Most smokers already know the health risks associated with smoking.  And most smokers have tried to quit more than once, which goes to show that just knowing the health risks doesn’t always lead to behavior change. Smoking costs not just you but those around you; and, while quitting is a very personal decision, it benefits everyone in your life.

So, here are 12 more reasons – and maybe some surprises – to make the next time you quit the one that lasts forever. And remember, make a plan for how you are going to spend the windfall you will save!

1. You won't have to pay more and more and more each year. Taxes on cigarettes will likely continue to go up. Prices on cigarettes keep going up. Then there’s the gum, breath mints, perfumes and anything else you could use to cover the smell.Save money for more important purchases, like a vacation! Calculate how much you'll save.
2. Your food will taste better – smoking inhibits your sensitivity to certain flavors. Quit smoking the flavors intensify – even chocolate tastes better!  
3. You’ll have good reason to be vain – brighter, whiter teeth; less wrinkles; slower aging process; and, reduced premature graying and hair loss.
4. Protect Fido and Fluffy – animals are currently used in smoking-related cancer research. Your pets are victims of secondhand smoke, asthma and other respiratory illness.
5. Save water, cut your carbon footprint. – According to GreenYour.com, washing machines suck up 21.7 percent of household water usage. Stinky clothes need more washing. Ergo, you'll save water and reduce your electricity bill.
6. Stop breathing in poisons – Cigarettes produce carbon monoxide and when inhaled, deprives your body’s cells of oxygen, thereby suffocating them. 
7. No more huffing and puffing during workouts. Give your heart, lungs and muscles more oxygen, making them work more efficiently and effectively.
8. Keep your wits about you – studies show that current smoking increases the risk of dementia – quit smoking and your risk decreases. 
9. You won't have to look at those horrible antismoking messages on cigarette packs. And the United States has some of the more lenient messages – have you seen warning labels from Australian cigarette boxes?
10. Crash your car less often - thanks to distractions of searching for cigarettes, lighting up and putting smokes out, smokers have almost twice the risk for motor vehicle crashes over nonsmokers. 
11. Free up hands for hobbies like painting, knitting or playing video games.
12. Your path to reaching gold!