Posted under Cigarette Addiction

Best Reasons Ever to Quit Smoking Now

With estimates upwards of 46 million current smokers in the U.S. (figures as of 2009, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and cigarette smoking the leading cause of preventable death in this country – accounting for approximately 443,000 deaths each year – every smoker should be looking at ways to quit. In fact, since there’s no time like the present, here are some of the best reasons ever to quit smoking now.

Continue Reading

Posted under Cigarette Addiction

Pleasure and Anxiety Relief Activated by Nicotine

There are many reasons that individuals take up smoking. Many initiate tobacco use because of social networks where smoking is considered an acceptable behavior. Smoking is often continued because the individual feels pleasure or anxiety relief after using tobacco. Continue Reading

Posted under Cigarette Addiction

Secondhand Smoke Significantly Impacts Children

Those who smoke often have a difficult time giving up cigarettes. Multiple roadblocks can discourage cessation, from cravings for nicotine to the fear that weight gain will follow a cigarette withdrawal. Sometimes smoking is seen as a social connection to friends or family, causing a person to have difficulty imagining their life without cigarettes. Continue Reading

Posted under Cigarette Addiction

Study Shows Smokers or Past Smokers More Likely to Be Diagnosed with Asthma

If someone who smokes – or who has been a habitual smoker in their past – visits the doctor, they may be more likely to receive a diagnosis of asthma than someone who has avoided tobacco, says recent study findings featured in a Medical News Today article. Continue Reading

Posted under Cigarette Addiction

Around One-Fifth of Lung Cancer Patients May Continue Smoking as Do Their Caregivers

Nearly one-fifth of people who receive a lung cancer diagnosis may keep smoking, says a U.S. National Cancer Institute study. People in their family and their caregivers continue smoking, too.

Continue Reading

Posted under Cigarette Addiction

Genetic Variations Influence Risk of Nicotine Addiction in Adolescence and Adulthood

A new study adds to the growing body of evidence that risk factors for addiction change over time. Many studies focus on the risk factors for addiction in adolescence, because this phase of life is associated with the highest risk of addiction. Addiction risks in adolescence include pleasure-seeking, loss of inhibition, and lack of understanding of negative consequences of behavior. Risk factors in adulthood, on the other hand, include stress, anxiety, and depression.

Continue Reading

Posted under Cigarette Addiction

Teen Smoking Affects Brain Development

More than 400,000 people die each year as a result of cigarette smoking, which is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. Despite these shocking statistics, many people—including teens—continue to smoke. Smoking usually starts in the teen years, and about 80 percent of smokers become addicted by the age of 18. On the other hand, teens who don’t start smoking usually never become smokers.

Continue Reading

Posted under Cigarette Addiction

Even A Little Smoking Linked to Cardiovascular Disease Death, Say Health Experts

When it comes to smoking, even a little bit is too much, and experts want to spread the message that just a few cigarettes a day can kill.

Recent research says that the harmful consequences of smoking on the body’s cardiovascular system happen even with occasional or low levels of cigarette use, and that even a little exposure to second-hand smoke can significantly raise a person’s chances of death from cardiovascular disease.

Published in Circulation:  Journal of the American Heart Association, the research report analyzed data from more than a million U.S. adults. Major highlights from the report include the fact that even smoking three or less cigarettes daily caused a person’s risk of dying from cardiovascular disease to climb by 64 percent.

Continue Reading

Posted under Cigarette Addiction

Depression Hinders Smokers’ Ability to Successfully Quit

A new study has found that varying levels of depression create increasingly negative impacts on a smoker’s ability to successfully quit smoking and remain abstinent.

Continue Reading

Posted under Cigarette Addiction

Study Finds Smoking May Thin Brain’s Cerebral Cortex

Many studies have shown that smoking cigarettes is associated with brain abnormalities, and a new study has found that smoking might actually thin the cerebral cortex, which is an area of the brain that is responsible for many functions including language, memory, and information processing. Reducing cortical thickness has been linked to aging, impaired cognition, and reduced intelligence. This is the first study to look at the impact of smoking on cortical thickness.

Continue Reading