Eighty-five percent of teens surveyed that they started smoking under the age of twenty-one, reported surgeon general.  High school students with one to five years smoking experience have excessive cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath. Every day more teen smokers arise in our society. What most smokers do not understand, is really how harmful cigarettes are to their overall health. There are hundreds of factors and reasons to show how destructive cigarettes really are.

One of the far most shocking factors is the ingredients used in cigarettes. Every time someone smokes, they are exposed to a toxic mix of chemicals. As claimed by Tri-County Cessation Center, these are thirteen alarming substances used in cigarettes: cadmium (batteries), stearic acid (candle wax), hexamine (barbecue lighter), toluene (industrial solvent), nicotine (insecticide), ammonia (toilet cleaner), paint, methanol (rocket fuel), carbon monoxide, arsenic (poison), methane (sewer gas), acetic acid (vinegar), and butane (lighter fluid). According to the awareness group The Real Cost, about seven thousand chemical compounds are created by burning one cigarette. Think of a whole pack with about twenty cigarettes, that’s one hundred fourteen thousand chemical compounds produced! If a person were to smoke one or two packs each day, it would range between one hundred fourteen thousand to one hundred twenty-eight thousand in one day! One hundred twenty out of the seven thousand chemicals are known to cause cancer. People are putting themselves in very high risk every day. Some of the main cancers caused by cigarettes are lung, larynx (voice box), oral cavity (mouth, tongue and lips), nose and sinuses, pharynx (throat), esophagus, stomach, and pancreas. All of those cancers are linked to smoking cigarettes. They not only have shocking ingredients, but they damage your body.
Smoking can cause a number of health risks. It robs you of your good cholesterol, temporarily raises your blood pressure, increases blood clotting, and makes it more difficult to exercise. The researchers of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that there are about 480,000 deaths each year from cigarette smoking, including an estimated 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure; that’s about 1 in 5 deaths annually. Teen brains are more vulnerable to the effects of nicotine. From that moment when someone puts their first cigarette in their mouth the process of killing them begins. Their death clock starts speeding up and continues. They'll never get that perfect pink lung back. After one smoke, their lungs start to break down. Cigarettes are extremely harmful, but there are ways to quit.
Taking that great leap into quitting, people gain back many health benefits. Quitting this addictive habit reduces many physical health issues. Researchers have found that quitting smoking improves all facets of mental health. This also makes the individual feel accomplished and fresh. Smoking is known to sooth the individual, and the nicotine makes people feel relaxed and tranquilized. However, smoking is typically associated as a consequence of depression. Teen depression is another issue in society today on the rise. Smoking will slowly break down people mentally and physically. By quitting, someone could gain back self-esteem, less anxiety, and a more better view on their lives. People can be healthy once again from just taking that first step of deciding to quit.
Cigarettes are made of toxic components and are harmful to mental and physical health. Smoking is extremely harmful to the body, and practically controls the mind. When someone starts smoking it’s like signing a contract, handing your body over to that drug. There are hundreds of methods and programs to quit. People may think you have to go in to a specialist or doctor to get the appropriate care, but they do not. With the internet being in our everyday lives, it is very easy to find online programs or buy something from the comfort of the home. Teens could even join programs such as these. Researchers and doctors are working their best at trying to downgrade the issue of teen smoking.