1. Live Longer
   Many smokers die before their time. On average 5.5 minutes of life is lost for every cigarette smoked. That's half a day a week for the average smoker. Many smokers die up to 25 years earlier than they should. Smoking is like committing suicide slowly and painfully.
2. Keep Your Looks
   Some think smoking is sophisticated and makes you look older. Well sure it does - your skin gets wrinkled before it should and your complexion dulls. Teeth and fingers are stained a horrible yellow - brown and gums are more susceptible to unsightly diseases, like gingivitis.
3. Cash Not Ash
   A 20 a day smoker spends around £1300 a year. Surely there are better things to spend your cash on. Clothes, CDs, holidays, computers, anything in fact. And that £1300 is an investment in early death! Crazy isn't it.
4. Don't Get Nasty Diseases
   "Smoking is bad for your health." That has to be one of the biggest understatements of the century. A cigarette contains 4000 chemicals. Nasties like carbon monoxide, tar, arsenic, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide. Smokers die of heart attacks and lung cancer and worse! Try emphysema - a terrible disease that rots the lungs, making breathing a real struggle. Dying from emphysema is like drowning slowly.
5. Stay Fit and Active
   The carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke robs the system of oxygen. Smoking also increases heart rate and narrows blood vessels. That means smokers have less stamina so if you are into sport, cigarettes are a big no no. 20 year old smokers have the same fitness as 35 year old non-smokers. Also smokers can't fight off infection so easily they're more susceptible to coughs, colds, flu, ear infections, etc.
6. Nicer To Know
   Smoking isn't flash or romantic either, After all, who wants to kiss and cuddle someone who smells like an ashtray? The smoke clings to you, stinking up your hair, your clothes and your breath. Yuk!
7. Don't Pollute The Air
   Smoky air makes people's eyes sting and their hair and clothes stink. Passive smoking increases the risk of asthma, heart disease and lung cancer. In fact hundreds of people in the UK die every year from the effects of passive smoking.
8. Don't Be An Addict
   People who take up smoking often think they'll be able to give up any time they like. The trouble is, nicotine is an incredibly addictive drug. Before you know it, you're well and truly hooked. And just ask a person who's trying to quit how difficult it is. So be smart, don't start.
9. Save The Environment
   Tobacco production is damaging our planet. Around 600 million trees are destroyed to provide fuel for drying and curing tobacco. It takes about a tree a fortnight to supply the average smoker. Tree loss reduces rainfall, erodes soil and causes desert formation. Tobacco plants need huge amounts of fertilisers and pesticides which damage local water supplies and cause health risks.
10. Don't Be A Tobacco Industry Pawn
    Tobacco companies are legalised drug pushers. Their drug kills over 300 people in the UK alone. While you have been reading this, someone has died from smoking. Don't be a sucker, say no to smoking, say no to an industry that is killing people and damaging our planet.
    

Here are some practical tips to help you kick the habit...

• Plan to give up. Choose a day to stop and stick to it.
• Get help if you need it. Speak to your GP, practice nurse or the Ulster Cancer Foundation about how to stop.
• Tell everyone you are stopping.
• Take it a day at a time.
• Avoid situations where you know you'll be tempted.
• Work out how much you're saving and spend it on a real treat.
• Exercise is a good distraction from smoking - and it will keep your weight down.
• Be determined! If at first you don't succeed - Keep trying. Every attempt increases your chances of finally giving up.