Alexander Carlsson E Block Physical Education

“Smoking Kills.”

“Every day in the United States, more than 3,000 young people

become regular smokers-that's more than one million new smokers a

year.”
 What’s the problem?

In society today smoking has become a major problem for the youth. This is because of

all the negative effects that smoking brings, which includes both health, social, and economical

problems. Health effects include both long term effects such as respiratory diseases, heart problems,

cancers, vascular diseases and aging, and short term effects such as damaged lungs, yellowing of the

skin and bad breath. Social effects include alienation and other limitations to your life. A smoker is

also affected economically, because of the costs of smoking. Also, when people start smoking at an

early age and then continue for the rest of their lives, the effects of these problems will be increased

because they get hooked and cannot stop. An example of the many interesting statistics about

smoking is that male and female smokers lose an average of 13.2 and 14.5 years of life, respectively.

Because of all the issues brought about by smoking, it is a very real and true problem, and something

needs to be done about it. 

 
Characteristics of the issue

Health effects:

When people smoke their health suffers. A cigarette contains about 4000 chemicals,

many of which are poisonous, and when a smoker inhales the fumes of a cigarette these reach the

different parts of the body and cause all kinds of problems. Young people, however, are especially

vulnerable to the negative health effects of smoking. This is because their bodies are still growing and

are therefore more exposed to danger. Smoking both has long term and short term effects:

The long term effects - When a smoker has exposed his body to the dangerous properties of

smoking for a longer period of time the body will suffer greatly. It's usually the body's respiratory

system (the lungs) that suffers the most damage. Pneumonia and chronic bronchitis are just two of

the respiratory infections that result from long term use. Emphysema is a lung disease that is

irreversible, incurable and can even cause death.

overworks as a result of smoking, heart attack and other heart diseases are also related to smoking.

Many kinds of cancers are common in relation to smoking. Lung, mouth, throat,

stomach, bladder, and cervix cancer are just some of the cancers that are caused by smoking. These

cancers are caused by the direct contact that smoke makes with different parts of the body when a

smoker inhales. A smoker with these types of cancers may end up needing to get a stoma, which

provides an opening into the throat for breathing; because the original body parts fail to do their

jobs.

Vascular diseases (related to the circulation of blood) are also a common long term

effect of smoking. Because a smoker’s body has to work harder to get blood to the body, problems

can arise. An example is the formation of painful ulcers that are often impossible to cure.

Another long term effect of smoking is aging. This is because smoking contains

chemicals that speed up the aging process, causing smokers to die about 10 years before their time.

A stoma in the throat

A lot of people believe that smoking will only affect them later on in their lives.

Because of this many young people smoke thinking they can worry about the negative effects later

on in their lives. This is however untrue, because there are also many short term effects related to

smoking, that affects young people the very moment they inhale smoke. An example is how a smoker

permanently kills air sacs in the lungs each time he smokes. This results in the smoker being less

capable of doing activities that require breathing such as singing or running. Another effect is that it

creates an addiction to nicotine, which in turn can lead to the use of other drugs that contain

nicotine (i.e. snuff), as well as making it harder to stop smoking. Also, a person's blood pressure and

heart rate are increased when smoke is inhaled, which means the heart is working harder than it

should. This can lead to many other heart problems, (both long and short term). Other short term

effects include bad breath, stained teeth and fingers, coughing, and reduced taste and smell. The

immune system of a smoker is also negatively affected, which leaves the smoker more vulnerable to

colds and flues.

Smoking also has many social effects. For one, it can lead to social alienation. In

today’s society smoking has become a taboo and is prohibited in many public areas such as

restaurants or malls. This can result in a smoking addict being left out and alienated, because he

chooses smoking above other things. Also, because of the dangers of second hand smoking (being

close to someone who smokes and inhaling the fumes), people may not want to spend time with a

smoker because they know the dangers that will be brought to them if they do. For a young addict

this is especially noteworthy, because young people have a greater need to belong and to have

friends, which will be harder if he is a smoker. Also, because of the negative health effects smoking

has, a smoker may also be less capable of participating in certain social events. For example,

breathing is more difficult for a smoker, and therefore he may not be able to go skiing with his

friends because he gets tired too quickly (again just an example). This will also affect young people

significantly, because the things they do during their youth are likely to shape them into the human

beings they are, and if they miss out on something then smoking may be the one to blame.

