Besides the obvious effects of smoking presented above, there
are many other effects that you probably never considered.
First, smoking stinks. Never mind the health risks. The
offensive odor intrudes on the noses of people all around you,
from your family and co-workers, to patrons at public places
such as restaurants and sporting events. While you may feel it
is your right to smoke in public places, consider how you would
feel if your next door neighbor suddenly opened a chicken farm
in his back yard. The stench can be sickening. The issue is not
so much a rights issues as much as it is a consideration issue.
Treat the people around you with respect, the way that you'd
expect them to treat you.
QUIT SMOKING
Aside from the smell of smoke, there's also the issue of
cigarette butts carelessly discarded along roadways and other
public places. While most smokers would probably never consider
tossing a used cup or hamburger wrapper out their car window,
many don't give a second thought to flicking one cigarette butt
after another out the window. Don't think one little butt
matters? Consider that it takes one to five years for a
cigarette butt to disintegrate, or biodegrade. (9)
What's that? You only throw out perhaps one cigarette butt per
pack. Ok, let's examine that. You litter one butt for every 20
you smoke. That's 5% of your cigarettes. Not much, right?
Consider that the worldwide consumption of cigarettes is
somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,050,000,000,000 per year. If
"only" 5% of cigarette butts were discarded improperly, that
means 302,500,000,000 butts are littering every street corner,
parking lot, public park, and beach in the world. The next time
you stop in your car at a stop light, look down next to your
car. You'll probably see dozens, if not hundreds of butts.
Health
QUIT SMOKING
What do improperly discarded butts lead to, among other things?
Yes, fires! Thousands of fires are started each year by
carelessly discarded cigarette butts. Thousands of innocent
victims are killed each year as a result of these fires. These
fires and deaths are easily prevented if only you would take a
moment to properly discard your butts.
How else does your smoking affect other people? Consider that
your smoking habit costs hundreds or thousands of dollars per
year. Add this amount up over 20 or 30 years, plus tack on the
interest that money could have earned and you have wasted
perhaps $100,000 or more! Just think what that money could have
done for you and your family. One cigarette at a time, and no
one notices. But if you pulled $100,000 out of your bank
account, you'd be called a thief!
The financial costs don't stop at the cigarettes alone. You're
also probably paying double or more for your health insurance.
You're also much more likely to incur doctor visits and medical
expenses than are non-smokers. This costs you both for the
treatment as well as the lost wages from your time off from
work. The value of your car and home may also be reduced, due to
the odor and filth of cigarettes.
Have your personal relationships been affected? Smoking can be
very offensive to non-smokers. Many non-smokers won't consider a
smoker as a possible spouse. If you're in sales, smoking may be
killing deals because you smell bad, or have offensive breath.
People buy *you*, not just your product!. Your career may even
be stunted due to excessive smoke breaks. Smokers waste many
hours each week taking breaks to satisfy their habit. Don't
think that your regular absences go unnoticed by your colleagues
and your boss. While you're outside relaxing, your co-workers
are inside working. If you were the boss, to whom would you give
a raise or promotion?
Health
Your smoking also cheats your family and friends. When you die
early (the average smoker will die eight years earlier than a
non-smoker), you rob your family and friends of--you! If you are
unfortunate enough to get sick at a very early age, you also
threaten your children's normal childhood, and seriously impact
your spouse's life. Consider your children, spouse, family and
friends when you smoke next.
Finally, don't forget that smoking cheats YOU! All of the
foregoing information affects you. When you smoke, you are
slowly robbing yourself.
The point of all this? Your smoking habit has far reaching
consequences. Quitting smoking can erase these negative
consequences and improve your life and the lives of so many
other people around you. Start making plans today to quit
