Why are you smoking?

Why Are You Smoking
Smoking is killing you and the people around you. Most say that they can quit anytime, but can they? Are they addicted? The list of health risks associated with smoking goes on and on. Some say that secondhand smoke is worse than puffing on the cigarette itself. Children today watch parents indulge in the habit and see it on the big screen all the time. More so now then before, underage smoking has become a real issue.
The Addiction
Seventeen million Americans try to quit smoking each year. But more than 15,000,000 are unable to exercise that choice because they can not break their addiction (Kessler). The nicotine delivered by tobacco products is highly addictive. The pharmacoligic (chemical / physical) effects and behavioral process that contribute to tobacco addictions are very similar to those that contribute to addiction to drugs such as heroine and cocaine (Siegel). The average cigarette contains 8.4 milligrams of nicotine and 15 milligr...