Its no secret that smoking is bad for you.

Cigarette smokers bear a heavy burden of potential health consequences, including increased risk of cancer, heart disease, aneurysms, bronchitis, emphysema, and stroke.

Smoking worsens many medical conditions such as asthma, pneumonia, and poor blood flow in the arms and legs. It has been shown to harm womens reproductive systems and may be linked to erectile dysfunction in men. Its a well-known culprit of shortened life span and decreased quality of life.

Quite understandably, about 70% of smokers say they want to quit. Whats more, according to The American Cancer Society, each year 40% of smokers try to quit, while a mere 4% to 7% of them succeed without help. The combination of physical and psychological addiction to cigarettes makes smoking a particularly nasty habit to break.

The effects hit your company, too, largely in the form of lost workdays and decreased productivity. Smokers have been shown to take approximately eight more days of sick leave than nonsmokers. Factor in lost time due to smoke breaks throughout the day, and it really adds up.

Encourage employees to quit smoking now and reap the priceless benefits of a healthier lifestyle.