWS 

Most people underestimate the dangers of smoking. People often start when they are young, and when health problems can seem a long way off. But nicotine addiction creates a life-long dependency on tobacco. As soon as you start smoking, you’re more likely to suffer from minor illnesses and, of course, you’re dramatically increasing the risk of serious diseases later in tile. The younger you start and the more cigarettes you smoke, the greater the risks you face 

■ Smoking is the biggest single cause of ill-health and premature death in the UK 

■ Smokers have a 1 in 2 risk of getting ill and dying early from smoking

■ Smoking kills 120,000 people each year in the UK, compared with 5,000 who die in road accidents 

■ 13 people die each hour because of smoking 

■ Over 80 per cent of all lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. 

THE GOOD NEWS 

The good news is that stopping works. Evidence shows that stopping smoking, even when you’re into middle age, will help you avoid most of the risk of developing cancer. If you stop before middle age, you’ll avoid over 90 per cent of the health risks of smoking. Surveys show that at least 70 per cent of smokers would like to stop. The most important single factor is making a real commitment to stop, but people who use medication and professional help con double their chances of success.