There certainly is no shortage of reasons to quit. The evidence against smoking is overwhelming. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that male smokers lose an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers 14.5 years because of smoking. The habit has been linked to killer diseases such as lung cancer, coronary artery disease, and stroke, not to mention increasing the risk of nuisance illnesses like the flu or pneumonia. Then there's the guilt about secondhand smoke, which causes serious harm to nonsmokers. And there's the fact that smoking is a costly habit. A pack a day will run you about $1,500 a year, and that doesn't include the higher insurance premiums you pay if you're a smoker. However, millions of people have quit smoking, and you can too. Here are some good reasons to quit:

• You will live a longer and better life.
• Quitting will lower your chance of having a heart attack, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, stroke, or cancer.
• The people you live with, especially your children, will be healthier.
• Food will taste and smell better.
• You will have extra money to save or to spend on things other than cigarettes.
• Your home, car, clothing, and breath will smell better.
• You can stop worrying about quitting.
• You will set a good example for your children.
• You will do better in physical activities.
• You will have less wrinkling/aging of skin.
• There is a higher risk of cancer and heart disease for family members.
• Children of smokers are more likely to take up smoking than are children of nonsmokers.
• Children of smokers have an increased risk for asthma, middle-ear disease, respiratory infections, and sudden infant death syndrome.
• Women who smoke have a higher risk for giving birth to low-birth-weight babies.

This section has more information on secondhand smoke.