IF YOU SMOKE, DON'T BOTHER SWIMMING. YOU'LL NEVER SUCCEED WITH DYING LUNGS.

What's in that Butt? Nicotine is only one of the many harmful ingredients found in cigarettes. There are over 4,000 other harmful chemicals that can be found in tobacco smoke.

Among those are:

• carbon monoxide (the dangerous gas that comes out of our cars),
• formaldehyde (used to preserve dead bodies),
• ammonia (kitchen and bathroom cleaner)
• carbon dioxide (which contributes to global warming)

Many harmful metals are also found in cigarettes.

• Aluminum
• copper
• lead
• mercury
• zinc

10 Reasons to Quit Smoking That Aren't Lung Cancer

No. 1: Facial wrinkles

Forget the beautiful babes who peer from the advertising pages of fashion magazines, tailor-made cigarettes between their fingers. The first thing smoking will not do is give you the eyes and lips of a model. Crows feet and wrinkled cheeks. Vertical lines around your mouth. That's the true picture.Fact: Smoking causes vasoconstriction of facial capillaries, which reduces the flow of oxygen and nutrients to skin cells. Say hello to premature wrinkling that is largely irreversible (even if you can afford the cash and handle the pain of cosmetic surgery). This one may worry women more than men, but read on.

No. 2: Impotence

'Oh, God no! Really? Now that's bad!' says Donovan Hipke, a 26-year-old Web developer in Seattle. He's reacting to the news that if he doesn't defeat his three-year pack-a-day habit, something very near and dear to him may stop working in the future. Fact: Smoking reduces peripheral vascular flow. In other words, the blood flow necessary to attain an erection may become blocked. As many as one in two American men older than 40 have experienced impotence to some degree. The condition, which was once deemed psychological, is now believed to have primarily physical causes, smoking among them.
'If smoking ruins your sex life, it seems like a terrible trade-off,' says Ryan Harper, a 22-year-old non-smoker who lives in northern California. 'How cool can it be to not perform in bed?'

No. 3: Stained teeth, bad breath

Lips are made for kissing, right? But what if the mouth behind them is filled with stained teeth and bad breath?'As smoking becomes more and more uncommon, people are increasingly sensitive to these things and react negatively to them,' says American Lung Association spokesman Dr. Edwin Fisher. Fact: Particles from cigarette smoke stain teeth brown and yellow, and cause odor-producing bacteria that become trapped in your mouth. Gum disease and tooth loss are also common in smokers. Not attractive.
If you need some more oral reasons to quit, think about vocal-chord growths and cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus.

No. 4: You smell

Yes, you really, really do. Maybe you're so used to smoking you can't tell. Maybe your nasal passages are so damaged your nose doesn't work properly anyway. But ask a non-smoking friend for an honest answer about the way you, your car and your home smell.
The ugly answer: They all stink. Almost as much as the ashtray you use to stub out your butts.Fact: Cigarette smoke has an unpleasant odor that lingers on everything from skin and hair to clothing and curtains. The scent does not turn on friends and lovers.

No. 5: Brittle bones

Risk factors for the crippling condition of osteoporosis are well-known these days: female, white or Asian, inactive, past menopause, small frame, calcium deficiency and genetic predisposition all contribute to low bone-mineral density. So does smoking.
Numerous studies link smoking and osteoporosis in women and men. It may be because smoking affects the synthesis of estrogen and other hormones necessary for healthy bones.Fact: A 1997 study that looked at 4,000 hip fractures in elderly women concluded that one out of every eight fractures was due to smoking-related bone loss. Once lost, bone density cannot be fully recovered.

No. 6: Depression

Let's get philosophical for a moment: Why do you smoke?
Dr. Fisher of the American Lung Association believes there's a good chance you're stressed or depressed. 'People who are unemployed or going through a divorce often smoke,' he says, adding that even if you're not distressed, smoking makes you look like you are. Fact: The connection between smoking and depression has been well established. Smoking may make you appear more troubled than cool. And it can't take the place of a good therapist.

No. 7: Crummy role model

Children emulate adults. Every time you light up, you tell kids around you that smoking is OK.
Ryan Harper attributes his abstinence to his parents. 'My parents are excellent role models for me,' he says. 'They don't drink or smoke.' And neither does he.Fact: Every day, an estimated 3,000 children in the United States become addicted to cigarette smoking. If they keep smoking, 1,000 of them eventually will die from conditions connected to their addiction.
Anti-tobacco organizations claim cigarette companies deliberately target children in their advertising campaigns. If you smoke, you're a walking billboard for these companies. And you are paying them.

No. 8: Fire!

Fact: Fires caused by lighted tobacco products are the leading cause of fire deaths in the United States. During the 1980s, smoking materials started more than 200,000 fires every year and killed more than 1,000 people, while injuring 3,000 more and causing more than $300 million in property damage. If death by fire doesn't impress you, surely you can recall at least one time your cigarette burned a hole in your precious silk suit or cashmere sweater. It may be the dawn of a new millennium, but crispy clothing is not a suave fashion statement yet.

No. 9: Poor circulation

Drooling, paralysis, loss of speech ... There's nothing pretty about becoming the victim of a stroke.
Fact: Hemoglobin cells are designed to carry oxygen throughout the body. In smokers, oxygen molecules are displaced by the components of cigarette smoke, blocking the transfer of life-giving oxygen.
If you've convinced yourself that stroke is an extreme or unlikely consequence of your habit, there's always premature coronary heart disease to slow you down. If you're lucky, perhaps you'll only experience some of the inconveniences of poor circulation, like painful pins and needles or cold hands and feet.

No. 10: You look stupid

Given the prevalence of smoking education in our culture, it could be said that smokers must have a lack of oxygen to the brain. In fact, as you read above, they do. But no matter how a smoker justifies his or her addiction, this is the simple, indisputable truth: Just like the slogan says, smoking kills. Makes the habit look kind of silly overall, doesn't it?