Millions of Americans and Canadians smoke cigarettes. In the USA there are roughly 400,000 deaths per year related to cigarette smoking, resulting in health care costs in the hundreds of billions. Among the four thousand chemicals found in tobacco smoke, nicotine is the key ingredient that keeps people lighting up. Most smokers inhale ten times throughout a five minute session. Within ten seconds of inhaling a hit from a cigarette, the nicotine reaches the brain. Smoking causes a great deal of damage and is the number one avoidable way of contracting heart disease, lung cancer and several other cancers and conditions, as well as causing birth defects in cases where the mother smoked during her pregnancy.
An estimated 46.5 million adults in the United States smoke cigarettes even though this single behavior will result in death or disability for half of all regular users. Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 400,000 deaths each year, or one in every five deaths. Additionally, if current patterns of smoking persist, over 5 million people currently younger than 18 will die prematurely from a tobacco-related disease.
Smoking is known to give the smoker a head rush, or something of a ‘miniature high’. While smoking is highly addictive it is often not thought about until serious health concerns become present. Whether it’s someone who only smokes socially, only smokes while drinking or smokes three packs a day, the habit is dangerous. In addition to being habit forming and harmful to one’s health, many smokers have to deal with the smell that smoking leaves on clothes, as well as the yellowing of teeth and nicotine stains on the hands and fingers, which many people find unattractive to say the least.
While quitting smoking can be very difficult there are a number of ways to kick the habit. From prescription medications to gum and patches, there is a way for every smoker to quit and minimize the detrimental future health concerns.