One of the greatest challenges that doctors face in their profession is encouraging people to quit. Smoking remains to be the leading cause of preventable diseases, and a major risk factor for heart disease, cancer, and premature death. Basically, it is hard to stress to individuals the lifelong health consequences of smoking especially if they experience no health problems in the present.
People start smoking for many reasons. At the same time, they don’t quit for so many excuses. 
Here are 5 of the most common excuses of smokers that prevent them from achieving a better, healthier life:
My healthy habits make up for my smoking.
Many smokers think that eating lots of veggies and exercising can compensate for their smoking habit. But according to experts, proper nutrition and exercise do not reduce the health risks associated with smoking. That means you are still at risk of lung cancer, heart disease and other chronic diseases linked to tobacco use.
I’d been smoking all my life. Damage has been done.
Even if you’re already in your 50s and you’re still smoking, you still can reduce the health risks of cigarette use if you will stop smoking today. The thing is that the effects of smoking are cumulative. That means the longer you smoke, the greater the consequences are. Several hours after your last cigarette, be prepared to experience significant improvements in your overall health.
I’ll gain weight if I quit.
There’s a chance that you will gain weight if you quit, only if you don’t observe proper diet and regular exercise. It’s true that smoking lifts your metabolism, but only for a while. In the long run, it destroys your metabolism, which contributes to weight management issues. What’s more, people tend to curb nicotine craving by binge eating. By making smart food choices, and by exercising regularly, you won’t gain extra weight when you quit.
Cutting back on cigarette is good enough.
Not really. Whether you are smoking two or ten cigarettes per day, you are still taking in toxic, cancer-causing compounds. Also, studies suggest that people who smoke less tend to puff deeply, so they get to inhale more of the toxins from cigarette smoke.
It’s my health that’s affected.
If you think smoking brings harm only to your health, you are absolutely wrong. According to the American Lung Association, second hand smoke causes nearly 50,000 deaths in the US every year. In one study, it was found that non-smokers who work in a single eight-hour shift in a smoky bar inhale as much toxic smoke as smokers inhale.
Don’t let these excuses stop you from quitting smoking today. Ditching the habit is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself and to the people you love. It may be difficult at first and you may go through several failed attempts before successfully quitting for good. But don’t despair. There are plenty of quit smoking methods that can make the quitting process easier.
