Tobacco is dangerous to your health; the substances you inhale don’t just affect your lungs. They can affect your entire body. Smoking can lead to a variety of ongoing complications in the body as well as long-term effects on your body systems.
Tobacco contains nicotine, a highly addictive drug that makes it difficult for smokers to quit the habit. Nicotine reaches your brain in mere seconds and makes you feel more energized for a while .
Effects on the body
Mood stimulation: Smoking can temporarily put in a good mood, but its dependence is common and withdrawal side effects like anxiety and irritability. One of the ingredients in tobacco is a mood-altering drug called nicotine.
Lung cancer: smoking puts you at a significant higher risk of developing lung cancer; it is the most common cause of death due to smoking.
High cholesterol: Tobacco smoke lowers your HDl (Good cholesterol) and increases your LDL (bad).It also races total cholesterol and triglycerides which are fats in your body.
Cancer connection: Smoking related cancer cans occur anywhere in the body. People who smoke have a higher rate of certain cancers, including cancer of the mouth, throat, bladder and kidneys.
Immune system: Smoking lowers your immune system ability to fight off infections of the respiratory tract that people who don’t.
Wrinkly skin: Substances in cigarettes can cause dry skin and premature aging. Reduced blood flow also causes your skin to get less nutrition.
Loss of appetite: Smoking can suppress your appetite by decreasing your sense of taste. This can make eating less enjoyable.
Blood clotting: Type 2 diabetes tends to progress more rapidly in people who smoke because it increases the amount of insulin resistance in the body.
Heart disease: It is one of the well proven lifestyle habits that contribute to heart disease.
Infertility: Both men and women who smoke are likely to experience short and long term fertility issue than people who don’t smoke.
Erectile dysfunction: An erection requires adequate blood flow but smoking can constrict your blood vessels and make this process more difficult.
Problems with Pregnancy and newborns: During pregnancy the increase risk of miscarriage asthma, ear infections and death in your newborn.
Dull sense of smell and taste: Your sense of smell and taste can be dulled by smoking which can decrease your appetite.
Early menopause: Female smokers tend to enter menopause earlier that nonsmokers.
Tolerance and dependence
People who use tobacco regularly tend to develop a tolerance to the effects of nicotine. They may become dependent on nicotine.
Dependence can be psychological, physical or both. People who are dependent on nicotine find that using the drug becomes far more important than other activities in their life.
Quit Smoking
Although it can be a very difficult habit to break, It is ultimately a choice; it is your responsibility to choose whether or not you will continue.
The good news is that once you stop smoking, your health improves and your body will begin to recover.
