Cigarettes are more addictive than any other substance and the only products sold legally that kill half the people who use them as intended, according to Stephen Shapiro, M.D., of the University of Pittsburgh. Even if cigarettes don't kill you, they will greatly increase your risk of developing heart disease, various forms of cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other lung diseases.
Significance
Every year, more than 160,000 American men and women die from cigarette smoking-related cancers, such as mouth, esophageal, lung and kidney cancers, according to the Centers for Disease Control. More than 128,000 die from smoke-related cardiovascular conditions such as atherosclerosis, or clogged arteries, ischemic heart disease and other heart and arterial diseases. More than 103,000 die from respiratory diseases associated with smoking, such as emphysema, pneumonia and chronic airway obstruction. Adults who smoke die approximately 14 years earlier than nonsmokers, and Centers for Disease Control also estimates that of the 25 million Americans alive today who will die early from smoking-related causes, 5 million will be under 18 years of age.
Types
All types of cigarettes are harmful to your health, according to the American Cancer Society, whether they are mentholated or not, commercial or hand-rolled and regardless of their tar and nicotine levels. The same is true for smoking cigars and pipes. Even the smoke from herbal cigarettes is unsafe, because it also contains toxic compounds such as tar and carbon monoxide.
Features
Many of the substances in cigarette smoke are toxic chemicals that are lethal in high doses. These poisons include cyanide, arsenic, formaldehyde, butane, napthalene, carbon monoxide and lead. They are found in the tobacco, the cigarette paper, the paper coating, the paper adhesive and the filter.
Considerations
Even knowing that toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke can damage health and eventually cause death, people who start smoking often have a very hard time quitting because the nicotine in tobacco is so addictive. Once addicted, a smoker needs to smoke in order to feel comfortable. A study published in a 2006 issue of "Psychopharmacology" pointed out that other factors, including social behavior and possibly other chemical components of tobacco and smoke, also contribute to cigarette cravings and addiction. The researchers suggest this is why simply replacing cigarettes with nicotine patches or gum is not usually a successful treatment.
Potential
Most adults who smoke cigarettes started smoking when they were teenagers, according to the American Cancer Society. Not only does smoking eventually lead to health problems, addiction and even death, the American Cancer Society also reports that people who smoke are also more likely than nonsmokers to experiment with drugs, get involved in fights, carry weapons, practice high-risk sexual behaviors and attempt suicide.
References
- University of Pittsburgh: Health Consequences of Cigarette Smoking
- American Heart Association: Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Diseases
- American Cancer Society: Questions About Smoking, Tobacco and Health
- Centers for Disease Control: Tobacco-Related Mortality
- "Psychopharmacology": Nicotine and Nonnicotine Factors in Cigarette Addiction