“Smoking was banned in all enclosed “public” places, including every pub, club and

bar, in England on July 1st, 2007”

Smoking does not only affect the health and social life of a smoker, but it also affects a

smoker economically. This is because of the cost of smoking. Obviously, a smoker will be affected

more or less depending on how much he smokes, but any amount of money wasted on cigarettes

could be used for something much better and healthier for that person; any money

used on cigarettes is money lost. This effect of smoking can hit youths especially bad,

because they are only given a small amount of money which is supposed to be used on

something fun (for example a game or a fun experience), but when that is wasted on

smoking, they can no longer afford those fun experiences. Also, if someone who is hooked on

smoking experiences a shortage of money, they can get desperate and ultimately resort to stealing or

other crimes to get their cigarettes. Again, this can hit teens and youths especially, because they are

more vulnerable to fall into bad circles such as criminality. The economical effects of smoking can be

regarded as both a short term and long term effect. As a short term effect, money lost when a

smoker pays for a pack or two of cigarettes could be used for something else like food at that instant,

but because the person needed a smoke he could not afford that food anymore. As a long term

effect, all the cumulative money used on buying cigarettes and lighters will add up to so much that it

replaces something else that the person could have bought instead,

like a nicer house or a vacation.

“…a pack a day smoker has a $250/month habit. Just the

cigarettes add up to $3,000 a year up in smoke.”

“Tobacco and poverty are inextricably linked. Many studies have shown

that in the poorest households in some low-income countries as much as 10% of total household expenditure is

on tobacco. This means that these families have less money to spend on basic items such as food, education

and health care.”

puts the savings into a 401(k) could save almost $250,000 by age 70.”

 The reasons for the problem

So how did the problem arise? Smoking has been a part of life ever since 5000

BC.  However, the rise of tobacco has been very drastic in a short period of time and if it weren't for

certain historical actions, characters and courses of events, then maybe cigarette smoking wouldn't

play such a major role in a huge number of our lives. Lately, in recent times, the media has played a

significant role in spreading tobacco smoking. They have made smoking look attractive and cool, and

this is one of the main reasons smoking has became so widespread.

So why do people start smoking? Well, to start off, there are not many smokers who

started smoking after the age of eighteen. In fact, the majority of smokers took up the habit in their

early or mid teens. At such a young age, you don't really think about the health risks of smoking and

you certainly do not realize how addictive smoking can be. As a teenager you probably think that you

can try smoking a few times and then take it or leave it. However, the reality is that it doesn't take

long to become addicted to nicotine and smoking. Within a short period of time, children can

experience the same cravings and withdrawal symptoms as an adult, as well as smoke as many

cigarettes or more. There are several reasons as to why children or teenagers start smoking. Peer

pressure plays an important part. Many children start smoking because their friends have tried it or

smoke themselves. Those children may have started as they have grown up in an environment where

their parents, grandparents and older siblings smoke, and so they smoke in

order to look and act like them. Other children start smoking as an act of

rebellion or defiance against their parents or people of authority. The media also

plays an important part in people starting smoking. In movies, advertisements,

and in popular culture good looking and healthy people are seen smoking, so
Nicotine, the property of cigarettes
which makes them addictive.
people get the message that they should smoke too. 

So why do people continue smoking? The dangers of smoking are known by almost
everyone, but yet smokers continue, and new smokers come about every day.

Most people who smoke do so because they can't stop. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance that

makes people feel energized and alert. Smokers get a rush after a cigarette, and giving up produces

withdrawal symptoms that include difficulty sleeping and cravings. Seventy percent of people who

quit smoking eventually start again. Smoking also produces psychological dependency.

