A home-invasion robbery at his South Side residence foiled Keith Shannon's attempt to quit smoking.

"After getting hit across the head with a gun," he said, "I needed a cigarette."

The stressful event brought a return to his old habit -- but not a happy return. The 29-year-old valet at a downtown hotel faces the same scary thought each time he puts a cigarette to his lips.

"It helps calm my nerves," he said, "but it will also kill me."

Shannon has company. Despite recent laws that further limit where they can smoke, despite tax hikes that have made Chicago the second-most expensive place to smoke in the U.S., despite unyielding pressure from friends and family to quit, a sizable chunk of the population keeps lighting up.

In Illinois, adult men are more likely to smoke than women, while high school girls are more likely to smoke than boys. African-Americans smoke at the highest rate among ethnic groups, while Asian-Americans smoke at the lowest rate. The poor and less educated smoke at higher rates as well. Continue article at original source

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