People smoke for different reasons. Some do it as a form of stress release, to some a form of socialization. To some it is their way of rebelling against their superiors, to some it is an addiction. But whatever reasons a person has to make them start smoking, it is important that one knows the basics about cigarette smoking. Let's begin with general smoking statistics:

lApproximately one-third of the adult male population worldwide smokes tobacco in different forms.

lSmoking-related medical conditions kill one out of ten adults around the world, which may be summed up to an estimated four million deaths per year. It has been predicted that by the year 2030, if the current fatality trending continues, tobacco smoking will claim the life of on in every six people.

lA very frightening fact: every eight seconds, someone dies from tobacco usage.

lAbout fifteen billion cigarettes are sold on a daily basis ? that makes about ten million every minute.

lAmong the different World Health Organization (WHO) regions, the western Pacific region that covers east asia and the pacific has the highest smoking rate, with almost two-thirds of men smoking.

lThe tobacco market is controlled but a few corporations ? American, British, and Japanese multinational conglomerates.

Here are some smoking statistics on the youth:

lAll around the world, about one in five young teenagers between the ages of thirteen and fifteen smoke.

lIt is scientifically proven that an approximated fifty percent of people who started smoking at an early age continue to smoke for fifteen to twenty years.

lIt has been estimated that about a quarter of the youth population in the western Pacific region will die from smoking.

Here are some health-related statistical data on smoking:

lAbout half of long-term smokers will pass away from cigarette smoking. It has been said that a stick of cigarette cuts away at least five minutes of life on average ? it is just about the same duration of time needed to smoke a stick of cigarette.

lSmoking is the single largest preventable cause of diseases and early deaths. It has been reported to be a primary factor in cardiovascular disease, stroke, and chronic lung disorders. It can also cause cancers of different organs in the body like the lungs, kidneys, larynx, esophagus, and bladder.

lThere are more than four thousand toxic and/or cancer causing chemicals present in tobacco smoke.

lIt has been recorded that at least one-fourth of all deaths caused by heart disease and about three-fourths of world-wide records of chronic bronchitis have been linked to cigarette smoking.

lSmoking-related medical conditions cost the United States more than a hundred and fifty billion dollars every year.

Here are some trivial facts on smoking and its advertisements:

lA recent survey found that roughly eighty percent of American advertising executives from top agencies do believe that cigarette ads makes smoking more appealing or socially acceptable to the youth.

lCigarette advertisements often connect smoking to sexual attractiveness, success, adult sophication, adventure, and self-fulfillment.

After reading about all these smoking statistics and facts, ask yourself before you light up your first cigarette: Is it really worth it?