Lighting up a cigarette is the beginning of a destructive habit that is difficult to break. Because nicotine is addictive, you quickly get hooked on cigarettes, eventually smoking because you need to rather than want to, according to Kids Health. The damage from cigarette smoke is cumulative, building bit by bit from each cigarette smoked.
Smokers are Starting Earlier
Students--middle school and high school-- are smoking cigarettes. As of 2007, 20 percent of high school students had taken up this habit nationwide; the most recent survey of students in middle school revealed that, as of 2009, 6 percent had begun smoking, according to the American Cancer Society.
The young smokers of today become tomorrow's adult smokers, unless they successfully break their smoking habit. As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 46 million adults were smoking as of 2008. Broken down, this equates to 20.6 percent of all adults in the United States--18.3 percent women and 23.1 percent men.
Social Effects of Smoking
While smoking might look "suave and cool," in reality, the effects smokers experience aren't good. The smoke lingers on your breath, skin and clothing, making you smell bad. If you're around someone who doesn't like the smell of cigarette smoke, or if they are allergic to the smell, they start to avoid being around you.
The nicotine in cigarettes stains your teeth and fingers, turning them yellow. Because of how cigarettes affect your health, you start having a more difficult time keeping up during physical education classes and when playing sports with your friends. You get more colds and coughs as well, according to Kids Health.
Tobacco products and cigarettes are expensive, meaning that the money you spend on these items is money you can't spend for other items--or save.
Cigarette-Related Diseases
Cigarettes are linked to the following types of cancer: lung, larynx, pharynx or voice box, bladder, kidney, esophagus, oral cavity--your lips, mouth and tongue--pancreas, cervix and stomach. Acute myeloid leukemia has also been linked to cigarette smoking, according to the American Cancer Society.
Smoking is linked to nearly nine out of 10 lung cancer deaths, reports the American Cancer Society. This is one of the hardest cancers to treat successfully and can also be prevented.
Additional Health Issues
Other health issues related to smoking include emphysema, bronchitis, stroke, heart disease and aneurysms.
Smokers can develop circulatory problems, known as peripheral artery disease (PAD), in their legs and arms. These patients can undergo surgery to correct the problem, but some surgeons refuse to operate on patients unless they quit this habit.
Patients with asthma or pneumonia who smoke can make their illnesses worse.
Additional health problems include cataracts, gum disease, hip fractures, peptic ulcers, thinning bones and macular degeneration.
Women still in their reproductive years can damage their reproductive health and fertility. Smoking during pregnancy can harm the fetus, with a higher risk of miscarriage, premature delivery and stillbirth. Babies born to smoking mothers can be born weighing less than they should and these babies are at higher risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Secondhand, or environmental, tobacco smoke can affect the health of those around a smoker. Other adults and children can develop health problems related to the cigarette smoke they breathe in, according to the American Cancer Society.
