Celebrate 10 years of Military No Smoking Day
For every year that Military No Smoking Day has been in existence, give a reason to quit. Stopping smoking will:
- Improve health and fitness. On average smokers are 1 minute slower on a 2-mile run than a non-smoker.
- Increase stamina. Many military smokers think that because they're young and physically fit, they are in some way protected from the harmful consequences of smoking. Smoking is always harmful, whatever the age and however fit they are at the time.
- Reduce risk of injury during training. This is particularly true of lower limb injury. Smokers are twice as likely to develop wound complications and take longer to recover after surgery.
- Lower your stress levels. For military smokers, smoking is an operational hazard and can make a stressful situation more difficult. When experiencing stress, lack of sleep, lack of food, fear, it is not advisable to go through acute nicotine withdrawal symptoms. It is better to plan to stop smoking in easier times, making the operational situation as uncomplicated as possible.
- Save you money. Smoking is expensive. With £2,700 - £3,000 being the average saving from a year's worth of cigarettes, you can enjoy a holiday in the sun!
- Mean you never smell like an ashtray again. Tobacco gets into your hair, breath, clothes, your home and car.
- Improve your appearance. Smoking can yellow the teeth, promote gum disease and bad breath, and can age the skin by about 10 years.
- Be part of the majority. Smokers are now in the minority - only 21% of the general public smoke - that means 79% are non-smokers.
- Improve fertility. Smoking is the major cause of impotence in men and lowers the quality and quantity of sperm.
- Make you a life-saver. Not just with your life but others around
you. Stopping smoking reduces the risk to the ones who are close to you.
Second-hand smoke from cigarettes is not filtered and contains higher
concentrations of harmful substances, making it more harmful to non-smokers.
Passive smoking causes several hundred deaths from heart disease and lung
cancer every year.