No Butt Sucking

Cigarette smoking is the largest preventable risk factor for morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Dramatic changes in the prevalence of cigarette smoking in the second half of this century in the United States (i.e., a reduction among men and an increase among women) have reduced current smoking levels to approximately one quarter of the adult population and have reduced differences in smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable diseases between the sexes. Current smoking in the United States is positively associated with younger age, lower income, reduced educational achievement, and disadvantaged neighborhood environment. Daily smokers smoke cigarettes to maintain nicotine levels in the brain, primarily to avoid the negative effects of nicotine withdrawal, but also to modulate mood. Regular smokers exhibit higher and lower levels of stress and arousal, respectively, than nonsmokers, as well as higher impulsivity and neuroticism trait values. Nicotine dependence is the single most common psychiatric diagnosis in the United States, and substance abuse, major depression, and anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric comorbid conditions associated with nicotine dependence. Studies in twins have implicated genetic factors that explain most of the variability in vulnerability to smoking and in persistence of the smoking phenotype. Future research into the causes of smoking must take into account these associated demographics, social factors, comorbid psychiatric conditions, and genetic factors to understand this complex human behavior.Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. This is nearly one in five deaths.1,2,3

Smoking causes more deaths each year than the following causes combined:4
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
Illegal drug use
Alcohol use
Motor vehicle injuries
Firearm-related incidents
More than 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States.1

Smoking causes about 90% (or 9 out of 10) of all lung cancer deaths.1,2 More women die from lung cancer each year than from breast cancer.5

Smoking causes about 80% (or 8 out of 10) of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).1

Smoking increases risk for death from all causes in men and women.1
The risk of dying from cigarette smoking has increased over the last 50 years in the U.S.1
Tobacco is a plant. Its leaves are smoked, chewed, or sniffed for a variety of effects.

Tobacco contains the chemical nicotine, which is an addictive substance.
Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, at least 70 of which are known to cause cancer.
Tobacco that is not burned is called smokeless tobacco. Including nicotine, there are at least 30 chemicals in smokeless tobacco that are known to cause cancer.Your smoke is also bad for other people - they breathe in your smoke secondhand and can get many of the same problems as smokers do. This includes heart disease and lung cancer. Children exposed to secondhand smoke have a higher risk of ear infections, colds, pneumonia, bronchitis, and more severe asthma. Mothers who breathe secondhand smoke while pregnant are more likely to have preterm labor and babies with low birth weight.Remember, there is no safe level of tobacco use. Smoking even just one cigarette per day over a lifetime can cause smoking-related cancers and premature death. Quitting smoking can reduce your risk of health problems. The earlier you quit, the greater the benefit. Some immediate benefits of quitting include

Lower heart rate and blood pressure
Less carbon monoxide in the blood (carbon monoxide reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen)
Better circulation
Less coughing and wheezing