- Image via Wikipedia
Everyone knows that smoking is not good for us. People who smoke two cigarettes a day know this, people who smoke three packs of cigarettes a day know this. Cigarette smoking is an addiction. Smokers do not often think of it that way, as it is legal and they are not out on the streets trying to score a pack of Marlboros. This addiction is never more prevalent then when it becomes absolutely necessary to break the habit.
There are many, many good reasons to stop smoking. It is an expensive habit. A pack a day can cost thousands of dollars over a year. It is, at least in most parts of the country, not allowed in most public places. No more lighting up at the restaurant or in the Mall. Almost all school zones and places where children are present are “NO SMOKING” zones now. It bothers other people. Nonsmokers do not like to be too close to smokers. Smoke causes an odor on the clothing, on the breath, and basically in the air surrounding the smoker.
All good reasons to quit. However, when a diagnosis of heart disease is made, your doctor will suggest, event insist, that you quit smoking. Your heart is a muscle and when you smoke, you are literally choking the muscle. Sometimes a heart attack kills a person. If you are lucky, your heart may give you warning signs, a little chest pain, some shortness of breath. When you get this checked and you get a diagnosis of heart disease, it is time to quit. It is a proven fact that if you have to have stents placed in your heart, smoking can cause your arteries to clog and block the stents, thereby causing a heart attack.
Smoking has no redeeming qualities, however it has many bad consequences. Give up the habit, be good to your heart.
