Smoking and alcohol consumption can destroy your health and your savings account. They are both expensive habits, and both can take a toll on your quality of life. The negative aspects of smoking and alcohol consumption seemingly outweigh the pleasure these indulgences offer. You should know you have little to gain when you smoke and drink alcohol.
Facts
Smoking delivers nicotine to the bloodstream, which results in a rise in blood pressure, breathing and heart rate. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, approximately 33 percent of cancers are due to smoking cigarettes. One of the chemicals in smoke from tobacco is cyanide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states secondhand smoke kills about 38,000 people a year. Drinking alcohol in excess is considered a disease--alcoholism--for which there is no cure. Because a woman has a smaller amount of water in her body than a man, she can drink the same amount of alcohol as a man and feel stronger effects.
Significance
Smoking and alcohol consumption affects the lives of those who use these drugs, and the lives of those around them. Although social drinking is a common practice accepted by many people, alcohol can have a negative effect on health. Smoking is harmful as well. Anyone who smokes and consumes alcohol should be aware of the dangers these habits possess. Since people who smoke and consume alcohol can easily become addicted to the nicotine in tobacco and to alcohol, it is best they know what they are getting themselves into before they start smoking or drinking.
Types
Types of smoking include cigarette smoking, cigar smoking and pipe smoking. A favorite of teens living in the United States are hand made, flavored cigarettes called bidis. Another type of smoking popular with teenagers is smoking tobacco out of a water pipe called a hookah.
Types of alcohol consumption include drinking beer, wine and hard liquor. Alcoholic drinks that come already mixed are other types of alcoholic beverages, and they are referred to as CABs, or caffeinated alcoholic beverages. CABs almost always contain more alcohol than beer, but unlike beer, these beverages contain caffeine.
Features
Tobacco contains more than 4,000 harmful substances, one of which is nicotine. Other toxic substances in tobacco include tar, carbon monoxide and nitrosamines. According to NIDA for Teens.gov, one cigarette holds approximately 20 milligrams of nicotine, and approximately 1 to 2 milligrams is taken into the lungs. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 300 doses of nicotine are taken into the body per 30 cigarettes smoked in a day.
Alcohol for consumption is actually ethyl alcohol, or ethanol. It is made when yeast, sugars and starches are fermented. Ethyl alcohol is a depressant to the central nervous system and it is put in all types of alcoholic beverages.
Warning
Smoking is a difficult habit to break for most people, and smoking is extremely harmful to your health. Many studies have shown teenagers could be more vulnerable to tobacco addiction than adults, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The smoke from tobacco contains carcinogenic substances such as carbon monoxide. Your risk of heart disease is raised when carbon monoxide is inhaled, and the tar in tobacco smoke causes an increased risk of lung cancer and respiratory problems. Smoking can harm an unborn baby, and smoke exhaled by a smoker can harm the health of those close by.
Alcohol consumption can have a negative effect on the entire body. It can slow the thought process and reaction time. This can be especially dangerous if someone drinks alcohol and then drives. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to liver damage, pancreatitis and cancer. Alcohol can also affect behavior and make a drinker violent.
References
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Alcohol
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: NIDA InfoFacts: Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products
- NIDA for Teens: Tobacco Addiction
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: FAQ for the General Public
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Alcohol and Public Health
