R. Drysdale asked:




Most people know that smoking causes halitosis but think that bad breath and chewing tobacco aren’t a problem. If you’re not exhaling smoke, how could it cause a bad odor on the breath? Unfortunately, just as chewing tobacco carries its own risk of cancers and other health problems, it comes with a link to halitosis as well.

It’s known that tobacco use is linked to periodontal disease: tobacco apparently causes the gums to lose some of their ability to adhere to the teeth. They start to pull away and then recede, exposing dentin and creating pockets between the teeth and gums where bacteria can grow. Exposed dentin is sensitive to heat and cold, and susceptible to tooth decay, while oral bacteria frequently include those that produce sulfur compounds, the odor we associate with halitosis. This is one way that bad breath and chewing tobacco go hand in hand.

Periodontal disease is a slow chronic disease and it takes an extended period of time to develop; however, there is a more immediate connection between bad breath and chewing tobacco. Tobacco causes a decrease in the amount of saliva that is produced to bathe the inside of the mouth and control the proliferation of oral bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that grow in the absence of oxygen) living on the back of the tongue and in pockets and creases elsewhere in the mouth are controlled by saliva. These bacteria cause halitosis by producing foul smelling volatile sulfur compounds as a byproduct of their metabolism. The fewer of them you have in your mouth the better.

Obviously, the longer you go on using tobacco, the more likely you are to develop bad breath as a result. If you are fostering the growth of halitosis bacteria, and developing gum disease, the risk will be higher. In the unhappy event that you develop oral infections or even mouth cancer, your halitosis will likely be very severe. Let’s face it, bad breath and chewing tobacco just don’t belong in your life. You will be healthier, and your mouth will be much more comfortable if you avoid tobacco use of any kind.

Eric Tokar asked:




For as long as they have been around tobacco companies have been looking for unethical ways to get new smokers and keep existing smokers hooked on there deadly addictive products. From big tobacco’s 1950 ads paying doctors nice sums of money to say on commercials that they smoke for there health, to unethical practices today of suppressing and discrediting homeopathic products such as cigarest which could really help many people quit smoking potentially saving millions of lives from this epidemic. This article will look at some of the unethical practices used in the past as well as today, and attempt to shed some light on alternative products such as cigarest currently being suppressed by big tobacco.

It seems every generation receives a new threat from big tobacco, so in order to understand the current threat from big tobacco I feel you should be educated on some of the most truly evil advertising campaigns big tobacco has ever put out. Cigarette ads in the 1940s and 1950s were famous for making cigarettes appear sophisticated, elegant, and healthy. Few of us are old enough to remember the truly evil deceptive ads big tobacco put out where they would pay some doctor to sell his soul to the tobacco companies aka the devil and say cigarettes have “many great health benefits” and “can extend your life.” That’s right, they paid the people we trust with our lives to lie to us. Millions of people bought into there lie and ended up dying much younger than they should have. This was the absolute worst case of big tobacco deceiving people just like you and me, but this deception still exists, but because people have caught on to there lies they must be much more secretive about it.

Today the ailments cigarettes cause are out in the open, and because of there constant advertising to kids and lying about there products almost all forms of advertising is off limits. Due to this smoking rates are on a decline, but the fact is cigarettes are addictive and it is extremely difficult for those of us who do smoke to quit, so cigarette companies have switched from lying to get people to buy there product to using there power to silence companies like cigarest with a real chance at helping your quit smoking. One fairly new technique that is constantly being discredited by cigarette companies is herbal stop smoking products like cigarest. I believe these herbal products are the best at helping you quit smoking, and are definitely worth a try.

Many herbal stop smoking products like cigarest have different herbs that all do different things from producing a disgust for tobacco, to eliminating tobacco within your body, but most all herbal stop smoking products contain a herbal supplement called lobelia inflata. Lobelia inflata is an herb included in cigarest with many properties similar to nicotine with one big difference, its not addictive. Lobelia inflata has the same effects on your body as nicotine, so you are able to substitute your addictive nicotine addiction with this non addictive herb in products like cigarest. The basic theory behind this kind of treatment is that the substitution of the non addictive herb in cigarest will help you better deal with your craving while your body is eliminating years of nicotine in your body.

