ABSTRACT
Approximately 72% of the people in the United States smoke cigarettes at some point in their lives. This huge percentage is tragic because smoking is responsible for more disease and death than any other preventable behavior. Approximately 400,000 deaths per year in the United States are attributed to smoking. Smoking increases the risk of heart diseases, respiratory diseases, stroke, and cancer, to name a few. In addition, cigarette smoking is responsible for millions of dollars being spent on cigarettes that could be spent on something else, for days lost from work, and for increases in health care insurance costs. Most people who quit smoking take three to four attempts before they’re finally able to quit, and as many as 90% of those who attempt to quit experience physical withdrawal from their addiction to nicotine. The withdrawal symptoms include depression, insomnia, irritability, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating.1
