Effects of Smoking on the Human Body - Research Paper Example

? Effects of Smoking on the Human Body Mohammed Othman Research Paper Dean-Michael Lynn November 14, Smoking has long since become an extremely controversial issue. Smoking causes diseases that have lead smokers to their death or else reduced their lives by ten or more years. Smoking can lead to cancer, heart disease and emphysema, cardiovascular disease, and gangrene. Smoking also has bad effects on pregnancies, such as causing low birth weight in newborns or killing babies. People who smoke spend a large amount of money each year. This money can be used instead on many other beneficial objectives. In addition, smokers will expend large amounts of money for healthcare services. Furthermore, secondhand smoking can cause others to be effected by smoking; people affected by secondhand smoke are not smokers themselves, but they can still risk becoming a victim of a variety of smoking diseases. There are numerous ways that can help people quit smoking. To quit, smokers must be mentally prepared to do so, as well as use alternative nicotine therapies and keep away from smoking temptations. It might be difficult to quit smoking and it is not impossible. Introduction When parents were youthful, they might have purchased cigarettes and smoked practically anywhere - even in hospitals. Advertisements for cigarettes could be found everywhere. At present, people are more knowledgeable of how bad smoking is for one’s health. As a result, smoking has been limited or completely prohibited in public places, and cigarette advertisements are no longer permitted on the radio, television, and in most magazines. According to Carr, (2010, PP.112-115), most people recognize that smoking is behind the cause of cancer, heart disease, and emphysema; it can reduce life by ten or more years; and smoking can cost a smoker thousands of dollars every year. So why are individuals still lighting up? The reply, in a single word, is habituation. Discussion Human beings have a difficult time coping with habits, especially unhealthy ones. Smoking is no different and is a difficult habit to overcome as tobacco contains nicotine, which is extremely addictive. Similar to heroin and other addictive drugs, the mind and body rapidly become so addicted to the nicotine found in cigarettes that the individual develops a dependency on it. Despite the knowledge that cigarettes are addicting, people still choose to smoke, and they do so for a variety of reasons. Some people begin smoking simply because they think it looks cool. Others start smoking because friends or family members smoke. According to Carr, (2010, PP.112-115), data reveals that approximately nine out of ten smokers begin smoking before they turn eighteen. While many adults who started smoking in their teens did not become addicted, and therefore had an easier time quitting, there are individuals who say that the simplest way to quit smoking is to never begin. Whether an individual smokes vigorously or occasionally, they are still subjected to the same dangers. An individual can endure cardiovascular disease, especially myocardial infarction, which is a heart attack. Brizer (2011, PP.180-182), stated that “this is through atherosclerosis, which is characterized by the deposition of lipids, a type of fat and fibrous tissue in the walls of the arteries.” According to the Action on Smoking and Health website (ash.org.uk), twenty-four thousand individuals died in 1995 from heart disease as a result of smoking. Additionally, tangential vascular disease can also occur because of the expansion of atherosclerosis to the blood vessels of an arm. Gangrene, which is the death of tissues, can lead to the amputation of a foot or other limb or digit. Furthermore, cancer is yet another disease that can come as a result of smoking. Tobacco smoke includes roughly four thousand chemicals, forty-three of which are carcinogenic, meaning that they are cancer-causing (Brizer, 2011, PP.180-182). Cancer caused by smoking can form in many areas of the body: lungs, oral cavity, larynx, esophagus, pharynx, kidneys, pancreas, and bladder. Of these, lung cancer is considered to be the most common since the lungs play a vital role in smoking. Signs of lung cancer include a hacking cough, wheezy breathing, blood in the sputum, pain in the shoulders, neck, or chest, facial swelling, and bronchitis or pneumonia. Moreover, aside from causing physical damage to one’s body, an individual can experience difficulties with pregnancy as another result of smoking. If a pregnant woman smokes consistently throughout her pregnancy, she puts her baby at risk, which can bring about a premature birth and a low weight at birth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), or the mother could miscarry the fetus. Research was undergone that looked at almost two hundred infant deaths as a result of sudden infant death syndrome. Of these deaths, roughly two-thirds of the mothers had smoked throughout the duration of their pregnancy. The chances of these risks taking place are based on how often the mother smokes during pregnancy. “It is connected to the amount of packs licked every day and the amount of years spent smoking, and possibly diminished once the patient quits this harmful habit (Joyce, 2010, PP.144-145).” However, to help prevent developing the dangers of smoking, many options now exist that can help an individual fight the addiction that comes with