⚠️ SMOKING KILLS. This is not a slogan — it is a medical fact printed on every pack sold in Australia. If you smoke, the single best thing you can do for your health is to quit. Free, confidential support is available from Quitline (quit.org.au) or by calling 13 78 48.
What is actually in cigarette smoke?
Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including at least 69 known to cause cancer. These include nicotine (the addictive drug), tar, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, benzene, arsenic and hydrogen cyanide. Every puff delivers these chemicals deep into your lungs and then into your bloodstream, where they travel to every organ in your body.
Smoking damages almost every organ
Most people know smoking causes lung cancer, but the damage goes much further:
- Lungs: chronic bronchitis, emphysema (COPD) and lung cancer. Smoking is the cause of about 9 in 10 lung cancers.
- Heart and blood vessels: smoking damages artery walls, raises blood pressure, increases clotting and dramatically raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Brain: smokers face a significantly higher risk of stroke and vascular dementia.
- Mouth, throat and digestion: cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, bowel and bladder are all linked to smoking.
- Bones and skin: weaker bones, slower wound healing, premature wrinkles and yellowed teeth and nails.
- Fertility and pregnancy: reduced fertility in men and women, and serious risks in pregnancy — see our article on smoking during pregnancy.
Smoking Kills: How Many Australians Die Each Year?
Tobacco smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in Australia, killing tens of thousands of Australians every year. On average, long-term smokers die around 10 years earlier than non-smokers, and up to two-thirds of long-term smokers will die from a smoking-related disease.
“But I only smoke a little”
There is no safe level of smoking. Even light or occasional smoking raises the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer. Cutting down helps, but quitting completely is the only way to see major health gains — and the benefits start within hours. Read what happens to your body when you quit.
The good news: quitting works at any age
No matter how long you have smoked, quitting improves your health:
- Within 20 minutes, heart rate and blood pressure drop.
- Within 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels in your blood return to normal.
- Within 1 year, your risk of heart disease is roughly half that of a smoker.
- Within 10 years, lung cancer risk falls to about half that of a continuing smoker.
Our step-by-step guide How to Quit Smoking in Australia walks you through Quitline, your GP, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and proven strategies that double or triple your chance of success.
We sell only to adults — and we want you informed
Cheap Smokes Australia is strictly 18+. We display mandatory health warnings on all products, we never sell to minors, and we publish these awareness articles because every adult deserves the full facts. Please also read our Quit Smoking Support page and our FAQs.
Related reading
- 10 Serious Diseases Caused by Smoking You Need to Know
- How Smoking Damages Your Lungs, Heart and Brain
- The True Cost of Smoking in Australia: Health and Money
- How to Quit Smoking in Australia: A Step-by-Step Guide
Smoking kills — but quitting now still adds years to your life. Start with free quit support, read our smoking FAQs, and share this article with anyone who smokes.
Remember: understanding smoking kills is the first step to protecting yourself and the people you love.
Smoking kills. Strictly 18+. For free help to quit, call Quitline on 13 78 48 or visit quit.org.au.
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