There is no safe level, or method, of smoking. Even an occasional cigarette or exposure to second-hand smoke is harmful.
Here’s a few things you need to know.
How tobacco damages your body
- Within 10 seconds of the first puff, toxic chemicals enter the lungs, move into the blood stream and spread through the body.
- Cigarette smoke contains over 100 toxic chemicals and at least 70 of them are known causes of cancer.
Smoking effects
- Smoking reduces quality of life and increases risk of disease, including cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
- Smoking affects mood and appearance, finances, and people around you.
- Second-hand smoke can damage the health of anyone who breathes it in, especially babies, children and pregnant women.
- The nicotine in tobacco is highly addictive.
- Once dependent on nicotine, withdrawal symptoms can include irritability, anxiety and restlessness.
- The only way to reduce harm is to quit smoking.
Learn more about the effects of smoking.
Benefits of quitting
You have many reasons to quit smoking.
You’ll improve your health
Smoking is the main cause of preventable death and disease in Australia. Every cigarette you don't smoke is doing you good – you'll feel better and reduce your risk of developing many diseases.
The damage from smoking starts to reverse as soon as you quit. Depending on how much you smoked, you should start seeing benefits in a week.
The health benefits include:
- decreased blood pressure
- improved smell and taste
- improved lung function
- decrease in coughing and shortness of breath.
Quitting also reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.
You’ll have more money
Every dollar you save by not smoking can be spent on other things that are important to you. If you spend $100 a week on smoking, you could save over $5,000 a year by quitting. Work out how much you could save by quitting smoking using this calculator. Think about what you could do with this money instead.
You’ll be helping your friends and family
Quitting can benefit your friends and family. You will protect them from second-hand smoke, which can harm their health.
You can also set a good example for your loved ones and inspire others to quit.
Learn more about the benefits of giving up smoking for good.
Quitting smoking
Quitting nicotine isn’t easy, but the results are worth it, and there is lots of support available to help you do it. Start your quit journey here and join the thousands of Australians who are giving up for good.
