Smoking: The Artificial Passion

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Synopsis
Smoking is full of intriguing paradoxes. How can the same cigarette be relaxing now and a quick pick-me-up later? Why do smokers call on the same substance to help them concentrate one moment and tune out the next? And, the most sobering paradox of all: in the face of overwhelming medical evidence, what compels millions of people (including one out of every four Americans) to ignore the harmful consequences and continue smoking? Author David Krogh provides some fascinating and surprising answers in this unusual probe of the deep roots of smoking. As Krogh demonstrates, smoking is a complex, subtle, multifaceted habit. Drawing on the vast body of literature on the subject, he offers a lively and informative explanation of what scientists and doctors know- about the passion for tobacco--how it affects the body, how it is influenced by genetics, personality, and societal forces, and what it can tell us about other, more notorious forms of addiction. Neither a gloomy medical lecture nor another trendy how-to-quit guide (although some tips can be found in the appendix), SMOKING: The Artificial Passion is witty, feisty, and provocative. For smokers, ex- smokers, smokers trying to quit, nonsmokers, or anyone captivated by the quirkiness of human behavior, it offers a better understanding of the motivations behind smoking and, in a broader context, drug use of any kind. The artificial passion--this metaphor for smoking and other forms of tobacco addiction comes from John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States. While a young man, Adams successfully freed himself from the habits of smoking and chewing tobacco. Referring to that effort, he once wrote, "I have often wished that every individual. . . afflicted with this artificial passion could force it upon himself to try but for three months the experiment which I made, sure that it would turn every acre of tobacco land into a wheat field, and add five years to the average of human life."
Copyright:
1991

Book Details

Book Quality:
Excellent
Book Size:
176 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780716722465
Publisher:
W. H. Freeman & Company
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
W. H. Freeman and Company
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Nonfiction, Science, Self-Help, Health, Mind and Body
Submitted By:
Julie Morales
Proofread By:
Kari G
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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