The Multi Billion Dollar Assassins

Perhaps the most widely-used addictive drugs, cigarettes are a multi-billion dollar a year industry. But what has for a long time been a guilt-free recreational pleasure is now being condemned as a huge health risk and, worse yet, some health professionals claim smoking cigarettes is more addictive than shooting heroin. The gig is up and even cigarette companies such as Philip-Morris are being forced to admit the health hazards and addictive qualities of cigarettes.

Many people who enjoyed lighting up are now seeking treatment for their addiction and ditching their old habit. Add to that more recent findings about the ill effects of second-hand smoke and, in general, smoking has become a tricky business. Antismoking TV spots, billboards, magazines and even the non-smokers on the streets seem to all be carrying the same message for smokers: knock it off, idiots.

The act of quitting might be easier if it weren?t for cigarette?s addictive quality. Actually, it?s the nicotine which occurs naturally in the tobacco leaf that is gives cigarettes their addictive quality, and while there is nothing inherently dangerous about nicotine itself in small doses, it?s the effect of smoking it and all the other materials that compose a cigarette which are. Each cigarette has a staggering number of additives (about 500 of them) ranging from ammonia to urea. Yes, urea. As in urine.

Still many smokers staunchly keep their cigarette packs and lighters stored in their pockets and purses. But, for those thinking it?s about time they flicked their last Bic, addiction treatments are widely available, from products such as special gum and patches, which both work on the same premise: the gradual decreasing of nicotine levels in the body until a dependency no longer exist.

There are other more traditional methods of addiction treatment, the classic cold turkey or physical exercise. And less conventional methods for Westerners, such as acupuncture, have been said to help would-be ex-smokers get past the withdrawal phase. All are supposed to make the quitting process easier.

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