What does smoking mean?
Smoking is the act of inhaling and exhaling the fumes of tobacco or drugs. Tobacco contains nicotine and it is a very common plant. It contains alkaloids which are addictive. Cigarettes, smoking, and pipes are the source of smoking.
Nicotine can be dangerous at very high dosage. It easily passes through lungs into the bloodstream.
Why do people smoke?
They can smoke for any reason which can affect their health. Many people start smoking when they are in their teenage such as;
● For looking cool: most of the teenagers start smoking for a desire to look cool because it is a mature act so, they also want to look mature. They don’t have any life experiences but adopt and copy by their surroundings.
● Due to social circle: when people are going to parties, outings etc they start smoking unintentionally for not being addictive. Some other people present in the surrounding encourage them to smoke due to social acceptance.
● Stress level: people smoke to get rid of their mental and physical stress because they don’t have any control on their nerves so they want cigarettes and frequently smoke until the stress reduces.
● Emotions: when people mostly boys of teenage can’t control their emotions such as love, anger etc. In this time most of the teenagers think they are right and all the people in their surroundings are their enemies. When they can’t control their emotions they start smoking.
● Due to family: as we know children adopt and learn from their families too. When they see their younger brother, father or any other relative smoking they adopt it because he knows that no one can check him for smoking.
Effects of smoking on health
Smoking harms your entire body badly such as;
● Respiratory diseases: smoking causes lung diseases which damages your alveoli, found in lungs. Following are the respiratory conditions due to smoking;
1. Bronchitis: when your bronchial tubules which carry air to your lungs inflamed cause cough.
2. Emphysema: when alveoli are damaged they cause shortness of breathing.
3. Pneumonia: inflammation of air sacs present in lungs cause infection in lungs because of viruses, bacteria and fungi. In this condition alveoli is filled with fluid and pus which causes shortness of breathing.
4. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease): also called smokers disease because it is common in smokers and causes breathing problems.
5. Chronic bronchitis: in this condition people develop long term cough with mucus. Children suffer more than adults, reducing child growth and function.
● Cardiovascular diseases: smoking damages your entire cardiovascular system. If people smoke more than 5 cigarettes per days causes cardiovascular problems which include;
1. Increased blood pressure
2. Risk of stroke
3. Increases blood clotting
The heart risk increases more when you already have any heart surgery and don’t stop smoking.
● Digestive diseases: smoking causes serious conditions in the digestive system. Person who smoked but not inhaled it causes mouth cancer including lips, tongue, gums etc. Some other conditions are as follows;
1. Esophagus cancer
2. Throat cancer
3. Larynx cancer
4. Pancreatic cancer
● Reproductive diseases: smoking also affects the reproductive system of male and females. It can decrease your sexual performance and also lowers your sexual desires.
● Skin diseases: smoking can affect your skin, hair and nails. It causes risk of skin cancer, nail infection and hair loss.
Does smoking affect a pregnant woman?
Yes it also affects the pregnant woman when she smokes the toxin present in cigarettes. Toxins are passed through the fetus which develops lung infection in infants. Smoker women also experience miscarriage or infertility. Infants also suffer with low initial growth, premature birth, low weight etc.
Other conditions of smoking
Here are some additional diseases caused by smoking:
● Bladder cancer
● Kidney cancer
● Ureter cancer
● cervix cancer
● Liver cancer
● Colorectal cancer
● Yellow teeth
● Unusual breath
How to quit smoking?
Quitting smoking can save you from many diseases, especially cardiovascular in just 12 months. Your smoking just not only affects you, it also affects your family’s health as well. So decide to quit smoking. Decide it once and for all that you are not going to touch cigarettes again for sake of your health and for your family.
Here are some tips that’ll help you quit smoking:
● Take nicotine replacement therapy.
● Eat gums
● Take inhalers
● Take smoking cessation medicines
● Take therapies
Before you Leave!
Smoking is injurious to health and causes death. It also causes severe diseases like heart, respiratory, skin etc. Promise yourself to quit smoking for your better health by taking therapies, medication, gums, inhalers etc. Pregnant women should avoid smoking because it affects their baby’s life.