Smoking is damaging not only the person who engages in it, but all those around who are exposed to second-hand smoke. But how bad is it, really? How big of an effect does it have on a person?
If you knew that someone was going to break into your home this evening, what would you do? You might call the police, but what if they couldn’t come out and stand guard? Wouldn’t you do that instead – keep a watch, with all your lights on, the doors and windows locked, and maybe a trusty baseball bat or golf club in your hand? No one is going to hurt you or your family, at least not without a fight!
It may be a somewhat simplistic or overly dramatic illustration, but you probably get the point. Protecting yourself and your family from harm is something that usually only comes naturally to most. We teach our children to look both ways when crossing the street and to avoid talking to strangers, most people wear their seatbelts and make sure their doors and windows are locked at night.
So why is it then that this protective mentality seems to go right out the window when it comes to the practice of smoking?
Note this important fact and statistic about smoking:
Smoking is the #1 killer …
Smoking has been identified as the #1 preventable killer worldwide. What this means is that of all the deaths around the world that could somehow be prevented, smoking is the most common. So of all the changes that a person could make to improve and protect their health – from losing weight, watching their diet, exercising, getting their shots, and so on – smoking is at the head of the list.
This is important to remember because of course there will always be diseases and illnesses, and many of them are simply genetic or unavoidable for whatever other reason.
But as I just said a moment ago, if you knew someone was coming to harm you or your family, you’d do everything in your power to stop them. When it comes to smoking, however, people often let the practice right into their homes without any thought as to how it is an unwelcome intruder, doing nothing but harm to them and their families.