About 46 million adults in the United States smoke, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, and the habit is the leading preventable cause of mortality in the United States. In fact, its effects are not limited to smokers but also extend to those around them. Quitting is difficult, but it is crucial to good health.
Effects
Smoking causes 467,000 premature deaths a year, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The CDC reports that each year, smoking causes 128,900 deaths from lung cancer, 126,000 from heart disease and 92,900 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Smoking also causes other diseases, including other cancers and stroke. Beyond the death toll, the CDC notes, smoking results in 8.6 million cases of serious illness per year.
Secondhand Smoke
About 126 million non-smokers in the United States receive regular exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke, according to the CDC. It wafts into the environment from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar or pipe or is released when a smoker exhales. This leads each year among non-smokers to 3,000 deaths from lung cancer and 46,000 from heart disease. As many as 300,000 children under 18 months of age also develop respiratory tract infection because of secondhand smoke, according to the CDC.
Addiction
Nicotine is the main tobacco ingredient that makes smoking addictive, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA. It works by stimulating the brain's reward circuitry. When they try to stop the habit, smokers may experience irritability, restlessness, anxiety, a depressed mood and other symptoms. Other chemicals in tobacco, including acetaldehyde, may also contribute to addiction, according to NIDA.
Costs
People who smoke do so at high cost to themselves and others, not only in terms of health but also economics. Tobacco use leads to $96 billion in medical spending each year in the United States, according to the CDC, and $97 billion in lost productivity. The average price for a pack of 20 cigarettes is $5.33, according to a June 1010 report from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. A pack-a-day smoker would thus spend $1,945.45 a year funding the habit.
Quitting
To quit smoking, a combination of nicotine replacement therapy with counsel from a doctor or other health care provider can be effective, according to the National Cancer Institute. The replacement therapy, which comes in patch, lozenge, gum, nasal spray and inhaler forms, helps to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Also available to help block the urge to smoke are the prescription medications bupropion, sold as Zyban, and varenicline, sold as Chantix.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Tobacco Use
- Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates and Rankings
- Harvard School of Public Health: Smoking, High Blood Pressure and Being Overweight Top Three Preventable Causes of Death in the U.S.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Tobacco Addiction
