Smoking is an addiction. The person who smokes develops a dependence on cigarettes to the point when it becomes very difficult due to physiological and physical reactions. Smoking is dangerous. Statistics show that one in three smokers would eventually die because of smoking. On average those who smoke live 10 to 15 years less then those who do not smoke.

Because smoking is an addiction, it is very difficult to stop smoking. Those who try to quit, usually try two to three times before they are successful. Statistics show that only 2.5% of smokers successfully quit smoking each year.

Smoking is addictive because cigarettes contain the drug called nicotine. When people smoke, nicotine gets absorbed by the lungs and enters the bloodstream. The body develops the tolerance to the increased amounts of nicotine. Nicotine, being a psychoactive drug, changes the electrical activity of the brain. Nicotine has calming effects and activates the pleasure centers in the brain.

Those who get used to nicotine have to keep smoking. Otherwise, the brain, its psychological functions, gets disturbed. This is called the withdrawal symptom. And it takes the body quite a substantial time to readjust to properly function without nicotine. That is why it is so difficult to quit smoking.

Here are some facts about smoking:

• Each year more than 440,000 people in US alone die from smoking-related illnesses.
• More then 80% of lung cancer is cased by smoking.
• A large amount of chemicals that can cause cancer is contained in cigarettes.
• To the surprise of many, nicotine is as addictive as heroin and cocaine.
• Second hand smoking is known to be the reason for more than 3,000 lung cancer related deaths in US each year.

You can find a number of good manuals on how to stop smoking and deal with other addictions here.