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Smoking: 201 Reasons to Quit

Smoking: 201 Reasons to Quit

By: Muriel L. Crawford
Publisher: Dillon and Parker Publishing LLC
Publication Date: September 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9819590-0-9
Reviewed by: Eloise Michael
Review Date: April 27, 2010

In Smoking: 201 Reasons to Quit, author Muriel Crawford compiles smoking research from many journals into one volume which is both easy to read and easy to navigate. Crawford's writing is exceptionally clear and concise. She gives her readers just the right amount of information concerning each of the 201 reasons.

Not surprisingly, many of these reasons are diseases that smokers are more likely to suffer from. Crawford describes the causes and symptoms of these diseases briefly, but without dumbing-down her explanations or leaving her readers with unanswered questions. She provides statistics which highlight the relationship between smoking and the particular disease, always outlining, as well, the prognosis should a smoker decide to quit.

Smoking: 201 Reasons to Quit could give a smoker the resolve she needs in order to quit. Here, certainly, are some good reasons. Smokers are probably aware that they are shortening their lives, that they are likely to get lung cancer or emphysema. Reading Crawford's explanations of each reason, however, makes them feel more real and closer to home. Also among Crawford's 201 are reasons that many smokers might not be aware of, for example, the amount of time a smoker spends smoking. It takes an hour and a half to two hours per day to smoke a pack of cigarettes. For people who have to leave work or leave their homes to smoke, this could add up to a lot of wasted time. Another lesser known reason, one study showed that broken legs healed 80 percent faster in non-smokers than in smokers. The final conclusion is simple: there are many reasons to quit and no good reasons to continue smoking.

This book would also make an excellent reference for professionals who work with smokers. It is divided into sections by category, and each reason within the category is written in large bold letters. It is possible to refer back to the book and quickly find a particular statistic or study.

Crawford's 201 reasons are certainly sobering; however, she succeeds in keeping the tone of the book hopeful. Many of the 201 short segments include encouraging information about the results when smokers quit smoking. For example, in reason #2, “Early Death,” Crawford writes that men who smoke shorten their lives by an average of 13.2 years, and women shorten their lives by an average of 14.5 years. She then goes on to say that smokers who quit at age 50 can expect to live 6 years longer than they would have, had they continued.

Crawford inspires smokers to quit with the message that it is not too late. Smokers can improve the quality of their lives in many ways by quitting immediately. In reason #118, under the category of “Benefits of Quitting,” Crawford writes, “Twenty minutes after your last cigarette, your blood pressure and pulse rate drop. Eight hours after you quit smoking, the carbon monoxide in your blood drops and the oxygen in your blood increases to normal. Your body will begin to heal itself within 12 hours. Within a few days, your senses of smell and taste improve noticeably. Your risk of some cancers will begin to decline immediately." (p. 179)

Crawford maintains her respectful encouraging tone throughout. It is clear that her intention is to help others. Though Crawford has collected some truly alarming statistics, this is still a hopeful book.

Quill says: A well-researched, well-written reference book with an encouraging tone that will help smokers quit.

For more information on Smoking: 201 Reasons to Quit, please visit the book's website at: ReasonsNotToSmoke.co

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