It has been over decades that the holy fight to reduce smoking in countries does not show gigantic progress. Today, an estimated of one in four men and one in five women still smoke.
To non-smokers, it has always been a mystery why smokers continue to smoke despite all the health damage discovery of smoking. Smoking is the number one killer in America for it increases the risk for heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke and other health problems, tremedously.
Is smoking a habit that really worth the risk?
Most smokers do realise the dangers of smoking but they do not seem to be wary of these until the problems surface, and sadly, it would be too late to reverse anything. Smokers (mostly in developed countries) also can feel the stress financially but they seem to be able to overcome this problem. Some smokers can skip meals but not smoking.
The fact that the nicotine in cigarettes is highly addictive stops smokers from quitting smoking. In addiction, smoking does provide psychological comfort to some smoekrs. After all, quitting smoking is too difficult.
There are researches done in regarding to quit smoking. The benefits of quitting become more visible over the years and the drawbacks of not quitting have been clear.
Smoking impacts and ruins your looks.
There are many ways that smoking can cause damage to your physical appearance. Looks is the first thing anyone would judge you on, and so why do you want to get a lower rating?
Bags under your eyes
Smokers are four times as likely as non-smokers to suffer from feeling unrested after waking up due to nicotine withdrawal that make them tossing around on bed. Having poor sleep, you may suffer from bags under your eyes.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an autoimmune-related skin condition that creates patches of marks on your skin. The risk for getting psoriasis increases the longer you smoke. If you smoke a packet of cigarette a day, psoriasis risk will increase by 20% of a non-smoker; if you have been smoking for the past 20 years, your psoriasis risk is 60% higher; and if you smoker longer than that, the risk doubles or more. Second-hand smoking for pregnant ladies and children is the cause of psoriasis as well.
Icky teeth
Nicotine stains teeth. Smokers have high risk of getting yellowish teeth. Teeth whitening procedure is costly.
Premature aging and wrinkles
Smoking increases the risk of skin wrinkling and smokers age faster than non-smokers. Smokers look 1.4 years older than non-smokers, on average, due to the smoke hampering the blood supply that keeps skin tissue looking supple and healthy.
Yellow fingers
The nicotine not only stains your teeth but your fingers and nails too. The person who does handshake with you may be turned off by your hands and it creates a very bad impression.
Hair drop and gray hair
The toxic chemicals in smoke damage the DNA in hair follicles and generate cell-damaging free radicals. Smokers will suffer from thinner hair and their hair will turn gray earlier. With thinner hair, smokers will suffer from hair drop and thus they have higher risk of becoming bald.
Scarring
Nicotine causes vasoconstriction. Smokers' blood vessels are being narrowed and oxygen-rich blood may not be able to reach their tiny blood vessels in their faces or other parts of the bodies. Therefore, healing process of wounds would take longer and thus smokers will have bigger and redder scars than non-smokers.
Tooth loss
According to a 2005 U.K. study in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, smokers are up to six times more likely than non-smokers to develop gum disease, which can lead to tooth loss.
Natural glow is gone
Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide, which displaces the oxygen in smokers' skin. With the aid of nicotine, which reduces blood flow, smokers' skin is dry and discoloured. Nutrients such as vitamin C are depleted, reducing their skin's self repairing and protection ability. A 1985 study came up with the term Smoker's Face to describe certain facial characteristics, such as wrinkles, gauntness, and a gray appearance of the skin, caused by smoking. Smoking is so not cool.
Slower wound healing
Smokers do not heal as well after surgeries such as tooth extractions, periodontal and face-lifts procedures. Some surgeons will not perform cosmetic surgery for smokers until they agree to kick the habit.
Warts
Warts can be caused by a large family of viruses known as human papillomavirus. Smokers are more susceptible to such infection. Female smokers are four times as likely to suffer from gential warts than non-smokers.
Skin cancer
smokers are three times as likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common type of skin cancer, than nonsmokers.
Stretch marks
Nicotine damages fibers and connective tissue in smoker's skin to make them lose elasticity and strength. Cigarette is one of the causes for stretch marks and red skin striations other than gaining weight rapidly.
