According to the American Heart Assocaition, in the United States, an estimated 21.1 million women (18.3 percent) are smokers. A study by the Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, in 2002 showed that the highest prevalence of smoking was among ladies ages 23 and 24.

According to the study, university graduates smoked less than those with High School and College diplomas. And in 2002, 688,000 children under 12 lived in a home with a smoker, unwillingly exposed to second-hand smoke.

There have been some improvements, however. According to the study, in 2002, 58 percent of women ages 15 and older reported never having smoked, up from 50 percent in 1985. And one of the most widely reported reasons for quitting smoking was having children in the home.

Why Start Smoking?

Ashley K., who attends university in Halifax, has a story that might sound familiar.

"I tried my first cigarette in grade 5," she said. "A few of my friends and I snuck down to a beach to try them... it wasn't a good experience, and I didn't touch another cigarette until I was 15. By that time, everyone was doing it."

So it seems peer pressure reared its ugly ahead again; the pressure to fit in can make teenagers try any number of destructive activities, including smoking. Ashley says that she believes some people have more of a tendency towards addiction, but she also comments that parents have a huge influence on their child's attitudes towards smoking. "If your parents smoke, if they smoke around you, of course it's more likely that you will smoke," she said.

Ashley made a surprising comment on smoking, however, in light of its well-publicized dangers: "It becomes convenient," she said. "It's something to do, it's calming... when everyone else is smoking, and it's just easier to smoke than not to."

Sometimes it takes a drastic measure to teach a lesson, as another young smoker proved, "One day I went to my friends' house, whose father smoked his whole life. He was only 50 years old, and I watched him get up from the couch to walk about ten feet to the kitchen. He had to stop halfway there to catch his breath. That day, I quit cold turkey, and I haven't touched a cigarette since." A scary story, but here's what's really scary: that's only the beginning.

Best way to Quit Smoking? Don't Start Smoking.

As if the usual damaging side effects of smoking weren't enough (lung, tongue and throat cancer, asthma and emphysema to name a few) there are extra worries for women. The use of birth control pills while smoking increases the risk of blood clots and other complications, for example. Smoking while pregnant can increase the risk of premature or low birth-weight babies. And don't forget the exterior: smoking causes yellow teeth, wrinkles, and a very unattractive "smoker's voice."

Kate Dalziel, 23, from Dartmouth explains why abstaining in the first place is the best method of quitting. "If I could go back in time and quit, I would. But seven years of smoking isn't easy to get over. I'm 23 and I have to go to the gym first thing in the morning, before I have my first cigarette, or I won't make it through my workout. It's pretty sad... but I'm just not ready to quit." She says the best way to quit is to never start because, "Once you're addicted you have to really want to quit - you won't succeed if you're quitting because someone else wants you to."

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2003, 48.9 percent of women smokers tried to quit smoking for at least one day.

Resources for Quitting Smoking

Unfortunately, we can't go back in time; luckily there are other effective quitting options. One is the Lung Association's support groups. Through discussion and education, smoking cessation programs teach you the skills you need to change your habits, cravings, and lifestyle.

There are countless other ways to kick your habit: a wide assortment of nicotine patches and gums; hypnosis; and of course the tried and true "cold turkey" method. Talk to your doctor to find out what methods are available, and what would work for you. Whatever your personality or style, there's a way for you to be smoke free - and stay that way.