11 Powerful Reasons To Quit Smoking Starting Today!

One very important key to success is motivation. Motivation is the fuel to start the engine and keep it running, even over obstacles.  

That´s why you really need to think it through first, what are your very personal reasons to quit smoking?  

Make up a list, keep it close, and when tempted to fail, remind yourself of the importance to quit smoking and the benefits you will be gaining. 

When your nicotine-addicted brain will try to trick you into thinking that just one puff is the relief you really need, repeat to yourself your very personal and powerful reasons to stop smoking, and put everything back into perspective: 

Smoking really is just not worth your health, time, and money!

Also, use the power of small wins to motivate yourself even further: if you managed to stay one day without cigarettes, you can do another, and so on!   Why blow everything up and stretch those withdrawal symptoms by putting nicotine in your body? 

And if you happen to fail because of circumstances or a moment´s weakness, use the same powerful reasons to get back on track and start again.

So having underlined the importance of motivation, let´s go through the 11 powerful reasons to quit smoking:

1: Better sex life including wider, firmer erections and maximum sexual arousal

Did you know that nonsmokers are three times more attractive prospects when getting a partner? It may have to do with smelling better as well as a generally healthier glow and look, including your skin and hair.

But that´s not all, quitting smoking improves blood circulation, leading to better erections for men and increased sensitivity for women. Tests have confirmed thicker, more rigid erections as well as reaching the climax later than before.

2: No more erectile problems and improved fertility

Smoking more than a pack a day leads to a 60% chance to suffer from erectile dysfunction.

However, tests have found that 75% of men who had erectile dysfunction (ED) no longer suffered from erectile problems after quitting nicotine.  

The findings report that nicotine itself is the culprit for erection problems, so you shouldn´t replay cigarettes with nicotine patches for example.

Regarding fertility, it is known that after quitting smoking, the sperm becomes more potent and the lining of the womb improves, and at the same time the chances of conceiving through IVF increase considerably while the risks for miscarriage are reduced.

3: Improved memory and stopping the onset of Alzheimer’s disease

Smoking exposes the brain to very harmful chemicals such as toluene which produces memory loss. Smoking one pack a day leads to a hard time recalling names and faces in comparison to nonsmokers.

Smoking causes artery damage, clotting, increased risk of stroke, and mental decline and speeds up the onset of Alzheimer’s disease five times faster in smokers in the elderly years.

4: Decrease the risk of blindness and visual impairment

Did you know that smokers are four times more likely to become blind?  Age-related macular degeneration is progressive, and results in blindness but is a cause that can be modified. 

5: Protect the children and lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome

In the United States up to 67 percent of children under five live in homes with at least one adult smoker. Did you know that secondhand smoke (the smoke itself plus the small particles that cling to clothes, walls, etc.)

Increases the risk of cancer and other diseases up to 100 times more than other outdoor cancer pollutants? Also, the risk of stillbirth jumps to 23% for pregnant non-smokers.

Maternal smoking doubles the risk of sudden infant death syndrome and if you also bed share, the risk is 17 times greater (the Jan. 17 issue of The Lancet).

Children also suffer health-wise from second-hand smoking, including impaired lung functions, ear infections, and behavioral problems (such as hyperactivity), and one very important aspect is the example adults set up.

It is known that kids copy their parents and other models, and in fact, 90% of all adult smokers started smoking when they were kids.

6: Less stress and fewer symptoms of depression

The nicotine addiction is a constant stress factor for your brain, causing withdrawal symptoms in between cigarettes. Satisfying that craving is usually perceived as a stress relief, when in fact is only temporary and not a solution.

A smoker is basically putting her/himself over and over again in the situation of going through withdrawal.

Once you quit smoking, the oxygen levels will increase in your brain and body helping you to better concentrate and increase your memory and mental wellbeing.

Also, studies have shown there is a cause-and-effect relationship between smoking and depression, meaning that smokers have higher rates of depression than nonsmokers.

7: Longer, healthier life

Research has shown that smoking lowers your life expectancy by 10 years. On top of living less, smokers also experience a lot of smoking-related health issues, decreased energy, difficulty breathing, coughing, and so on.

So quitting smoking adds years to your life so you can enjoy more time with the people you love, and improves your health and overall quality of life. A new study found that those who quit before the age of 40 may be able to live as long as people who never smoked at all. Also, you will be less likely to get sick.

8: Younger-looking skin, fewer wrinkles

Smoking causes the narrowing of the blood vessels in the layers of the skin leading to a speeded aging process and wrinkles. Once you quit smoking, you will stop the damage and your skin will look healthier, more youthful, while your teeth and fingernails will stop being stained.

9: Set a great example for my kids, family, friends, and co-workers

 It takes strength to quit and while doing so you will most likely make someone that you care about happy. Instead of cranky moods and irritability, you will now experience more energy and positive moods and have more quality time to spend with your family and friends.

10: You save money when you quit smoking.

If a packet-a-day smoker spends $12.50 on a packet of cigarettes,m on the long run that means:

-$87.50 a week (a good meal at a nice restaurant).

-$350 a month (you could buy clothes).

-$4,550 a year. (a trip for you and your family).

-$22,750 in 5 years.

-$45,500 in 10 years.

11: You will have more control over your life

Your home, your car, your cloth, and your breath will smell fresh, you will no longer go out in bad weather to smoke or buy your nicotine dose, and since there is an increase in bans regarding smoking in public places, now you won’t have to limit your pleasure activities and other experiences anymore.

But most importantly, when you stop smoking you will be free of an addiction that was dictating your moods, behavior, expensive while making you sick in the process.