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leasr scvcmy-five percenc prevemable.
On che ocher hand, if everyone
c¡uir smoking en massc, a nacion's
economy could be damaged ro a cer–
cain exrcnc. In che Uniced Srarcs,
robacco-relaced industry and robacco
farming are exrremely imporcanc
sources of income for large arcas.
Over
100,000
Americans are now
employed in manufacruring cobacco
produces; manr hundreds of rhou–
sands more are involved in discribu–
rion. wholesale and rerail crade, ami
sales. The communicacions indusrry
has a large scake in robacco-relared
advercising.
Thesc faccors, however, are far our–
weighed by che sulfering and loss of
human lives. An esrimaced
300,000
exccss American dearhs, for example,
resulr annually from all causes relared
ro smoking cigarertes. Thar's a
mighry high price for pleasure. Why
are so many so eager ro pay ir?
What's Your Smoking
Sryle?
Dr. Jessc Sreinfeld, Surgeon General
of che United States, recenrly said char
one of che difficulties of handling
serious public health problems such as
cigarerce smoking is rhar no one
seems ro know why people keep on
doing chings rhey know co be harm–
ful.
That is a good c¡uescion. Why do
people conrinue ro smoke?
Doccors have come up wich four
general cacegories or sryles of smok–
ing which explain - ar leasr on che
surface - whar keeps smokers com–
ing back for more.
The firsc rype is che
habitual
smoker. He may hardly be aware rhac
he has a cigarecce in bis mourh. He
smokes as if ir makes him feel good,
or ar leasc better; buc in facr ir rea ll y
docs neirher. He may once have
regardcd smoking as an importam
sign of status, as do many young
people when rhey firsc begin. Bur
now smoking is auromaric.
Then rhere are che people who
smoke ro achieve sorne
positive ef!ect:
smoking seems ro serve as a srimulanr
PLAIN TRUTH September-October 1972
rhac produces excicing pleasure, or is
used as a relaxanr co heighren enjoy–
menr, as ar che end of a meal. This
rype of smoker may cnjoy mosr che
handling of a cigarette or che sense
and sighr of smoke curling out of bis
mourh.
A third reason for smoking is ro
achieve a
sedative effect.
This means
using che habir
ro
reduce feelings of
distress, fear, shame, disgust - or any
combinacion chereof. This person
may noc smoke ac aJI when chings go
well, when he is on vacacion or ar a
parry. Under rension, however, when
chings go badly ar che office or ac
borne, he reaches for a cigarecte.
These smokers give up smoking
ofcen, bur when che pressures of che
day hit rhem or when rhere's a chal–
lenge, rhey find ir very hard ro resise a
cigarerre.
The mosr common rype of smoker
is che
addict.
He is always aware when
he is noc smoking. The lack of a
cigarene builds need, desire and dis–
comfort in h is body. With chis
increasing need is the expecration
rhar a cigarerre will reduce discom–
forr. The cigarerre acrua!Jy does give
relief - bur only for a momenr. Plea–
sure from smoking is real, jusr as che
buildup of discomforc from nor
smoking is real and somerimes
becomes intolerable. Thc enjoymenc
of che cigarene, however, is very brief
and may be disappoinring - buc che
sulfering from lack of even slighc
relief is considerable.
The R eal Culprit
These, however, are only sryles of
smoking - and behind each of chem
is a motive common ro all smokers.
Somethi ng in cigarerces -
probably n icorine - is
HABJT
roRMl NG.
Ir causes mosr
smokers ro become ad–
dicred fairly
rapidly.
Here's how ir works: every putf of
cigarerre smoke concains billions of
tíny, unburned partides as well as
gases. As chis mixture condenses, ir
produces che chick, yellow-brown liq–
uid known as robacco rar. When
cigarette smoke is inhaled, eighry co
ninety percenr of che smoke remains
in che body and a residue of rar builds
up in che bronchial rubes and lungs.
This residue of rar conraining more
rhan five hundred chemical com–
pounds penetrares deeply inro rhe
lungs, causing irricarion and increascd
mucous production.
Ordinarily, che mucous is swepr up
and ou r of rhe bronchial rubes by
riny, rhyrhmically moving hairs called
cilia. Cigarerre smoke paraJyzes chis
morion and evenrually descroys che
cilia. The mucous and rar ceasc ro be
carried out and remain co clog che air
rubes. All roo ofcen che end resulc is
chronic bronchiris and emphyscma.
In che meantime, che rars have
deposired rheir chemicals on rhe cel–
lular walls of che alveoli - che myr–
iad, ciny sacs of mcmbrane, or air
pockecs, in che lungs. Througbouc
che lungs, an exrensive sysrem of
capillaries constandy picks up che
oxygen and c¡uickly carries it ro all
pares of che body, along wieh rhe
chcmicals, norably nicorine. This
chemical absorprion and che resultanr
elfecr rhac ir has on che body gives
people che fcelings of pleasure and
sarisfacrion when rhey smoke. People
smoke not simply because rhey are
addicred to a certain chemical in rhe
cigarerre smoke, bur also because ir
feels good.
Guidel ines for Living
ls smoking such an awfu1 rhing?
Afrer al!, caring is also self-grar-
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