Just Quit Smoking

There are many things you can rationalize. [rational lies] Smoking is not one of them. It is a filthy, killer that not only kills the practitioner, but those around them. I have always been anti smoking. Almost all of my relatives smoked during the WW2 years, then quit. These were not stressed out accountants, but mill workers and coal miners. Many of my Uncles started smoking at age 11 in fact. They all quit. As I've aged I have become more tolerant of behavior which I would think is a sign of maturity. I have no tolerance for smoking. None. I saw someone associated with a cancer benefit smoking recently. I don't understand that behavior and trying to will only build frustration with such stupidity. Here are some government facts on smoking and the diseases it causes.

Cancer
* Cancer is the second leading cause of death and was among the first diseases causually linked to smoking.
* Smoking causes about 90% of lung cancer deaths in men and almost 80% of lung cancer deaths in women. The risk of dying from lung cancer is more than 23 times higher among men who smoke cigarettes, and about 13 times higher among women who smoke cigarettes compared with never smokers.
* Smoking causes cancers of the bladder, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx (voice box), esophagus, cervix, kidney, lung, pancreas, and stomach, and causes acute myeloid leukemia.
* Rates of cancers related to cigarette smoking vary widely among members of racial/ethnic groups, but are generally highest in African-American men.

Cardiovascular Disease (Heart and Circulatory System)
* Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Cigarette smokers are 2–4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers.
* Cigarette smoking approximately doubles a person's risk for stroke.
* Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries). Smokers are more than 10 times as likely as nonsmokers to develop peripheral vascular disease.
* Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Respiratory Disease and Other Effects
* Cigarette smoking is associated with a tenfold increase in the risk of dying from chronic obstructive lung disease. About 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung diseases are attributable to cigarette smoking.
* Cigarette smoking has many adverse reproductive and early childhood effects, including an increased risk for infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
* Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked. Women who smoke have an increased risk for hip fracture than non smokers.

By the way, adding cigarette smoking to alcohol is not additive in its destructive, killing, power, it's multiplicative. You really want to die.

Here is a link to the Mayo Clinic's article on great strategies to stop smoking. LINK

Let's also use some visual tools. Here is what your lungs look like when you smoke.

Here is what your lips look like from smoking.

Sometimes appealing to the ego is more effective than appealing to logic.
Good Luck!