Why Do People Smoke? :: essays research papers

Do you smoke? This is one of the most popular questions today. It seems that with all of the health risks, cancers and breathing problems that it is hard to understand why one would smoke. There is no universal answer to this question. People smoke because of the way cigarettes are advertised and where they are shown. People also smoke because they believe smoking will make them act, look, relax, feel different or to fit in. There are many reasons why people start to smoke, but is it worth it to start? Cigarette smoking causes a variety of life-threatening diseases, including lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease. An estimated 430,000 deaths each year are directly caused by cigarette smoking. Smoking is responsible for changes in all parts of the body, including the digestive system. This fact can have serious consequences because it is the digestive system that converts foods into the nutrients the body needs to live. Smoking has been shown to have harmful effects on all parts of the digestive system, contributing to such common disorders as heartburn and peptic ulcers. It also increases the risk of Crohn's disease and possibly gallstones. Smoking seems to affect the liver, too, by changing the way it handles drugs and alcohol. In fact, there seems to be enough evidence to stop smoking solely on the basis of digestive distress. Smoking one cigarette immediately raises a person's blood pressure and heart rate and decreases the blood flow to body extremities such as the fingers and toes. Brain and the nervous system activity is stimulated for a short time and then reduced. A smoker may also experience dizziness, nausea, watery eyes and acid in the stomach. Appetite, taste and smell are weakened. Smokers typically experience shortness of breath, persistent coughs, reduced fitness, yellow stains on fingers and teeth and decreased sense of taste and smell. Smokers have more colds and flu than non-smokers and find it harder to recover from minor illnesses. Smoking can cause impotence in men, while women who smoke are less fertile than non-smokers.