Smoking Kills!! Physically and Financially… What Category Are You?
Smoking Kills!! Physically and Financially… What Category Are You?:
Yes! Everybody knows that smoking kills. Every time a person buys a cigarette packet, for a moment, they put a glance on packaging showing the after effects of smoking. But do we really care?? Does that warning shook us for a moment to think about someone we care, our family?? And again, we know the answer. It’s a NO! Why? The main health risks from smoking are lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Smoking causes almost 90% of deaths from lung cancer, around 80% of deaths from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), and around 17% of deaths from heart disease.
Money Matters!!
Has anybody ever wondered that apart from health issues, what else does smoking cost you? I will help you figure out that thing. That’s the real cost you are paying, your Money.
Rushing to a single pack of smoke may seem harmless, but maintaining that habit can be quite risky for your wallet. Nobody takes the count on the money they spend on smoking. A 2011 study sponsored by the UK government found that 81% of smokers smoke a pack per day or more.
The American Lung Association reported in 2012 that the average pack of cigarettes costs $5.50. For example, smokers in New York City shell out as much as $10.56 per pack, which amounts to $317 per month, $3,854 per year, or $38,540 over ten years to sustain a pack-a-day habit. But depending on where you live, you could be paying much more.
Even electronic cigarettes and vaping can only add up to the expenses and hence a hole in your yearly income.
The costs don’t end here, though. As every smoker knows, when you need a cigarette, you need one right now. So, for that, you will drive to any convenience store and end up buying something which you may have to like with your ciggy. Might be alcohol, soda, chips or anything that you don’t need actually.
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Studies show that money spent on drinking accounts for 1 percent of your income, or $565 per year, based on the average household. So, smoking one pack of cigarettes a day, using the average price, costs you four times what it costs to drink. (If you like to drink while you smoke, then you are dishing out a pretty penny to maintain both habits.)
While smoking is a powerful habit, one can save that money for their future use. May be for their retirement, funding of their children’s college fees, or on a needed vacation. And majorly, you spend a lot of health maintenance after smoking.
If not money, should we care for ourselves?
If we talk about its physical after-effects, they are a mess. Because you cannot replace your life with anything but you. Replacing your cigarette with a cigar, pipe, or hookah won’t help you avoid the health risks. It affects every system of our body, be it nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular, integumentary (consisting of skin, hair, and nails), digestive, sexuality, and reproductive system as well. Yes, you have read it right about the last system, smoking increases the chances of impotence dramatically for men by affecting blood vessels, including those that must dilate in order for an erection to occur.
For women, this can result in sexual dissatisfaction by decreasing lubrication and the ability to reach orgasm. Smoking may also lower sex hormone levels in both men and women. Despite a no. of awareness programs, we do not pay much attention to these losses. Quitting smoking is difficult, but your doctor can help you make a plan.
Ask them for advice. There are a variety of non-prescription and prescription medications that can help you quit. Since smoking affects every body system, finding a way to quit is the most important step you can take to living a longer and happier life.
