SMOKING CAN KILL
How Smoking Affects Your Health.
There are no physical reasons to start smoking - the body doesn't need
tobacco the way it needs food, water, sleep, and exercise. In fact, many of the
chemicals in cigarettes, like nicotine and cyanide, are actually poisons that
can kill in high enough doses. The body's smart and it goes on the defence when
it's being poisoned. For this reason, many people find it takes several tries
to get started smoking: First-time smokers often feel pain or burning in the
throat and lungs, and some people feel sick or even throw up the first few
times they try tobacco.
Take a look at the collapsed lung, if you keep smoking this is
how your lungs will end up
The consequences of this poisoning happen gradually. Over the
long term, smoking leads people to develop health problems like cancer, emphysema
(breakdown of lung tissue), organ damage, and heart disease. These
diseases limit a person's ability to be normally active - and can be fatal.
Each time a smoker lights up, that single cigarette takes about 5 to 20 minutes
off the person's life.
Smokers not only develop wrinkles and yellow teeth, they also
lose bone density, which increases their risk of osteoporosis
a condition that causes older people to become bent over and their bones to
break more easily. Smokers also tend to be less active than non-smokers because
smoking affects lungpower. Smoking can also cause fertility problems in both
men and women and can impact sexual health in males.
The consequences of smoking may seem very far off to many teens,
but long-term health problems aren't the only hazard of smoking. Nicotine and
the other toxins in cigarettes, cigars, and pipes can affect a person's body
quickly, which means that teen smokers experience many of these problems:
- Bad skin. Because smoking restricts blood vessels, it can prevent oxygen
and nutrients from getting to the skin - which is why smokers often appear
pale and unhealthy. An Italian study also linked smoking to an increased
risk of getting a type of skin rash called psoriasis.
- Bad breath. All those cigarettes leave smokers with a condition called
halitosis, or persistent bad breath.
- Bad-smelling clothes and
hair. The smell of stale smoke tends
to linger - not just on people's clothing, but also on their hair,
furniture, and cars. And it's often hard to get the smell of smoke out.
- Reduced athletic
performance. People who smoke usually
can't compete with nonsmoking peers because the physical effects of
smoking - like rapid heartbeat, decreased circulation, and shortness of
breath - impair sports performance.
- Greater risk of injury and
slower healing time. Smoking affects the
body's ability to produce collagen, so common sports injuries, such as
damage to tendons and ligaments, will heal more slowly in smokers than
nonsmokers.
- Increased risk of illness. Studies show that smokers get more colds, flu, bronchitis, and
pneumonia than nonsmokers. And people with certain health conditions, like
asthma, become sicker if they smoke (and often if they're just around
people who smoke). Because teens that smoke as a way to manage weight
often light up instead of eating, their bodies lack the nutrients they
need to grow, develop, and fight off illness properly.
Smoking Is Expensive
Not only does smoking damage health, it costs an arm and a leg. Depending on
where you live, smoking a pack of cigarettes a day can cost about $1,800
dollars a year. That adds up. It's money you could save or spend on something
for yourself.
Kicking Butt and Staying Smoke Free
All forms of tobacco - cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco -
are hazardous. It doesn't help to substitute products that seem like they're
better for you than regular cigarettes - such as filter or low-tar
cigarettes.
The only thing that really helps a person
avoid the problems associated with smoking is staying smoke free. This isn't
always easy, especially if everyone around you is smoking and offering you
cigarettes. It may help to have your reasons for not smoking ready for times
you may feel the pressure, such as ‘I just don't like it’ or ‘I want to stay in
shape for football, basketball, or other sports.’
The good news for people who don't smoke or
who want to quit is that studies show that the number of teens who smoke is
dropping dramatically. Today, only about 22% of high school students smoke,
down from 36% just 7 years ago.
If you do smoke and want to quit, there's
more information and support out there than ever. Different approaches work for
different people - for some, quitting cold turkey is best, whereas others find
that a slower approach is the way to go. Some people find that it helps to go
to a support group especially for teens; these are sometimes sponsored by local
hospitals or organizations like the American Cancer Society. And the Internet
offers a number of good resources. When quitting, it can be helpful to realize
that the first few days are the hardest, and it's normal to have a few relapses
before you manage to quit for good.
Staying smoke free will give you a whole lot
more of everything - more energy, better performance, better looks, more money
in your pocket, and, in the long run, more life to live!