Dangers of Cigarette Smoking
Smoking is the leading cause of death for both men and women in
the United States. About 420,000 deaths occur as a result of
smoking cigarettes. Individuals who smoke are likely to develop
peptic ulcer disease, and are more likely to develop cataracts,
as opposed to non-smokers. People, who smoke, are ten times more
likely to die from larynx cancer, esophagus, chronic obstructive
lung disease, including emphysema. The risk becomes even higher
if cigarette smoking is combined with alcohol use or with
occupational exposure to certain types of toxic substances, such
as asbestos. Many individuals continue to smoke knowing these
dangerous conditions, because they believe that smoking has
benefits like stress relief, anxiety, pleasure, or weight
maintenance, thinking that quitting smoking is difficult and
won