Smoking

Smoking cigarettes is a health risk and can even destroy the smoker’s appearance. Cigarette smoking is financially draining; smoking addicts spend up to $4,000 a year on their addiction. In the U.S., smoking kills more people than cocaine, heroine, alcohol, fire automobile accidents, homicides, suicides, and AIDS combined. Cigarette butts are the most littered item in America and even the world. I used to be the only member of my family that did not smoke cigarettes. I am very proud that I helped my two older brothers and my mom take smoking cigarettes out of their life. Today I would like to talk about all of the horrible effects smoking cigarettes have on your body and also others. (Transition: Cigarette smoking makes a huge impact on an individual’s life.) As you all know smoking always comes with health risks. Cigarette smoking is the major single cause of cancer mortality in the United States. Smoking greatly increases the smoker’s risks for cancer of the lungs, kidneys, pancreas, esophagus and so many others. When an individual smokes, less oxygen reaches the lungs. Nicotine, the addictive stuff, stimulates the central nervous system, making the heart beat faster and raising the blood pressure. Over time, smoking obstructs or narrows the small airways in the lungs and destroys the air sacs there. It clogs arteries and causes blood clots. Research has shown that smoking reduces the life expectancy by seven to eight years. Studies show that men or women who quit smoking at the age of 40 lived just one year less than those who had never smoked. Men and women who quit at 50 increased their life expectancy by six years. Men and women who gave up at 60 added an average of three years to their life. (Transition: Smoking is not only bad for a person’s health, but their appearance too.) As well as affecting the smoker’s general health, quitting smoking can make a big difference to the way they look. The myth that gets many teenagers to take up the habit in the first place is that smoking makes look older; it’s sadly true when it comes to your skin. Smoking reduces the amount of blood flowing to the skin and dries it out. Over time, this means it loses elasticity and gets more wrinkled. Stopping smoking can have positive effects on your skin. You will improve your skin tone and color. You're less likely to get wrinkles around your eyes and mouth from squinting when smoke gets in your eyes, and puckering up when you draw on a cigarette. The most prominent effect of smoking to the physical appearance of smokers is the discoloration of teeth. Heavy smokers are most likely to have yellowish teeth due to stain caused by nicotine in cigarettes. Smoking affects personal appearance also by promoting hair loss and rapid skin aging. Heavy smokers no matter how old they are will most likely have hair thinning problems and skin aging problems. (Transition: Here are some tips if you or someone you know is thinking about quitting.) Smokers who are trying to kick their habit may be disappointed to find there's no single quit method that guarantees success. Stopping smoking is the single biggest thing you can do to improve your health, but it's a difficult task. The weight of evidence suggests that smokers should set a date to stop, and do their best to quit completely from this point. On average it takes four to five attempts to give up, but nicotine patches, medication, or stop smoking programs can help move the process along. It doesn't matter how old you are, how much you smoke or how many years you've been a smoker – giving up can halt at least some of the damage. The heart can pump more blood – and oxygen – around the body with less effort. If you know someone who smokes and is thinking about starting a family then let them know this information. Men who smoke may suffer from impotence and produce less sperm. Women who smoke take longer to conceive and are more likely to have a miscarriage or stillbirth. Stopping smoking can improve your chances of conceiving and living a longer and healthier life.