really,really painful throat problem....

I have a really,really bad pain in my throat, its been there a couple of weeks now and it is so painful to swallow anything... i have had sore throats numerous times before and it has never ever been this painful... also my mouth feels really dry and i have to keep drinking liquids..... anybody know what this could be?
oh and by the way could it be anything to do with the fact that i smoke? im 18 and i started smoking about a year ago, i dont smoke that much now just a weekends, im really worried that it could be something to do with that??
thanks, i would greatly appreciate any advice! :)

[asymptomaddict]

My throat starts to hurt a lot more when I smoke, and I notice that my nose runs down the back of my throat a lot more... I've been taking a nasal spray antihistamine that's helped significantly though, so if you don't want to quit smoking maybe that will work for you?