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Everyone has their own reasons to finally put an end to using tobacco. But just in case you're looking for a few more, here are some of the negative health effects from smoking.

Negative Health Effects from Tobacco

1. Nicotine dependence is the most common form of chemical dependence in the United States and research suggests that nicotine is as addictive as heroin, cocaine, or alcohol (CDC, 2008).
2. Tobacco exposed infants exhibit significant neurobehavioral problems and maternal smoking results in behavioral problems manifesting in early childhood.
3. Children of women who smoked at least 20 cigarettes a day during pregnancy were more likely to become addicted to nicotine or progress from regular smoking to nicotine addiction as adults compared with children of women who smoked fewer than 20 cigarettes a day (NIDA, 2004).
4. Tobacco use by mothers produces a 3 times greater impact of producing low birth rate babies than cocaine. (CDC)
5. Tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke by mothers produces has the highest rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).  (CDC)
6. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and accounts for approximately 1 of every 5 deaths (438,000 people) each year (CDC, 2008).
7. According to the 2007 Louisiana Health Insurance Survey, 30.5% of those with heart disease are current smokers. While on average they smoke 19.5 cigarettes a day, 80.5% of them would like to quit smoking.
8. 25.4% of those with diabetes are current smokers, smoking on average 14.2 cigarettes a day, and 83% would like to quit smoking (2007 Louisiana Health Insurance Survey).
9. 32.8% of those with asthma are current smokers, smoking on average 13 cigarettes a day, and 85% would like to quit smoking (2007 Louisiana Health Insurance Survey).
10. Tobacco smoke causes most cases of lung cancer. It's by far the most important risk factor for lung cancer. Harmful substances in smoke damage lung cells. That's why smoking cigarettes, pipes, or cigars can cause lung cancer and why secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer in nonsmokers. The more a person is exposed to smoke, the greater the risk of lung cancer. (NCI)
11. Cigarette smoking increases the risk for many types of cancer, including cancers of the lip, oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, pancreas, larynx (voice box), lung, uterine cervix, urinary bladder, and kidney. (CDC)
12. Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Cigarette smokers are 2-4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers. (CDC)
13. Cigarette smoking approximately doubles a person's risk for stroke. (CDC)
14. Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries). Smokers are more than 10 times as likely as nonsmokers to develop peripheral vascular disease. (CDC)
15. Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm.(CDC)
16. About 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung diseases are attributable to cigarette smoking. (CDC)

BENEFITS OF QUITTING

1. Your appeal to the opposite sex could triple as a non-smoker.¹
2. Minimal smoking during pregnancy can significantly increase the risk of having a child with various toe and finger defects.²
3. Quitting smoking could help to slow facial aging and the appearance of wrinkles.³
4. The more strategies you use to quit, the higher your odds of remaining tobacco-free.⁴
5. The more intensively you focus on quitting, the higher your odds of quitting.⁵
6. The use of cessation materials, like this website, directly increases your chances of quitting.⁶
7. Quitting smoking can be one of the biggest factors in improving sexual functioning.⁷
8. Expectant mothers who quit cigarettes reduce their babys chances of having attention, motor control and perception problems.⁸
9. Increasing ones amount of exercise has been linked with success in quitting smoking.⁹
10. The excess risk of heart disease caused by smoking could be cut in half after just one year of quitting smoking.¹⁰
11. Secondhand smoke exposure causes respiratory symptoms in children and slows their lung growth.^*
12. Secondhand smoke causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems and more frequent and severe asthma attacks in children.^*
13. There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure. Even brief exposure can be dangerous.^*

FOOTNOTES:

¹. Hines, D; Fretz, AC; Nollen, NL. 1998. Regular occasional smoking by college students: Personality attributions of smokers and nonsmokers. Psychological Reports. V3(2):1299-1306. & Amos, A; Currie, C; Gray, D; Elton, R. 1998. Perceptions of fashion images from youth magazines: Does a cigarette make a difference Health Education Research 1998. V4:491-501.

^* U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006 [cited 2006 Sep 27]. Available from: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/report/.