Myth: I'm only going to smoke for a few years. Then I'll quit. So my smoking doesn't really matter.
Fact: People who assume that all of the health hazards of cigarettes will disappear in a puff of smoke when they quit are wrong. Many of the harmful effects of smoking are irreversible, meaning that they do not go away completely after a person quits smoking. Smoking for as short a time as five years can cause permanent damage -- to the lungs, heart, eyes, throat, urinary tract, digestive organs, bones and joints, and skin.
