What effects does cigarette smoke have on one’s health? Nicotine can be found in the blood stream of second-hand smokers as well as first-hand smokers. 330 bystanders die from second hand smoke alone. Immediate effects on second hand smokers include eye irritation, headache, nasal discomfort, sneezing, cough, sore throat, nausea, dizziness, and increased heart rate and blood pressure. Smoking can cause cancers all over the body, such as mouth, sinus, esophagus, brain, breast, uterus, bladder, kidney, thyroid, leukemia, and cancer in the lymph glands. Smoking also results in emphysema, chronic bronchitis, coronary heart disease, and greatly increases the risk of stroke, and diseases of the blood vessels and arteries. In these cases, it is apparent that one will surely suffer enough for the desire for a cigarette.
Due to the harmful effects of smoking, more and more people are seeing the advantages of not smoking. By quitting, further damage from smoking is prevented. It also saves money. A pack-a-day smoker, who pays $5 per pack, can expect to save more than $900 per year. Is it really worth expending money only to destroy one’s body? Quitting smoking makes a difference right away. Not only will one taste and smell food better, but he or she can be assured of clean breath, increased energy and stamina, calm nerves, healthy lungs, increased life expectancy, decreased risk of lung and heart disease, decreased risk of cancer, and greater confidence and self-esteem.
Quitting smoking is worse than dieting, stopping alcohol use, biting nails, and ending a drug habit. But, nicotine is a drug. The MOST addictive drug of all. The key to curing tobacco addiction is motivation, which must come from within. The expensive patches and gum that fill a body with nicotine may help reduce the amount of toxins entering the body, but they do not stop the addiction. Instead, one should reduce the amount of cigarettes he or she smokes to slowly wean his or herself off an addiction. Instead of immediately craving a cigarette, he or she should wait a few minutes and try and think of something to do instead of smoking, possibly chewing on gum, candy, or a toothpick, as well drinking a glass of water. When the urge to smoke strikes,, one should keep busy. This may not seem easy, but the hard part is staying quit. One should always consider the positive things about quitting, such as how much he or she likes his or her self as a non-smoker, health benefits for one’s self and family, and the example being set for others around. A positive attitude will help anyone through the tough times. By letting other people know that a person has quit smoking, that person will receive much support. It’s good to talk to others about quitting.
Smoking is a major killer in this country. It contributes to the premature deaths of up to 2 million Americans each year, and chronic diseases in millions more. Why would anyone want to put his or her self into such a category? One can go along “huffing and puffing” for years, but eventually it will do that person in. Therefore, keeping in mind the results of the many tests performed on the effects of cigarette smoke on non-smokers, it seems reasonable to assume that any exposure to cigarette smoking is hazardous to the health of smokers and even non-smokers. That person is slowly killing his or herself. That person should definitely think about it the next time he or she “lights up”.
