The Effects of Smoking

Every year hundreds of thousands of people die from smoking or diseases related to smoking tobacco. Cigarettes contain over 4,000 different chemicals that make them deadly, 60 of these being carcinogens. There are many health problems that have been linked to tobacco. Cancer, Emphysema, Bronchitis, and heart disease are just a few of the common health related problems. People that smoke are also putting themselves at risk for strokes and heart attacks. The effects of smoking cigarettes have serious consequences and can be deadly. Smoking has also been held responsible for 1 in 5 deaths in the United States (ACS).

There are many reasons that people choose to smoke or begin smoking. Some teenagers smoke because they think it makes them look older. Others smoke to help them relax or to set them selves apart from others. Hanging around friends that smoke leads a lot of people to begin smoking. Many people also start smoking because they think it helps them keep their weight down. Many people grow up with families that smoke, which leads them to follow. Tobacco companies spend millions and millions of dollars on advertising every year trying to get people to start smoking. Advertisements usually show smokers are cool, laid back and elegant. These ads are very manipulative and lead many people to start using tobacco products. The government has also put limits or banned many types of tobacco advertisement to try and prevent people from getting hooked on tobacco.

Once people are hooked on tobacco, it's hard for them to stop. This is called addiction and it has been determined that the addiction is caused by the nicotine that is contained in cigarettes. Nicotine stimulates the brain giving it a sense of euphoria. It raises alertness and lifts a person's mood, but as time goes on though it takes more and more nicotine to have this effect. When a person is slowing down or trying to quit smoking, nicotine levels in the blood stream drop. Withdrawals, trouble concentrating, and irritability are common side effects when a person is trying to quit (Volkow).

There are also many deadly diseases and side effects of smoking other than addiction. Smokers usually suffer with bad skin, bad breath and stinky clothes, a reduction in athletic performance, a greater risk of injury and slower healing time, and increased risk of illness. Cardiovascular