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Stop Smoking

Who smokes these days?
27% of Americans still smoke (1991).... versus 29% in 1987 and 44% in 1964.

This decrease is due to more people quitting, and NOT due to fewer people starting...so this means that efforts to prevent people from becoming smokers have not been successful...

Some other interesting facts:

Percentage of heavy smokers: 27% in 1987 vs. 26% in 1974

80% of smokers start smoking before age 21
100% of humans start out life as non smokers...if you were a non-smoker once, you can become a non-smoker again. 

Learn if Zyban can help you kick the habit.

Why do people start smoking???

Many start smoking to alleviate stress, life problems peer pressures and social acceptance issues are important factors. 
For others it is due to family history, parental modeling of smoking behavior, as well as a lower economic status predisposes a person to become a smoker.
For many teens starting smoking it is due to wanting to appear mature, self-confident and independent.
Personality with tendencies toward risk taking behaviors also plays a major role in young people starting to smoke.
Many extroverted individuals are more likely to start than introverted people due to the frequent social settings they tend to encounter.

Child and adolescent smokers
11% of youths aged 12-17 have smoked in the past month in 1991 and in a 1995 survey as part of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System 
34.8% of students had smoked cigarettes on one or more of the 30 days preceding the survey (i.e., current cigarette use) and 16.1% of students had smoked cigarettes on 20 or more of the 30 days preceding the survey (i.e., frequent cigarette use). 
One in five high school seniors smoke daily, and 70% have tried cigarettes
3000 teenagers start smoking each day


Psychiatric patient smokers
50% of all psychiatric outpatients smoke
90% of schizophrenic patients smoke
70% of manic-depressive patients smoke
90% of alcoholics smoke

Marijuana smoking
Marijuana: Facts 
Health Information: Marijuana 
Marijuana (Harvard Mental Health Letter, Nov. 1987) 

Smokeless Tobacco
3.4% of Americans use snuff or chewing tobacco.