The Dangers of Smoking According to the federal government, nearly 3,000 American kids under the age of 18 become regular smokers each day. Of these kids, a third will die early from smoking related diseases. If that is not enough, one in every five deaths in the United States is caused because of this fatal habit. Fifty million Americans smoke including one in five teenagers and these rates are extremely disturbing considering that you have to be eighteen years old to purchase tobacco in the United States. Writing about this subject strikes ever too closely to home for I am an ex-smoker myself and tragically lost my grandmother due to emphysema. Smoking is a lot more addictive than some tend to think, being much more addictive than the drug that stole numerous lives; heroin. (Hwang, Kids Lighting Up) Tobacco is associated with an increased risk of many diseases such as cancer of the mouth, larynx, throat, esophagus, uterus, and bladder.
, Administrator of the EPA.
English: The headquarters of the United States Env...
English: Mike Metzer, from the Environmental Prote...Inhaling these chemicals may also contribute to Heart Disease, Chronic Bronchitis, and Emphysema. Some dramatically quick symptoms tobacco has on the body are stomach ulcers, strokes, a diminished sense of smell and taste, frequent colds and lung infections.
While writing this I feel helpless in trying to encourage others not to smoke. The question I have to ask is, "Why smoke?"ÃÂ The box informs us of its contribution to our death yet we constantly breath in this smoke containing some of the worst chemicals in the world. I can answer those questions in one word: "ADDICTION"ÃÂ. From personal experience I can say that once you start, it feels close to impossible to quit. Why and where does our addiction start? Well, professionals say that smoking generally starts at young ages. I think that this is due to peer pressure and the promise of relaxation and sudden escape from the world and the stress of being a child. On the same note nicotine is a stimulant which increases your blood pressure and heart rate. So how can I state that smoking could possibly be relaxing? Having been a smoker myself, I can definitely identify with the stress-relieving factor you feel from every puff of this poison. The truth is it curbs the addiction which gives you a false feeling of relaxation, although that is my personal opinion. The experts say that smoking starts at young ages due to negative childhood experiences and being exposed to smoking at a young age by parents and other family members may surely contribute to a future addiction.
From what the experts say, smoking around your children or young relatives could cause them to start, but smoking around children can do much more harm than the smoker realizes. Second hand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of lung cancer. Infants or young children whose parents smoke around them are the most seriously affected. The EPA states that smoking around infants and young children is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 respiratory tract infections, resulting in somewhere between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year. If you smoke around your child and he or she has asthma, the child is at a much greater risk of asthma attacks and more sever symptoms. The EPA estimates that between 200,000 and 1,000,000 asthmatic children's condition is made worse.(EPA 1999) So, now that I have told you about smoking, maybe I have convinced you enough to want to quit. If so, here are some methods I have found from personal experience that just may help you kick the habit. First and foremost, you must get rid of all cigarettes and all smoking related items. Take deep breaths when you feel the urge and exercise. Getting in touch with your body helps you stay away from them wonderfully because you have something to work for. Also think why smoking is stupid and reward yourself every time you turn one down. Keep your hands and mind busy!!!! Hang out with friends that don't smoke because they can be a huge inspiration. Make sure to tell everyone your new revelation on quitting because pressure is what always gets you. Well, if you are trying to quit, this is what is going to happen in the very near future: Twenty minutes after your last smoke, your blood rate, pulse rate, and the temperature of your hands and legs drop to normal. Eight hours later, carbon monoxide and oxygen levels drop to normal. Twenty-four hours later, your chances of a heart attack decreases and forty-eight hours later, nerve endings start to regrow and your ability to smell and taste is enhanced.. Two weeks later congratulate yourself fully, for all the nicotine is now out of your system and your circulation improves. Being active becomes easier and lung function increases up to thirty percent. Nine months later, cilia in lungs regrow increasing ability to handle mucus, and reduce infection. I wish you the best of luck trying to quit for it is extremely hard, I wont lie (or at least it was for me. The person that quit with me had no problems but I still chew Nicorette gum). Of course, with the will power and ability to accept that you no longer want to smoke, Im sure you'll succeed. Never give up on your life.(Gerlatics, Quitting)
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