Short and Long Effects of Alcohol and Smoking

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  1. Explain the short term and long term effects of smoking and alcohol.

Short term effects of Smoking

  • Increased heart rate and blood pressure is one of the short term effects of smoking. The constriction of blood vessels, makes the heart pump harder just to keep the body at a normal state, this makes a decreased flow of blood, allowing less oxygen to travel through the body. This constriction isn’t caused by the smoking itself but by a side effect of smoking: the build-up of fat and cholesterol deposits within the walls of blood vessels.
  • Other short term effects of smoking on the circulatory system are dizziness, hand tremors and coldness in the fingers and toes.
  • Smoking increases the effect of irritants on any standing allergies, as well as irritating the eyes and nose. This happens when smoking paralyses the cilia, the part of the respiratory system which blocks out irritants. Another result is the increase in incidences of coughs and colds in a smoker.
  • Smoking can increase the acid in the stomach, which can be painful.
  • Reductions in appetite, which can help lose weight in the short term.
  • The senses of smell and taste are also reduced, which results in loss of pleasure in eating and can make food quite boring, as well as being a hazard in certain environments.
  • A further effect is a bad breath, a direct consequence of each cigarette smoked.
  • Smoking improves mental functions; however, it is followed by a period of reduced brain activity.
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Long term effects of Smoking

  • Smoking increases the chance of a heart disease, one reason for this increase in heart disease is that if the deposits of fat and cholesterol cigarettes make on the blood vessels goes unchecked, these vessels become hardened and thin, particularly in the heart and the brain, which leads to the always negative consequence of lowering the blood flow to these vital areas.
  • One of the most known long term effect is the large increase in the chances of developing lung cancer.
  • A large increase in the chances of developing emphysema, chronic bronchitis, respiratory ...

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