Most people know smoking can cause lung cancer but it can also cause many other cancers and illnesses. It is estimated (Patient, 2012) that smoking directly causes over 100,000 deaths per year in the UK. Nicotine, which is the chief constituent of tobacco, is a drug that stimulates the brain and contains over 400 toxic substances. The most dangerous and damaging are Tar, which causes cancer, nicotine that is highly addictive and raises cholesterol and Carbon monoxide, which reduces oxygen. The life expectancy of a regular smoker is considerably less than that of a non-smoker, an average of around 10 years.
Not only is nicotine a poisonous volatile chemical it is highly addictive and makes quitting extremely difficult. It is believed by many experts to be one of the most addictive chemicals in the world. Quitting smoking is not only very hard; it can also cause several side effects. Users can expect to feel anxious, depressed and irritable upon quitting smoking.
Treating diseases directly caused by smoking produces medical bills of more than £5bn a year in the UK. A recent report (BBC, 2009) indicates that in 2005 smoking related deaths accounted for one in five of all deaths in the UK. It also reports that the figure of £5bn in 2005-2006 equates to 5.5% of the entire NHS budget.
There are not many positives, if any at all to take from the invention of smoking tobacco. Smoking has been a global problem for centuries, it has caused countless deaths and cost astronomical amounts of money to help treat and cure people from smoking related illnesses. Consequently millions of lives would have been dramatically saved and extended if this product was not invented. In addition, the endless amounts of money that has been spent on medical bills could have been saved and spent towards other pressing issues. I am confident with the power of hindsight that this prevention would prove to be an extremely positive and beneficial one.
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carlj1986gmailcom (student)
