Clinics

Giving up smoking and smoke-free environments - everyone's a winner!

Smoking remains the single biggest cause of preventable death and disease in the country, and second-hand tobacco smoke (SHS) is causing equally devastating effects to the non-smokers of our community. By quitting smoking, you can improve the health of those around you, as well as your own.

For many years now, it has been known that smoking causes lung cancer, but did you know there are also over 50 different smoking related diseases and disorders that affect smokers? These include conditions ranging from cancers in other parts of the body, heart disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, to impotency, cataracts, and skin wrinkling.

Second-hand Tobacco Smoke (SHS) and 'passive smoking' can also have dramatic effects on the health of non-smokers. The increased risk of lung cancer in non-smokers exposed to SHS is 24% and that of heart disease is 25%.

However, as soon as a smoker stops smoking, they will start to feel the benefits of a smoke-free lifestyle - less breathlessness, more energy, improved circulation. Over time the risks of becoming ill with lung cancer, heart disease and other smoking-related illnesses decrease substantially too. For more details, why not check out the Benefits Timeline. You can find it in the Understanding Nicotine Addition section of the website.

Tobacco is also the biggest cause of indoor air pollution and it has a simple solution: eliminating smoking. Smoke-free environments provide both smokers and non-smokers in the community with health benefits. In addition to reducing the serious long-term health risks, the absence of tobacco smoke means that non-smokers and staff don't suffer the short-term effects of SHS, such as headache, sore throat and eyes or nausea. Smoke-free places also benefit people trying to stop smoking, by providing them with an environment free of temptation.

 

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