smoking. It is important that smokers be mentally prepared to quit; since they are fighting an addiction, it is not going to be easy. They also have to realize that they are not the only ones who want to quit. According to a study in Britain, seventy percent of smokers wish to quit, and three million attempt to do so each year (Joyce, 2010, PP. 13-14). Even though nicotine is an addictive drug that holds tight to smokers, if a person has a strong enough will-power to seek professional help, they stand a chance at beating their addiction. Doctors, pharmacists, and trained counselors offer friendly and helpful advice that can safely take the smoker through their addiction. Such advice includes utilizing nicotine substitute therapies, which will help with nicotine withdrawal, and include lozenges, patches, inhalers and gums. It is vital to gradually reduce nicotine by using a low dose instead of abruptly cutting off the nicotine supply (Joyce, 2010, PP.144-145). One of the greatest difficulties in quitting smoking is fighting all sorts of temptations. When one is trying to give up cigarettes, they need to avoid places where people are allowed to smoke, such is in pubs. If one is under pressure, it is important not to relapse. McMillian (2011, PP.135-140) says, “I’ll have just one. It can’t do any harm if I’m at the top of this long and slippery slope.” Therefore, it is important to receive support from friends and family members. Their support and guidance will enhance the importance of continuing the challenge. In addition, when an individual has the support of loved ones and is able to kick their dependency on cigarettes, they face beneficial physical and mental changes. The body begins to repair the damage done by the smoke, quickly repairing the damage that was done. Nicotine becomes completely eliminated and the oxygen level returns to normal. The lungs begin to clear out the smoking debris, which allows for better breathing. Furthermore, the smoker cuts their chances of having a heart attack or developing cancer nearly in half (McMillian, 2011, PP.135-140). Unfortunately, though a person may succeed in quitting smoking, the person can also face symptoms of withdrawal. They are physical and mental changes that might not seem fun at the time, but they are important to the overall readjustment of the body from the absence of nicotine. Withdrawal symptoms can include depression, aggression, and restlessness. The individual can gain weight, since nicotine alters the body’s metabolism. Statistics shows that eighty percent of smokers will gain weight when they quit smoking, though the long-term weight gain is roughly just six to eight pounds (McMillian, 2011, PP.135-140). The Dangers of Smoking By looking at the correlation between smoking and cancer, it becomes clear that there is an obvious connection between the two. The most primary cause of cancer, especially lung cancer, is due to smoking or being subjected to secondhand smoke. The risk of developing other cancers, such as mouth, bladder, pancreas, stomach, and esophagus are also high. Besides potentially causing cancer, smoking can also cause various lung diseases, including bronchitis and emphysema (Murray, 2010, PP.65-70). The more that a person smokes, the more damage that they cause to their body. The image below, which displays the lungs of a smoker and the lungs of a non-smoker, reveals the type of damage that can be done to the individual if they smoke too often. In comparison to a healthy set of lungs, a smoker’s lungs are blackened and misshapen. Smoker’s Lung vs. Non-smoker’s Lung (http://smokerslungs.net/page/2) Not only can the individual be affected from smoking, but smoking can be equally as harmful to unborn fetuses if a pregnant woman smokes during her pregnancy. The baby can risk being born too soon or being underweight or the woman maybe miscarry the fetus. Smoking can also be dangerous for the pregnant woman, as it can cause vaginal bleeding and ectopic pregnancy abnormal placental implantation. Women should quit smoking if they plan to become pregnant, which would give the body a chance to heal before the fetus begins to develop. This will increase the chances of delivering normal, healthy weight babies (Murray, 2010, PP.65-70). Smoking puts the health of unborn babies at risk. Also, smoking can also lead to impotency, which effects ejaculatory control. This can lead to problems when attempting to conceive. Furthermore, regular use of nicotine can cause anxiety and this can cause premature ejaculation during sexual intercourse. To avoid facing difficulties in one’s sex life, such as impotency and premature ejaculation, an individual should consider quitting smoking (Murray, 2010, PP.65-70). Every part of smoker’s body becomes much more frail than if they were healthy and smoke-free. Smoking is a Costly Affair In addition, smoking not only effects one’s body, but also one’s budget. Smoking is a very expensive habit, one that even the most avid smoker cannot deny that the prices are extremely high and difficult to cover. The most evident price of smoking can be seen in the everyday, weekly, and monthly use of an average smoker. The average cost of a pack of cigarettes is four dollars. If a smoker goes through one pack a day, which comes out to four dollars daily, they spend twenty-eight dollars per week. Each year, this smoker spends upwards of fifteen hundred dollars to support their habit. Instead of wasting money on a deadly