Herbal non smoking products like cigarest are without a doubt the best kind of product available for those of us who want to quit smoking. Tobacco companies know they want to appear like the good guy. Like they don’t want you using there product. One scam they have come up to counter other stop smoking products that actually work is to sell nicotine patches and gum. Cigarette companies were aware of the threat herbal supplements like cigarest posed to there business, so they came up with nicotine supplements to counter herbal alternatives. The idea behind nicotine patches and gum sounds good, but the problem with nicotine supplements is that while they can stop you from smoking they don’t eliminate your nicotine addiction. I have known people who have stopped smoking and have been hooked on nicotine gum for years. Chewing nicotine gum just becomes another habit just like smoking was. They are simply taking your addiction from cigarettes to a slightly more expensive product they can get smokers hooked on so they can continue to make billions. Due to the fact that herbal products like cigarest are not addictive you actually have the opportunity of freeing yourself from nicotine altogether which can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars every year.

No matter what the era, tobacco companies all seem to be deceiving you in the interest of profits. Continuing to give your money to these tobacco companies is unethical in itself. As long as consumers like us continue to give them our money, they will use it to get new smokers and to keep current smokers. I ask all of your to take a stand against tobacco companies and to refuse to give the tobacco companies another dollar. I strongly encourage all of you to do some research into these herbal products. To finally take the stand to quit smoking and to take a part in stopping them from continuing to kill our friends and family.

Zachary Malott asked:




SMOKELESS TOBACCO. Two words. Most people might have heard of it but really do not have any idea of the impact of the product that these “two words” can have on the millions of, “users” of smokeless tobacco.

1) Pouch tobacco - this product is a stringy cut of tobacco that is marketed in a pouch about 4″ X 6″ or so in size.

2) Powdered snuff - this product is a finely ground dry tobacco that comes in tins or glass bottles. It is used by placing it in the mouth either by pinching it between the fingers or using a “brush”, a stick sometimes chewed to make a brush end and then placing the wet end into the bottle or tin and getting the powder on it. The brush is then placed in the mouth.

3) Moist ground tobacco: This product is placed in round cans about three inches or so across. They are reported to have up to 5 times the nicotine as cigarettes.

4) Plug tobacco: This product comes in a block, resembling a candy bar.

5) Twist tobacco: This product is strands of tobacco that are formed into rolls and them twisted and wrapped in plastic. If the “twist” were removed, they would be about 12″ or so long.

Is smokeless tobacco safe to use?

The tobacco companies give the impression that it is a safe alternative to cigarette smoking but smokeless tobaccos, like cigarettes, are sometimes more addictive and contain high concentrations of cancer-causing chemicals.

The tobacco industry estimates that 24 million Americans use smokeless tobacco products. Smokeless tobacco sales have increased above 30% in the past ten years, while cigarettes, and other smoked tobacco usage has actually declined. It has been predicted by industry analysts that smokeless tobacco usage could double over the next few years. Why? Because health-conscious Americans are looking for alternatives to smoking.

There are about 30,000 cases of oral cancer are discovered each year in the United States alone, causing about 9,000 deaths. Men over 40 are the most frequently struck while the ratio of oral cancer is 3 to one between males than females. Women use smokeless tobacco but tend to do so in private.

Smokeless Tobacco Advertising Campaigns

Can advertising be partially responsible for the increased usage of smokeless tobacco? Advertising campaigns are being aimed at young males 18-35. They appeal to their desires to “belong” by having slogans such as “take a pinch instead of a puff,” with practice, you’ll be doing it like the pros,” or “a pinch is all it takes.” Young people are highly susceptible to such tactics because they sometimes feature entertainment and sports idols promoting smokeless tobacco products. There are three, main causes that cause youth to fall victim to this insidious habit:

1) Peer pressure

2) Curiosity

3) The person’s family history of tobacco use.

In families that use tobacco, there is a much stronger mind set to tobacco use and/or experimentation.

Risks associated with smokeless tobacco usage

Smokeless tobacco used regularly can damage teeth and gum lines, and lessening the ability to taste and smell. People who use smokeless tobacco are increasing their risks of developing cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and esophagus.

The use of smokeless tobacco can cause a precancerous condition in the mouth called leukoplakia. Occurring on the lips or inside the cheek, leukoplakia is a white, leathery-appearing patch which results in cancer diagnosis in 3-5 percent of cases. Everyone has different genetics. While some can chew for many years and not get cancer, some develop tobacco-related cancer over a very short time period.

