Causes And Effects Of Smoking

Causes and Effects of Smoking
Leasha Fann
English 101 Mrs. Tucker
2/23/2015

Causes and Effects of Smoking
Smoking is a practice through cigarettes, which are the most common method of smoking. There are some other methods in which the substance of tobacco is burned and the smoke is inhaled. For instance, smokers practice smoking through hookah, cigars, bides, pipes, etc. The history of smoking can be traced back to 5000 BC, which has been reported in many cultures across the globe. It is found that smoking “can also be done as a part of rituals, to induce trances and spiritual enlightenment”. Nowadays, smoking has become the most prevalent habit among young people and teenagers. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that tobacco kills approximately six million people every year. The WHO warns that “unless urgent action is taken, the annual death toll could rise to more than eight million by 2030? Thus, there should be an absolute ban against smoking in public, because secondhand smoke endangers the health of non-smokers. Smoking has plenty of ramifications and is the main cause of several negative effects on our health involved in incurable diseases, waste of money, peer pressure, ripping your money’s worth off and long-term side effects.
First and foremost, smoking is the main cause of several incurable diseases. For example, my next door neighbor suffered greatly from smoking. Now she is going two year strong without a single cigarette. Many diseases such as lung cancer, blood cancer, asthma, heart diseases, etc. Are due to smoking. Lung cancer, as reported by medical doctors, is related to smoking practice. They stated that lung cancer was previously not common and considered to be a rare disease prior to the 1st World War. In addition, studies showed that tobacco contains approximately 70% of toxic chemicals, which are inhaled by smokers. As a consequence of toxic chemicals, the body is endangered to many cancerous diseases. Researches indicate that “many cancers might be prevented if people didn’t use tobacco”. Therefore, we have to be away from smoke, and smokers should give up smoking to avoid most of irremediable and cancerous diseases since “protection is better than cure”.
Moreover, it is economically proved that smoking is waste of money. Many people lose their money on daily basis because of buying cigarettes, shisha, or bides. Smokers spend their money on cigarettes, which consumes big amounts depending on cigarette brand. As a result of their wrong thinking, most of smokers just spend money to entertain themselves through smoking that makes them feel relaxed. It is a tentative relaxation. Consequently, they become addicted and in need to smoke every time, which waste more money unnecessarily. For this reason, smoking is one of the economic factors that affect people financially.
Many teenagers start smoking just because they want to try it out. Because of the influence of advertisements, they are curious to try out this activity that appears so independent and grown-up. Some teenagers also start smoking because they want to appear rebellious. Teenagers can quickly become addicted to nicotine without even realizing it. Though the intention was only to try a cigarette, many teenagers go on to become regular smokers. The influence of friends and popular kids is another important reason why teenagers start smoking. According to the Canadian Lung Association, more than 70 percent of teenagers say that peer pressure and having friends who smoke are the main reason they started smoking. Teenagers may accept a cigarette because they do not want to turn down their friends or because they want to do what all their friends are doing. Parents must know if their children have friends who smoke.
They must also explain the dangers of second-hand smoking and ways to refuse a cigarette from a friend. Many teenagers who smoke have parents who are smokers. Parents are the biggest influence in the lives of their children. By smoking in the presence of their children, many parents send the message that smoking is acceptable and not detrimental to health. It is important for parents to communicate with their children from a young age and explain to them the ill effects of smoking. Parents must also set a good example by quitting smoking or avoiding it in the presence of their children.
When you compare cigarettes with weed, or marijuana, you will find many differences. Cigarettes are certainly more harmful than weed, and this is something that surprises many people, considering that marijuana is illegal and is classified as a narcotic. It is definitely less harmful than tobacco, and it is certainly less addictive than cigarettes. The reason for the continued legalization of cigarettes is the high income that it generates thanks to the large number of smokers all around the world. If the Government is serious about getting rid of smoking, they need to be bold enough to go ahead and impose a ban and enforce it effectively. 90% of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. People who smoke are 20 times more likely to contract some form of cancer. Around 25% of adults in the US are smokers, and around 30% of high school students are smokers. Secondhand smoke causes around 3000 deaths annually in the US. All these effects should be enough to lead anyone to question their true motives behind it. It is also true that these effects affect people in different ways. It all depends on the number of cigarettes the individual smokes in a day, the amount of time he/she has been doing this for, the general health and fitness of the individual and the kind of lifestyle that he/she leads.
Furthermore, smoking harms our body and causes long-term side effects. For example, every internal organ in the human body is at risk as a result of nicotine that exists in tobacco. Nicotine addiction is found similar to that addiction to heroin and cocaine. In the past, it was widely used as an insecticide. In addition, smoking has deleterious effects on children while their parents are smoking in front of them, and that is why many children have become smokers. Due to watching their smoking parents, children like to imitate them and become the same as their parents. Therefore, smoking does not only affect people at the physical status but also on the social one.
In simple words, smoking is deleterious and damaging to our health, so that it is best to never use tobacco at all. Everyone should stay away from secondhand smoke since “there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke”. In fact, it is very important to hold campaigns for preventing smoking in public places and efforts must focus on young adults, whose ages 18 through 25. Consequently, we can disseminate awareness to get rid of smoking habit which has become the habit of many young people as well as youngsters. Besides, we should bear in mind that “every person should be able to breathe tobacco-smoke-free air”. Meanwhile, smoke-free laws protect the health of non-smokers and do not harm business but encourage smokers to quit. In short, this essay demonstrates several harmful factors that caused by smoking summarized in incurable diseases, waste of money, peer pressure and long-term side effects.