Why Quit Smoking?

If you’ve ever asked yourself “Why quit smoking?” no doubt you already have a few of your own good reasons to break the nicotine habit. When you’re still smoking, though, it’s hard to see the full benefits of quitting because you don’t want to feel you’re missing out on something. To help you fill in that “Why I should quit” list, here are a few more reasons you might want to dump the cigarettes.

Your health
Yes, you’ve heard all about it before-the blackened lungs, the risk of gum disease, cataracts, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. The yellow teeth and extra wrinkles aren’t too attractive, either. If you’re trying to motivate yourself to quit smoking, though, you’ll probably have better luck if you focus on how your health will improve. Think about freedom from shortness of breath and smoker’s cough, more energy, and improved senses of taste and smell that let you better actually enjoy the foods you eat.

Your money
What would you do with an extra $1800 a year? Invest it towards your retirement? Buy a nice home entertainment center? Why quit smoking in order to do all that? Because studies estimate that’s how much the average smoker can save by giving up cigarettes for a year.^[1] Of course, that doesn’t include the cash you’ll save with the lower health and life insurance premiums offered to non-smokers.

Your loved ones
It’s relatively easy to stick your head in the sand when it comes to how much damage smoking does to your physical and financial health, but try looking into the eyes of someone who loves you-your child, your spouse, or even a dear friend-and telling them you don’t care how much longer you live. Why quite smoking now? Because even if you’ve been smoking for decades, quitting smoking now can give you more years to spend with those who need you.

Your freedom
Whether it’s the free-ranging Marlboro Man or Gauloise’s “Liberte Toujours” slogan, it’s always ironic when cigarette ads focus on freedom when what they’re really pushing is dependence. Like all addictions, an addiction to cigarettes has a way of slowly but surely taking over your life. Break free from smoking and you’ll be free of cigarette breaks outside in the wind and rain, inconvenient late-night cigarette runs, and annoying guilt trips from friends and family.

Of course, these are just a few of the reasons to give up cigarettes. If you take a cold, hard look at the benefits of quitting smoking, you’ll find your own personal answers to the question “Why quit smoking?” As a smoker, you may be missing out on a lot, but don’t waste time don’t beating yourself up over the fact that you still smoke. Instead of worrying and feeling guilty, focus on taking action that will bring you closer to the day you can finally call yourself a non-smoker.

^[1] http://fitnessmagazine.com/health/body/quit-smoking