The risk of cancer in soft oral tissues is almost 50 times greater in long-term users than non-users. About 87% of these tumors are attributable to snuff. Those who say smokeless tobacco is safer than smoking should realize that they are only exchanging one form of the same poison for another.

Other dangers from smokeless tobacco use include: gum recession that results in exposed roots and increased sensitivity to heat and cold; tooth loss from damage to the gum tissue; abrasion to the tooth enamel due to high levels of sand and grit contained in smokeless tobaccos; discoloration of the teeth and bad breath; tooth decay caused by sugar added to smokeless tobacco to improve its taste; and possible decreased athletic performance due to constriction of blood vessels caused by nicotine use. Many people who get off smokeless tobacco see their blood pressure normalize and their resting heart rates to go down dramatically.

Smokeless Tobacco Users Should Check For The Following

1) Sores that fail to heal and bleed easily

2) Whitish patches ( leukoplakia)

3) Sensation of something in the throat

4) A lump or thickening

6) Difficulty in chewing or swallowing food

Anyone who is using smokeless tobacco and is interested in quitting this dangerous and sometimes fatal habit can discover more information on the subject of quitting by reading a free eBook that can be found at the following link below:

Stop Using Smokeless Tobacco Now! [http://www.stopsmokeless.com/freebook.php]

If link above doesn’t work, simply cut and paste the URL below into your browser:

[http://www.stopsmokeless.com/freebook.php]

Anne Clarke asked:




From early America and through over half of the 20th century, tobacco was one of the most essential parts of the national economy. There are still plenty of tobacco companies out there–but the market is less powerful now because of research and cancer studies. The Surgeon General’s Warning has certainly had an effect–as the cost of tobacco products rises continually.

At first in the history of tobacco, the negative effects of smoking tobacco were virtually unknown, and therefore tobacco seemed harmless. However, by the time we reached the early 20th century, information about the health effects of tobacco began to be published in newspapers and magazines all over the world.

The history of tobacco indicates that in Germany in 1930, scientists were able to make a distinct correlation between cancer and smoking tobacco. However, in the history of tobacco on American soil, it was eight years later when Doctor Raymond Pearl, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, declared that smokers (more often than not) do not live as long as non-smokers.

In the history of tobacco in our country, even by the year 1944 the American Cancer Society claimed that no absolutely definite scientific evidence had been found that would link lung cancer or any other kind of cancer to smoking. Of course, now the history of tobacco has reached the point that we are fully aware of the dangers. We now know that there are dangerous, cancer-causing carcinogens in smoking tobacco that can end your life likely sooner than you would like to.

Nonetheless, even with this information took a long time to really absorb into the consciousness of the American public. After all, it had been so many years of unknown damages, that the people were likely to remain uninformed–because they would not have expected this news at all.

In the early 1950’s the magazine “Reader’s Digest” published an article entitled “Cancer by the Carton” which discussed individual details specifically about the dangers of smoking. Following this phenomenon, more and more publications provided informative articles similar to the one in “Reader’s Digest” and cigarette sales actually began to reduce.

By the mid 1950’s the tobacco industry began its counter-attack. The tobacco sellers and researchers conducted their own studies of the effects of cigarettes on someone’s health. This is when tobacco companies started selling additional merchandise, cigarettes with more filters and lower-tar. Because people loved to smoke so much, and because they had been brought to the illusion that there were “healthier” cigarettes available, the sales market for tobacco was up again. But the new, light cigarettes were, in truth, no healthier than regular cigarettes.

Tobacco products are virtually impossible to quit for many people. Some say that an addiction to tobacco is harder to break than an addiction to heroin. Therefore, there is still a necessary market for tobacco and tobacco products, because some people will always be people smokers. The history of tobacco may have altered our perspective and lowered the number of people who smoke, but there is not a chance that smoking will ever be eradicated completely.

Alan B. Densky asked:




If you think smokeless tobacco is “up to snuff” and harmless, think again. Whatever you like to call it - spitting, dipping or chewing - it is every bit as harmful as smoking. A lot of doctors believe more so because users are not as aware of the threats. Cancers of the lips, tongue, mouth and throat can quickly progress in people who use smokeless tobacco and leave ugly - even deadly - results.

