Every day, thousands of people across the United States continue to smoke cigarettes. Although many consider lighting up a cigarette to be an escape from the real world, it comes with inescapable and extreme risks.
“I smoke mostly due to the addictive properties of it, but also because of stress and anxiety,” Anthony Pasqua, a 2017 graduate of Cabrini University, said.
The numbers behind taking a smoke break are staggering. Every year, cigarette smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans. Although the numbers are down from where they used to be, tobacco-related incidents still remain the top cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. Tobacco-related incidents continue to kill an average of 10 people per minute worldwide.
Although it may seem harmless, even one cigarette a day puts a person at a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, compared to those who do not smoke. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute found men who smoke just one cigarette a day have a 48 percent higher risk of heart disease, while for women, the risk increased by 57 percent.
Even those who do not smoke are affected negatively, as more than 41,000 deaths a year come from being regularly exposed to secondhand smoke, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Smoking is one of the more common habits across the world, but when does it cross the line to become an addiction? Strong signs of a habit come from the need to smoke within 30 minutes of waking up or making it part of your daily routine. Additionally, individuals who smoke within 30 minutes of waking up are at a higher risk of developing lung, head and neck cancers than those who wait more than one hour, according to Medical News Today.
Quitting smoking can be a tough task to some who became so accustomed to the fix each day. The fascination and relief that a few minutes of puffing away on cigarette is considered to be irreplaceable by those affected.
“After the birth of my fifth baby, I prayed and asked for strength to be able to fight the addiction,” Tia Birdwell, a former smoker, said. “My doctor told me that a smoker’s death is one of the most painful deaths you can choose.”
Although many try to voluntarily quit, some are forced to, due to traumatic experiences. Near-death situations are life-altering events that help to change a persons life for the better.
“Last May, I was rushed to the hospital, where I almost died,” Jen Edney, a former smoker, said. “I had a choice, which was smoke and die or quit and live.”
Former smoker Clive Atkinson said, “After 43 years of smoking, I had to stop because of a near death experience with COPD.”
