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Signs of Smoking Tobacco

Tobacco has been smoked since around 5,000 B.C.E. It is still the most widespread substance being smoked in the world. Its effects on the body are almost entirely negative, and they can be temporary or permanent. The effects usually depend on how much tobacco is smoked by an individual.

  1. Respiratory Signs

    • Tobacco, being a known carcinogen, is very closely linked to lung cancer. Smoking primarily causes tar to build up in the lungs and other areas of the body. This tar is extremely harmful to the smoker and those who inhale secondhand smoke. Smoking tobacco also causes shortness of breath, meaning that smokers will be less able to acclimatize to low oxygen environments.

    Psychological Signs of Smoking

    • New smokers usually experience dizziness and headaches at their first exposure to tobacco. The most prevalent psychological effects of tobacco come from the presence of nicotine. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance that causes a dependency on tobacco in the brain. When a smoker stops smoking, she enters withdrawal from the substance. In this state, a smoker may exhibit jittery feelings, extreme irritability and can develop depression and insomnia. These symptoms usually fade away after the smoker has been in absence of nicotine long enough.

    Oral Signs

    • Tobacco smoking generally cause tooth and gum decay. It is a common sign of tobacco smoking when the smoker's teeth are turned yellow. Smoking can also cause a multitude of oral cancers. Also, smoking can cause a loss of taste and very bad halitosis.

    Other Signs

    • Smoking tobacco can also cause a loss of appetite. One of the few positive signs of smoking is a slight protection from ulcerative colitis. Other types of cancers that can be caused by smoking tobacco are kidney, breast, bladder, and liver cancer, as well as leukemia.

    Dangers of Secondhand Smoke

    • Secondhand smoke is proven to be equally dangerous to actually smoking tobacco. It can cause the same signs of tobacco smoking. However, its physical manifestations are generally less explicit due to the lessened amounts of tobacco smoke. It is advisable to stay away from secondhand smoke as much as possible due to these risks. Also, secondhand smoke causes a large number of deaths every year.

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