Effects of Smoking

There is no doubt that smoking is bad for the health. The amazing thing is that even though the effects of smoking are well-known people still take up the habit.

Despite the pervasiveness of anti-smoking messages, it seems that many young people continue to be wooed by the romantic image of smoking which ignores the actual effects of smoking.

The Dangers of Smoking

What happens when you inhale cigarette smoke? The nicotine passes almost immediately into the blood stream thanks to the large surface area of the lungs.

Nicotine is the addictive substance of tobacco, but it is not the only component of cigarette smoke. Along with that hit of nicotine, the smoker also inhales more than 4000 chemical substances - most of which are highly toxic.

These substances all contribute to the dangers of smoking. They include carcinogens and toxins that are also found in wood varnish, nail polish remover, and rat poison.

The effects of smoking worsen over time because these substances accumulate in the body and can cause diseases of the heart and lungs. The relationship between smoking and lung cancer is well-known but there are also other cancers associated with smoking including cancers of the mouth, pancreas, urinary bladder, kidney, stomach, esophagus, and larynx. The effects of smoking also extend to other diseases of the lungs such as emphysema and bronchitis.

Life Span

Smoking causes disease and also shortens the life span. On average, smokers die 15 years earlier than non-smokers. It's not hard to understand why. The effects of smoking expose smokers to high levels of toxic substances.

Smokers don't just harm themselves. The effects of smoking also extend to anyone breathing in second-hand smoke. Smokers harm their families and friends each time they light up a cigarette.

Children are especially vulnerable to these effects of smoking because their internal organs are still developing. Children exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to have asthma or succumb to sudden infant death syndrome, bronchitis, pneumonia, and ear infections.

The effects of smoking even extend to unborn children. Pregnant women who smoke have a higher percentage of miscarriages than non-smoking mothers. Babies of smoking mothers have reduced birth weights and are more susceptible to sudden infant death syndrome. There is some evidence that these babies may suffer from health problems that will last their entire lives.

If you are a smoker, don't ever think that it's "too late" to quit. The effects of smoking can be reversed - even if you've smoked for 20 years or more.

The toxins that accumulate in the smoker's body are eventually eliminated after quitting. The health benefits of quitting are substantial. Internal organs regain their former health and after a few years of abstaining from cigarettes puts the former smoker on par with non-smokers for the risk of heart disease and other illnesses associated with smoking.