Risk-of-death charts show smokers should beware....

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If you smoke, start thinking of yourself as a decade older than you really are. A 55-year-old man who smokes has almost the same chance of dying in the next 10 years as a 65-year-old who's never smoked — a stark example from newly published charts that aim to put some of Americans' biggest health risks into context. Risk is a difficult concept, mixing emotion and math — and people are bombarded with competing warnings of health dangers. "Useful messages about health risks should address two questions: 'How big is my risk, and how does this risk compare with other risks?'" said Dr. Lisa Schwartz of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction, Vt. As a smoker myself this doesn't make any difference to me because I'm addicted but if you're a smoker does reading and hearing about this make any difference to you? If you have quit are you happy that you did after reading this? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080610/ap_on_he_me/med_risk_charts;_ylt=AvzOHrySa9yytsOrROXYnYe9j7AB