Many addicts give up drinking and drugs but won't give up the worst drug of all.
"I gave up everything else," but I'm not about to give up smoking. Or in some cases, chewing. And many of them will die of emphysema, or C.O.P.D. (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.)
As a former smoker who quit July 25, 1984, nothing irritates me more than to be around a smoker. In fact, as quick as they show up I go the other way.
And my disdain for smoking is not a personal whim. It's based on facts. Statistics show that each year smoking kills more people that all other causes combined. That includes cancer, heart disease, AIDs, and auto accidents. Plus, that figure includes all of the Americans killed in World War II. Those numbers total up to over 480,000 victims a year.
The idea that we can't quit smoking is a myth. In 1974 nearly half the population smoked. Today the number is down to between 15 and 19 percent.
As the leading cause of preventable death, there will hopefully come a day when smoking is a long forgotten part of our history.
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