Despite the painful and dangerous effects of smokeless tobacco, quitting with usual techniques is extremely demanding. A lot of people think the reason lies in nicotine, a natural, super toxic substance found in tobacco that is the plant’s defense to prevent being eaten by insects. Evaluating equal amounts, nicotine is more deadly than snake venom or strychnine, and three times deadlier than arsenic.

When dipping, the nicotine makes its way to the brain in less than 10 seconds, where it produces a flood of dopamine, which brings about a soothing sensation. Nicotine also promotes adrenaline production, so it both calms and energizes. However, the mental element of smokeless tobacco addiction is much stronger and produces far more obstacles to quitting smokeless tobacco than nicotine.

A lot of users took their first dip as young as nine years old. In just a few months, using smokeless tobacco becomes an ingrained habit that delivers reliable stress relief. In addition to the psychological conditioning, a social conditioning transpires, as images of many sports celebrities dipping also attract young users.

Understanding that there are individual physical and emotional factors that contribute to a chewing habit makes it easier to develop a plan to prevail smokeless tobacco addiction. Let’s look at each component individually and look at effective methods to curb them.

Dipping for Relaxation and Pleasure: Just like using a pacifier to appease a restless child, over time, people who use tobacco products start to associate putting an object in their mouths with satisfaction and relaxation. Curbing the effects of tobacco usage involves addressing all facets of the addiction.

Tobacco Dipping is a Conditioned Response: The classic example of a conditioned response relates to Pavlov and his dogs, which were trained to anticipate food - and thus began salivating - when a bell was rung. In accordance, if, for example, you always use chewing tobacco after each meal, you will consequently develop a craving to chew when you are done eating.

In your mind, the images of folding the napkin and pushing the play away may be connected to using snuff, even if you are not conscious of it. Becoming aware of the trigger images or situations can help you beat cravings.

The Physical Addiction to Nicotine, But … : Despite the intense addiction, doctors say that the physical component of nicotine addiction is eliminated after people quit using tobacco for a week. It’s my solid belief that nicotine addiction comprises a mere 10 percent of smokeless tobacco dependency. Therefore, 90 percent of the fight to quit dipping involves overcoming the mental and emotional components. So what does this mean for people like you who wish to quit?

Quitting becomes much more feasible if you are able to:

A. Address and eliminate the anxiety and tension that compels you to use smokeless tobacco

B. Cancel the conditioned responses to chew in particular situations

But how does a person triumph over those issues?

Self-hypnosis offers a way to tackle the psychological and emotional components of the addiction while reducing difficulties, which will eliminate the withdrawal symptoms. When we appreciate how self-hypnosis works, it makes the decision to quit dipping much easier to assume.

When people dip for relaxation and pleasure, it’s to pacify feelings of stress. People often play the same images over in their minds, like a bad video, which leaves them feeling very stressed. With hypnosis and various Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques, you retrain your brain to instantaneously and naturally prohibit stress-inducing images and substitute them with calming ideas and mental movies. This creates satisfaction and relaxation while eradicating cravings and oral compulsions. You lose the impulse to put the chew in your mouth, and you will not get any urge to substitute food in its place. This subdues weight gain.

To combat the conditioned response of dipping smokeless tobacco, the NLP Flash technique removes the associations of dipping during certain activities or situations. This means your subconscious will no longer trigger the compulsion. Further, the Flash can even be used to create a compulsion to deny smokeless tobacco.

Employing specific and strategic NLP methods makes the decision to stop dipping quite easy and painless by evading withdrawal symptoms, cravings and weight gain. The method is dependent on training the unconscious mind to abide by the same thought patterns that create your mental addiction to smokeless tobacco in the first place, to eliminate the habit.

Your brain is a powerful instrument—far more powerful than an addiction. With steadfastness and the aid of self-hypnosis and NLP, you can quit smokeless tobacco forever.

Al Cox asked:




It is very well known that the excessive use of tobacco can cause several problems, not only to our lungs and respiratory system but to our oral cavity as well. Dentists have known the detrimental effects of using tobacco and cigarettes, however not many smokers are aware of the dangers and problems tobacco can cause when it comes to our oral cavity.

When asked about the dental consequences heavy smokers face, most people will reply that the heavy use of cigarettes will cause stains in our teeth however, the problem goes way beyond that as constant smoking can cause several diseases, one of them is known as Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis.

Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis (NUG):

This is the name of a disease which affects a smoker’s gum, as you know this particular disease is triggered by the bacterial infections often contracted by heavy smoking, the effects are actually very noticeable because they cause moderate to severe pain. Some of the symptoms reported by people who suffer from this disease are:

– Fever

– A dark or gray film on the gum

– Bad breath and bad taste in the mouth

– Swollen gums

– Swollen glands in the neck

– This disease can also affect the throat

NUG is one-of-a-kind disease because it develops quite fast, in most cases it is very painful and it attacks the gums in a very noticeable way, some of the normal effects this disease has in a smoker’s gum is that they become very sensitive and bleed easily, if the infection becomes severe the gums may appear to be deflated and would no longer be visible.

Luckily for people who suffer off such disease the treatment is relatively fast, it usually takes around two weeks however, if a smoker who suffers off such condition does not receive the necessary treatment in time the consequences could be dire in other words, it can spread to the bones, cheeks, lips and other parts of the jaw. Necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis is one of the oral diseases which makes the work of a cosmetic dentist much harder which is why before starting a cosmetic procedure that is often recommended for patients to go on a cessation program to help them quit such detrimental habit.

Zachary Malott asked:




Ever think about the dangers of smokeless tobacco? If you use smokeless tobacco your first thoughts are probably the chance of contracting lip, tongue, throat and stomach cancer. These are certainly cancers that have been proven to develop from smokeless tobacco use.

Many people are not aware that smokeless tobacco has a more far ranging effect on the human body than those diseases mentioned above. It has been shown that smokeless tobacco can increase greatly the chances of developing bladder cancer. What is frightening is that so many people now using and those who will soon begin to use smokeless tobacco have no idea of the serious effects this substance can bring down upon unsuspecting users.

Carcinogins found in tobacco have been shown to increase the risk of bladder cancer by up to 400% in users vs. those who do not use. Even more frightening this risk factor remains for years even after the user quits tobacco completely. Scary thought, huh?

What educators in the tobacco cessation arena need to be aware of is finding a way to get across the truth that just because smokeless tobacco is smokeless it isn’t harmless. Smokeless tobacco doesn’t just stay in the oral cavity. It gets swallowed into the stomach and it gets into your esophagus and bladder.

I would like to add an interesting paragraph from a study called: Clinico-pathological features of bladder carcinoma in women in Pakistan and smokeless tobacco as a possible risk factor
Muhammad Rafique1
1Department of Urology, Nishtar Medical College, Multan, Pakistan
Corresponding author.
Muhammad Rafique: rafiqanju/at/hotmail.com
Received April 12, 2005; Accepted August 5, 2005.

.”Transitional cell carcinoma is the most common bladder malignancy in women in Pakistan. Most women with bladder carcinoma have long history of use of smokeless tobacco. At the time of diagnosis 75% women have muscle invasive bladder carcinoma. In women using smokeless tobacco, there is significant correlation between stage of bladder carcinoma and duration of smokeless tobacco use. Further studies are required to clarify the role of smokeless tobacco in the development of bladder carcinoma.”

Does chewing and dipping cause bladder cancer? We have seen a lot of evidence that points to a correlation of bladder cancer and tobacco use. There remains a lot of research left to do before the final verdict is in. In my humble opinion, the information that I have studied in preparation to write this short, general article has convinced me that the possibility that it does cause bladder cancer far outweighs any scientific information stating that it doesn’t.

When it comes right down to it, knowing all of the things that the use of smokeless tobacco certainly does makes the use of it illogical. When we add the fact that there is much sound evidence that smokeless tobacco can affect the body to the degree of producing bladder cancer, it just makes good sense:

1) If you don’t chew, dip or smoke - don’t.

2) If you do use tobacco in any form - seriously consider finding a good cessation program and quit.

If you want detailed information of the dangers of smokeless tobacco please use the following link to read a FREE eBook entitled, “Stop Using Smokeless Tobacco Now!” [http://www.stopsmokeless.com/freebook.php]

Life is full of choices. Choices require decisions. What decision will you make?

Alan B. Densky asked:




For numerous people around the world, smokeless tobacco is something they have tried, if not something indulged in regularly. Most people associate smokeless tobacco with sports stars, and incorrectly believe that it is a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. Unfortunately for them, this proves to be wrong, as smokeless tobacco causes a range of health problems for its users.

