Some Heart-Rending Facts About SmokingThere are even statistical facts about smoking that are brought out each year by the World Health Organization and other bodies to send shudders down the spine. The statutory warning on the cigarette packets is mandatory too, and so in all the advertisements that are shown in the various media. Even with the cigarette industry being so brazen about the dangers of smoking, it is strange to see why people are not kicking the habit. Here we summarize some of the most shocking facts about smoking and why smoking is bad for your health, in the hope that at least some smokers manage to garner the determination to quit the habit. 1. Each year, out of every five people that die, one dies directly or indirectly due to tobacco. 2. In the US alone, there are 400,000 deaths related to tobacco in some way or the other. And this number is only increasing with each passing year. 3. Smoking causes all the major cancers, such as those of the lungs, mouth, pharynx, larynx, trachea and esophagus. It is also a leading cause of impotence in men, and heart attacks and strokes in both men and women. 4. Every year, the average age of starting out smokers is decreasing. More people in the age group of 11-12 years are now smoking than ever before. 5. Smoking in public places is increasing too, giving rise to the dangers of smoking passively. It is seen that smoking in public places is more in the countries with lower economies, since they do not invest much in the infrastructure to educate people on the dangers of smoking. 6. One in four of every residential fire, and about 3,500 injuries each year, are caused due to carelessly discarded cigarettes. 7. Students who learn for more years are less likely to take up smoking later on in their life. The rate of smoking is found to less in the students who have completed their post graduation rather than those who quit after high school. 8. Smoking is also found to be more in the lower economic class of people than in the affluent ones. People who have financial distress in their lives are easy targets for the smoking habit. In a vicious circle, the smoking habit also makes them less productive, due to which they find it very difficult to come out of their financial rut. However, there are some positive statistics too, about the people who have made an effort to stop smoking. Here are some interesting facts about quitting smoking, which can be a morale-raising read for you:- 1. Nicotine replacement therapy has consistently proved to be very effective in smoking cessation. About seven percent of all people who use nicotine replacement methods will quit smoking for at least six months, during which further course of treatment can be planned out. 2. Physician counseling is important when people are planning to quit smoking. Facts about quitting smoking indicate that the longer the time a smoker spends in discussion about the vice with a physician, the better is the chance of quitting the habit permanently. 3. Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking is really very effective, as statistics have revealed. This non-medicinal, non-therapeutic technique has a 90% success rate in helping smoking quitters. 4. Use of antidepressants like Zyban (or Wellbutrin) can increase the chances of quitting smoking by about 13%, even though a major people here would leave the smoking habit due to a placebo effect. |