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Thinking of Trying a Cigarette? Or Trying to Quit?
The hard facts about smoking
Half of all smokers die prematurely, most from cancer.
Half of all teenagers who currently smoke will die before they reach 70 years of age, losing on average 21 years of life.
Around 114,000 people die from smoking-related diseases in the UK every year, approximately 37% die from cancer and about 26% from cardiovascular disease.
And for every death there are another 20 people dieing slowly from other smoking related diseases.
In England alone 1,000 patients are admitted to NHS hospitals every day because of smoking.
Check out the health risks
At school you might be more worried about the risk of not fitting in with your mates or not getting a date because you smell like an ashtray - than the known health risks. And everyone knows that nothing can happen to you because you are indestructible before you are 20!
But smoking causes damage at a cellular level that harms nearly every organ of your body, causing many diseases that reduce both your quality of life and your life expectancy. And it may more damage to young people whose bodies are still developing.
Smokers have a greater risk of lung cancer, and many other cancers, including mouth, larynx, oesophagus, kidney and cervix. It also contributes to most coronary, circulatory and respiratory disorders, including heart attacks, strokes, bronchitis and emphysema.
In 2004 lung cancer overtook breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death among women in the UK, and is now responsible for 18 per cent of all cancer deaths.
Nicotine and the toxic substances found in cigarette smoke also have a huge impact on the body’s detoxification process because they drain it of essential vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps to prevent disease and fight off infections.