Many people smoke because it helps them relax and cope with difficult situations, or because it gives

them confidence. Others smoke when they feel bored. Smoking produces a feeling of satisfaction

that's difficult to give up. Finally, people who smoke are usually in denial: they know that smoking is

bad, but they convince themselves it's simply not as terrible as they make it sound.

“There are over one thousand million smokers throughout the world, which is an astonishing number,

considering the harm smoking does to your body, which we are all well aware of. “ 

 
Why are young people vulnerable to start smoking?

Like with many things, younger people are more likely to start smoking than others.

This is because they are more vulnerable. Young people have a great need to belong and feel

accepted, and because of this some turn to smoking because they think that it makes them look cool

and more mature. Also, if some of their friends smoke, they may believe that they only way for them

to be accepted is that if they smoke as well. Peer pressure, which is when others try to persuade you

into doing something, is also a very common reason for young people to start smoking.  Another

reason why young people are more likely to smoke is that they may be more ignorant to its effects.

Also, because the media knows all this, they sometimes target the youths especially. They know that

if they get a teenager hooked on smoking, then they have a customer that will last a whole lifetime,

as opposed to if they get an old person hooked, because he will not stay around to buy cigarettes for

the same amount of time. Young people are also still in the process of developing. This means that

they are more open to new ideas and are more likely to actually start smoking than someone else.

“Nearly all first time smoking

happens before high school

graduation.”
This chart shows how most smokers started when they were between 15 and 16 years old.

How to deal with the problem

Because of all the negative effects of smoking, everyone who does it should quit. This

can however be quite hard, because to do this one has to get rid of the nicotine addiction that a

smoker has. There are several different ways to get rid of that addiction, many which involve

guidelines for how to live your life in a way where you can eventually end the addiction. However,

according to studies, around 70% of people who once attempt quitting, start all over again later on.

This truly shows how it can be really difficult to get rid of the addiction. Despite this, here are some

tips on how to quit smoking:

 Seek help. Stopping smoking by yourself can be really

hard. Therefore, try to seek out either professional help on

the subject (you can use the link below) that can guide you

through the process. Many groups and organizations also

offer written materials, programs, and advice to help

smokers quit for good. Your doctor or dentist is also a

good source of help and support. Having someone nearby

who supports you, like a good friend or a family member, is also very helpful. This is because

they can help you stay motivated.

 Try to find an alternative to smoking. This can include something like nicotine gum, but can

also be something like a hobby that takes up your time, giving you less

time to smoke. A hobby would also fill up your mind, making it easier
 to forget about smoking. Another example could be to focus on school and spend more time

on work, because it would keep you busy with something healthy.

 Set goals. By setting goals of when and how you should stop smoking, you get more

determined and it becomes easier in the long run.

 Write down why you want to quit . This can include to get better control in life, to get better

health, to be a better role model, to be a better family member, etc. Really wanting to quit

smoking is very important to how much success you will have in quitting. Smokers who live

after a heart attack are the most likely to quit for good—they're very motivated. Find a

reason for quitting before you have no choice.

Additional resources for stopping smoking:

Here is a link for a website with several different phone numbers and links that can help you stop

smoking: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/how_to_quit/index.htm

This link is also very helpful in trying to stop smoking. It provides guidelines specific to the smoker

himself: http://www.smokefree.gov/
1-800-QUIT-NOW, is a free, phone-based service with educational materials and coaches that can

help you quit smoking or chewing tobacco

 Works cited:

  http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/how_to_quit/quit_tips/index.htm

http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/smokeinfo.html

http://www.who.int/tobacco/research/youth/health_effects/en/index.html

http://parentingteens.about.com/od/tobaccouse/a/teen_smoking23.htm

http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teensmoking.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Long-Term-Effects-Of-Smoking-You-May-Not-Have-Been-Aware-
Of&id=962163

 http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/smoking_environ.php

http://www.everydayhealth.com/smoking-cessation/living/smoking-slip-up-9-ways-to-get-back-on-
track.aspx

http://blogs.pcworld.com/phoneconnection/archives/two%20people%20talking.gif

http://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-people-smoke.htm

http://www.helpwithsmoking.com/why-people-smoke.php