“I am 56 years right now so I smoked for 38 years.”
Local resident Dan Gallagher started smoking when he was 13. He says peer pressure was the main reason he started and he became quickly addicted. He smoked 2 packs a day and says he saw no reason to quit. He says, “It was very addictive. The industry today says its more addictive than heroin or cocaine.”
Smoking cessation experts like Carol Southard from Northwestern Memorial Hospital Integrative Medicine says there are more than 7,000 chemicals in each cigarette. She says, “Its actually more difficult to control the addiction of nicotine than heroin, cocaine or alcohol. The majority of smokers are still trying to quit on thier own. The majority of them can’t.”
She says the self-quit rate is a mere 2-3% and people need to seek professional help.
Click here for resources to quit smoking.
