9781422272282

Fast Facts: The Deadly Effects of Cigarettes • Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Nearly one in five deaths each year (480,000 a year) is attributed to smoking. • More than ten times as many Americans have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States. • Smoking causes about 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths. • Smoking causes about 80 percent of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). • The risk of dying from cigarette smoking has increased over the last fifty years in the United States. Those who aren’t addicted might not understand this type of behavior. They might even mock those who suffer from an addiction or tell them that they “just need to stop.” Misunderstandings of this type are understandable but also unfair, because they don’t take into account just how difficult it really is to overcome addiction to tobacco products. For example, the mental addiction to nicotine is often just as hard, if not more troubling, to overcome than the physical aspect. That’s because the dopamine-release cycle mentioned earlier is not only a physical trap in and of itself but also one that can become a great comfort to a person. Take into account, for example, people who smoke when they are stressed. Although nicotine is a stimulant— and, therefore, more likely to worsen their symptoms of anxiety and stress—many people turn to it in these moments to “calm their nerves,” similar to the way heavy drinkers abuse alcohol for the same purpose.

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The Addictive Effects of Nicotine