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MelissaMelissa Luther
Mr. Duerr
English 10a
14 January 2013
Smoking Kills
What if eery!ay someone "oke u# for $reakfast to a mi%ture of fifty &hemi&als
#roen to &ause &an&er' formal!ehy!e' tar' ni&otine' &ar$on mono%i!e' ammonia' an!
other harmful &hemi&als( ) &igarette. *his #erson "oul! hae t"o for $reakfast' may$e
three for lun&h' an! four the remain!er of the !ay. +or the rest of their life. *his is not
"hat many of us "oul! &all a lifestyle' or "hat "e "oul! like to &onsume eery!ay.
Wel&ome to the life of a smoker. Smoking &laims 443'000 )meri&an lies a year' 4,'000
of them $eing from se&on!-han! smoke e%#osure. Smoking is &onsi!ere! the !ea!liest'
most #reenta$le' &ause of !eath in the .nite! States. /n aerage' 0a smoker !ies 13 to
14 years earlier than non-smokers1 2Di3la&i!o4. Smoking &auses many ty#es of health
issues' the a!!i&tion is not "orth it' an! smoking also has affe&ts on eery!ay life.
Eeryone kno"s the risks of smoking' $ut "hy !o millions of )meri&ans &ontinue
to smoke( )re there any $enefits of smoking( 5ehin! eery #erson "ho smokes' is a
story as to "hy the starte!. 3eo#le start smoking $e&ause of many reasons. May$e it "as
&onsi!ere! the 0&ool1 thing to !o' or "ere #eer #ressure! $y frien!s to start. /r smoking
"as a #la&e "here someone thought they &oul! fit in' or $e a#art of a grou#. )lso "hen
teens see ol!er #eo#le smoking' it gies them a sense of maturity "hen they start. 5ut
"hy !o #eo#le &ontinue to smoke( *he main reason is they $e&ome a!!i&te!. 3eo#le
&an6t 7ust 8uit smoking &ol! turkey' an! the "ith!ra"al effe&ts are horri$le. )lso $e&ause
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eery time something stressful or $a! ha##ens in life' they light a &igarette in or!er to
!eal "ith their emotions. Smoking takes a toll on eeryones health' an! yes it &an &ause
&an&er' $ut so &an many other things su&h as ra!iation' &hemothera#y' #arasites' iruses'
$a&teria an! many others things. Smoking is also thought to hel# "ith )l9heimer6s' it
hel#s you feel goo!' lo"ers you risk of o$esity' an! &an hel# you rela%. So oerall' is
smoking really that $a!(
Smoking takes a ma7or toll on someone6s health' an! eeryone aroun! them. *he
main health threats from smoking are lung &an&er' heart !isease' lung !isease' an! other
ty#es of &an&ers. Many to%ins foun! in &igarettes' like ni&otine' are #oisonous to the
$loo!' many are also &ar&inogeni&. Eery time you smoke one &igarette' your arteries
har!en' making the risk for heart atta&ks an! stroke at an all time high &om#are! to non-
smokers. :t also im#airs $loo! &ir&ulation throughout the $o!y' thus making it har! to
$reath' an! har! to !o eery!ay a&tiities like taking a "alk. Smoking &auses many
&an&ers' like &an&er of the mouth' &eri%' laryn%' #an&reas' ki!ney' an! the main one
$eing lung &an&er. 0:n the .nite! States' ;< #er&ent of !eaths from lung &an&er are
relate! to &igarette smoking1 25la&kman4. )lso' smoking !oes not #ut someones o"n life
at risk' $ut it also #uts others at risk too. Se&on!han! smoke &auses aroun! =3'000 !eaths
#er year' 7ust from inhaling smoke from the surroun!ings. +inally' #regnant "omen "ho
smoke hae a greater &han&e of their $a$y $eing $orn #remature' still$orn' an! haing a
lo" $irth "eight. *he infants also are at a greater risk of su!!en infant !eath syn!rome.
*he effe&t smoking !oes to someone6s $o!y is tremen!ous' $ut "hat !oes
smoking !o to someone6s min!( /n&e someone starts smoking' it6s ery har! to 8uit. *he
a!!i&tie su$stan&e foun! in &igarettes' ni&otine' is a stimulant "hi&h means it 8ui&kens
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the &entral nerous system. When a #erson smokes a &igarette' the smoke is inhale! into
the lungs an! is 8ui&kly a$sor$e! $y the $loo!stream an! is !eliere! to the $rain.
>i&otine stimulates the $rain' an! affe&ts a region in the $rain &alle! the 0re"ar! system1.
*he $rain then releases feel goo! &hemi&als. )fter a "hile' the $o!y $uil!s u# a toleran&e
to &igarettes' &ausing the #erson to smoke more so you get the same eu#hori& feeling.
*hus' you $e&ome a!!i&te!' an! &hroni& smokers are $asi&ally guarantee! to hae
negatie health effe&ts $e&ause of smoking. ?es' smoking is easy to start' $ut smoking is
har! to sto#. <=@ of #eo#le "ho try to 8uit' rela#se. 0Many #eo#le "ho 8uit smoking
e%#erien&e "ith!ra"al sym#toms' in&lu!ing irrita$ility' anger' an%iety' insomnia'
!e&rease! heart rate' an! in&rease! a##etiteAall the "hile intensely &raing a &igarette1
2Baley4. Don6t start smoking' then the #ro$lem of haing to 8uit "ill not $e there.
Smoking !oes a lot to the insi!e of a #erson6s $o!y an! health' an! !oes een
more to eery thing relate! to life. So&ially' #eo#le try to aoi! se&on! han! smoke' so
smoking might sere as a so&ial $arrier. Smoking has also $een $anne! in many #u$li&
#la&es like restaurants in 32 states' thus isolating smokers from $eing a#art of eery!ay
life. Smoking also takes a finan&ial toll on a #erson6s family' $oth short-term an! long-
term. Eery!ay the &ost of &igarettes #uts a !ent in families6 finan&es. )lso' smokers ten!
to hae more health issues relate! to their a!!i&tion "hi&h &an &ost thousan!s of !ollars
in me!i&al &osts. 0Smoking is also kno"n to &ause hearing an! ision loss' arthritis'
&hroni& &oughing' $a! athleti& #erforman&e' heart$urn' !iarrhea' $a! $reath' "rinkles an!
the yello"ing of fingernails' eyes' an! teeth1 2#$ski!s4.
:s smoking the 0&ool1 thing to !o no"( *he $est a!i&e is to 7ust neer start
smoking' an! you "on6t hae to !eal "ith all the negatie effe&ts it "ill hae on your life'
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an! others. *hat one minute !e&ision to smoke your first &igarette' &an im#a&t you for
your entire life. While there are some minor $enefits to smoking' the risks of smoking far
out "ay them.
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Works Bite!
5la&kman' James ). CBan&er.C *he >e" 5ook of 3o#ular S&ien&e. Drolier /nline' 2013.
We$. 14 Jan. 2013.
Baley' Bharles +.' an! 3aul *. Kefali!es. CSu$stan&e )$use.C *he >e" 5ook of
3o#ular S&ien&e. Drolier /nline' 2013. We$. 14 Jan. 2013.
Di3la&i!o' Leah. C>egatie Effe&ts of Bigarette Smoke or Se&on!-Ean! Smoke.
0Livestrong.1 BDB' 3 May 2011. We$. 14 Jan. 2013.
0SmokingF Eealth Ea9ar!s.1 #$ski!s. 35Sonline' n!. We$. 14 Jan. 2013.
CWhy !o #eo#le smoke "hen they kno" itGs so $a! for them(C National Institute on
Drug Abuse. >ational :nstitute on Drug )$use' 2011. Gale Student Resources
in Context. We$. 14 Jan. 2013.
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