Risks and Side Effects of Smoking

A lot of us, regardless of whether we smoke or not, are aware of the risks that smokers take and the effects that smoking has on a person's health, especially the long-term ones. Still, a lot of people choose to ignore these warnings, some procrastinate and constantly say they'll stop when they're ready.

I'm a smoker myself and the nearest I've come to quitting smoking is after I've seen images of a pair of lungs of a chain smoker who died of lung cancer at the age of 80-something. Honestly, many smokers try to avoid issues related to their own health wherever they can. Others, though, admit to being worried about their health but are simply too uninspired or lack the determination to actively quit smoking.

One of the more serious risks of smoking is that of developing emphysema. Unlike some cancers which can be treated and eliminated if detected very early, emphysema is irreversible and can only be slowed down but not stopped. Emphysema patients experience shortness of breath even and especially when lying down, chronic coughing, fatigue, and sometimes weight loss.

The occasional “Smoking can cause lung cancer” slogan doesn't usually alarm smokers, probably because the statement isn't visual enough, making it not all too threatening. Now try to picture your lungs looking like a pair of lumps made of burnt coal. This is probably the major and primary effect smoking can have on your body. Your lungs will deteriorate more and more until you show symptoms of lung cancer, namely recurring coughs (sometimes even chronic bronchitis), difficulty swallowing, shortness of breath, and loss of appetite. Once you experience these, then it's probably too late and you're already in an advanced stage of lung cancer. Since lung cancer cannot be detected in its early stages, you won't notice anything until the tumor has spread to other parts of your body.

But it's not just lung cancer that is a major threat to your health. Smoking can also cause cancers of the mouth, the larynx (Ever seen one of those people who talk like robots because they use a special kind of microphone?), esophagus, and a few others. Inhaling the harmful substances in cigarettes may also contribute to the development of kidney, stomach, and cervix cancers.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not nicotine that is dangerous to the body but tar, which contains thousands of chemicals, many of which are known to cause cancer. Some of them are cyanide (yes, you've heard that word in connection with poisoning before), benzene (yes, benzene is used to make pesticides, napalm and explosives), formaldehyde (yes, formaldehyde is used in the embalming process of dead people), methanol, acetylene (a form of fuel... yes, fuel), and ammonia.

Other short-term effects of smoking are, of course, yellow teeth, yellow nails and fingertips and weakened abilities to smell and taste. These aren't as grave as the diseases you can get from smoking, but should be just as disturbing.

Finally, it is notable that one-third of Americans who die of cancers have tobacco use to blame for their deaths.