Smoking cigarettes is not only addictive but unhealthy and dangerous

The Dangers of Smoking 

Smoking is a habit that causes many serious diseases. Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals that are known carcinogens or have not been adequately studied yet. It also contains tar which causes airway obstruction and emphysema in smokers. One of the leading causes of death today in the United States is smoking, with 480,000 Americans dying from cigarette-related illnesses such as heart disease and lung cancer (http://www2a.cdc.gov/TCLEP/SFY_2011-2012.pdf). 

What are the Dangers of Smoking? 

Smoking is not just hazardous to your health but also highly addictive. The nicotine in cigarettes grips onto the nerves found in the brain. It prevents the release of certain neurotransmitters, which are responsible for blocking emotional memories. Smoking can increase one's risk of getting heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), peptic ulcer diseases, diminished lung function, drowsiness or sleep disturbances, reduced fertility, ability to smell or taste.

Smoking causes your skin to look older. It makes blood vessels more susceptible to damage, causing them to be weak and inflamed. When the arteries are weakened, they will have a hard time pumping blood through the body due to increased pressure on the walls of the arteries. Because of this, scar tissue or fatty deposits can develop within them, leading to potentially life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks or strokes.

Smoking can cause narrowing of the airways in your lungs, making breathing difficult for smokers who have cystic fibrosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, or bronchitis with mucus buildup. Smoking cigarettes can lead you down an addictive road that may never end even if you have been smoke-free for several years.

The temptation can take years off someone's life expectancy due to health problems caused by cigarettes that generally do not occur until much later on in adult age, such as emphysema (scarring of the lung).

Smokers have a 50% chance of developing coronary heart disease due to nicotine's ability to constrict arterial blood flow. When the arteries are constricted, the heart has a more challenging time pumping blood to the body, and the entire cardiovascular system is put under strain. When the body has consumed nicotine, your heart rate and blood pressure increase along with the heart's output. Smokers are at greater risk for myocardial infarction or heart attacks.

Out of all the dangers of smoking, the hardest one may be that it becomes incredibly addictive. If you are addicted to smoking, your body craves cigarettes every day. This addiction becomes your priority and makes it difficult for you to quit smoking. It can also be embarrassing if you smoke in public because people might discriminate against you. Other People may think that you are less than them because of what you choose to do with your time. People may judge smokers based on their own experiences. For example, if someone has lung cancer, they may blame a smoker for their existing illness. 

 Smoking could harm your loved ones too.

Secondhand or environmental smoke can be very harmful and dangerous to children and pets if they are constantly around smokers who don't wish to stop. If there are children in the house, parents should try not smoking indoors and find a way to quit their addiction instead of putting others at risk. Babies that are exposed to secondhand smoke may show symptoms of respiratory illness, such as pneumonia. They also have an increased risk for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke may have more frequent and severe asthma attacks. You can decrease these health risks for yourself and others by quitting smoking.

Quitting Smoking Is Important? 

Even though smoking is bad for many reasons, what's most important is how it can mess with the heart and blood vessels. Smoking causes severe damage to the lining of your arteries that can lead to major cardiovascular events. Smokers are more likely to get chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or lung cancer which studies have shown. It also increases your risk of getting coronary artery disease, leading to a heart attack or stroke. The good news is that quitting smoking not only improves your health but also prolongs life expectancy by an average of 10 years, according to studies.

After you've quit smoking, you'll feel better right away. You will start feeling the benefits of quitting the first day and the effects only get better over time as it reduces your risk of heart disease by half. Your lung function also improves within one week after quitting smoking. After one year, your stroke risk is reduced for a woman, and other cancers like bladder and cervical cancer occur less frequently. Smokers who want to become pregnant should quit as soon as 

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