LINCOLN COUNTY – The health risks of smoking have been well documented and well known for many years — yet people still do it.

“We have had high rates of smoking for many years in Lincoln County,” said Sarah Valenza, public information officer for the county’s health department. “According to The American Lung Association, rural communities have higher rates of smoking and kids are more likely to start smoking at young ages, which means they are more likely to become addicted and smoke as adults.”

In Lincoln County, per Valenza, the latest data from 2022 shows the statistics for smoking are at 18.8%, which is higher than the state rate at 16.8 % according to The American Lung Association. Further, an estimated 35.6 million adults per the association 18 and over were using tobacco products with more than one in nine Americans smoking in 2021.

For Jacob Young, the habit started at the age of 12, mostly due to peer pressure and witnessing adults around him also smoking as “it just seemed like the natural thing to do.”

While smoking, usually a pack a day, Young said there were physical and emotional implications. For instance, there were struggles to keep up with others in his physical education class and it also led him to hide his smoking from his parents throughout his teenage years, feeling some level of shame.

“It was very challenging when I went to Marine Corps basic training to kick the habit against my will, and I picked it back up almost immediately after completing basic,” he said. “I had to constantly put things on hold or inconvenience any nonsmokers I would associate with so I could take my five minutes to choke one down. I was subconsciously always concerned about when I could have my next cigarette even though I may have just had one.”

Like Young, Allison Sue Groff of Winfield, picked up smoking relatively young, at age 17. At first, it was just to partake in socially because of a boyfriend but smoking became the “norm” for her in college.

Being active in sports and a short distance runner and golfer, Groff didn’t notice the smoking impacting her performance. Eventually, she got up to smoking two packs a day on the worst days when the stress of life was too much but typically went through one pack daily.

“I smoked more when I was bored or driving,” she said. “Which I did a lot of because I went to college more than three hours away from my hometown so I would light up easily five to seven cigarettes on the drive one way.”

Four months after dating her now husband who was not a smoker, Groff decided to kick the habit cold turkey in spite of some very hard days. Initially, the first day of not smoking was a breeze. However, the following days proved to be more of an obstacle.

She says days two through five were “the worst of it” in which she “started feeling really annoyed.” By the third day, she was coughing and days four through seven, she was “coughing up grey junk” and started feeling like a bad cold was coming on.

After a week, she began feeling better and had a dry cough and a fidgeting problem. She has not smoked in 12 years but still has the restlessness. To combat it, she does crafts and stays active physically active via regular exercise.

“Even though I personally did not have much of a negative effect on myself while I smoked, I see the way it has affected others in my life and all of the science backed information we have about it and it’s effects,” Groff said. “Just why would you? I was not properly educated on it when I started. I knew it wasn’t good for you but I didn’t know to the extent. Do your research.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking can cause harm to almost every organ of the body and smoking and secondhand smoke leads to more than 480,000 U.S. deaths each year. In addition, those who stop smoking could lower the risk of early death.

“It’s never too late to quit,” Valenza said. “Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you can do to improve your health. It will save you money too. You don’t have to quit alone.”

Additionally, Young said that he read the book, “Easy Way To Stop Smoking” by Allen Carr about three times before he “had nothing to lose by quitting but everything to gain.”

He says making the choice to stop smoking was one of the best decisions he has ever made. So much so that he has more energy and does not get winded by walking up a flight of stairs.

“I can wrestle with my kids and play football with them without getting so tired immediately. I don’t have to step away from my job all the time to satisfy my cravings. I’m no longer a slave to a literal poison,” he said.