Smoking, Smokers, and the Harmed

Smoking is one of those vices that are really too easy for some people to get influenced in doing yet too difficult for most to stop doing. If smoking cessation is not alarming enough, the harm that it brings about to the people around a smoker is just too insufferable. What is worse is that a smoker might not even be aware of how he affects surrounding innocents, or worst is that he knows, but still pretends that he does not and still goes on belching like a pollutant automobile. The bottom point here is, smoking is not healthy, and this post will tell you the reasons why. 


Probably, chain-smokers might say this is just something that is easier-said-than-done, but for those people, who want to live longer, rather pose no danger to the public through their vices, and refuse to die at an unexpected age with defects on nearly every organ of their body, stopping is a brilliant option.

Disclaimer: This article does not condemn people who necessitate cigarettes like they are inhalation pumps they can’t live without; rather this is to provide good-to-know-info on the effects brought about by smoking. ¹ 

Moving on, why do people find it so hard to quit smoking? 

Even though there are some who make it an effort to cease the craving to smoke, they still never can. This is because of the fact that smoking is indeed very addictive. ² Smoking sends signals to the brain that makes people beg for more. This is because of nicotine. It changes chemical levels in the brain such as dopamine and noradrenaline, thus a person’s mood and concentration also alters. A lot of smokers find this quite enjoyable. This is also another reason why they might be often heard asking for a cigar when they feel stressed or anxious because apparently, when nicotine reaches their nutshell, brain, it produces a certain feeling of pleasure and seems to reduce stress. Smokers and their brain mostly love this effect, so that’s why they smoke more to get that same heavenly light feeling. In fairness to these people, quitting is really not as easy as pie, and can’t be done by willpower alone. Having candy, gum, or anything to fulfil the cravings has also been suggested to help. There are also support groups and smoking cessation clinics that could aid in putting an end to such addiction.³ 

Nicotine is bad for the body and health. If smokers are able to stop smoking and get the nicotine out of their system, some disease processes will reverse but it can take up to 10 years to know if they have or not. That can feel like a long time but once they get the nicotine out of their system, they will feel better as well as look better. While not many people will get a fatal dose of nicotine from cigarettes, it can still kill with disease processes. ⁴ 

Another problem in quitting is, most people take the easiest solution to stop their cravings, and that is, to smoke, again. It is considered as a vicious cycle for smokers. Most of them smoke, stop, experience withdrawal syndrome, and smoke again. It is the same as instead of trying to get off the cigarettes, they become more hooked.

What happens to people who smoke?

Let’s start with this; smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. It is also found to be responsible for many other cancers, and health problems. ⁵ Included in the list are the increased risk for cancer of mouth, nose, larynx, tongue, nasal sinus, oesophagus, throat, pancreas, bone marrow (myeloid leukaemia), kidney, cervix, ovary, ureter, liver, bladder, bowel and stomach. ⁶ Smoking is also known to be linked to heart disease, stroke and other lung diseases. It also aggravates certain health illness because of its harmful chemical components. Well, if this is not enough to neither quit nor discourage people to smoke, take a good look at these following facts:

• Smoking causes more than one in five deaths in America and tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death. On average, smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than non-smokers. ⁷ 
• It is known that for every person that dies from a smoking-related disease, there are 20 more who suffer from at least 1 serious illness associated with smoking. ⁸
• A single cigarette contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. Second-hand smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, including 70 cancer-causing chemicals. ⁹ 
• Every cigarette you smoke reduces your life span by 11 minutes. ¹⁰ 
• How about this: Smoking near Apple computers voids the warranty. ¹¹

Smoking can harm even people who don’t smoke. 

This is called passive smoking or second-hand smoking. With the number of people who smoke nowadays, this has been a daily nuisance added to air pollution and global warming. The worst scenario is that this can also have bad effects on a person’s health just by breathing in someone else’s smoke. In addition, 
second-hand smoking is also very harmful to children. It can cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), especially to those babies whose mothers smoke. It can trigger asthma, and cause other respiratory conditions or infections such as bronchitis and asthma. Other than health problems of the lungs brought about by smoking to children, it can also cause meningitis, coughs, colds, and otitis media or ear infection that could possibly lead to hearing loss.

Psychologically, children who grow up witnessing a family member who smokes would also more likely to start smoking themselves. This is another reason why it is greatly discouraged to never smoke inside a home or even near children. Well, it is largely advised to never smoke at all. 

Sometimes, covering one’s nose is just not enough when around a smoking person. it is still possible for you to inhale smoke. It is said that smoke stays in the air for up to two and a half hours even in an open space or with a window open. 

Passive smoking from all forms of tobacco is considered harmful. You are already aware that cigarettes, cigars and tobacco contain a lot of harmful chemicals that are toxic and can damage the human body. Smokers should be cautious enough to know how they would affect even non-smokers. Frequent exposure to other people's smoke can increase risk of lung cancer, even if a person is a non-smoker. Passive smoking also increases the risk of coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease can cause a heart attack, angina (chest pain) and heart failure. It also increases the risk of stroke. ¹² 

There is a law against smoking in public places. A lot of countries around the globe probably have this kind of law already. Unfortunately, the number of people who smoke still remains the same. The only difference is that, smokers just get younger.The percentage of people who successfully quit smoking in a year is indeed smaller than those who start smoking, but then if a person really wants to leave something behind, possibility is never a question. Willpower might not be enough, but then, having yourself surrounded by people who have the same strong motivation to quit smoking and those who encourage you to throw those cigars away, then you are up to a good start. 

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NOTES AND REFERENCES:

1 On a personal note, I really hate smoke. Not the smokers in particular, but, just the smoke.^↩

2 I have got a number of friends who smoke. They keep on swearing they will quit. The next thing after that, I see them again belching all the way.^↩

3 100% Smoke-Free Philippines. Just Quit. http://www.smokefree.doh.gov.ph/section_show.php?name=News&id=332. Date Published: February 10, 2014^↩

4 Smoking Addiction Help. Nicotine Addiction Is Dangerous For Your Bod. http://smokingaddictionhelp.net/nicotine-addiction-is-dangerous-for-your-body.php accessed July 25,2014^↩

5 NIH: National Cancer Institute, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/smoking.html, accessed July 26,2014^↩

6 Better Health Channel. Diseases caused by long-term smoking. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Smoking_effects_on_your_body. Accessed July 25,2014^↩

7 American Heart Association. Why should you quit? http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/QuitSmoking/QuittingSmoking/Smoking-Do-you-really-know-the-risks_UCM_322718_Article.jsp. Accessed July 26,2014^↩

8 Department of Health and Human Services. "Cigarette Smoking-Attributable Morbidity:United States, 2000." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed July 26, 2014, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5235a4.htm.^↩

9 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease: A Report of the Surgeon General.” Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010. Accessed July 27, 2014^↩

10 BBC News. Cigarettes vut life by 11 minutes. Accessed July 27, 2014. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/583722.stm^↩

11 Geek. Accessed July 27, 2014. http://www.geek.com/apple/warning-smoking-near-apple-computers-could-void-your-warranty-989192/^↩

12 NHS Choices. Risks of passive smoking. Accessed July 27, 2014. http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2289.aspx?CategoryID=53&SubCategoryID=536^↩