Significance

• According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the No. 1 cause of avoidable deaths in the United States is from tobacco use, which causes about 440,000 deaths a year.
  
  

Considerations

• Research shows that those who try to quit their tobacco addiction independently revert back to their craving at least 85 percent of the time, often within a week's time.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Tobacco addiction not only affects the lungs, but also causes medical problems in the kidneys, heart and liver. Nicotine is quickly immersed in the bloodstream and starts affecting the brain almost immediately.
  
  

Warning

• Trying to break a tobacco addiction may result in withdrawal symptoms that include anxiety, anger, depression, an increase in appetite and difficulty concentrating, some of which may last for months.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• There are several ways to help a tobacco addiction, including nicotine replacement treatments (i.e., the patch, gum, inhaler and spray), behavioral intervention treatments, and medications such as Zyban and Chantix.