SO... what's your excuse?
- I enjoy smoking.
- One won't hurt.
- Who cares? No one will know.
- I'm stressed.
- I work hard, I deserve it.
- I don't have any other vices, smoking's okay.
- I am so addicted I CAN'T quit!
- Hey, it's my life, I'll make my own decisions.
- Smoking doesn't kill EVERYONE.
Smoking adversely affects YOUR body from head to toe.
Head: Foul smelling skin and hair, and dull hair, hair loss.
Brain: Increased risk of stroke resulting in paralysis and loss of speech, reduced supply of oxygen to the brain, headaches, nicotine hangovers, mood changes, and panic attacks.
Nose: Loss of sense of smell.
Eyes: Eye irritation, cataracts, blindness.
Ears: Loss of hearing, glue ear.
Mouth: Foul smelling breath, dulled taste buds.
Lips: Cancer of the lips.
Tongue: Cancer of the tongue.
Teeth: Tar stained teeth (brown spots), gum disease, tooth loss.
Throat: Sore throat, esophagus or throat cancer, larynx cancer.
Lungs: Lung cancer, emphysema, shortness of breath.
Respiratory Tract: Several diseases that are just as dangerous as cancer.
Heart, Cardiovascular System: Stroke, high blood pressure, constricted blood vessels which forces the heart to work harder to deliver oxygen to the rest of the body - BUT - carbon monoxide exerts a negative effect on the heart by reducing the bloods ability to carry oxygen. Leading death rate from heart disease caused by smoking.
Gastrointestinal Tract: Increased illness and higher death rate from peptic ulcers with a reduced effectiveness of standard ulcer treatment, and an impaired ulcer healing capability.
Skin: Gray and wasted appearance, drying of skin's surface, restricted blood flow that depletes the oxygen and essential nutrients to the skin, wrinkles around the eyes and the mouth, hollowed checks causing a gaunt appearance. Skin is less radiant.
Bones: Reduced bone mass with an increased risk of osteoporosis.
Weight: Smoking effects the endocrine glands causing it to store normal amounts of body fat in an abnormal distribution such as around the waist and upper torso which can cause a greater risk of diabetes. Normal amounts of fat should be stored on the hips.
Chronic Bronchitis: Severe cough due to the airways producing excess mucus Emphysema-slowly destroys the lungs ability to breathe and is irreversible.
Bronchioles: As smoke is inhaled into the respiratory tract particles settle into the surrounding membranes while gases flow through the respiratory tract and in a great concentration at the point where the bronchus divides into left and right is where most lung cancer begins.
Hands: The fingers and the nails on the hand usually used to hold the cigarette become stained and foul smelling.
Veins: During a heart bypass veins from the chest and leg are usually used to repair the heart during surgery.
Additional Complications For Women: Reduced fertility. Women will take longer to conceive and are more likely to have a miscarriage. Contraceptive pill combined with smoking increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes by about ten times. Smoking reduces the amount of hormone (estrogen) in the body. Menstrual irregularities, early menopause and cervical cancer are also problems that arise from smoking.
Additional Complications For Men: Damage to blood vessels and lack of blood to the penis causes a greater risk if impotence. Recent studies also show that Viagra was less effective in some men considered heavy smokers. Reduced sperm count, mobility and deformed sperm along with a greater risk of testicular cancer.
Harm to children: Smoking during pregnancy raises the risk of having underweight or premature babies, and inhibited child development. Also, an increased risk of cleft palate and cleft lip. Smoking following the birth is linked to sudden infant death syndrome, and higher rates of infant respiratory illness, such as bronchitis, colds, and pneumonia.
Other Medical complications: Difficulty in recovering at a normal rate from surgery, broken bones, sprains, cuts and bruises. Studies show that smokers have far more accidents both driving cars and in general, and are more likely to be absent from work due to disability.
Smoking causes cancer:
Adult Acute Leukemia
Adult Chronic Leukemia
Cervical Cancer
Lung Cancer
Kidney Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer
Stomach Cancer
Bladder Cancer
Liver Cancer
Cancers of the mouth, lip and throat
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