Smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Regular smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death worldwide. Smoking causes a wide variety of serious health problems, including lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The chemicals in cigarette smoke include more than 70 known carcinogens (cancer-causing substances), including tar, carbon monoxide, and nicotine. Nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarettes, and it is what makes it hard for smokers to quit.
Smoking not only affects the smoker’s health, but also the health of those around them through secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory problems in adults and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory infections, and ear problems in infants and children.
Quitting smoking is one of the best things a person can do for their health. There are many resources available to help smokers quit, including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), prescription medications, and counseling. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a way to reduce withdrawal symptoms caused by quitting smoking. NRT is available in different forms such as gum, patches, lozenges, inhalers, and nasal sprays.
It’s important to note that quitting smoking is not easy, it can take multiple attempts and it’s a process that requires patience, determination and support. But it is never too late to quit, even after years of smoking, quitting can greatly improve a person’s health and reduce the risk of smoking-related diseases.
Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death worldwide, and it is responsible for approximately one in three cancer deaths in the United States alone. In addition to lung cancer, smoking is also a major cause of other types of cancer, such as throat, mouth, and bladder cancer.
Smoking also causes a variety of other health problems, including:
- Emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which damage the airways and make it difficult to breathe.
- Heart disease, including heart attacks, stroke, and peripheral artery disease (PAD).
- Lung infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis.
- Diabetes, which is affected by smoking, it can make it harder to control blood sugar levels.
- Blindness, caused by smoking-related damage to the blood vessels in the eyes.
- Impotence, smoking can damage the blood vessels that supply the penis, making it harder to get an erection.
- Infertility in both men and women.
Smoking also has many negative effects on the environment, it contributes to air pollution and litter, and it is a fire hazard. Secondhand smoke also affects people who do not smoke by exposing them to the same harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke.
Quitting smoking is one of the best things a person can do for their health, regardless of how long they have been smoking or how many cigarettes they smoke per day. The benefits of quitting smoking begin as soon as a person stops smoking. Within 20 minutes of quitting, a person’s blood pressure and pulse rate will return to normal. Within a year, the risk of heart disease will be cut in half. And after 10 years, the risk of lung cancer will be cut in half.
There are many resources available to help smokers quit, such as Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products, prescription medications, and counseling. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a way to reduce withdrawal symptoms caused by quitting smoking. NRT is available in different forms such as gum, patches, lozenges, inhalers, and nasal sprays. Counseling can be in the form of behavioral therapy, group therapy or support groups which can provide valuable support and encouragement.