Flabby tummy
Smokers have more visceral fat than non-smokers and it pads internal organs and can accumulate in midsection, ultimately increasing the risk of other diseases such as diabetes.
Cataracts
Cigarette smoking can increase the risk of cataracts by putting oxidative stress on the lens of the eye. The amount of cigarettes smoked was a more important risk factor than how long someone smoked.
Smoking harms you financially.
Money cannot buy happiness, but without money, you cannot buy many things. Why do you want to burn your money away? Even if you are rich, why don't you contribute to the society by donating the money spent on cigarettes to the needy, instead of causing harms?
Smokers are poorer than how rich they are supposed to be.
Cigarettes are expensive. In countries where efficient governments have foreseen the health hassle caused by smoking, they have resolved to set laws and campaigns to strongly discourage smokers from smoking. One useful ways to force smokers to reduce or even quit smoking is to increase the tax of cigarettes, in such a way that smokers have to pay higher price in order to damage their own health. Smokers also have to buy refreshers to eliminate their bad breath or perfume to cover up their body odour. For every stick of cigarette burnt, it is similar to burning a piece of dollar note.
Smokers, on average, have poorer health than non-smokers.
And as a result, smokers have to visit the doctors more often. Since there is a higher chance for smokers to be contracted with diseases, they may have to pay more to cure their illness in future.
Smokers have to pay higher price when they buy insurance.
Life insurance for certain insurance companies cost more than twice as much for smokers versus non-smoker. Smokers also have to pay higher amount of money for medical insurance. Since smokers' houses are more likely to catch fire, home insurance is more costly as well.
Smoking in car can dramatically drop its resale value.
The smoke not only creates awful smell but also stinks on the interior of the car.
Smoking causes your health.
You may be one of the few lucky ones who are not affected in your health, but can you be assured that you are one of them? Why do you want to risk your own health?
Smokers on average hit the bucket about 10 years quicker.
Due to all the harmful effects of smoking, most smokers have shorter lifespan than non-smokers.
Smokers on average cannot focus as well as non-smokers.
They have to depend on puffing each time to regain their concentration but each cigarette can only last them for a limit period of time.
Smokers on average have poorer health than non-smokers.
Due to the effects of smoking, smokers tend to cough (known as smoker cough) more often and have weaker immune system and thus weaker health. Smokers also have higher risk of getting cancer, heart attacks, strokes, early death and cataracts. Smokers' sense of smell and taste may be affected as well.
There are numerous of proven effects of smoking
which smokers are meddling with. Cigarettes are disastrous.
Smoking creates social problems for you and others.
No man is an island, and thus you have to maintain good relationship with others. But smoking often gives non-smokers bad impression and sometimes it does create conflicts. Besides, smoking affects yourself in other aspects as well.
Smokers on average are less presentable than non-smokers.
They may have dirty teeth and bad breath, or even body odour. This will certainly give bad impression to some people. To some people, smokers are recognised as hooligans or at least they give the impression.
Smokers are more hated.
If you open your eyes wide every day, you can see that there are obviously more non-smokers than smokers in this world. Some smokers are hated by non-smokers greatly because of the impacts that the smokers have caused on them, such as second hand smoke. Basically, smokers have higher chances to be hated by others, especially regarding the issues of cigarette litter and smoking in public places.
Smokers waste more time than non-smokers.
Cigarette breaks take up time. Buying cigarettes can be time consuming. Sometimes, smokers even have to search for lighter. Imagine the amount of time smokers can save if they have quitted smoking, more useful stuffs can be done.
Smoking is prohibited in many places.
Smokers get "locked out" of places like shopping centres which do not allow smoking. During outings with friends, they often have to stay outside in open areas to finish up their cigarettes before they can go in to join their groups of friends. At times, they also have to worry if their current locations are smoking prohibited.
Smokers set bad example for youngsters.
Smokers are human beings and they are basically kind. Most smokers know the effects of smoking but they continue to smoke. However, they do not wish their children or the younger generation to smoke, but they do not realise they are actually influencing the younger generation to smoke by doing it. This is also known as parental smoking.
When other smoking cessation aids have failed to help you quit, perhaps you should give addiction counseling a try, because it just might work for you
You can be a hero to encourage smokers to quit smoking.
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Is smoking a habit that really worth the risk?
