A 2015 poll by the star indicates that 18% of Ontarians smoke. While ⅔ of these people said that they’re likely to quit, 74% of them said that they had tried to quit several times.
We have heard this time and time again, that smoking tobacco is bad for our health, yet so many students are still turning to cigarettes for comfort or relaxation. People don’t still smoke just to be “cool,” right?
From a health standpoint, there really are only downfalls to smoking in the long run. The relaxation is temporary, and results in long-term suffering. The earlier a smoker quits, the closer they are to restored health. There is a 50% less chance of chronic heart disease within the first year of quitting, and the risk is the same as someone who does not smoke within ten years.
It’s a wonder that cigarettes are still legally available for purchase.
Compiled here, is a list of the many things that smoking hurts:
1. Your Wallet
This completely depends on how often you purchase a pack of cigarettes. But as students, we know that every couple of dollars could have been spent on so many other necessities.
2. The People Around You
Family, friends, acquaintance, and even people you don’t know suffer from SHS (Second-Hand Smoke) if you are smoking around them. SHS, which is also known as involuntary smoking, causes lung-cancer within people who have never even smoked a day in their lives. There are so many different people who you are interacting with throughout the day at work/school, in public, at home, in vehicles. The smell of cigarette smoke often lingers on one’s clothing long after they have had a smoke. Many people experience discomfort from the smell of cigarette smoke, such as trouble breathing, chest pain, and headaches. Even when a smoker is done with their cigarette, the person sitting next to them on the bus or in lecture is still suffering from the smoke on their breath and clothing.
3. The Environment/Animals
Cigarettes cause incredible amounts of pollution. Cigarette butts pollute not just the air, but also our water and soil. Found in bodies of water, they often end up killing fish and other animals around the water (like birds) who swallow them. The plants that grow in the soil polluted by cigarette butts also become polluted.
The production of cigarettes has a detrimental impact on the environment as well. A significant amount of pesticides are used to grow the delicate tobacco plants. Their manufacturing takes up many resources which could be better used in other places. For instance, there is a significant amount of paper wasted in rolling up each individual cigarette which. Cigarette smoke is already polluting the air, and on top of that the use of paper used to create the cigarettes is aiding in the amount of trees being cut down. The land, water, soil, and maintenance time used to grow tobacco plants could be spent on growing nutritious food and/or feeding the hungry.
In dry weather, cigarette butts can start fires. Also, the unbelievable amount of litter caused by cigarettes is made worse by the fact that they don’t biodegrade, and therefore the amount of litter is simply piling up.
4. Your Unborn Child(ren)
In men, smoking causes sperm damage, making the man less fertile and his embryos are less likely to survive.
For women, smoking causes reproductive problems such as with ovulation (damaged eggs), and early menopause. If smoking while pregnant, this can cause the baby difficulty breathing. It can also cause birth defects such as lung problems, premature birth, and an underweight baby. There is also an increased chance of miscarriage or a stillbirth.
SHS is known to cause SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). In the case of SIDS, a baby dies within the first year of being born (usually within 4 months). What typically happens is that the baby is put to sleep, and just doesn’t wake up.
5. Bodily Control
Plain and simple, the more that the smoking addiction has a hold of you, the less willpower you have.
6. Your Appearance
Smoking causes tooth decay, under-eye bags, premature aging, yellowed fingers, grayed skin, hair thinning, and the loss of elasticity in skin (which results in a gaunt appearance and more stretch marks). You also have a much greater risk of getting Psoriasis and Cataracts from smoking.
7. Your Immune System
A smoke is more likely to get illnesses in general. The amount of damage that smoking does to your body is great: Skin takes longer to heal, which results in more scarring. Smokers are more susceptible to HPV.
8. Athleticism
It is expected that people who smoke will get winded faster due to the damage they are doing to their lungs. Since smoking wrecks your arteries, you are more exposed to heart disease.
9. Your Life
Everyone seems to knows that smoking causes greater risk of lung cancer. But, studies show that smoking also contributes to other forms of cancer as well, such as throat, mouth, and esophageal cancer.