You can list multiple reasons to smoke. You think it looks cool. Your friends do it. Glamorous celebrities light up. You know it makes your parents mad.
You're forgetting that smoking even at a young age puts you at risk for many short-term and long-term health hazards. The next time you're tempted to take a puff, think long and hard about what it can do to your body.
Diminished Lung Capacity
Jane Russel's Health Facts website notes that more DNA damage occurs in the lungs of people who start smoking during their teens than those of smokers who start during adulthood. When your lungs are still developing, they are more prone to permanent damage from smoking. The initial diminished lung capacity experienced by a teen smoker can hinder his ability to take part in sports. The lower levels of oxygen your body processes can leave you feeling more tired and lethargic than your non-smoking peers.
Gateway to Other Behaviors
Jocelyn Elders, a former United States surgeon general, has pointed to smoking as an indicator that teens may consider other risky behavior. This could include drinking and using drugs, which could have more immediate negative effects on your life. Unsafe sex is another risky behavior which could give you an untreatable disease or result in teen pregnancy, both of which will permanently change your life.
Lower Immunity and General Health Concerns
If you are a teen smoker, you will experience poorer general health than nonsmokers. The Step Up website, which lists the hazards of smoking and ways to avoid the habit, notes that smoking can cause tooth decay, reduced immune functioning, gum disease and gene mutations that could lead to cancer. Smoking is also linked to anxiety and depression among teens, according to Jane Russel's Health Facts, and these conditions can exacerbate other prominent health concerns among teenagers, such as eating disorders or mental illness.
Abnormal Heart Function
Heart disease is a serious long-term outcome of cigarette smoking, but there are short-term effects that you will notice as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking narrows your blood vessels and reduces circulation. It also causes swelling and weakening of the aorta, which can produce blood clots and further stunt your circulation. Poor circulation affects your ability to take part in physical activities and, combined with your reduced lung capacity, will prevent you from participating in sports and other social outlets for teens.
Social Exclusion
Smoking gives you bad breath and stains your teeth. The smell of cigarette smoke will also cling to your clothes. While you may initially be tempted to smoke in order to fit in with a particular peer group, you will soon find that other friends will be less attracted to you as your appearance and odor become unpleasant. This side effect of smoking, along with the limits placed on your activities due to your lung capacity and reduced circulation, can diminish your social circle.
