United States Smoking Statistics
It's no secret smoking is bad for you.
Smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States. Tobacco kills more than 480,000 people domestically – more than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined.
An estimated 11.5 percent of adults in the U.S, smoke cigarettes or 28.3 million people. More than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people are living with a serious smoking-related illness.
As many as 8 million people die annually worldwide from smoking. Cigarettes are smoked by over 1 billion people, which is nearly 20% of the world's population.
Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals including 69 known cancer-causing substances. Hundreds of those chemicals are harmful to the human body and increase the risk of severe health issues, diseases, and premature death.
Millions Attempt to Quit Smoking Annually
As many as 70% of smokers declare they want to quit smoking but can’t because they are so addicted. On an average it takes a smoker 8 to 11 serious attempts before successfully quitting.
The challenge for all smokers seeking to break free from nicotine addiction is finding the strength to overcome the physical and psychological symptoms commonly associated with nicotine withdrawal such as anxiety, depression, irritability, stress, and cravings. Each year, millions of smokers worldwide attempt to quit by going cold turkey, only to end up feeling defeated due to the unrelenting control nicotine has over them.
Health Effects
Smoking leads to disease and disability and harms nearly every organ of the body. More than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness. Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking also increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis. Secondhand smoke exposure contributes to approximately 41,000 deaths among nonsmoking adults and 400 deaths in infants each year. Secondhand smoke causes stroke, lung cancer, and coronary heart disease in adults. Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, middle ear disease, more severe asthma, respiratory symptoms, and slowed lung growth.