A bad habit i have come to realize it's a part of my life, which contributes to my I'll health and unfavorable lifestyle is not washing of my hands, i was happy some time ago when a contest topic came up on this issue, all thanks to the organizers, that very Contest helped me greatly to overcome that bad habit of mine.
I'm glad to offer my quota.

1. Period i started practicing the bad habit:

I unconsciously adopted this bad habit, during my secondary school day in a boarding school away from my home town and parents.

A study estimates that if everyone did hand washing regularly, we could save a million lives each year. What’s more, when you don’t wash your hands, problems can come up.

Practicing good hand washing techniques is one of the easiest and most effective ways of preventing illnesses from spreading. This is something that is particularly important in the workplace where large groups of people can catch the same infection.

2. Effects of my bad habits

Lack or inadequate washing of my hands when they're germy, could results to the following;

1. I could pass on germs:

If i don't wash my hands i could pass those germs to friends and family and get them sick, I'd make sure to lather up after i use the bathroom, because I could transfer the following disease or infection;
-Noroviruses: This is the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis in humans and it can affect people of all ages. It’s transmitted when people don’t wash their hands, it spreads very quickly within large groups of people in close quarters. This is why when one person gets ill, entire households or offices often catch it too.
The best way to stop noroviruses from spreading or occurring in the first place is to wash your hands thoroughly after using the bathroom, before preparing food and to avoid touching your nose and mouth.
-Airborne illnesses: Respiratory illnesses are usually spread via droplets which are breathed, sneezed or coughed into the air by someone who has the illness. While sneezing and coughing help to spread illnesses, poor hand washing techniques are a big culprit as well.
Common respiratory illnesses caused by poor hand hygiene include the common cold, influenza, chicken pox and meningitis.
-Nosocomial infections: We often hear of infections being transmitted in hospitals and this is often the result of staff and patients not washing their hands. Naturally there’s a huge amount of infections present hospitals and if staff don’t wash their hands between seeing patients or if people with an infection aren’t practicing good hand hygiene, they can very easily pass their illness onto others.
Some of the most common nosocomial infections which can be spread by germs and bacteria on our hands include MRSA and E.coli.
-Hepatitis A: This is a viral infection which can cause severe symptoms including problems with the liver, jaundice, abdominal pain, fever and fatigue. It’s often spread via food which has been contaminated by people preparing it who haven’t washed their hands after using the bathroom.
According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, digesting even microscopic traces of contaminated faecal matter can cause transmission of the disease.

2. I could get sick:

All those germs can get to me, too. My hands can carry germs into my eyes and my mouth, from places i don't even want to think about, and the illnesses the germs can cause could be serious. Washing my hands with soap (which is much more effective than sanitizer or water alone) can protect me from illnesses like diarrhea, respiratory infections, and more.

3. My Eyes and others could be affected:

Washing of hands has been shown to prevent two far-reaching eye diseases. Pinkeye, picked up by 6 million Americans each year, can be caused by infection, as can trachoma, a bacterial infection that is the leading cause of blindness in the world.

4. Skin Infections:

Staphylococcus bacteria, are germs often found on the skin and in the nostrils. If those germs get into an open wound, they can cause skin infections or move deep into the skin and soft tissues. From there, they can travel into joints, bones, and organs. They can even cause blood poisoning. Staph is the leading cause of infection in U.S. healthcare facilities. Washing hands with soap and water helps keep them from traveling. So does covering those open wounds.

5. You Lose Money:

Americans spend about $4.6 billion each year fighting the flu. That amount includes doctor visits, hospital stays, and medicine. So washing my hands could also help save me money.

6. I could miss a lot of work:

Each year, the flu costs Americans about 17 million missed workdays. That translates to $7 billion a year in sick days and undone work. One of the ways i can avoid getting the flu is to wash my hands thoroughly with soap and water.

7. My bowels will give me trouble:

Diarrhea can be a symptom of a larger disease like cholera or typhoid. Diarrhea is the second-leading cause of death among children under 5. About 1.5 million kids die each year because of diarrheal diseases, most of them in Africa and Southeast Asia. One study found that washing hands with soap can prevent about 4 out of every 10 cases of diarrhea.

Did you know?

When faced with an infection, your body's immune system sometimes can turn on itself in the form of a serious illness called sepsis. It affects 1.7 million Americans each year. Nearly 270,000 of those die. One of the most important ways to prevent sepsis is good hand washing, including both before and after caring for a sick person.

3. Ways to stop the habit:

I will always make sure to wash up:
-Before, during, and after preparing my meal.
-Before i eat my meal, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.
-After i use the bathroom (or help a toddler), becausea single gram of human feces can contain a trillion germs.
-After petting my pet.
-After i sneeze, either in my hands, on a handkerchief it in my elbow.
The following surfaces are often touched by many people:
-Doorknobs,
-Railings,
-Outdoor dumpsters or trash cans,
-Light switches,
-Gas pumps,
-Cash registers,
-Touch screens, and
-Shopping carts or baskets.
I will also make sure to wash my hands anywhere, anytime germs may gather, either with a hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol or with soap.

Special thanks to
@imamalkimas.
I'm also grateful to
@ahyar92,
@lidiasteem,
for their selfless efforts to the Community.

Thanks for reading through, your contributions are welcome.