All different types of people use this highly addictive substance and no one is safe, dependent on race, social status, or ***. The reasons for going smokeless vary widely from appetite control to generalized stress relief. And this epidemic is hurting the world. Targeting the world’s future with the predominant users being only teens and sometimes preteens, it is a highly dangerous addiction.

The truth of the matter is that teen use of smokeless tobacco is a prominent problem enough that it is creating many lifelong users who suffer health problems and health risks that are just too great to be overlooked and too dangerous to be ignored. Child use of smokeless tobacco is constantly on the rise, with some users starting when they are only 9 or 10 years old.

Rural Caucasian teens have the highest risk of using smokeless tobacco, and if the teens share a home with an adult user, their risk of following the trend rises dramatically. Approximately 9.3% of all U.S. students in grades nine through twelve use smokeless tobacco. In white male students, the average is approximately 1 user in 5 students.

But what are the effects of smokeless tobacco and what are the advantages and disadvantages of using it? For some people, the appeal is in “looking cool,” and possibly fitting in with one’s peers. Also it causes an odd sensation in users by first relaxing them, through the release of dopamine in the brain, and then exciting them with a release of adrenaline. Also the appetite is reduced.

On the down side are serious ramifications that make the reasons to chew look pretty weak. Use of smokeless tobacco causes a wide variety of diseases, along with tooth and gum problems, bad breath, and of course the financial spending of the user to supply this product. Most tobacco users using one can per day, over 30 years at current prices will spend up to $50,000 on chewing tobacco in their lifetime, assuming they live long enough.

There are no known cures for either the oral or the gastrointestinal cancers smokeless tobacco brings, and this can also cost a fortune in medical treatment and sadly, perhaps funeral costs.

Quitting smokeless tobacco is widely thought to be much harder than quitting the smoking habit. Part of the addiction includes a tremendous amount of nicotine absorbed by the body while dipping or chewing. This amount is twice as high as that received from smoking a cigarette.

But how can one quit smokeless tobacco? Various products are available to help wean users off of snuff and chew, such as a product that uses spearmint to mimic the tobacco without supplying the nicotine. And some success has come from receiving same shot that inhibits receptors in the body for smoking. But the best way to quit and permanently remain tobacco-free without withdrawal, stress, and weight gain is through using hypnosis.

A hypnotherapy program offers a two-fold attack to the systematic dipping or chewing reflex built up by your prior habits and lifestyle choices. It first attacks the psychological motivation for why you desire a dipp, and then it works to end the mental habit itself.

First consider the emotional reasons. Dopamine is a “feel good” chemical produced by your body and released by your brain during times of happiness. In times of stress, dopamine can produce a general feeling of well being. Some common occurrences of natural release include eating a large meal, or sexual relief. In other words, putting some chew into the mouth gives a sense relaxation and pleasure. The very essence of hypnosis is relaxation, and self-hypnosis is excellent for promoting stress relief and relaxation.

Hypnotherapy also works to break the cycle of expectation created by your mind. When you chew tobacco after dinner, your mind begins to signal to your body that you need a chew after every dinner. By blocking or eliminating this thought process, you will not feel the urge to pack your cheek after you pack your stomach.

By extinguishing these two root causes of chewing tobacco use, hypnosis can virtually eliminate the urge to dipp or chew, ending your need for the extra dopamine release. Thus releasing you from this lethal addiction and allowing a stress free method of stopping.

Ben Adams asked:




Smoking is a global problem. It is estimated that one in three adults smoke, with over 1 billion people smoking worldwide. The majority of these smokers reside in countries on the low end to the middle of the socioeconomic spectrum. Of this majority, about 80% live in low and middle-income countries. The total number of smokers worldwide is expected to keep on increasing each year.

The worldwide popularity of tobacco use varies by social class, historical era, and culture. Historically, smoking had been a pastime of the rich. However, this trend has changed dramatically in recent decades. It appears that financially advantaged men in wealthier countries have been smoking less in recent times.

The World Health Organization has been studying smoking trends and statistical patterns across the globe and has uncovered the following statistics:

1) Eastern Europe has a particularly high rate of smoking, with up to 59% of adult males smoking. Also, significantly more women smoke in Eastern Europe than in East Asia and the Pacific Region.

