Why You Should Give Up Smoking

By
Oluwapelumi Ala
-

It is highly certain that you have seen numerous warnings about how smoking is bad for you. But here’s the question – Why? What is it about smoking that is so dangerous? Let’s find out. Shall we?

What makes up a cigarette?

A cigarette is usually made up of three parts. Firstly, there is the cigarette filter, also known as, the cigarette butt. Then there is the rolling paper which is wrapped around a tobacco blend. The tobacco blend is usually made up of dried and processed tobacco leaves and leaf stems.

What happens when a cigarette is lit?

Typically, the tobacco blend contains over 7,000 different chemicals. These chemicals are released in the form of small particles and gases. Cigarette smoke then passes through the cigarette filter. The cigarette filter traps bits of partially burnt tobacco called tar. The filter is only able to trap some and not all of the tar. Tar is sticky and brown, resulting in that characteristic yellowish stain on smoker’s nails. In addition to staining the smoker’s fingernails, it also moves into the mouth and stains the teeth, gum, buccal mucosa, and vocal cords. The vocal cords become irritated by the tar, making people cough reflexively.

Cigarette smoke and the lungs

Cigarette smoke passes the upper airway to get to the lower airway. The lower airway is lined by cilia. Cilia are tiny hair-like projections that beat in order to move debris and bacteria out of the lungs. Hydrogen cyanide is a poisonous gas that works with tar in order to paralyze these cilia. With the cilia out of action, the cigarette smoke is able to move even deeper into the lungs. Other cancer causing chemicals in tobacco such as arsenic and benzopyrene also coat the lining of the airway. This is where they significantly increase the risk of lung cancer.

Smoking
Source: Nicorette

With the main defense of the lungs paralyzed, the cigarette smoke moves into the alveoli. The alveoli are where oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide using haemoglobin. Haemoglobin then carries the oxygen to the rest of the body to be used as fuel. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that is also found in cigarette smoke. This gas knocks off oxygen from haemoglobin and instead takes its place. This creates a problem as the body cannot use carbon monoxide as fuel. This leads to the starvation of body cells from lack of oxygen. The “starving” cells send inflammatory signals to the lungs. This makes the condition worse as increased inflammation leads to increased mucous production and narrowing of the airways, making it even more difficult to breathe.

Distant effects of cigarette smoke

The remaining chemicals in cigarette smoke are also absorbed into the bloodstream. Once this happens, there is no limit to amount of damage they can cause. This damage extends to other body organs asides the lungs. There are a large number of oxidizing and highly reactive chemicals in cigarette smoke. These chemicals can damage any type of body cells.

The first thing they are most likely to destroy are the blood vessels. Oxidizing chemicals react with the lining of the blood vessels causing inflammation and fatty plaques. These fatty plaques narrow the blood vessel. The oxidizing chemicals also damage the vessels that supply the brain and heart. Occlusion of any these vessels could lead to the death of the part of the vital organs they supply, manifesting as a stroke or a heart attack.

Metals such as arsenic and radioactive substances such as polonium continue to travel to other body parts through the blood. They significantly increase the risk of other cancer types. For example, skin cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer, and bladder cancer.

Science of nicotine

None of the previously highlighted effects of cigarette smoke sound attractive. Why then do people continue to smoke? It is the nicotine in cigarette that make them so addictive. Within 7 seconds of smoking a cigarette, nicotine rich blood travels from the lungs to the brain. In the brain, nicotine causes the release of brain messengers like dopamine, adrenaline, and serotonin. This leads to the activation of the brain’s reward and alertness system. This is why some people report feeling more focused and attentive after smoking a cigarette.

Nicotine can also cause temporary feelings of relaxation due to the increased level of serotonin in the brain. Nicotine only stays in the body for a few hours, after which it is broken down in the liver and expelled through the urine. As soon as nicotine exits the body, the body misses the buzz of having huge amounts of stimulating brain messengers flowing around. Cravings can begin just 2 hours after your last smoke.

Signs of nicotine withdrawal include:

  • Restlessness
  • Anxiety
  • Frustration
  • Anger
  • Insomnia

Every time you light another cigarette, the effects of nicotine gets weaker, as your brain develops a tolerance to the drug. This means that you would need more nicotine to get the same high, and cravings would get even stronger. This forms the cycle of addiction.

