Side Effects of Smoking

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 43.4 million American adults smoke cigarettes. Their ill effects cause many diseases and health problems including cancer, respiratory diseases and cardiovascular disease. Nearly 438,000 deaths occur in the United States annually from smoking.

Effects

• Tobacco found in cigarettes is highly addictive. Along with the addictive ingredient nicotine, cigarettes contain over 4,000 harmful chemicals--more than 19 of which are directly linked to causing cancer, according to health.nytimes.com. Nicotine affects the body in many ways, including altering mood and behavior, increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and temporarily increasing alertness.

Misconceptions

• A person may smoke because he believes everyone does it, it will make him look cool, or that it won't do any harm until he grows much older. The health hazards are immediate, and everyone does not do it: an estimated 77 percent of Americans are non-smokers.

Prevention/Solution

• The FDA has approved medications to aid in quitting smoking. Nicotine replacements in the form of gum and skin patches are popular methods. By using an aid, a smoker's chances of quitting are doubled, according to smokefree.gov.

Warning

• Smoking related deaths account for more annual deaths than HIV, alcohol abuse, murder, and suicide combined.

Famous Ties

• Both Sigmund Freud and the legendary Babe Ruth died of oral cancer.