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Smokers have much more ill health than non-smokers. For many
smokers, years of ill health are followed by an early death. Half of
all smokers will be killed by their habit.
7 in 10 smokers want to quit. Motivation is the key factor in
being able to quit.
Support and advice on quitting will help. If supportive
friends, family or nurse are not available, why not try Quitline:
0800 002200
See - Giving up smoking
A very large study published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association in 2008 showed:
There were 121,700 participants in the original 1976 cohort, of
whom 104, 519 were eligible for this study. In this group, 12,483 died
during the study period: 64% of these were in current or past smokers,
who constituted 54% of the original cohort. In 2002, only 8% of those
still alive were current smokers. Compared with those who never smoked,
current smokers had nearly three times the risk of death overall, risk
increasing with number of cigarettes smoked daily. Their risk for
cancers considered to be smoking-related was over 7 times that of none
smokers, and they also had an increased risk of 'other cancers'
including colorectal cancer. Risk of death from COPD was 14-fold that of
non-smokers. Earlier age for starting smoking increased the risk for
all-cause mortality, respiratory disease mortality, and smoking-related
cancer mortality.
The excess mortality risk for those who stopped smoking fell by 13% over
the first five years after quitting, mostly accounted for by reduction
in vascular disease mortality. Risk for other causes fell more slowly,
but by 20 years after quitting the all-cause mortality risk was similar
to that of never-smokers. When considered by cause, the risk for
smoking-related cancers fell more slowly: at 20 years the risk was much
reduced, but was still greater than never-smokers and had still not
fallen to the never-smoked level by 30 years from quitting. Overall, 64%
of deaths among current smokers and 28% of deaths among past smokers
were related to smoking.
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