As of 2006, 21 percent of American adults were addicted to smoking.  That number is less than it used to be, but it is still incredibly sad that approximately 1 out of every 5 American adults is addicted to a habit that is so incredibly deadly.

The hope is that young people will begin to reject tobacco as they learn what it has done to older generations.  However, as of 2005, 23 percent of high school students had smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days.

The truth is that most people who get addicted to smoking do so at a very young age.  Statistics show that about 9 out of 10 tobacco users start smoking before they're 18 years old.

Most smokers do not just smoke one or two cigarettes per day.  In fact, the average smoker smokes an average of 14 cigarettes per day.

All of this smoking absolutely devastates the health of the average smoking addict.  It is now well known that smoking increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, emphysema and premature death.

In fact, if you want to calculate it, a single cigarette takes about 5 to 20 minutes off a person's life.

Is that cigarette really worth it?

So how do you know if you are addicted to smoking? The following are some of the common symptoms of smoking addiction:

-The feeling that you can’t get through the day without a cigarette.

-You are not able to control your smoking.  In other words, one cigarette is never enough.

-You find yourself constantly thinking about your next cigarette.

-You experience repeated failure when you try to quit smoking.

-You hide your smoking from your family and friends.

-You may find yourself stealing money or committing crimes to obtain money for cigarettes.

-You may experience increased outbursts of irritability and anger, and you may find yourself resorting to violence much more easily.

-You use cigarettes as a way to deal with your problems or to deal with physical pain.

-Altered activity levels such as sleeping for 12 to 14 hours at a time or frenzied activity lasting for hours and hours.

-You may have many unexplained absences from work and have difficulty sleeping.

So how can you overcome smoking addiction?

There are basically four key steps that you need to take.

#1) Admit You Have A Problem

Most addicts refuse to admit that they are addicts. They ignore the problem and so they never get any treatment for it. If you are going to beat this, then at some point the first step is to admit to yourself and others that you do indeed have a problem.

#2) Decide That You Want To Change

Many addicts are perfectly content to stay in their addicted state. It is comfortable for many of them. But in order to change you have to decide that is what you want, and you aren’t going to accept the pain and suffering that your addiction is causing you any longer.

#3) Reach Out For Help

Talk to someone that you trust and ask for help. This involves swallowing your pride. Often a good first step is to reach out to a trusted family member. After that, reaching out to a professional who works in the field of your addiction or reaching out to a spiritual advisor can be extremely helpful. You are likely to need help in overcoming your addiction, and family, friends and licensed professionals are there to be that help.

#4) Turn To God

Ultimately this is the most important step. Many have found that they did not have the power in themselves to beat an addiction, but that when they turned to God they found all the power that they ever needed. The truth is that we all need God whether we are addicts or not. We are all messed up in some way and we have all sinned. But the good news is that Jesus Christ came to this earth to die for our sins on the cross. We urge you to invite Jesus Christ into your life today, because He will not only help you overcome your addiction - He will forgive your sins and give you eternal life, and nothing is more important than that.

To learn more about how you can become a Christian, we would encourage you to read this…..

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1049/1049_01.asp