Smoking: More than just a Habit
Smoking, today, has been transformed from a personal habit to a social practice, and without exaggeration, to a social illness, as its scope of negative influence continues to grow. According to the world population statistics, as of 2009, there were already about 6.8 billion people who smoked - this is roughly 20% of the whole human population. Among these include 25% of American teens and 21% of American adults. Now this is very alarming considering that 1,000 new cases of smokers are recorded daily in the United States alone. If this continues, it will not be surprising if the figures balloon in the coming years, with the inclusion of incidences of smoking-borne diseases and deaths. As of the moment, smoking kills one out of ten people. In the future it will surely kill 6.
Smoking currently accounts for 4 million deaths and 41 health problems, most of which are debilitating and detrimental to the quality of one’s life. These are as follows:
• Cancer of the mouth
• Cancer of the throat
• Cancer of the esophagus
• Cancer of the larynx
• Lung cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Liver cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Cancer of the bladder
• Pancreatic cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Cancer of the penis
• Cancer of the anus
• Cardiovascular disease
• Coronary heart disease
• Congestive heart failure
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Peripheral artery disease
• Ischaemic heart disease
• Angina
• Atherosclerosis
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm
• High blood pressure
• Leukaemia
• Emphysema
• Chronic bronchitis
• Pneumonia
• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Stomach ulcers
• Crohn’s disease
• Cataracts
• Gum disease
• Premature aging of the skin
• Loss of smell and taste
• Osteoporosis (women)
• Gangrene
• Reduced fertility
• Impotence
If people do not stop, they will eventually suffer these consequences and live a very short and complicated life. But how is it that smoking is such a difficult practice to beat? How come people find it so challenging to quit and even prefer to forgo their health for a stick?
Well, smoking contains nicotine, which can be very addictive. It influences the nervous system, helping smokers relax and feel good with every whiff. The more cigarettes they consume, the higher the level of nicotine in the blood stream gets and the more pleasurable the feeling is. But as this exposure is prolonged, nicotine effects become duller. Hence, more and more sticks are required to be lit in order for a person to achieve that elating feeling again. Moreover, a psychological factor is also at work with smoking. People become dependent on it, to the point they consider themselves powerless. This is the reason why there are those who experience rebound smoking after quitting for so long. A “need” resurfaces from their subconscious that insists on being satisfied.
Hence, it is understandable why smoking is now considered, partly, an illness itself. Unlike a habit which you can control and stop anytime, smoking takes over you and causes you an assortment of harm.