Cause and Effect Essay (Smoking Cigarettes)

“Each year, an estimated 443,000 people die prematurely from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, and another 8.6 million live with a serious illness caused by smoking”(Mehta). One of the most common problems today that are killing people, all over the world, is smoking. Many people start this horrible habit because of stress, personal issues and high blood pressure. Some people began showing off or some people wanted to enjoy it . One cigarette can result in smoking others, which can lead to major addiction. When someone smokes a cigarette they are not only hurting themselves, but are also hurting others around them. Smoking affects the body by turning the skin color yellow, producing an odor, and making the skin age faster. “Smoking also causes diseases such as coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer”(Mehta). Not long ago smoking was considered a casual past time with people smoking in restaurants and around children but now we know the consequences can now be dire to the environment, your health, and the others around you. The smoking addiction is quite the costly habit. In many cities, a pack of cigarettes costs close to $10. For the two pack per day smoker, this averages more than $500 per month. This sort of expense can be eliminated from one 's life thus causing one to have a much more flexible budget. The costs of smoking, however, is not limited only to one 's bank account. The costs of smoking has a great impact on one 's health also. When people are addicted, they have a compulsive need to seek out and use a substance, even when they understand the harm it can cause. “Someone who is addicted to cigarette smoking smokes two or more packs per day, anywhere and for more than a few years” (Lee). It is actually the nicotine in tobacco that is addictive. “Each cigarette contains about 10 milligrams of nicotine. Because the smoker inhales only some of the smoke from a cigarette, and not all of each puff is absorbed in the lungs, a smoker gets about 1 to 2 milligrams of the drug from each cigarette”( Mehta). Although that may not seem like much, it is enough to create an addiction. Nicotine is only one of more than 4,000 chemicals, many of which are poisonous, found in the smoke from tobacco products. Cigarettes poison the body both physically and mentally and also have social effects. Smoking can lead to social problems because it causes bad breath, and odorous smell and often isolation. Every time the smoker speaks, a pungent smell emanates from the mouth and towards the listener. Smoking also causes a pungent smell to linger on the body and clothes of the smoker. The smoking smell is very strong and it affects the listener. The smoke attaches to the body of the smoker. Smoking is not only dangerous to your well being but also the health of others and the environment. When you breathe in smoke that comes from the end of a lit cigarette, cigar, or pipe that is exhaled by a smoker, you 're inhaling almost the same amount of chemicals as the smoker breathes in. “Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 different chemical compounds, more than 50 of which are known to cause cancer” (Shields ). These are just a few of the chemicals that float into your lungs when you are exposed to secondhand smoke Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body. Some of these harmful effects are immediate. Nicotine addiction is hard to beat because it changes your brain. The brain develops extra nicotine receptors to accommodate the large doses of nicotine from tobacco. When the brain stops getting the nicotine it’s used to, the result is nicotine withdrawal. A person may feel anxious, irritable, and have strong cravings for nicotine. Smoking takes a toll on one 's mouth. Smokers have more oral health problems than non-smokers, such as mouth sores, ulcers and gum disease. Smokers are also more likely to get cancers of the mouth and throat. Smoking can cause the skin to be dry and lose elasticity, leading to wrinkles and stretch marks. The skin tone may become dull and grayish. By one 's early 30s, wrinkles can begin to appear around the mouth and eyes, causing drastic aging. Smoking raises your blood pressure and puts stress on your heart. Over time, stress on the heart can weaken it, making it less able to pump blood to other parts of the body. Carbon monoxide from inhaled cigarette smoke also contributes to a lack of oxygen, making the heart work even harder. This increases the risk of heart disease, including heart attacks. Smoking effects the body by turning the skin color yellow, producing an odor, and making the skin age more. Smoking is considered as one of the most dangerous habits of an individual. “20% of persons living in the United States still smoke, and smoking remains the number one cause of preventable mortality” (Tolstrup). There are numerous harmful as well as dangerous effects related to smoking. Carbon monoxide and nicotine in cigarette smoke has been related to several adverse impacts on the lungs and heart. Smoking causes damage to the internal body, causing alterations to the quality of internal organs. For example, smoking affects the lung by damaging the air sac. Damaging the air sac limits the passageway of air, and progressively leads to emphysema. Smoking also leads to the increased probability of cancer, such as lung cancer and heart failure. Ultimately, reliance on smoking damages the human body, causing more susceptibility to diseases. “Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease.”(Shields). Carbon monoxide and nicotine both put a strain on the heart by making it work faster. They also increase your risk of blood clots. Other chemicals in cigarette smoke damage the lining of your coronary arteries, leading to furring of the arteries. If you smoke, you increase your risk of developing heart disease.

“Smoking cigarettes is harmful to health”(Lee), that is a warming sentence which shown on pack of cigarettes. Therefore, the effects of smoking cigarettes on human’s life are serious. Smoking has become a trend in today’s world, even though people know how harmful it is. Smoking causes are obvious it will ruin your health and give you series of health issues. Smoking affects not only you but other around you. It is terrible for health as well as personal appearance. In the end, those who choose to smoke and the others around them are affected the most by this life threatening activity. Smoking is a habit which individuals find difficult to quit. Both the causes and effects of smoking has hazardous outcomes that are preventable. The thorough understanding of the chemical as well as smoking internal and external effects of the body are important in order to to battle the issue facing the entire nation.

Works Cited

Lee, Joann, and Bonnie L. Halpern-Felsher. "What Does It Take To Be A Smoker? Adolescents’ Characterization Of Different Smoker Types." Nicotine & Tobacco Research 13.11 (2011): 1106-1113. Consumer Health Complete - EBSCOhost. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

Mehta, Neil, and Samuel Preston. "Continued Increases In The Relative Risk Of Death From Smoking." American Journal Of Public Health 102.11 (2012): 2181-2186. Business Source Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

Shields, Margot, and Kathryn Wilkins. "Smoking, Smoking CessationSmoking Cessation And Heart Disease Risk: A 16-Year Follow-Up Study." Health Reports 24.2 (2013): 12-22. Consumer Health CompleteComplete - EBSCOhost. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

Tolstrup, Janne S., et al. "Smoking And Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease In Younger, Middle-Aged, And Older Adults." American Journal Of Public Health 104.1 (2014): 96-102. Business Source Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.

Cited: Lee, Joann, and Bonnie L. Halpern-Felsher. "What Does It Take To Be A Smoker? Adolescents’ Characterization Of Different Smoker Types." Nicotine & Tobacco Research 13.11 (2011): 1106-1113. Consumer Health Complete - EBSCOhost. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. Mehta, Neil, and Samuel Preston. "Continued Increases In The Relative Risk Of Death From Smoking." American Journal Of Public Health 102.11 (2012): 2181-2186. Business Source Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. Shields, Margot, and Kathryn Wilkins. "Smoking, Smoking CessationSmoking Cessation And Heart Disease Risk: A 16-Year Follow-Up Study." Health Reports 24.2 (2013): 12-22. Consumer Health CompleteComplete - EBSCOhost. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. Tolstrup, Janne S., et al. "Smoking And Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease In Younger, Middle-Aged, And Older Adults." American Journal Of Public Health 104.1 (2014): 96-102. Business Source Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.