“Whether you smoke 5 cigarettes a day or 50, there is no doubt that smoking is extremely bad for you and will seriously affect your health in some way (The effects of smoking).” Smoking is one of the largest causes of preventable diseases and premature death; it has been estimated that Globally 2.5 million people die each year from smoking. People who take up smoking become addicted and don’t realize how harmful the affects it has on their body, but the longer they smoke the more prone they are to catching a fatal illness, such as lung cancer, emphysema, asthma, liver cancer, etc… (The effects of smoking). While peer-pressure is a major lead to smoking, the affects that occur to a smoker’s body leave more unpleasant permanent damages including, mental and physical addiction, a decrease in life spam, and unwanted characteristics.
To begin, one major cause to smoking is peer-pressure. Many young adults are pressured into smoking from watching family or getting a positive image from friends. For instance, scientific research proves that many young adults were influenced into smoking by observing their friends or family smoke, as well as by the parents’ approval or disapproval of smoking (Smoking Addiction-Facts and Remedies ). To further explain; if a teen is constantly around those who smoke and their parents approve of the situation then they might be positively pressured into smoking and eventually develop a habit for it. Or in a vise-versa situation teens can be pressured to smoke to show retaliation to their disapproving parents or family. Also, many adolescents begin smoking from the pressure of their friends and society. For instance, when friends make smoking seem okay and acceptable, or in other words “in style”, then adolescents will feel an urge to fit in, even it means going into extremes so they might develop a habit to smoking in front of their friends and eventually smoke unconsciously. In fact, “Young people who have at least three friends who smoke are ten times more likely to smoke than young people who have no friends who smoke.” (Smoking Peer Pressure Facts). Thus, peer-pressure can lead many adolescents into a bad habit of smoking, but this bad habit eventually leads to addiction.
First, a major and fatal consequence of smoking is addiction. Smokers become addicted to one of the most powerful and addictive drugs used in cigarettes such as nicotine. This drug produces a very pleasant physical and mental pleasure that smokers cannot resist. For example, when nicotine enters a person’s body it raises their adrenaline and increases their heart rate, and although these effects might seem unpleasant to a person at first, a smoker eventually develops a tolerance to the drug and instead notice the positive effects of nicotine, which include the relaxing and smoothing of muscles (Nicotine Addiction). These few moments of relaxation keep smokers addicted to cigarettes for a better mood. Also, another effect of nicotine on smokers that keeps them addicted is the feeling of excitement and anxiousness. These feelings develop from nicotine’s ability to stimulate a body; and although the desirable feelings wear off smokers just depend on more cigarettes to bring back the feelings (Facts About Smoking), and in the end become addicted to these feelings/cigarettes. In the end, the pleasure nicotine brings to a human’s body is not worth the risk of a shorter life.
Second, smoking has harmful effects on the body that can lead to pre-mature death. In fact, smoking reduces a persons’ life expectancy from anywhere from 7 to 30 years (The effects of smoking). For example, smoking leads to the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries. The clogging of the arteries increases the chance of a heart attack, thus leading to a higher risk of pre-mature death. Also, smoking decreases the oxygen supply in smokers’ bodies by destroying tiny air sacs, and narrowing small blood vessels in the lungs. This eventually leads to the buildup of tar in the lungs that cause lung disease; and the more tar is developed and the more air sacs destroyed the higher chance one has of dying early (Facts About Smoking). In conclusion, smoking can have a great factor in determining one’s life expectancy by decreasing their good health; smoking can also have a great effect on one’s appearance as well.
Last, smoking can have very negative effects on the inner body, and smoking can also create unpleasant impressions. Cigarettes have a very powerful smell due to the chemicals used to make them. This powerful smell isn’t very pleasant especially when it remains with you. For instance, smoking can leave you with bad breath, smelly clothes, as well as a smelly home. These negative characteristics won’t work to one’s advantage when if one hopes to make a good impression (Facts About Smoking). Also, smoke contains a decent amount of tar and nicotine. The higher the amount of these products inhaled the more stained the smokers’ teeth will be (How does Smoking Cause Yellow Teeth? ), and to be honest, who wants stained teeth, when today people go to extremes to have nice white teeth, so why let cigarettes ruin your smile? In n the end, the five minutes it takes to smoke a cigar is not worth the negative effect of personal outlook.
While peer-pressure is a major lead to smoking, the affects that occur to a smoker’s body leave more unpleasant permanent damages including, mental and physical addiction, a decrease in life spam, and unwanted characteristics. Smoking is not the best decision one can make. Life is already short as it is, why let smoking make it shorter? Cigarettes are not worth the money, when all they lead to is addiction, poor health, and bad hygiene. If people do struggle to quit this bad habit then all they need to do is speak up, have courage. There are so many organizations made to help those wanting to quit smoking; but sometimes one needs to trust their self, “in the end if a person is determined to stop, then they will stand in the way of their fears and quit.