Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of
preventable death in the United States, accounting for approximately 443,000
deaths, or 1 of every 5 deaths, in the United States each year.
It's summer time and many of us take to the
open road for excersise.. a longing to feel the wind in our hair,
sunshine on our face, and urge to breathe in a deep breath of TAR and
NICOTENE....Ahhhhhh! ..wait! WHAT? that makes no sense, you might say...
Yet, so many still continue to puff on the cancer
sticks, or fill up their lip with insta-oral cancer dips, some even chew their
way to multiple malignacies through smokeless gum.
Let me simply get off my soapbox and let a few REAL
statistics do the talking:
~ Chewing tobacco and snuff contain 28 cancer-causing
agents.
~Here's a list of the Head and Neck Cancer's ALONE
that smoking causes:
- Hypopharyngeal Cancer
- Laryngeal Cancer
- Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer
- Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary
- Nasopharyngeal Cancer
- Oropharyngeal Cancer
- Paranasal Sinus and Nasal Cavity Cancer
- Salivary Gland Cancer
Of these premature deaths, about 40 percent are from cancer, 35 percent are from heart disease and stroke, and 25 percent are from lung disease.
~Smoking is the leading cause of premature, preventable death in this country.
~Approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths occur each year among adult nonsmokers in the United States as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke.
~Smokers pay twice as much for life insurance and will die an average of over 12 years sooner than non-smokers. Not too mention the HUGE waste in dollars a tobacco user spends yearly!
And the list goes on, and on and on....but I think you are getting the message...
Thank You Tobacco companies for the years of mutilation, killing, home wreaking that you have so generously infected millions with over the years....
... and you, at home, considering quitting- hats off to you! Do it for ALL our sake's!
In this life we only get one go-round..fill yourself up with healthy choices!
Until next time, Keep smiling!;)