Nationwide smoking ban in the Philippines has been implemented since July 23, after President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Executive Order 26, or the nationwide smoking ban in public areas, last May 16. This means smoking is prohibited in public spaces such as schools, recreational facilities, elevators, stairwells, areas with fire hazards, hospitals, clinics, and food preparation areas. Citizens are advised to smoke in designated smoking areas instead, provided that these areas are open and separate spaces with proper ventilation.
The EO also reinforces RA 9211, or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, which "prohibits the purchase and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to and by minors and in certain places frequented by minors." And as provisioned by RA 9211, penalties will be given to those who are caught violating the rules. This entails a fine of P500 to P10,000 for those who are caught smoking in public areas. Meanwhile, those who violate the selling of tobacco products to minors may be fined P5000, face imprisonment of up to 30 days, or revication of business permits and licenses.
So, with less places to smoke, you may want to consider quitting altogether. Need a little more convincing? Read on and find 10 things you'll be thankful for the minute you stop smoking!
1. You live longer.
Thea Cunningham, Cancer Research UK's health information officer, tells The Independent, “Smoking causes at least 14 different types of cancer, including mouth, bowel and bladder cancer. When a cigarette burns, it releases a dangerous cocktail of over 5,000 different chemicals; many of these chemicals are poisonous and more than 70 may cause cancer."
Obviously, when you quit, you lessen your risk of getting cancer, stroke, or pulmonary diseases. Also remember that when your lung’s air sacs become bigger, they become less efficient in transporting oxygen and they eventually break down. And the scary part? You can’t grow new walls for these air sacs. You lose tiny blood vessels and can't grow new ones.
Dying from smoking-induced cancers is avoidable by consciously choosing not to light up a cigarette.
2. The person beside you also lives longer.
You’re not just extending your life but also anyone within a close radius to you. Second-hand smoke is real and greatly affects others, too! In fact, Cancer.gov reports that "Approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths occur each year among adult nonsmokers in the United States."
3. You're a few bucks closer to buying that bag you’re eyeing.
Cigarettes may be seen as tiny expenses. But once they accumulate, you’ll be surprised just how much money you’ve burned! Once you quit smoking, you’ll have more bucks to spare for shopping! And girl, you know that having a designer arm candy is way better than having smoker teeth.
4. Your skin slows down in aging.
Smoking can dim your skin’s glow. Dullness and wrinkling can be attributed to nicotine that narrows your blood vessels, which results in low amounts of oxygen reaching your skin cells. Additionally, chemicals in cigarettes can cause breakdown in your skin’s major components like elastin and collagen. When these are damaged, you age faster and look older. Quitting smoking may not reverse the damages, but at least you can prevent further premature aging!
5. You can make better fashion choices.
Like mentioned above, cigarette chemicals like carbon monoxide crowds out the oxygen in your blood, thus less amount of oxygen goes up to your brain. Trust us, once you quit smoking, you’ll finally see why that top does not match with that skirt.
6. Your hair is silently thanking you.
If you notice your hair thinning and shedding, blame it on the cigs. The chemicals you inhale affect every part of your body, hair follicles included! When you finally put down your packets, your hair will look full and more lustrous. And you can probably stop blaming this shampoo and that conditioner for not living up to its promise of good-smelling hair.
7. You can exercise better.
Smoking weakens your lungs, thus whatever little exercise you manage to squeeze in your schedule won’t tire as much. You’ll have higher endurance and better stamina. You’ve got no more excuse to put off your sweat session! Now if only binge-watching can be done while exercising…
8. You’ll smell better.
No, we’re not just talking about the tobacco stink you carry throughout the day when you smoke. Quitting smoking will clear out your sinuses and you’ll be able to use your sense of smell better!
9. You won’t be shy to smile with your pearly whites.
Smoking can stain your teeth and give you bad breath. Kick the bad habit away and you’ll have whiter and brighter smile, not to mention softer lips as smoking can dry and chap your lips, too!
10. You’ll experience a natural manicure.
Keeping those cancer sticks in between you hands can cause yellowed nails. When you’re able to quit, the stains will fade away from your fingertips and you’re left with natural, healthy look nails.
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