Bad news for smokers: your habit might cause even more
health problems than you previously believed.
According to a new
report released by the Surgeon General, smoking increases the risk for
diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, erectile dysfunction, impaired fertility,
colorectal and liver cancer, and immune system weakness.
The news isn’t great for people who spend a lot of time
around smokers either: according to the report, second-hand smoke increases the
risk for strokes in non-smokers.
It’s been 50 years since the U.S. Surgeon General released a
report officially linking smoking to lung cancer, and the knowledge of just how
much damage smoking can do to your health has helped a lot of people kick the
habit. We’ve come a long way, but smoking is still a popular habit in our country,
and roughly 20.8
million people have died of smoking-related diseases since that original
report in 1964.
For many of those people who smoke today, knowing the additional
risk for the diseases outlined in the Surgeon General’s report won’t be a
strong enough motivation to quit. After all, you’d be hard-pressed to find
anyone who believes that smoking is actually good for them. People don’t smoke
for their health; they smoke because it’s an addictive habit they get into, and
trying to quit can lead to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.
In addition to knowing the health risks, many people need a
stronger motivation to quit smoking. Here are just a few that have worked for
some former smokers:
Parents sometimes find motivation
by telling themselves they don’t want their children to pick up the habit, and
that they don’t want to die before their time of a smoking-related disease and
miss seeing their children (or grandchildren!) grow up.
Recent studies have proved that exercise
temporarily reduces cigarette cravings, and getting into a regular exercise
routine has helped many people quit smoking. It also motivates people to stay
smoke-free so that they can get in better shape and enjoy an active lifestyle.
One company now produces smoking cessation software that shows
smokers what they would look when they’re older if they continue to smoke
regularly. Since smoking a pack a day causes a person to take on the wrinkles
of someone 1.4 times their age, some people are successfully able to scare
themselves into quitting after seeing how their habit will impact their
appearance.
A researcher from the University
of Georgia recently found that smokers
who use social media as a motivational tool during their quitting attempt
are more likely to stay smoke-free than those who don’t use social media. Many
people update their progress on Facebook, Twitter, or health-specific social
media sites to give themselves a support network and greater accountability.
When it comes down to it, it doesn’t really matter whether
people give up smoking because of health concerns or because of another
motivational factor. What matters is that people find a tool that empowers them
to kick the habit and live a healthier lifestyle.
Juliana
Weiss-Roessler is a freelance writer and co-owner of Weiss-Roessler Writing
with her husband Josh. She writes about a wide range of topics, including
health, fitness, and running a small business. She currently lives in Austin,
TX with Josh, her 20-month-old son, and two rescue dogs.