habit, the money can be spent on something more beneficial or pleasant, such as a vacation or a child’s college fund (Murray, 2010, PP.65-70). Money spent on cigarettes is money spent on a lifetime of health problems and possible early death. This money should instead be spent on something more promising and fulfilling. Medical Expenses Not only is keeping the smoking habit alive an expensive task, but so is the medical needs that comes as a result of smoking. Smokers have to incur the medical expenses of their smoking habit due to the inevitable services, treatment and medication needed to either quit smoking or to treat a smoking-related disease. Unfortunately, healthcare services do not come free, or cheap. (Coster, 2010, PP.24-25) stated that at the same time treatment is sought, a smoker usually has to abstain from working, which decreases the amount of money they are making. This greatly diminishes the income, presenting the smoker and their family with financial difficulties that could have been avoided. Secondhand Smoking Furthermore, smoking does not only financially and physically harm the person doing the smoking, but the people that are around them who are also subjected to the smoke. When others are effected by the smoke from someone else’s cigarette, this is known as secondhand smoke, and it can be just as dangerous and deadly as smoking itself. Secondhand smoke is smoke from the tobacco that is unwillingly inhaled by people surrounding the smoker. People and animals can become victims of secondhand smoking anywhere, including their homes, in the workplace, or at recreational centers. This is why most public places have a ban on smoking, so that others do not become victims of smoke-related diseases (Coster, PP.24-25). Secondhand smoking as just as dangerous as regular smoking, so public officials are making sure that innocent people do not get involved in someone else’s unhealthy choice. The Destructive Results of Smoking As a result, smoking is not only capable of harming many people, but it can also bring about other types of destruction. Smoking can cause fires, which can occur when a person leaves a lit cigarette unattended or does not snuff it out properly. The release of carbon monoxide into the environment increases the levels of air pollution. Insurance companies are threatening less benefits and more expensive costs for people who smoke. (Ridley, 2011, PP.24-25) claims that smoking means fewer security advantages. Smoking can also affect relationships with loved one. The smoke from cigarettes makes clothes dirty and stinking of smoke, which causes increased costs in cleaning services. Smoking leads to stinking hair, bad skin and teeth, and bad breath. Finally, when the smoker realizes the damages they are causing to themselves and the people around them, they begin to feel pressure from their friends and family to quit. Smokers gradually find reasons why smoking is a bad habit. Quit Smoking Fortunately, the destructive results of smoking, as well as the pressure of others, often prompts smokers to quit. Giving up the habit of smoking is a difficult and daunting task, but it can be done. The most important thing is that smokers need to realize that they are able to quit. It might not be right away, and the journey will be a hard one, but when given the right help and guidance, it is possible. Even though smokers recognize the risks and dangers that come with smoking, they still find it extremely difficult to quit. This is why special counselors and programs exist to help smokers quit their habit (Ridley, 2011, PP.24-25). If a person is not careful with how they quit, they can continue to face many health consequences. Conclusion In conclusion, men and women smoke for many different reasons, regardless of whether or not they are aware of the risks and dangers involved in smoking. They merely abide by the pleasure that they get from the nicotine, and overcoming the addiction can only happen if they have a strong enough will to do so. Smoking not only affects the smoker, but people and animals who are subjected to the secondhand smoke. Until people become more knowledgeable about the dangers of smoking, the death toll will continue to steadily rise straight through to the next century. Several methods have been designed to help individuals quit, which primarily consists of nicotine replacement therapy that comes in the forms of gums and patches. While these may help, the greatest source of treatment is the simple knowledge and self-belief that a person can quit the habit of smoking. References Brizer, D. (2011). Quit smoking for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Carr, A. (2010). The easy way to quit smoking: Join the millions who have become non-smokers using Allen Carr’s Easy Way Method. New York: Sterling Publishers. Coster, P. (2010). Smoking: Teen FAQ. London: Arcturus Publishing Limited. Joyce, G. (2010). Smoking poppy. London: Orion Publishers. McMillian, J. (2011). Smoking typewriters: The Sixties Underground Press and the rise of alternative media in America. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Michaels, C. (2009). Smokers' Lungs Comparison. Web. http://smokerslungs.net/smokers- lungs-comparison. 7 Nov. 2011. Murray, J. (2010). Smoking: When injurious, when innocuous, when beneficial. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing. Ridley, S. (2011). Smoking: How can I be healthy. London: Hodder Children’s Division. Read More