2) Most people who smoke, begin smoking before they are 25 years old. Worldwide observations suggest that people are stating to smoke at a much younger age. World Health Organization studies reveal that the majority of smokers in affluent countries; begin in their teens.

Smoking In The US

How do Americans compare to the rest of the world when it comes to smoking? It may come as no surprise to hear that Americans are no better than anyone else. According to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics:

3) In the US, it is estimated that 25.6 million men (25.2%) and 22.6 million women (20.7%) are smokers. These smokers face a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Here are the latest estimates for smokers’ aged 18 and above:

4) Studies reveal that smoking popularity is significantly higher among people with 9-11 years of education (35.4%) compared with those with more than 16 years of education (11.6%).

5) There appears to be a correlation between a country’s standard of living, level of education, and income and the number of people who have quit smoking. The more and better-informed people are, the more likely they are to quit smoking.

6) People living below the poverty level (33.3%) are much more likely to start smoking.

7) Among whites, 25.1% of men and 21.7% of women smoke.

Among black or African Americans, 27.6% of men and 18% of women smoke.

9) Among Asians, 21.3% of men and 6.9% of women smoke.

10) Among Hispanics/Latinos, 23.2% of men and 12.5% of women smoke.

11) Among American Indians/Alaska Natives, 32% of men and 36.9% of women smoke.

12) A shocking…1 out of every 5 five deaths is caused by tobacco

13) It is estimated that Tobacco is responsible for 400,000 deaths in the US every single year.

14) Cigarettes are responsible for about 25% of deaths from residential fires, causing nearly 1,000 fire-related deaths and 3,300 injuries each year.

15) Tobacco is blamed for many serious cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases

16) Nicotine and tobacco are some of the most potent carcinogens and are responsible for the majority of all cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, esophagus and bronchus.

17) Smoking tobacco is known to produce cancer in the pancreas, kidney, bladder, and the cervix

18) Because tobacco reduces blood flow, nicotine addiction has been proven to cause impotency.

19) If you smoke, the risk of respiratory illnesses is high. This could lead to pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia, which are responsible for some 85,000 every year.

20) Children and adolescents who are active smokers will have increasingly severe respiratory illness, as they grow older

21) Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and fetal growth retardation. It also causes about 5-6% of prenatal deaths, 17-26% of low-birth-weight births, and 7-10% of pre-term deliveries.

If you don’t want to quit smoking after reading these shocking figures, you really need to get your head examined. You know in your heart, what’s the right thing to do. Make a firm decision to quit today, and stick to it!

Jack Smith asked:




The most commonly felt effects of physical withdrawal from tobacco smoking are feelings of anger, depression, anxiety and restlessness. A chain smoker’s body experiences sharply rising and falling levels of nicotine on a daily basis. In the withdrawal stage, these cycles are coming to an end. Over years, the nicotine literally takes control of about 200 neurochemicals in the brain. The brain is slowly regaining control of these. This causes the intense emotional effects mentioned above.

Within the first 72 hours of withdrawal, if a user abstains totally from nicotine, they will begin to feel the gradual effects of recovery. The brain is now getting used to being lavished with nicotine-free oxygen.

During the early stages of withdrawal, time seems to drag endlessly. The first few weeks are interminable. It is important not to let this overshadow the greater purpose and really keep going with a positive attitude. One may experience an unbearable craving to grab a cigarette. During such an episode, it helps to take a look at the clock and actually time the duration of the ‘attack’. It will likely last no longer that 3 minutes, although it may seem endless – this helps to gain perspective.

Most nicotine addicts complain of not being able to concentrate like before during the first few days of withdrawal. However, concentration levels begin to return to normal within two weeks.

In their smoking days, most nicotine addicts could skip a meal without feeling the hunger pangs. This was because nicotine triggered the process of releasing stored fats and sugars in our blood stream. This ends when nicotine intake stops. Hence, in order to prevent falling blood sugar levels, it is important not to skip meals.

Nicotine is a powerful stimulant. Our body needs time and a great deal of effort to learn to live without it. It is natural to feel tired, drained out and fatigued during the first few days.

Normal sleep patterns get disrupted during withdrawal. One might find oneself sleeping comparatively less. It takes a couple of weeks for regular sleep patters to establish.

Other common symptoms of physical withdrawal are tightness in the chest, slight sore throat, coughing with mucus, bad breath and headaches.