CIGARETTES AND YOU CIGARETTE SMOKING IN AMERICA

WHO SMOKES? IN 2014, NEARLY 17 OF 100 ADULTS AGE 18 OR OLDER (16.8%) CURRENTLY SMOKED CIGARETTES. ABOUT 40 MILLIONS ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES CURRENTLY SMOKE CIGARETTES.

WHO SMOKES? CIGARETTE SMOKING IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF PREVENTABLE DISEASE AND DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES, ACCOUNTING FOR MORE THAN 480,000 DEATHS EVERY YEAR (THAT’S NEARLY 1 OF EVERY 5 DEATHS)

WHO SMOKES? MEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE CURRENT CIGARETTE SMOKERS THAN WOMEN. NEARLY 19 OF EVERY 100 ADULT MEN (18.8%) NEARLY 15 OF EVERY 100 ADULT WOMEN (14.8%)

WHY DO PEOPLE SMOKE? MOST PEOPLE START SMOKING WHEN THEY ARE IN THEIR TEENS AND ARE ADDICTED BY THE TIME THEY REACH ADULTHOOD. IT IS A HABIT THAT IS DIFFICULT TO BREAK THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY PEOPLE SMOKE

WHY DO PEOPLE SMOKE? THREE REASONS TEENS SMOKE 1. TO LOOK MATURE TEENS SEE OLDER PEOPLE AROUND THEM SMOKING (PARENTS OR RELATIVES), SO THEY SMOKE TO ACT OLDER. 2. ACCEPTANCE FROM PEERS IF TEENS SEE THEIR FRIENDS OR PEERS SMOKING, THEY MAY FEEL PRESSURED INTO DOING THE SAME TO BE ACCEPTED. 3. EXPERIMENTING SOME TEENS MAY FEEL EXCITEMENT OF EXPERIMENTING WITH SOMETHING THAT IS FORBIDDEN THEY SEE ADULT AND THEIR PEERS DO IT SO IT MAY BE SOMETHING THEY WANT TO TRY

WHY DO PEOPLE SMOKE? WHY DO ADULTS SMOKE? MANY ADULTS SMOKE TO RELIEVE OR RELAX THEM WHILE GOING THROUGH HARD TIMES SUCH AS: STRESS AND PRESSURE BECAUSE OF ECONOMIC AND/OR PERSONAL PROBLEMS UNEMPLOYMENT OR NOT MAKING ENOUGH MONEY TO CARE FOR THEIR FAMILIES HOMELESSNESS OR DEALING WITH OTHER ADDICTIONS BAD MARRIAGE OR RELATIONSHIPS IN WHICH THERE IS PHYSICAL AND/OR VERBAL ABUSE SOME SMOKE FOR PLEASURE

EFFECTS ON THE BODY CIGARETTE SMOKERS HAVE A HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE ALTHOUGH CIGARETTE SMOKING ALONE INCREASES THE RISK OF CORONARY HEART DISEASE, IT GREATLY INCREASES RISKS TO THE WHOLE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM.

EFFECTS ON THE BODY LUNG CANCER IS THE MOST COMMON FORM OF CANCER CAUSED BY SMOKING CIGARETTE SMOKE CONTAINS MANY CHEMICALS THAT INTERFERE WITH THE BODY’S METHOD OF FILTERING AIR AND CLEANING OUT THE LUNGS THE SMOKE IRRITATES THE LUNGS AND LEADS TO OVERPRODUCTION OF MUCUS LONG TERM EXPOSURE OF THE LUNGS TO THE IRRITANTS OF TOBACCO SMOKE DESTROYS THE NORMAL LUNG STRUCTURE.

SMOKERS LUNGS VS HEALTHY LUNGS

EFFECTS ON THE BODY OTHER PROBLEMS CAUSED BY SMOKING CIGARETTES : ROBS YOU OF GOOD CHOLESTEROL TEMPORARILY RAISES BLOOD PRESSURE INCREASES THE BLOOD’S CLOTTING LIKELIHOOD MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT TO EXERCISE

READY TO QUIT? MOST ADULT SMOKERS, ABOUT 70%, WANT TO QUIT SMOKING THE CHANCE OF SUCCESSFULLY SMOKING INCREASES WITH EVERY ATTEMPT ONE-THIRD OF ALL SMOKERS WHO SUCCEED IN QUITTING USE TREATMENT TO DO SO

READY TO QUIT? THERE ARE THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO JUMPSTART A SMOKE FREE LIFE

READY TO QUIT? 1. MAKE AN HONEST LIST OF THE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT SMOKING DRAW A LINE DOWN THE CENTER OF A PIECE OF PAPER AND WRITE THEM ON ONE SIDE; ON THE OTHER SIDE MAKE A LIST OF THE THINGS YOU DISLIKE (SUCH AS HOW IT CAN INTERFERE WITH YOUR HEALTH, FAMILY, WORK, ETC.) 2. SET A QUIT DATE WRITE A QUIT DATE CONTRACT THAT INCLUDES YOUR SIGNATURE AND THAT OF A SUPPORTIVE WITNESS 3. SEE A DOCTOR SEE A DOCTOR TO TALK ABOUT A MEDICATION PLAN THAT WOULD BEST FIT YOU

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