Most people are aware of the health hazards inherent in the habit of smoking and that tobacco smoke is a source of lung cancer as well as many other serious illnesses.
Furthermore every smoker knows how addictive tobacco can be as a drug and how difficult it is to part with this life long companion being solely reliant on one’s own will power. This is why smokers need help to quit.
Smoking affects all social classes and age groups, most alarmingly our youth.
Because of health damage and the consequent hospital care, cigarette smoking results in huge medical expenditure around the globe. Statistics confirm that smoking and its related illnesses constitutes the primary cause of death in industrialized countries.
ADDICTION
Only recently was nicotine declared a drug officially in all respects. Researchers from the tobacco industry had data for decades pertaining to its highly addictive nature. In a recent comparison between the properties of several major drugs such as; heroin, cocaine and alcohol, it has been found that nicotine has the highest addictive power. Substance induced addiction is determined by; the difficulty a person encounters when trying to cease, the frequency of relapses, the percentage of dependent people and the “value” it has among the users, evidence of health damage notwithstanding.
Next to pharmacological dependence the psychological dependence on nicotine plays a decisive role in the establishment of a tie between smoker and cigarette. The triggers are mostly connected with; social and cultural factors, gestures associated with the action of smoking and to the amphetamine-like related effects. These effects induce expectations of better performances when facing social or work related pressure.
Pharmacological and psychological dependence coexist within the same person and in a variety of people in different proportions. Therefore smoking causes dependence and induces smokers to become slaves to the habit both on a physical and psychological level.
Of 1,000 adult male smokers:
- 1 will die in violent circumstances
- 6 will die in car accidents
- 250 will be killed by tobacco induced related pathologies
