Smoking rates have fallen by a quarter in the past 10 years, although almost one in five of us still lights up regularly. Rising cost, smoking bans, and smoking cessation services have all helped, and electronic (e-) cigarettes, also known as vapes, have made a difference, too.
Why stop?
Cigarettes contain hundreds of chemicals as well as harmful tar and addictive nicotine. Smoking causes 80,000 deaths in England each year, and 50% of smokers will die (on average 10 years earlier) from smoking-related diseases such as mouth, throat, lung and kidney cancers, heart/lung disease, strokes and circulatory diseases. It’s also linked to sight and dental problems. Smoking weakens connective (supportive) tissue, producing premature wrinkles, pelvic floor prolapse/incontinence and bone-thinning osteoporosis. It’s also linked to male/female fertility, miscarriage, premature babies, a…
