Smoking

Smoking is bad news. Every year 37,000 Canadians die from smoking and hundreds of thousands struggle with smoking-related diseases. That's more than the total number of deaths from AIDS, car accidents, suicide, murder, fires and accidental poisonings combined.

Smoking contributes to heart disease in terrifying ways - the incidence of a heart attack is six times higher in women and three times higher in men who smoke at least 20 cigarettes per day compared to subjects who never smoked.

Many smokers are in denial of the huge risks of their habit. In one study, for example, over 60 percent of current smokers, even those who smoked more than 40 cigarettes per day, did not believe that they were at an increased risk for a heart attack.

Researchers estimate that second-hand smoke kills at least 1,100 Canadians every year. A smoking habit affects everyone around you - including people you love.

The Benefits of Quitting

Kicking the smoking habit is very challenging, but the benefits may save your life. When you quit smoking, your risk of heart attack drops up to 47%. People who quit smoking before age 50 reduce their risk of dying over the next 15 years by one-half, as compared to those who continue to smoke.

Your cardiovascular risks start to drop as soon as you quit and continue to fall as you enjoy life as a non-smoker. No matter how long you've smoked, the health benefits of quitting may save your life.