Healthy living

For more information see physical activity.

SMOKING

Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States, and more than 400,000 Americans die each year from cigarette smoking. One out of every five deaths annually is either directly or indirectly caused by smoking.

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Secondhand cigarette smoke exposure causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year. Studies have also linked secondhand smoke with heart disease.

The serious diseases most frequently caused by smoking are:

Lung cancer (the risk for smokers is 10 times greater than for nonsmokers)
Emphysema
Chronic bronchitis
Heart attack
Stroke (the risk for smokers is almost 3 times greater than for nonsmokers)
Heart pains as a result of coronary artery disease (angina )
Leg pains as a result of blockages in lower extremity arteries (claudication )

It is never too late to quit smoking. Two years after stopping, your risk of heart attack returns to average and there your lung cancer risk drops by about a third. After 10 years of not smoking, your risk for lung cancer returns to near normal.

See also smoking and smokeless tobacco.

ALCOHOL USE

Consumption of alcohol gradually depresses brain function. Emotions, thought processes, and judgment are first to be affected by alcohol consumption. With continued drinking, motor control becomes impaired, causing slurred speech, slower reactions, and poor balance. Both increased body fat and drinking on an empty stomach speed the rate of alcohol intoxication.

See alcoholism and alcohol use.

The diseases most frequently caused by alcoholism are:

Acute and chronic pancreatitis
Cancer of larynx, esophagus, stomach and pancreas
Cardiomyopathy
Cirrhosis of the liver
Bleeding esophageal varices
Hepatitis
Impotence (in men)
Mallory-Weiss tear
Menstrual irregularity (in women)
Sleep disorders
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome ("wet brain")

Avoid alcohol consumption when pregnant. Health damage to the unborn child can be significant. Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most common known cause of mental retardation.

Parental responsibilities include:

Educate your children by example and bytelling themabout the dangerous effects of alcohol.
Establish a trusting communication with your children so that sensitive issues can be discussed.
Don't allow your children to be guided completely by their peers. Your children need your firm and loving guidance as their parent much more than they need you as a friend.

For help, call your local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). (See alcoholism - support group ).