Why Quit Smoking - Essay Example

Recent studies about tobacco smoking have revealed that it is a leading cause of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. For the record, these lung cancer and other respiratory diseases were virtually unknown up until the surge of cigarette sales during World War II. Now lung cancer is considered as one of the leading killer diseases of the 21st century, killing an estimate of 3 million people around the world annually. Millions of people still continue to smoke tobacco despite its harmful effects to their health.

But there are some smokers who want to quit their ugly habit, these are those smokers who have suddenly realized the negative effects of smoking and have decided to lead on a healthier nicotine free life through the help of various quitting methods. These individuals themselves have decided not just to quit smoking for themselves but also for the welfare of other smokers who wishes to kick the bad habit out of their system. Discussed herein are the dangers of tobacco smoking along with the various ways in which a smoker can quit this ugly habit in exchange for a healthier and happier life.

Cigars and cigarettes are the primary sources of carcinogenic (cancer-causing) smoke. What distinguishes the two is that cigars are typically made from a single tobacco leaf without any wrappings or filter added to it while cigarettes are smaller versions of cigars. A typical cigarette is made up of tobacco leaf shreds wrapped in a special paper attached to a filter on one end. While cigarettes are widely available, cigars are usually sold in specialty stores equipped with humidors to preserve those.

Differences aside both are still major sources of carcinogens and other substances that pose major health threats for humans Smokers have given various reasons on why they smoke. Many smoke for the sake of smoking. Some smoke to alleviate their self-destructive while others smoke because they are addicted to nicotine. Other smokers are bit more casual, saying that they smoke because they want to lessen the stress they experience in their daily lives. Whatever the reason is, most smokers will stick on the habit for the rest of their lives while developing various smoking related symptoms and diseases.

A significant number of smokers on the other hand, have realized the various negative health and environmental effects of smoking and thus decided to quit smoking. Cigarette smoke inhaled by the smokers themselves is called mainstream smoke and it is reported to increase the risk of many types of cancer, which includes lip cancer, oral cancer, cancer of the esophagus, cancer of the pancreas, cancer of the larynx , cancer of the lungs; uterine and cervix cancers, cancer of the urinary bladder; and kidney cancer.

On the other hand, smoke inhaled by non-smokers is called second-hand smoke. The effects of second-hand smoke seems to be much worse than mainstream smoke, the U.S. Surgeon General has updated some evidences showing that second-hand smoke causes heart disease and lung cancer in adults while it also causes sudden infant death syndrome and respiratory problems in infants and children respectively. It also found out that there is no "risk-free" level of second hand that exists; even the briefest exposure to secondhand smoke is enough to increase that risk of acquiring cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in adults.

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