Smoking has been around for centuries and tobacco remains a popular product despite the health warnings issued by doctors, scientists and government officials. Many people are repulsed by the habit of smoking and laws have banned its use in many public places. Other people have managed to give it up, but its seemingly romantic image throughout society continues to attract new smokers.
History
Native Americans are believed to have cultivated the tobacco plant and used tobacco in pipes for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. Christopher Columbus brought back tobacco leaves and seeds to Europe, where tobacco became popular in the 1500s. It was thought to be an effective medicine. The health effects of smoking became a concern for medical researchers in the early 20th century.
Addiction
Nicotine creates pleasant feelings that can cause a desire to smoke more, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Nicotine provides a bit of an adrenaline rush that is not overwhelming, but increases the heart rate and blood pressure. Nicotine can reach the brain within seconds to activate the chemical compound dopamine that helps in the formation of epinephrine, an adrenaline hormone. The mild rush the smoker feels wears off in a few minutes, causing an urge to smoke again.
Ingredients
The addictive drug nicotine is just one of many cancer-causing chemicals in smoke inhaled from cigarettes, the ACS says. Other chemicals in cigarette smoke include cyanide, formaldehyde, methanol, ammonia and the poisonous gases nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide.
Considerations
Many people who become regular smokers want to quit because of worries about health or immediate effects, such as shortness of breath and coughing. But they become physically and emotionally dependent on nicotine, and the withdrawal symptoms often prevent them from quitting. Effects of withdrawal can include irritability, nervousness, headaches and insomnia. It often takes willpower to fight off urges to receive the pleasurable feelings from smoking, and people trying to quit sometimes use nicotine replacement therapy such as nicotine gum or patches to continue to receive nicotine doses and ward off physical symptoms. In this way, they can focus more attention on breaking the emotional attachment to smoking.
Warning
Smoking causes 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths in men and 80 percent of all lung cancer deaths in women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Smoking also contributes to cancers of the mouth, esophagus, larynx, kidney, pancreas, bladder, stomach, cervix and uterus. Tobacco smoke damages the airways to the lungs, leading to emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking also can cause heart disease by narrowing the arteries and reducing blood flow to the heart. Smokers increase their risk of heart disease by two to four times compared with nonsmokers, the CDC says.
Attraction
Despite warnings about the harmful effects of smoking, new smokers take up the habit, often in their teen years. Cigarette smoking has always had a glamorous reputation in movies, advertisements and culture. Many teen idols in the film and music industry are seen smoking, and the ACS says young people who see smoking in movies are more likely to take it up. The ACS warns that teens who smoke are also more likely to use other drugs. Although smoking is not as popular as it was decades ago, about 46 million American adults smoke cigarettes, according to the ACS. A 2007 survey suggests that one in three high school students used some form of tobacco, the ACS notes.
