College students often blow off the risks associated with smoking, but recent studies show one in five smokers will die unless they kick the habit.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 24 percent of New Mexicans are smokers. As a result, more than 2,100 New Mexicans die every year from smoking-related illnesses.
"Teenagers think they are indestructible," UNM senior Joe Roberts said. "I used to think like that until my brother got throat cancer."
In a study monitoring college smokers, the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research found a 40 percent increase in daily smoking by students since 1980. The number has declined in recent years, but health experts say it could spike with this generation.
"Many students begin smoking early in life and don't think about the risks, as far as health problems go," said Beverly Kloeppel, interim director of medical services at the Student Health Center. "We see many students who have the beginning stages of health issues related to smoking, including bronchitis."
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, cigarettes act as both a stimulant and a sedative to the central nervous system. Nicotine gives the body a 'high' by releasing epinephrine. After the 'high' has worn off, fatigue follows and the smoker needs more nicotine.
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Emphysema, heart disease, asthma and an array of cancers are just a few of the health problems directly related to long-term cigarette smoking, according to the institute.
The nicotine and carbon monoxide found in tobacco products can also damage the cardiovascular system by weakening artery walls and increasing the risk of a heart attack.
Smoking also causes premature aging and inhibits the ability to taste food.
Smoking is quickly becoming a major contributor to a recent rise in strokes and aneurysms, of which 70 percent of the patients survive, according to the American Lung Association. Fifty percent of those patients experience long-term medical problems. The combination of cigarettes and oral contraceptives increases the risk of stroke in females.
"I started smoking my junior year of high school because it was the thing to do," UNM freshman Elaine Lovato said. "I had to quit when I started college because the amount of money I was spending on cigarettes was taking up precious book money. I was spending at least 50 bucks a month on cigarettes. That's almost a book every two months."
Lovato said she tried various smoking cessation aids, including nicotine patches and gum, but when they did not work she turned to the Student Health Center and joined the Smoke Stoppers program.
Kloeppel said the program includes seven one-on-one sessions with a health educator designed to modify smoking behavior. At a cost of $30, participants in the program also receive a "Smoke Stoppers Quit Kit," full of anti-smoking pamphlets.
Kloeppel said tobacco dependence treatments are clinically and cost effective, but individual success depends on students' readiness for change and the level of their tobacco addiction.
Janet Samberson, a pharmacist at UNM's Student Health Center, said the center offers several anti-smoking aids over the counter, including transdermal patches and Nicorette gum. She said the Student Health Center also has stronger medicines that are available with a prescription, including Zyban, a pill that controls smoking urges, and Nicotrol, an oral tobacco inhibiter.
