The health risk associated with tobacco use should be enough to deter usage of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Yet, the probability of heart disease, lung disease or even cancer does not seem to scary enough for some to begin their journey to quitting. The CDC (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention) reports over 50,000 Americans die each year from smoking/smoking related illnesses. The CDC puts cost for smoking and related illnesses at over 300 billion annually, citing a 156 billion dollar loss in productivity. As a former smoker, I can tell you I am so glad I quit because I kept getting these throat irritations and I was very afraid since my own Grand Daddy died of Throat Cancer. The road to quitting factors in so much more than just creating awareness like having a support system of family and friends who hold you accountable and remind you of why you need to quit or continue your smokefree journey.

Though very young at the time, my Son Rodell encouraged me and reminded me that smoking was harmful. I started out by simply decided not to smoke in my apartment so that meant no more cigarettes in the bathroom. Every time I wanted to light up, I had to exit my home. A major inconvenience but one that helped me to ultimately smoke less. Then, I decided I would only smoke after I arrived home in the evening. I smoked even less then and seeing what I had accomplished doing those things, I eventually was able to quit after starting to smoke cigars once a day. I did not use medicinal products to help me to stop but made my process to stopping easier by setting boundaries. A chart on the CDC Website seems to support the idea of education being a factor in decrease use of tobacco products. The numbers are listed below. 

Education Level Prevelance

Less than HS 24.1%
GED 40.6%
HS Graduate 19.7%
Some College 18.9%
Associate Degree 16.8%
Undergraduate Degree 7.7%
Graduate Degree 4.5%



Creating Awareness about health risk associated with smoking may not be enough to immediately get smokers on a journey to smoke-free lifestyles. Still, campaigns like the one being shared by the FDA will help to educate and hold Tobacco Manufacturers accountable. Sharing our individual stories, educating and creating awareness is necessary to hold us all accountable for our actions. My hope is, smokers will start their individual journey toward a healthier and more productive lifestyle. That's all. Kudos...