Top Ten Facts About Cigarette Smoking

Cigarette smoking is considered one of the most common vices in the world. Unfortunately it is also one of the most deadly. It is estimated worldwide that one out of every five people will die due to a tobacco-related disease. Cigarette smoking not only affects you, it affects all those around you. Sadly, it is an extremely difficult habit to break, but with the right amount of willpower and determination it can be done. Doing so is one of the best things you can do for your overall health. Here are the top ten distributing facts about cigarette smoking:

10

Most smokers take up the habit in their mid teens, well before the legal age for purchasing them.

Almost 70% of adult smokers begin smoking before they turn 18. The majority of smokers try their first cigarette at the shocking age of 11 years-old. The most commonly attributed reasons for starting smoking are their parents are smokers, their friends started smoking, they feel smoking is a way to show their independence, and they believe the majority of people are smokers.

9

The lifespan of smokers decreases about 14  years on average.

According to a number of studies the average lifespan of a smoker is approximately 14 years less than a nonsmoker around the world. With that big of different it can’t possibly be attributed to chance alone. Smokers are much more vulnerable to a number of diseases, not just lung-related.

8

Cigarette smoke contains 4,800 different chemicals, 69 of which have been proven to cause cancer.

Over 4,800 different chemicals can be found in cigarette smoke. Among those are formaldehyde, radioactive polonium, arsenic, lead, urea, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen cyanide. Most of these chemicals a regular person would never dream of ingesting by themselves.

7

Nicotine reaches the brain within 10 seconds after smoke is inhaled. 

Nicotine is extremely powerful in its effects on the human body. Nicotine acts as a strong appetite suppressor, alters brain chemistry through dopamine channels, is a stimulant, and can cause muscle spasms.

6

Smoking increases your risk of getting lung diseases like pneumonia, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.

This should go without saying, but smoking greatly increases your risk of developing a number of lung related-diseases. Pneumonia, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis are all very serious and require intensive medical treatment. Every year millions of smokers miss work and miss life experiences due to one of this debilitating diseases.

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5

Approximately 1.1 billion people in the world smoke cigarettes. 

Nearly 1 out of every 7 people on the planet smoke cigarettes. Certain countries around the world are more likely to smoke cigarettes than others. Among the top are Russia and eastern Europe, followed by France, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and China. The lowest rates of cigarette smoking are found in sub-Saharan Africa.

4

Nearly 100,000 kids pick up smoking around the world on a daily basis.

Every month nearly there are 3 million additional smokers in the world. The reasons are bountiful. Cigarette companies target young people in order to guarantee revenue streams in the future. Many children around the world aren’t educated on the risks associated with smoking and don’t fully understand the extend of the damage smoking does to their bodies.

3

Worldwide, one in five teens ages 13 to 15 smoke cigarettes.

Tragically, cigarette smoking is most popular among the youth in the world. This probably has to do with the fact that they are more inclined to give into peer pressure and attempt to fit in with others around them. Teenagers are the most likely to start smoking and those who start as a teenager are the most likely to continue smoking for the remainder of their lives.

2

Half of all long-term smokers will die of a tobacco-related death.

One out of every two longer-term smokers will die as a result of their habit. The sad part is it is 100% preventable. Not only due smokers pay thousands of dollars over the course of their lives to sustain their habit, they are ultimately paying for their own accelerated death.

1

Tobacco use is expected to claim one billion lives this century. 

Smoking has quickly become one of the most common causes of death around the world. With so many other risks in the world, it doesn’t make sense why people would succumb to one that they have complete control over. With the use of tobacco rising around the world, more and more people are projected to die of this terrible habit. By the year, 2100 it is estimated that one billion people will die as a result of cigarette smoking. If none of the other facts can convince you to stop smoking, this one should.

 

Featured Image: Flickr by Fried Dough

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