Cigarettes and the effects - Essay Example

Number] Causes and effects of cigarette Tobacco smoking is a killer which takes approximately 440,000 lives per year that is more than the death caused by alcohol, AIDS, accidents or suicide (NY times). The trend of tobacco smoking has been increasing with an alarming rates and it is imperative to create awareness among the masses regarding the severe aftermaths of this trend so that not only the lives of the people could be saved but their health conditions and life quality could also be improved.

It needs to have strategic approach towards making people well informed and well aware about the devastating effects of cigarettes upon their lives. It is inevitable that smoking cigarettes have devastating effects on health although smokers often claims that it helps them to relax and release stress and also gives them recognition and acceptance. The causes and effects of cigarette smoking are discussed worldwide by scientists and health officials ans it has been discovered that cigarette smoking causes some life threatening diseases and also badly affects the heath quality.

However there are number of factors that make people addicted to it. (NY Times) An important cause and temptation towards smoking is nicotine. Nicotine intake brings up a level of good feelings among individuals. People often argues that nicotine has stimulating effect and it relieves tension, depression or even boredom. (Neal, 95) They are actually psychological effects because smoking cannot provide stimulation and reduce tension at the same time. It’s just the release of brain chemicals which makes smokers feel like this way.

People who need to smoke a certain numbers of cigarettes in a day at particular times for e.g. after a meal, have already formed a habit and so continue to smoke. They feel that something is missing. Reports show that the dependency on nicotine has increased to12 percent. (CDC)Some young people smoke because they believe that smoking is symbol of adulthood. Statistics show that nine out of ten smokers start to smoke before they are eighteen years old. The advertisers try to give the impression that maturity, social status, happiness and success are linked with smoking (CDC).

Some young people start to smoke out of curiosity and then get addicted to it. Many of them start due to peer pressure. They try to intimate their parents or want to be accepted as members of a group of friends who smoke. Their friend’s persistent teasing and urging make them believe that they are not sporting enough. The harmful effect of smoking develops in a period of time. There are three harmful chemicals present in cigarette which includes nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar. Nicotine is an addictive drug which makes smoker feel alert first and relaxes muscles but later dulls the brain.

It also clots the blood easily and increases blood pressure (Neal, p100).Carbon monoxide reduces efficiency of red blood cells to carry oxygen and increases deposition of fatty substances which results in the risk of atherosclerosis. Tar is a brown and sticky substance which contains carcinogenic chemicals. Tar induces uncontrolled multiplication of cells in the membrane of air sacs. This blocks off the air sacs, reducing the efficiency for gaseous exchange. It also paralyses the cilia which removes dust particles from the lungs.

Smokers have reduced fertility risks and have a higher risk of getting cervical cancer and ulcers, emphysema chronic bronchitis. Two to four cigarettes in a row increase blood fats 200 to 400%. The average smoker has 4 to 6 times the chance of having heart disease (CDC). Hence, it is unveiled that cigarrate smoking poses very serious threats to the life and health quality of people and there is essential need of making policies and strategies at global level to make people aware about the harmful effects of cigarettes to convince and help them to quit smoking.

Work CitedCDC – Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. “Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and productivity losses -- United States, 1997-2001”. MMWR. 54. 1 (2005), pp625-628.Neal L. Benowitz, “Metabolism and Disposition Kinetics of Nicotine”, Pharmacological Reviews, 57.1(2005):p79-115.“Nicotine Addiction and Withdrawal In-Depth Report”, NY times: Retrieved online from http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/nicotine-withdrawal/print.html