Cigarettes are, overall, more detrimental to the overall well-being of Americans than alcohol.

Thank you for your thoughtful argument! You begin to talk about how every single cigarette has a negative effect on ones health, while every single alcoholic beverage does not. This is absolutely an erroneous claim. Every single thing which you put in your body affects your health. And one cigarette won't hurt you much, if at all. "Cigarettes are a major cause of:" Heavy drinking is a major cause of -Heart disease [1] -Dementia [1] -Cancer [1] -Stroke [1] Looks a bit familiar, eh? "It only takes one cigarette to become addicted to nicotine." Not necessarily. Perhaps for the sensitive. But the sensitive can also become addicted to alcohol almost as easily. "Once you become addicted, you need more and more and more and more, and the continued addiction to cigarettes will start to literally eat away at your life." See: Alcoholism "When you smoke...slowly killing you over time." I'm not denying that cigarettes are horrible for you. I have never smoked, it's a disgusting habit. But just because McDonalds makes you fat doesn't mean that Burger King doesn't also make you fat. Just because smoking kills doesn't mean that drinking doesn't also kill. For example, when alcohol gets to your liver, it will cause it to scar. Scar tissue doesn't do the job of the liver. This is cirrhosis. "And, smoking during pregnancy can lead to low birth weight, pre maturity, spontaneous abortion, and perinatal mortality - otherwise known as fetal tobacco syndrome." I find it quite funny that you post this. It is actually illegal in the US to sell alcohol to pregnant women. Fetal Alcohol syndrome is much more severe and common than Fetal Tobacco syndrome. "As far as alcohol goes, all of that is pure speculation on something that may or may not take place, as compared to pure, concrete evidence that smoking is bad for you and your health." Once again, you are ignoring the fact that alcohol causes health problems as well. My point was just that, in addition to those health problems, there is an added risk of doing something stupid. "Yes, this is a common occurrence in the United States, but when you compare the overall statistics of how many people die from accidents (that may or may NOT have been from drinking) to how many people die from heart disease ALONE, the accidents pale in comparison." So all heart disease is now caused by smoking? Tell that to my grandmother who died of congestive heart failure. She never smoked a day in her life. My grandfather has had more than one heart attack. He too has never smoked. While smoking does raise one's risk for heart disease, you made an erroneous claim in that argument, implying that they were all caused by smoking, which is not the case. "1. Heart disease: 631,636 (majorly impacted by smoking)" And also by heavy drinking. And also by family history, such as my own. "2. Cancer: 559,888 (majorly impacted by smoking)" Also by drinking. And many other things as well. Even lung cancer, which is almost always seen as a disease that smokers get, isn't always caused by smoking. I know two people who have gotten lung cancer, and neither had ever smoked. Sadly, they did both pass away. "3. Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 137,119 (impacted by smoking)" Once again, heavy drinking as well. And once again, tell that to my grandmother who had a stroke yet never smoked. "4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 124,583 (probably impacted by smoking)" I can't deny that. "5. Accidents (unintentional injuries): 121,599 (possibly car related, maybe alcohol related)" Often alcohol related. Sometimes not. "6. Diabetes: 72,449 (not impacted by smoking or drinking)" True, however diabetics are much more likely to die if they drink alcohol [2]. "7. Alzheimer's disease: 72,432 (not impacted by smoking or drinking)" On the contrary, it is affected by both. In fact, it is estimated that 10-24% of dementia cases are caused by alcohol consumption [3]. "8. Influenza and Pneumonia: 56,326 (majorly impacted by smoking)" I've gotten the Flu many times. I know a bunch of people who have gotten Pneumonia. We're not smokers. "Deaths impacted by smoking - 1,509,552 Deaths (possibly) impacted by drinking - 121,599 (and that's being generous)" You're making the same erroneous claim that all of these deaths are caused by smoking. Maybe a lot of those people just got unlucky. As I'm sure you've picked up, I have a pretty crappy family history, yet none of my family has smoked (with the exception of one grandmother who was a light smoker and eventually quit). "Finally, my opponent makes the point that smoking doesn't have an impact on the people around the smoker." I'm sorry, I was unclear. Secondhand smoke is a huge problem. However, it isn't as immediately dangerous as getting in a car with someone who is drunk. "Unlike cigarettes, a drink does not travel like a toxious cloud and harm everyone living with the person." First of all, I really like that word, toxious. Somewhere between toxic and noxious. More seriously, while there is not secondhand alcohol, so to speak, heavy drinkers are much more likely to abuse their family members. How many stories have you seriously heard of parents beating their kids without it being alcohol fueled? I am looking forward to your response! 1. http://en.wikipedia.org... 2. http://en.wikipedia.org... 3. http://en.wikipedia.org...