The roller-coaster of cigarette smoking

There are thousands of other chemicals in tobacco smoke. This article has only touched the tip of the iceberg. At least, another 250 are known to be harmful and 70 are known to initiate, cause or promote cancer. Now imagine putting your body through this kind of roller-coaster every few hours, every day for many years.

Source: Cleveland Clinic

Long term complications of smoking

Other than the increased risk of cancer, there are so many other long term complications of smoking. Some of them include:

  • Emphysema
  • Skin wrinkling
  • Loss of sense of smell and taste
  • Impotence

A word from HealthFacts to you

Tobacco is the only legal drug that kills its users when used exactly as intended by its manufacturers. It can be very difficult to overcome an addiction to nicotine, so the best thing you can do is to never pick up a cigarette in the first place. However, if you are smoking and are thinking of quitting, you are halfway there. May a decision to stop smoking today.

Happy World No-Tobacco Day!

Suggested Reading: Read This Before Your Next Glass of Alcohol – Life Saving!

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

184 COMMENTS

  5. Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Many thanks, However I am experiencing issues with your RSS. I don’t know why I am unable to subscribe to it. Is there anybody else getting the same RSS problems? Anybody who knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanx!!

  13. Hello very nice website!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds also? I am satisfied to find so many useful information here in the post, we need develop more strategies in this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .

  15. Its like you read my mind! You seem to understand so much approximately this, like you wrote the ebook in it or something. I feel that you could do with some % to pressure the message house a bit, however other than that, this is fantastic blog. An excellent read. I’ll definitely be back.

  17. Nice post. I was checking continuously this blog and I am impressed! Very useful information specially the last part 🙂 I care for such info a lot. I was seeking this particular info for a long time. Thank you and good luck.

  20. Superb blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m totally confused .. Any ideas? Bless you!

  23. I feel this is one of the such a lot significant information for me. And i’m satisfied reading your article. However want to remark on few common things, The site taste is ideal, the articles is in reality excellent : D. Just right task, cheers

  26. Thanks for your interesting article. Other thing is that mesothelioma is generally brought on by the inhalation of materials from asbestos, which is a very toxic material. Its commonly witnessed among laborers in the engineering industry with long contact with asbestos. It can be caused by living in asbestos insulated buildings for an extended time of time, Genes plays an important role, and some individuals are more vulnerable for the risk compared to others.

  28. Interesting blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog jump out. Please let me know where you got your theme. Many thanks

  29. Hi there, simply became aware of your weblog via Google, and located that it is truly informative. I?m gonna be careful for brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this in future. Many folks will probably be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!

  31. I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good. I don’t know who you are but definitely you’re going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!

  33. Hey there! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site? I’m getting tired of WordPress because I’ve had issues with hackers and I’m looking at options for another platform. I would be great if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

  34. Admiring the time and effort you put into your website and in depth information you present. It’s great to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same old rehashed information. Wonderful read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.

  35. I am extremely inspired together with your writing talents and alsowell as with the format on your blog. Is this a paid topic or did you customize it yourself? Either way stay up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to peer a nice blog like this one these days..

  40. Thanks for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do some research about this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more from this post. I am very glad to see such great info being shared freely out there.

  41. Thank you for any other informative web site. Where else may I am getting that kind of info written in such a perfect means? I have a venture that I am simply now operating on, and I have been at the glance out for such information.

  43. One more issue is that video games are typically serious as the name indicated with the major focus on learning rather than fun. Although, there’s an entertainment factor to keep your children engaged, each one game is frequently designed to work with a specific skill set or course, such as math or scientific disciplines. Thanks for your post.

  46. Hello there! This is kind of off topic but I need some help from an established blog. Is it very hard to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I’m thinking about creating my own but I’m not sure where to start. Do you have any tips or suggestions? Appreciate it

  48. Hey there just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading correctly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same results.

  50. I was wondering if you ever considered changing the layout of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or two images. Maybe you could space it out better?

  51. You’re so cool! I don’t suppose I’ve read anything like this before. So nice to find somebody with a few original thoughts on this topic. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This website is something that is needed on the web, someone with some originality!

  55. One other thing is that an online business administration course is designed for students to be able to well proceed to bachelors degree programs. The Ninety credit education meets the lower bachelor education requirements and once you earn your associate of arts in BA online, you’ll have access to the latest technologies within this field. Some reasons why students are able to get their associate degree in business is because they can be interested in this area and want to obtain the general training necessary ahead of jumping to a bachelor diploma program. Many thanks for the tips you provide with your blog.

  57. Thanks for your valuable post. As time passes, I have come to be able to understand that the actual symptoms of mesothelioma are caused by the build up associated fluid between the lining of your lung and the upper body cavity. The ailment may start while in the chest area and get distributed to other parts of the body. Other symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include weight-loss, severe breathing in trouble, nausea, difficulty ingesting, and infection of the neck and face areas. It ought to be noted that some people living with the disease will not experience virtually any serious signs at all.

  58. Hello, you used to write excellent, but the last several posts have been kinda boring? I miss your great writings. Past few posts are just a little bit out of track! come on!

  61. Can I just say what a relief to discover someone who really knows what they’re talking about online. You certainly know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people should read this and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you’re not more popular because you surely have the gift.

  67. Thanks for your submission. I would like to opinion that the very first thing you will need to accomplish is to see if you really need credit repair. To do that you will have to get your hands on a duplicate of your credit report. That should never be difficult, ever since the government mandates that you are allowed to get one no cost copy of your credit report yearly. You just have to check with the right people. You can either check out the website with the Federal Trade Commission and also contact one of the leading credit agencies instantly.

  68. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. cheers

  70. It’s my belief that mesothelioma can be the most fatal cancer. It contains unusual properties. The more I actually look at it the harder I am assured it does not respond like a true solid tissues cancer. In the event that mesothelioma is really a rogue virus-like infection, so there is the possibility of developing a vaccine as well as offering vaccination to asbestos open people who are at high risk connected with developing long term asbestos relevant malignancies. Thanks for expressing your ideas about this important health issue.

  73. Thanks for your ideas. One thing we’ve noticed is always that banks as well as financial institutions really know the spending behaviors of consumers plus understand that a lot of people max out there their credit cards around the breaks. They prudently take advantage of this real fact and then start flooding your current inbox along with snail-mail box together with hundreds of no interest APR credit cards offers right after the holiday season finishes. Knowing that if you are like 98 of American public, you’ll rush at the opportunity to consolidate card debt and move balances to 0 annual percentage rates credit cards.

  75. It?s actually a cool and useful piece of info. I?m satisfied that you just shared this useful information with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.

  80. Interesting post here. One thing I would really like to say is that often most professional job areas consider the Bachelors Degree as the entry level standard for an online education. Though Associate Diplomas are a great way to begin, completing the Bachelors opens many doors to various employment goodies, there are numerous online Bachelor Diploma Programs available through institutions like The University of Phoenix, Intercontinental University Online and Kaplan. Another issue is that many brick and mortar institutions offer Online variants of their diplomas but typically for a substantially higher charge than the companies that specialize in online college diploma plans.

  82. When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added”checkbox and now each time a comment is added I getseveral emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service?Cheers!

  85. Greetings from Florida! I’m bored to death at work so I decided to check out your site on my iphone during lunch break. I really like the info you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m shocked at how quick your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, wonderful site!

  92. Based on my research, after a in foreclosure process home is marketed at a bidding, it is common for that borrower in order to still have the remaining unpaid debt on the loan. There are many financial institutions who try and have all rates and liens cleared by the subsequent buyer. However, depending on specific programs, regulations, and state laws there may be a number of loans which aren’t easily settled through the transfer of loans. Therefore, the obligation still remains on the consumer that has got his or her property foreclosed on. Thanks for sharing your ideas on this weblog.

  99. Hey there, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog site in Ie, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, superb blog!

  106. There are certainly loads of details like that to take into consideration. That may be a great point to convey up. I provide the ideas above as common inspiration however clearly there are questions like the one you convey up where an important factor will probably be working in sincere good faith. I don?t know if greatest practices have emerged around issues like that, but I am sure that your job is clearly recognized as a good game. Each boys and girls really feel the affect of only a moment?s pleasure, for the remainder of their lives.

  109. Great beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your website, how can i subscribe for a blog site? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear concept

  111. Berikut ini saya sangat merekomendasikan bd138 terpercaya ini karena telah terbukti akan membayar berapapun jumlah kemenangan anda dan selalu memberikan pelayanan terbaik.

  115. I discovered more a new challenge on this losing weight issue. A single issue is a good nutrition is extremely vital whenever dieting. A tremendous reduction in bad foods, sugary foods, fried foods, sugary foods, pork, and white-colored flour products could possibly be necessary. Retaining wastes parasitic organisms, and contaminants may prevent goals for fat-loss. While selected drugs quickly solve the problem, the terrible side effects are certainly not worth it, plus they never offer you more than a momentary solution. It is a known undeniable fact that 95 of dietary fads fail. Thanks for sharing your thinking on this blog site.

  120. Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is totally off topic but I had to tell someone!

  121. I’ve learned new things via your website. One other thing I’d like to say is that often newer laptop or computer operating systems often allow extra memory to get used, but they in addition demand more memory space simply to work. If people’s computer cannot handle much more memory and also the newest computer software requires that ram increase, it could be the time to shop for a new Computer. Thanks

  126. Thanks for sharing excellent informations. Your web-site is very cool. I am impressed by the details that you?ve on this web site. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for extra articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found simply the information I already searched all over the place and just couldn’t come across. What a perfect web-site.

  128. The following time I learn a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a lot as this one. I imply, I do know it was my option to learn, however I truly thought youd have something attention-grabbing to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about one thing that you possibly can fix if you happen to werent too busy searching for attention.

  136. Its like you read my thoughts! You seem to grasp a lot about this, such as you wrote the e-book in it or something. I think that you just could do with some percent to power the message home a little bit, however instead of that, that is excellent blog. A great read. I will certainly be back.

  140. Good article. It’s very unfortunate that over the last 10 years, the travel industry has already been able to to deal with terrorism, SARS, tsunamis, bird flu virus, swine flu, plus the first ever entire global tough economy. Through all of it the industry has really proven to be sturdy, resilient and dynamic, discovering new methods to deal with hardship. There are generally fresh complications and opportunities to which the industry must again adapt and act in response.

  147. My brother recommended I would possibly like this blog. He used to be totally right. This submit actually made my day. You cann’t consider simply how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!

  148. What i do not understood is actually how you are not actually much more well-liked than you may be right now. You are so intelligent. You realize therefore significantly relating to this subject, made me personally consider it from a lot of varied angles. Its like women and men aren’t fascinated unless it is one thing to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs great. Always maintain it up!

  151. Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Extremely useful info particularly the last part 🙂 I care for such info a lot. I was seeking this particular information for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.

  154. I do not even know the way I finished up right here, however I assumed this publish was good.I do not recognise who you might be but certainly you’re going to awell-known blogger for those who are not already. Cheers!

  155. Thanks for helping me to attain new tips about personal computers. I also contain the belief that certain of the best ways to keep your laptop in leading condition is by using a hard plastic-type case, and also shell, which fits over the top of the computer. A majority of these protective gear are generally model precise since they are made to fit perfectly within the natural covering. You can buy all of them directly from owner, or from third party places if they are intended for your laptop computer, however its not all laptop could have a covering on the market. Yet again, thanks for your recommendations.

  158. Hello there I am so thrilled I found your webpage, I really found you by error, while I was searching on Bing for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say kudos for a fantastic post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I dont have time to look over it all at the minute but I have book-marked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read much more, Please do keep up the awesome b.

  161. I am now not positive the place you are getting your information, however good topic. I must spend a while learning more or understanding more. Thanks for magnificent information I used to be looking for this info for my mission.

  162. This is the right website for anyone who really wants to find out about this topic. You understand so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I personally would want toHaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a topic that’s been written about for decades. Great stuff, just great!

  170. It is perfect time to make some plans for the long run and it is time to be happy. I’ve learn this submit and if I may I want to counsel you few fascinating things or advice. Maybe you could write next articles regarding this article. I desire to learn more things about it!

  172. Have you ever considered about including a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is valuable and all. Nevertheless just imagine if you added some great graphics or video clips to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with images and clips, this website could certainly be one of the very best in its niche. Awesome blog!

  179. Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after reading through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely glad I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back often!

  181. This is the precise blog for anybody who wants to search out out about this topic. You realize a lot its virtually exhausting to argue with you (not that I really would want?HaHa). You undoubtedly put a brand new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Great stuff, simply great!

  182. Thank you for sharing these types of wonderful articles. In addition, the perfect travel plus medical insurance plan can often reduce those fears that come with traveling abroad. Any medical emergency can shortly become expensive and that’s sure to quickly put a financial problem on the family’s finances. Having in place the great travel insurance package deal prior to leaving is well worth the time and effort. Cheers

LEAVE A REPLY