A new Cornell University study of young adults, published in the journal Health Economics, found that weight control – not peer pressure nor wanting to be “cool” or even an addiction to nicotine – is a major factor in cigarette smoking, vaping, and chewing nicotine replacement gum.
Among frequent adolescent smokers, 46 percent of girls and 30 percent of boys smoke in part for weight management, according to researchers. And girls who said they were “much too fat” were nearly 225 percent more likely to smoke than girls satisfied with their weight. Being overweight was less of a predicator for smoking for boys, however.
Sure, nicotine has been shown to be an appetite suppressant but smoking cigarettes is far from a magic bullet when it comes to weight loss. Besides, the damage to your body caused by smoking far exceeds the risks of a few extra pounds. “You’d have to gain about 100 pounds to equal the negative health consequences of being a pack-a-day smoker, Pat Folan, RN, DNP, the director of the North Shore-LIJ Center for Tobacco Control in Great Neck, NY, told everdayhealth.com.
In addition, young adults who begin smoking by their early 20s are more likely to continue in adulthood.
Quit Smoking Timeline: How Your Body Recovers
Luckily, there’s never a bad time to quit -- and the sooner you do, the sooner your body can start healing from the thousands of toxic substances you’re inhaling from cigarettes. It’s pretty amazing how quickly you’ll feel better, too.
- 24 hours later your risk of heart attack drops.
- Two days later your sense of smell and taste returns.
- After three days, your breathing improves.
- After one week, your blood pressure falls.
- After 3 months, skin tone improves.
- After one year, your risk of cardiovascular disease is halved.
- After five years, your risk of stomach, mouth, throat, esophageal, and lung cancer is halved.
- After 10 years, your risk of lung, mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, and kidney cancer continues to drop.
- After 15 years, your risk of cancer is the same as that of a nonsmoker.
Addiction Treatment for Young Adults
At Hope Academy, our young adult program is designed to help you change destructive behaviors and make lasting changes that will have a positive impact on your life and long-term health. To learn more, call today: 866-930-4673.
