The simple action of smoking a cigarette seems very banal.  But you should know that the inhaled smoke inhaled contains more than 4000 chemical compounds, with more than 50 of them known to cause cancer.  In fact, any burning plant naturally releases naturally those chemical compounds

Half of the smokers will die from their bad habit. Of  those, half will die between the age of 35 and 69 years. That represents 20 to 25 years of life less than the non-smokers … all avoidable deaths.

In fact, tobacco smoking is the most important avoidable cause of mortality in the world.

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death associated with the use of tobacco followed by lung cancer.  A man who smokes a pack of cigarettes per day increases his risk of having a heart attack by 300%, whereas for a woman, this risk increases to 600%.

But i don't smoke much

There is a direct relationship of cause to effect, even if someone smokes just a few cigarettes a day. Isn’t that scary?

Quitting smoking is indisputably the most important on cardiovascular health

Of all the actions a person can take to improve his or her cardiovascular health and health in general, quitting smoking is indisputably the most important.  No other medical or surgical intervention is more effective!

I'm too old for quitting...

We often hear: “It is too late to quit smoking, Doctor! I smoked all my life!” It is never too late! Your blood pressure and your heart rate decreases 20 minutes after the last cigarette. Your carbon monoxide blood level is decreased by half after 6 hours, and the oxygenation of your body becomes again normal.

Results are already present after a day without smoking!

Just after one day, your risk of infarction decreases, your lungs start their cleaning process by eliminating the residues from smoke. In two days, the taste and the sense of smell improve.

And what to say after 5 years!

After 5 years, the risk of an important cardiovascular event (death or infarction) is the same as non-smokers.

But Doctor, I tried! I can’t quit!

Nicotine is the cause. It’s an addiction! Only 5% of people who try to quit are successful after one year. This percentage increased to 20-25% with a combined aid program and the use of nicotine replacement therapy

Help is possible to relieve the urge to smoke

Products such as chewing gum, skin patch or spray have been used for more than 20 years, and have been found safe by clinical studies.

Nicotine is not responsible for health problems associated with tobacco. The culprit agents are found in the tobacco smoke.

And what about the use of electronic cigarettes?

Among patients who fail to quit smoking using pharmacological methods, the use of the electronic cigarettes in this context has shown a success rate of 50 to 70% in one year.

Several smoking cessation programs can be found on the Web. 

https://tobaccofreequebec.ca

http://www.famillesansfumee.ca/who-is-at-risk