Why Quit Smoking? ?????

[Bible Speaks]

Why Quit Smoking?

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SMOKING is not for those who want to live a long and happy life. The probability that a long-term smoker will eventually be killed by tobacco is 1 in 2. The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) stated: “A cigarette is . . . a cleverly crafted product that delivers just the right amount of nicotine to keep its user addicted for life before killing the person.”

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One reason, then, to quit smoking is that smoking tobacco endangers health and life. Smoking has been linked to more than 25 life-threatening diseases. It is, for example, a major contributor to heart attack, stroke, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and various cancers, especially lung cancer.

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Of course, a person may smoke for years before being stricken with one of these diseases. Meanwhile, smokingdoes not make a person more appealing to others. Advertising portrays smokers as glamorous and healthy. The reality is different. Smoking makes the breath stink and stains teeth and fingers a yellowish-brown. In men it contributes to impotence. It causes smoker’s cough and shortness of breath. Smokers are also more likely to experience premature facial wrinkling and other skin problems.

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The Bible says: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) Love for your neighbors—and your family members are your closest neighbors—is a powerful reason to quit.

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Smoking hurts others. Until recent times a smoker could light up just about anywhere and expect no objection. But attitudes are changing because more people understand the dangers of breathing in smoke that drifts from the cigarettes of others. For example, a nonsmoker who is married to a smoker has a 30-percent greater risk of developing lung cancer than if he or she were married to a nonsmoker. Children who live with parents who smoke are more likely to develop pneumonia or bronchitis in the first two years of life than are children who live in homes where no one smokes.

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What Is in Cigarette Smoke?

Cigarette smoke contains tar, consisting of over 4,000 chemicals. Of these chemicals, 43 are known to cause cancer. Among them are cyanide, benzene, wood alcohol, and acetylene (a fuel used in torches). Cigarette smoke also contains nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide, both poisonous gases. Its main active ingredient is nicotine, a highly addictive drug.

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https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102000202?q=smoking&p=par