(HealthDay) -- Although smoking is decreasing among most groups in the United States, it is still growing among some groups elsewhere in the world. Even Buddhist monks in Thailand are having trouble kicking the habit.
According to an article from Ananova, anti-smoking campaigners in Thailand are trying to help by pushing for a law that would ban monks from indulging in their deadly habit. The secretary of the Anti-Smoking Foundation there, Dr. Prakit Wateesatokit, says more than 35 percent of Buddhist monks admitted to hospitals are there for smoking-related illnesses. The problem is that more than 50 percent of monks in Thailand smoke. Cigarettes are often given to them as gifts by the public.
Prakit says his group is pushing for a total ban on smoking on temple grounds. He also wants to ban people from offering cigarettes to monks. Some temples are refusing to admit any new monks unless they give up smoking.
To find out more about how to quit smoking, you can read this information from the American Lung Association. To find out more about factors that affect people's ability to quit smoking, you can read this article from Behavioral Medicine.
