Nearly 70 percent of all smokers want to quit — and half of them have tried and failed over the last year, according to new numbers from the CDC.

Obviously, it ain’t easy.

But if there’s anything worse for you than tobacco, it’s when the meds that are supposed to help you kick the habit up your suicide and depression risk instead.

And researchers say Chantix, the med most commonly given to smokers, has been found to do exactly that — with one new analysis concluding that it’ll boost your odds of suicide or severe depression by a stunning 800 percent.

Not exactly the type of “quit” you’re looking for — but instead of warning smokers away from the med or even issuing a long-overdue recall for Chantix, the feds are actually defending it.

In fact, the FDA says its own review of data from two studies finds no difference in hospitalization rates for psychiatric problems. So case closed — go ahead and take your Chantix, smokers.

But before you fill that prescription, read the fine print on that reassuring new message from the FDA — because the agency admits it didn’t bother to look at psychiatric incidents that didn’t lead to hospitalization.

In other words, a suicide victim found dead wouldn’t count, nor would a seriously depressed person who’s never hospitalized (and remember — many depressed people never seek any help at all).

You know what’s even crazier than the fact that the FDA didn’t consider non-hospitalizations? It’s that the agency actually has that extra data… and didn’t even bother to look at it!

That’s where the new study comes in, because researchers combed the FDA’s own Adverse Event Reporting System and found 3,249 reports of serious self-injury or depression linked to anti-smoking products like meds and nicotine gum since 1998.

Chantix was only on the market four of those 13 years… but was involved in a whopping 2,925 of those cases, or 90 percent of the total.

Try to explain that one, FDA.

Other studies have also made the connection between Chantix use and serious behavioral issues — and not just suicide and depression. One found that Chantix users are 18 times more likely to be involved in violence than people who take other meds.

Violence, I should point out, also generally doesn’t lead to a hospitalization — although it could certainly end in prison or even death.

Bottom line here: Quitting smoking is a great goal — and with the New Year fast approaching (already!), it’s the one resolution you should put at the top of your list.

But do it without meds.

There’s no such thing as a healthy smoking habit–and if you think a quick puff every now and then won’t hurt you, it’s time to get your head out of those tobacco clouds.

A new study finds that even limited smoke exposure can be harmful–causing the genetic changes that can lead to serious and even deadly long-term health problems.

And that means trouble, not just for “social smokers,” but for anyone who has to venture through clouds of secondhand smoke.

Researchers measured nicotine levels in 121 people, and then divided them into three groups: nonsmokers, low- exposure smokers, or active smokers. Then, they took cell samples from the airways–sensitive areas most affected by smoking and exposure to tobacco.

Using those samples, the researchers scanned each person’s entire genome. Essentially, that means they were able to see how the genes changed as a result of smoke exposure.

They found that there are about 370 genes that react to the smoke, and those reactions are the cellular equivalent of panic and chaos: genetic changes and abnormalities at nearly any level of exposure.

The researchers said these genetic changes are like the proverbial “canary in a coal mine,” a warning from the body that something very wrong is taking place.

“The canary is chirping for low-level exposure patients, and screaming for active smokers,” Dr. Ronald Crystal, senior author of the study, said in a news release.

He didn’t mention that the canary eventually drops dead, but that’s what’s coming–because it doesn’t take a new study like this one to find drawbacks to smoking.

In addition to the risk of cancer, emphysema, and heart disease, smoking has been linked to everything from depression to impotence. One recent study even found that smokers are less intelligent than nonsmokers.

There’s a reason even the most hardcore smokers are usually trying to quit. But the new study shows you don’t have to be a pack-a-day puffer to face those risks–they can also come from a supposedly moderate tobacco habit, whether it’s the so-called social smoking or even just an occasional butt with a coworker as an excuse to get out of the office for 10 minutes.

And if the new study is accurate, you might even want to hold your breath if you have to walk past those smoking colleagues crowded around building entrances.

It may seem like common sense that you should keep kids away from cigarette smoke. But it’s easier said than done in a home where mom or dad is a smoker.

A new study finds that when asthmatic kids have less exposure to tobacco smoke, they have fewer flare-ups and spend less time in the emergency room.

That should give any parent a little extra motivation to kick the habit.

The study, published in the journal Chest, looked at 290 asthmatic kids with an average age of 11, and it found these kids benefit greatly when their exposure to smoke is reduced, even when it’s not eliminated altogether.

And that makes perfect sense. Tobacco smoke is an allergen for many people, including children. It can trigger asthma, so reducing your exposure to it will reduce the number of episodes.

The lesson here isn’t just to keep kids away from secondhand smoke – although you certainly should. The real lesson is that our environments are often filled with allergens, whether we recognize them as such or not.

Conditions such as asthma are triggered or made worse by exposure to these allergens. Less exposure means less asthma, as these kids have learned.

If you’re a smoker and there’s an asthmatic in your home, you might need to give up your habit – or at the very least start to smoke outside – if you want to see the condition improve.

If you’re an asthmatic, the important thing for you to understand is what triggers your episode. Sometimes, it’s not as obvious as a cloud of tobacco smoke in the living room.

Get yourself tested for allergens, but make sure your doctor does it right. Most will test only for the allergies that cause a rise in IgE antibodies, as opposed to both IgE and IgG antibodies.

Here at my practice, I’ve had tremendous success reducing and even eliminating asthma by simply giving my patients the more thorough tests they deserve.

You deserve the same, so make sure your doctor gives you all the tests you need. Once you identify your allergens, you can remove them – and breathe better.