In the United States, an estimated 25.6 million me (25.2 percent) and 22.6 million women (20.7 percent) are smokers. 70 percent of all these smokers say that they want to quit, but only about 5 percent succeed. Every eight seconds, someone in the world dies due to tobacco. This translates into 450 people an hour; 10,800 people a day; 3,942,000 people a year. Each year more Americans die from smoking related diseases than die from aids, drug abuse, car accidents, and homicide combined. It has been responsible for 16 percent (or 1 in 6) of all deaths in the U.S. each year.Smoking can cause many different kinds of diseases. Some of the most common diseases caused by smoking would be, ...view middle of the document...
These cells grow with time, eventually causing mass tissue to form, otherwise known as a tumor. Gangrene; which is the death of tissue due to lack of oxygen in the blood. Smoking contributes to gangrene because it decreases the amount of available oxygen. This happens when hemoglobin carries carbon monoxide instead of oxygen. Gangrene can result in the loss of a limb(s), fingers, and toes. These diseases are just some of the health problems smoking causes but there are many more, such as, gingivitis, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoporosis, stroke and heart disease.Another negative effect smoking causes is addiction. In as little as two weeks nicotine changes the brain's chemistry and addiction begins. By that time the body is dependant on the substances found in cigarettes. In 1988 the U.S. surgeon general reported that nicotine is just as addictive as heroin and cocaine. A (drag) of nicotine reaches the brain in 7 seconds, twice as fast as a syringe of heroin injected into the vein.Being a smoker myself I understand how hard it would be to quit, and even just thinking about it stresses me out. Either way I will leave you with a few helpful tips I found to help yourself stop smoking. Set a date for quitting and keep it. Remove all cigarettes, ashtrays, matches and lighters from your home. Keep a supply of low calorie snacks handy. Spend more time in places that don't allow smoking. Tell everyone you're going to stop smoking. Plan what you can do instead of smoking. Call a friend if you need help. And if all else fails contact your local American lung association for help to stop smoking.
