Why Should I Quit?

Disease and Death/Effects on smoker’s health

• Tobacco use is the #1 cause of preventable death and the #1 cause of preventable disease in the United States
• Smoking is the #1 cause of all cancers.
• In addition to being the primary cause of lung cancer, tobacco use is linked to cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas, stomach, colon, skin and cervix
  • Smoking is responsible for 30% of all cancer deaths
  • Smoking is responsible for 87% of all lung cancers
  • Smoking is the #1 cause of emphysema
  • Smoking kills more people in Indiana than alcohol, AIDS, auto accidents, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined
  • Smoking isn’t just about cancer
  • Smoking slows wound healing
  • A smoker’s bones take almost twice as long to heal as those of a nonsmoker
  • Smoking has a direct causal link to heart disease (2 to 4 times more likely), stroke (doubles the risk), and lower extremity circulatory problems (10 times more likely)

Effects of breathing secondhand smoke

• Secondhand smoke is as harmful than the smoke inhaled by a smoker
• Following active smoking and alcohol use, secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States with an estimated 53,000 deaths annually
• Secondhand smoke is responsible for 3,000 adult lung cancer deaths annually
• Workers exposed to secondhand smoke are 34% more likely to get lung cancer
• Secondhand smoke causes higher rates of respiratory, throat and ear infections in children