By: Rashmi Bhatia
I'm sure you have all heard the phrase smoking kills. Well that's because the phrase is 100% true. In this article you will learn how smoking has a harmful effect on your health.
The following are examples of some smokers who did not find smoking very pleasant:
“Becky was a high school exchange student living in Germany when she started smoking cigarettes. She thought smoking helped her fit in with her host family members and new friends. Over time, she discovered she had trouble quitting. At age 45, Becky was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—a serious lung disease that gradually makes it harder and harder to breathe. She continued smoking cigarettes after her diagnosis. Then, as she was leaving work one evening in 2012, Becky was unable to catch her breath. She tried not to panic, but knew she needed immediate medical help. Becky remembers waking up in the hospital’s intensive care unit and facing the fight of her life.”
“Rico, age 48, started smoking at age 14. He remembers lighting his father’s cigarettes as a young boy and watching him smoke constantly. Rico continued smoking into adulthood, and although his doctors told him to quit, he admits it was difficult. “I just couldn’t quit,” he said.
At age 45, Rico’s doctor told him he had cancer. Suddenly, nothing else mattered. Rico realized he had to take immediate action and quit smoking for good. Rico stopped smoking because he wanted to be healthy and watch his then-teenaged children grow up. He was treated for his cancer and has been a survivor since 2011.”
Smoking can cause a number of things such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and chronic bronchitis. Smoking in my point of view should be highly discouraged mainly because It is the number one cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. Although it is extremely hard to quit smoking. “As many as 75%-80% of smokers say they'd like to quit. But it takes the average smoker five to 10 attempts before successfully quitting.” Smoking can also stain your teeth yellow and affect your breathing patterns as well as premature aging.
As you can see smoking really does kill and I hope in the future our leadership decides to take a stand against smoking because so many suffer from it.