The smoking rate has dropped in the United States from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 17.8 percent in 2013. The smoking rate for the state of Louisiana is still astonishingly high at 25.7 percent, according to the Center for Disease Control. This rate puts Louisiana as one of the top smoking states. Further breaking down those numbers, 27.6 percent of males smoke and 20.7 percent of females smoke.
Everybody has heard the stories of how cigarette smoke will give you lung cancer, gum disease and eventually kill you. But there are also the stories that nobody ever hears. Did you know that cigarette smoking causes over 480,000 deaths each and every year? Cigarettes kill more than the following combined:
- human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- illegal drug use
- alcohol use
- motor vehicle injuries
- firearm-related incidents
As you learned in history class, America lost a lot of soldiers during World War I, World War II, the Civil War and the American Revolution, and yet, America has lost 10 times that number of people to the death of cigarettes!
Cancer is a major killer, whether it be lung cancer, breast cancer or even skin cancer. Here in the United States, smoking causes almost nine out of 10 lung cancer related deaths in men and women. Also, more women die from lung cancer than they do from breast cancer!
When people start smoking they rarely ever think about the odds. According to the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services, smoking is estimated to increase the risk of:
- coronary heart disease by two to four times
- stroke by two to four times
- men developing lung cancer by 25 times
- women developing lung cancer by 25.7 times
Smoking can also cause stroke and coronary heart disease, which are two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Coronary heart disease begins by damaging the blood vessels. This causes them to thicken, thus they lose volume on the inside. As the heart starts to beat faster, the blood pressure goes up and a clot can form. Without proper blood flow a heart attack or stroke can occur.
If you have someone that you want to help stop smoking, then you will have to focus on yourself, not on them. If you communicate about how his or her smoking affects you, then you may have a much bigger breakthrough than simply saying, "I hate it when you smoke!" If you no longer want to kiss your partner because of their smoking habits, then they will notice and want to talk about it. Going at the problem like this will promote the smoker to think of what they could get if they stopped smoking. Remember, positive thoughts always help!
