The Great American Smokeout Challenge Begins Today

Today many at Fort Bragg hope to turn over a new leaf and kick the habit. Smoking speeds up mental decline and raises the risk of autoimmune disease. If you need more incentive to quit smoking, about 20% of all deaths from heart disease in the U.S. are directly related to cigarette smoking. That's because smoking is a major cause of coronary artery disease.

A person's risk of heart disease and heart attack greatly increases with the number of cigarettes he or she smokes. Smokers continue to increase their risk of heart attack the longer they smoke. People who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day have more than twice the risk of heart attack than nonsmokers. Women who smoke and also take birth control pills increase several times their risk of heart attack, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.

Is smoking dragging you down? See Webmd's 10 Reasons to Quit Smoking.