Since the U.S. Surgeon General's 1964 report linking tobacco use and lung cancer, health problems have been the focus of the bad effects of smoking. A decline in health, however, causes many other consequences that decrease the quality of life for millions of smokers. Public health officials' attempts to curb cigarette smoking result in high tobacco prices and taxes, putting a serious dent in smokers' finances. A decline in social acceptance of the habit often puts smokers on the outside of social and career opportunities.
Smoking Causes Addiction
Nicotine, the substance that makes cigarette smoking "good" to smokers, is also the source of the bad contingencies of tobacco use. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nicotine acts on the brain to produce mental and physical pleasure. A dependency forms when smokers build a tolerance to nicotine and need more of it throughout the day to achieve the same effect.
Being addicted to cigarettes has many bad consequences, including serious health problems, but perhaps the worst is the difficulty of quitting. The NIDA reports that fewer than 10 percent of smokers are physically or mentally unable to break the habit.
Smoking Causes Death
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists a variety of potentially fatal diseases and medical emergencies related to cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke. These include lung cancer, leukemia, heart attack, stroke, aortic aneurysm, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and sudden infant death syndrome. Those don't include the lesser health problems associated with tobacco use, such as cataracts, periodontitis and osteoporosis, which can lead to blindness, tooth loss and bone fractures.
Smoking Limits Activity
Respiratory and cardiovascular decline caused by smoking gradually reduced exercise tolerance, physical fitness and the activity levels of smokers, as the American Heart Association reports. Walking short distances, climbing stairs or performing everyday tasks can leave smokers breathless. Difficulty in getting around and taking part in events curtails smokers' social lives. The American Lung Association notes that at least half of all smokers surveyed said that smoking-related lung diseases kept them from working, exercising and sleeping well. Smokers also reported that their health problems limited their family and social activities.
Smoking Drains Wallets
Nicotine dependence never takes a day off, which means that the expense of tobacco use is perpetual. A pack-a-day habit can cost as much as $10, according to the American Lung Association. That figure doesn't factor in the price of increased medical bills and sick days missed from work due to cigarette smoking. Employers who must decide between retaining a smoker or a nonsmoker may well consider the gap in their productivity.
