The More You Know

ANTI-SMOKING

"Would you ever use a product that caused more deaths than drugs, alcohol, car crashes, murder and suicide combined? Another reason not to smoke.." - Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: SVU

What You Should Know...

Currently, 20.8% of American adults, or 45.3 million people, smoke cigarettes, the majority falling between the ages of 18-24. With nearly 6,000 children under 18 years of age trying cigarettes each day, education is becoming more important as younger kids experiment with smoking. Smokers not only harm themselves but also put their family and friends at risk by exposing them to secondhand smoke. By saving someone from smoking, we can also reduce the risk to those around them, which will prevent millions of deaths per year.

Creating Addiction

Nicotine, the prominent drug found in tobacco, is highly addictive - as addictive as heroin or cocaine. When a person inhales cigarette smoke, nicotine enters into the lungs, where it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. The drug is then carried to all parts of the body, including the heart, blood vessels and brain.

Nicotine produces favorable feelings for smokers, creating a desire to smoke even more. It also acts as a depressant, impeding the flow of information passing between nerve cells. As the nervous system adapts to the nicotine, smokers increase the number of cigarettes they smoke in order to feel the same effects. Eventually, smokers need a certain level of nicotine and smoke in order to maintain that level.

Smokers not only become physically addicted to cigarettes but also associate smoking with various social activities, making it even more difficult to quit. These habits are developed at a young age, as about 90% of smokers start before the age of 21. Family relationships also affect smoking habits; children of smokers are twice as likely to start smoking than children of non-smokers.

Effects on Smokers

Cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Each year, over 430,000 Americans die from smoking-related causes, making cigarettes more lethal than alcohol, homicide, suicide, AIDS, car accidents and illegal drugs combined.

Smoking causes about 30% of all cancer deaths and 90% of lung cancer deaths. Lung cancer is the most common of cancer fatalities and one of the most difficult to treat. Cigarettes are a leading cause of other types of cancer as well, including larynx, esophagus and bladder. Smoking is also a major cause of heart disease, bronchitis, emphysema and strokes. About 8.6 million people suffer from at least one chronic disease caused by smoking, costing the United States over $167 billion per year in health care costs. On average, male smokers lose 13.2 years of life while female smokers lose an estimated 14.5 years of life from smoking.

More visible effects of smoking include premature wrinkling of the skin, bad breath, yellow fingernails and blindness in the elderly. In women, smoking is also linked to reduced fertility, higher risk of miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth and low birth weight in newborns.

Secondhand Smoke

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of smoke coming from the end of the cigarette and the smoke that is exhaled by the smoker. Secondhand smoke contains more than 250 toxic chemicals and is responsible for an estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 46,000 heart disease fatalities each year.

More than 126 million Americans - nearly half of the population - are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home, workplace and public areas. Non-smokers who are exposed to cigarette smoke increase their risk of lung cancer by 20-30% and heart disease by 25-35%. Even small amounts of secondhand smoke are harmful; smoke inhalation has immediate effects on the cardiovascular system and increases the risk of heart attack. Secondhand smoke can also cause chest discomfort and irritation of the eyes, throat and lungs. As a result, 35 states have implemented at least some type of ban on smoking in public areas, including restaurants and bars.

Most of secondhand smoke exposure occurs in the home. In the United States, 21 million children are exposed to cigarette smoke, resulting in more ear infections and respiratory symptoms. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are also more likely to develop asthma and are at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for your friends and family.

Why Quit?

70% of smokers want to quit, and while 35% attempt to quit each year, only 5% succeed. The earlier people quit, the better. Those who quit before the age of 30 can avoid most of the health risks associated with cigarettes. Yet, smokers who quit before the age of 50 can reduce their risk of dying within 15 years by one-half compared to those who continue to smoke.

Quitting smoking reduces the risk of lung cancer, stroke, heart disease and respiratory illnesses. More immediate benefits include a sharper sense of taste and smell, fewer ailments and improved respiratory function. Benefits of quitting are both physical and economical. With a pack of cigarettes averaging roughly $4.50 per pack, a smoker who buys a pack a day will save about $1,600 each year. As prices increase, these savings will only grow in the future.

The absence of nicotine causes both physical and mental effects, making it difficult for smokers to successfully quit. Withdrawal symptoms include dizziness, increased appetite, irritability, headache, restlessness and sleep disturbances. Those attempting to quit often begin smoking again in order to raise their nicotine level, which alleviates these symptoms. Withdrawal signs usually start within a few hours after the last cigarette and can last for several weeks.

What You Can Do...

Cigarettes are not only detrimental to the smoker but also to non-smokers who breathe in the smoke. Take certain precautions in order to protect yourself and your family from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

Quit
Research shows that most people try to quit five to seven times before succeeding. Don't give up - the health and economic benefits are well worth the effort.

Talk to your doctor
Your physician can answer health questions, give advice and, in some cases, suggest medicine to help with withdrawal.

Set a quit date
Track your progress along the way and plan for challenges ahead. Your confidence about quitting will increase once you've seen how far you've come.

Get rid of 'em
Remove all tobacco products from your daily life.

Get support
Your friends, family and children can serve as moral support along the way. Talk openly with them about your plans to quit.

Keep it away from children
Children are especially sensitive to secondhand smoke. Keep cigarettes away from kids and make sure their daycare or school is smoke-free.

Find the trigger
Social activities and places often prompt the need for a cigarette. Avoid such activities.

Educate your kids
Almost 90% of smokers began their habit before the age of 21. Educating children on the risks involved may stop them from ever starting.

If you're pregnant, don't smoke
Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk for stillbirth and miscarriage.

Stay in open areas
Smoke only in open areas and away from others. Refrain from smoking in the car or house, where you can put others at risk.

Keep your home smoke-free
Ask others to not smoke in your home. If they cannot step outside, limit them to rooms where windows can be opened or where fans can provide added ventilation.

Sit away from smoke
Sit in non-smoking areas in bars and restaurants.

Help others who are trying to quit
Offer support and encouraging words to smokers who are trying to quit. Help them with easing the stress of quitting, don't take their withdrawal symptoms personally, and most importantly, celebrate along the way.

To Know More...

Center for Disease Control: Office on Smoking and Health
www.cdc.gov/tobacco