10 PERSISTENT MYTHS ABOUT SMOKING

Smoking in America is down - but not out. Today, 20% of US adults are smokers, compared to 45% IN 1965, when smoking was at its peak. Even at the current level of tobacco use, an estimated 440,000 Americans per year lose their lives to lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, or other smoking related illnesses. On average, smokers die 14 years before nonsmokers, and half of all smokers who don't quit are killed by their habit. People start smoking for many reasons. Many continue to puff away because they buy into certain persistent myths about tobacco use. Here are 10 of those myths, and the truth about each.

MYTH: My other habits may make up for my smoking.

Some smokers justify their habit by insisting that proper nutrition and lost of exercise are enough to keep them healthy. Not so. Smoking affects every organ system in the body, and thinking that you're going to find the perfect lifestyle to counteract the effects of smoking is just not realistic.

MYTH: Switching to "light" cigarettes will cut my risk.

Smokers who switch to brands labeled "light" or "mild" inevitably compensate for the lower levels of tar and nicotine by inhaling smoke more deeply or by smoking more of each cigarette.

MYTH: I've smoked for so long, the damage is already done.

The damage caused by smoking is cumulative, and the longer a person smokes, the greater his/her risk for life-threatening ailments. But quitting smoking at any age brings health benefits.

MYTH: Trying to quit smoking will stress me out - and that's unhealthy.

True, tobacco withdrawl is stressful. But there's no evidence that the stress has negative long-term effects.

MYTH: The weight gain that comes with quitting is just as unhealthy as smoking.

Smokers who quit gain an average of 14 pounds. The risk of carrying the extra pounds is miniscule compared to the risk of continuing to smoke.

MYTH: Quitting "cold turkey" is the only way to go.

Some smokers think that quitting abruptly is the best approach and that willpower is the only effective tool for curbing tobacco cravings. They're partly right: commitment is essential. Smokers are more likely to succeed at quitting if they take advantage of counseling and smoking cessation medications, including nicotine(gum, patches, lozenges, inhaler, or nasal spray) and the prescription drugs Zyban and Chantix.

MYTH: Nicotine products are just as unhealthy as smoking.

Nicotine is safe when used as directed. Even using nicotine every day for years would be safer than smoking. Nicotine products deliver only nicotine. Cigarettes deliver nicotine along with 4,000 other compounds, including more than 60 known carcinogens.

MYTH: Cutting back on smoking is good enough.

Cutting down on the number of cigarettes is not an effective strategy. Smokers who cut back draw more deeply and smoke more of each cigarette.

MYTH: I'm the only one who is hurt by my smoking.

Tobacco smoke also harms the people around you. In the US, secondhand smoke causes about 50,000 deaths a year, the American Lung Association estimates. It's been estimated that a waiter or waitress who works a single eight hour shift in a smoky bar inhales as much toxic smoke as a pack-a-day smoker.

MYTH: I tried quitting once and failed, so it's no use trying again.

Most smokers try several times before quitting for good. So if you've failed previously, don't let that deter you from trying again.

source: www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation