What problems are caused by smoking?
By smoking, you can cause health problems not only for yourself
but also for those around you. Hurting Yourself
Smoking is an addiction. Tobacco contains nicotine, a drug that is
addictive. The nicotine, therefore, makes it very difficult
(although not impossible) to quit. In fact, since the U.S. Surgeon
General's 1964 report on the dangers of smoking, millions of
Americans have quit. Still, approximately 440,000 deaths occur in
the U.S. each year from smoking-related illnesses; this represents
almost 1 out of every 5 deaths. The reason for these deaths is
that smoking greatly increases the risk of getting lung cancer,
heart attack, chronic lung disease, stroke, and many other
cancers. Moreover, smoking is perhaps the most preventable cause
of breathing (respiratory) diseases within the USA.
Hurting Others
Smoking harms not just the smoker, but also family members,
coworkers, and others who breathe the smoker's cigarette smoke,
called secondhand smoke or passive smoke. Among infants up to 18
months of age, secondhand smoke is associated with as many as
300,000 cases of chronic bronchitis and pneumonia each year. In
addition, secondhand smoke from a parent's cigarette increases a
child's chances for middle ear problems, causes coughing and
wheezing, worsens asthma, and increases an infant's risk of dying
from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Smoking is also harmful to the unborn fetus. If a pregnant woman
smokes, her fetus is at an increased risk of miscarriage, early
delivery (prematurity), stillbirth, infant death, and low birth
weight. In fact, it has been estimated that if all women quit
smoking during pregnancy, about 4,000 new babies would not die
each year.
Exposure to passive smoke can also cause cancer. Research has
shown that non-smokers who reside with a smoker have a 24%
increase in risk for developing lung cancer when compared with
other non-smokers. An estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths occur
each year in the U.S. that are attributable to passive smoking.
Secondhand smoke also increases the risk of stroke and heart
disease. If both parents smoke, a teenager is more than twice as
likely to smoke as a teenager whose parents are both nonsmokers.
Even in households where only one parent smokes, young people are
more likely to start smoking.
What is
addictive disease and why is smoking considered an addictive
disease?
The term addictive disease or addiction describes a persistent
habit that is harmful to the person. Thus, addiction is a chronic
(long duration) disease with reliance on the substance causing the
addiction. The addictive substance also causes the accompanying
deterioration of a person's physical and psychological health.
Psychologically, an individual's behavior pattern establishes how
the addictive substance is used. One type of behavior is
compulsive behavior, which is an overwhelming and irresistible
interest in use of the substance. For example, the compulsive
addict makes sure that the substance is always available. Another
type of behavior is habitual behavior, which is using the
substance regularly or occasionally for the desirable effects.
Physically, continuous use of the substance leads to dependence on
the drug by the body. This dependence means that when the drug is
discontinued, symptoms of withdrawal or distress occur.
Nicotine is the component of cigarettes that addicts. Almost
immediately upon inhalation, the body responds to the nicotine. An
individual feels relaxed, calmer, and happier than before the
inhalation. These pleasant feelings reflect the physical side of
addiction; but then, not smoking cigarettes causes a craving for
more cigarettes, irritability, impatience, anxiety, and other
unpleasant symptoms. Indeed, these symptoms are the symptoms of
withdrawal from cigarettes. Moreover, with time, more and more
nicotine is desired to produce the favorable effects and to avoid
the symptoms of withdrawal.
What are the signs of cigarette
addiction?
The signs of addiction to cigarettes include:
smoking more than seven cigarettes per day;
inhaling deeply and frequently;
smoking cigarettes containing nicotine levels more than 0.9mg;
smoking within 30 minutes of awakening in the morning;
finding it difficult to eliminate the first cigarette in the
morning;
smoking frequently during the morning;
finding it difficult to avoid smoking in smoking-restricted areas;
and
needing to smoke even if sick and in bed.
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