No habit is as dangerous as is smoking. That’s because smoking causes more serious diseases than does any other lifestyle choice.

Smoking causes cancers of the lung, bladder, mouth and throat. It also causes heart and lung disease and strokes. Quitting smoking is a key to avoiding these deadly diseases.

Quitting smoking isn’t easy. But studies show that half off all the people who have ever smoked have eventually quit. It’s not too late for you to quit, too.

If you are ready to quit smoking, there are steps you can take to make the process as easy as possible. First, pick a specific date. This will provide you with more motivation.

Secondly, you may consider starting slowly, perhaps by refraining from smoking in places where you spend a significant amount of time. This could be your home, your office or your car.

Make sure to tell others about your decision to quite smoking. You’ll need the support of others when the quitting gets tough.

You may want to explore nicotine replacement products such as gum, patches, sprays or inhalers. Your doctor should have the information you need to make an informed decision on whether these products are right for you.

If you have managed to quit smoking, don’t tempt yourself. Don’t ever take another puff. And try to stay away from people who are smoking.

And don’t forget: Most people have to try several times before successfully quitting smoking. If you’ve failed one or more times, don’t give up. You can always try again. Your health depends on it.

It’s important to take the proper precautions, and use the proper protections, before becoming sexually active. If you don’t want to end up with an unwanted pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease, you’ll have to practice safe sex.

During sexual intercourse, it’s extremely easy for an infected person to pass certain sexually transmitted diseases – such as herpes, gonorrhea, Chlamydia or syphilis – to his or her partner.

You can lower your chance of getting one of these sexually transmitted diseases – and decrease your risk of getting pregnant – by making sure you or your partner uses a latex condom every time you have intercourse. If you haven’t been doing this, you should get tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

By not practicing safe sex, you also run the risk of contracting HIV or AIDS. AIDS, which is caused by the HIV virus, prevents the body from fighting off infections or illnesses.

Age is no barrier to HIV/AIDS. In fact, 10 percent of all AIDS cases in the United States have occurred in people who are over the age of 50.

It’s important to realize that no one is immune to contracting either sexually transmitted diseases or AIDS and HIV. It’s important to know the sexual history of your partners, and to make sure these partners get tested for sexually transmitted diseases before you begin having sexual intercourse with them.

Protecting yourself from sexually transmitted diseases or AIDS does not have to be a chore. It simply requires some common sense and a bit of preparedness. In the long run, these preparations will be well worth the effort.