You're more likely to die if you smoke and much more likely to die if you smoke a lot, according to the American Cancer Society and several other organizations and publications that have studied and reported on the risks from smoking. Smoking kills more than 450,000 Americans every year, "more people than AIDS, alcohol, drug abuse, car crashes, murders, suicides and fires combined," according to "Tobacco Use, Misuse and Abuse," a chapter in the college textbook "An Invitation to Health."
Significance
Nonsmoking women live 14.5 years more than women who smoke, and nonsmoking men live 13.2 years more than men who smoke, according to "Guide to Quitting Smoking," an American Cancer Society report. People who smoke at least two packs of cigarettes daily die of lung cancer at rates "15 to 25 times greater than nonsmokers," reports "Tobacco Use, Misuse and Abuse." Fifteen years after they quit smoking, ex-smokers' lung cancer mortality rates are only slightly above nonsmokers' rates.
Nicotine's Effect
Nicotine, the primary ingredient in tobacco, is a "fast-acting and potent drug" that spreads to the nervous system in about eight seconds, according to "Tobacco Use, Misuse and Abuse." It causes smokers to become addicted to cigarettes and other tobacco products, according to "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease," which cited the U.S. Surgeon General's 1988 report on nicotine addiction. Nicotine hooks smokers because it reduces anxiety, depression and stress in the short run, but it causes long-term risks by increasing your blood pressure and heartbeat.
Smoke's Effect
The carbon monoxide and tar in tobacco smoke also increase your risks from smoking. Tar is made up of hundreds of chemicals, and many of them cause cancer cells to grow. When you inhale a cigarette, the tar settles in your lungs' bronchial tubes. The carbon monoxide in cigarettes as well as pipes and cigars is "in levels 400 times those considered safe," according to "Tobacco Use, Misuse and Abuse." It harms your nervous system, impairs your blood's ability to carry oxygen and increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Puffing's Effect
The act of inhaling tobacco smoke increases your risk of respiratory diseases. "Cigarette smokers are up to 18 times more likely than are nonsmokers to die of noncancerous diseases of the lungs," according to "Tobacco Use, Misuse and Abuse." Smoking cigarettes is "the major" cause of chronic obstructive lung disease, including bronchitis and emphysema. Smoking also impairs your ability to improve your fitness by exercising by causing breathlessness, even in teens, and causes chronic coughs.
Other Risks
Smoking causes numerous problems that aren't directly related to your mortality, according to "Tobacco Use, Misuse and Abuse." Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to have gum disease, lose teeth and lose bone that supports the teeth. Males who smoke 10 cigarettes or more daily are more apt to be sexually impotent. People who smoke at least one pack of cigarettes daily are far more likely to have panic attacks and social phobias. Smokers also miss work 30 percent more often than nonsmokers because of illness.
References
- "An Invitation to Health"; Dianne Hales; 2003
- "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease"; Dean Ornish; 1996
- American Cancer Society: Guide to Quitting Smoking
