The Negative Effects of Smoking and how to Quit

Tobacco is the common name of many plants in the Nicotiana genus and the Solanaceae region. Nicotine, a substance found in tobacco, is highly addictive. The most common form of addiction in America is nicotine addiction. About 50 million people in America are addicted to tobacco products, including chewing tobacco cigarettes, snuff, and cigars. A conservative estimate of healthcare expenses and loss of productivity due to nicotine addiction in the U.S. is approximately $193 billion a year (Juergens, 2020). 

 More than 480,000 people within the united states die yearly from smoking. More Americans die from cigarette smoking than a combination of car accidents, alcohol, HIV, illegal drugs, and guns. Cigarette smokers die younger than non-cigarette smokers. Smoking Tabacco can destroy almost all the organs in your body, including lungs, heart, blood vessels, reproductive organs, mouth, skin, eyes, and bones. Tobacco weakens your heart and blood vessels, leading to heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. Smoking causes high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), male impotence, miscarriages, decreases the capability to exercise, and causes the blood to clot more. It can cause cancer, including lung cancer, which is the hardest to treat (The American Cancer Society, 2018).

Tobacco smoking is hard to quit, but there are many ways to condition yourself to quit and improve your lifestyle and health. To stop smoking:

• You have to decide that this is what you want to do. 
• Ask yourself why you want to stop, list reasons. 
• Choose a date when you want to quit and stick to it. 
• Cut down on smoking. 
• Smoke half of what you do. 
• Do something other than smoking. 
• Chew on a toothpick. 
• Use smoking alternatives such as nicotine patches, nicotine gum, and nicotine lozenges (Tobacco-free Florida, 2020). 

Smoking is bad for one's health, and it is associated with the death of many people. It is very addictive, and as such, many people find it hard to quit the habit. However, the sooner you stop smoking, the more benefit you gain. 

By Nattlya A.

References

America Cancer Society. (2018). Health Risks of Smoking Tobacco. Retrieved from: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer- causes/tobacco-and-cancer/health-risks-of-smoking-tobacco.html

Juergens, J. (2020). Understanding Nicotine. Addiction Center. Retrieved from: https://www.addictioncenter.com/nicotine/

Tobacco-free Florida. (2020). Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT). Retrieved from:

https://tobaccofreeflorida.com/how-to-quit-tobacco/nicotine-replacement-therapy/