The True Cost Of Smoking

In today's world, it's simply not possible to claim ignorance as an excuse for smoking. Everywhere we look we are constantly being told that smoking is bad, that smoking kills.

So why exactly are such a staggering number of people still smokers? Why are cigarette brands still the number one loyalty a person will have over their entire lifetime?

If you are a smoker, have you actually looked at the affects of your overall health and wellbeing that smoking is having?

Each cigarette is jam-packed with literally hundreds of toxic chemicals. The ingredients of a cigarette can be divided into 4 main categories:

• Irritants
• Nicotine
• Carbon monoxide
• Carcinogen

IRRITANTS - the main irritants found in cigarettes are ammonia, formaldehyde and oxides. These irritants are responsible for the swelling of the respiratory tract, leading to major breathing difficulties.

CARCINOGEN - There are around 40 strains of chemicals, more or less, found in a cigarette. They are categories as carcinogenic, definition: Cancer promoting.

Lung cancer is closely linked smoking. The respiratory system of a smoker is open to higher development of this cancer. It is common knowledge that the number of deaths each year due to cancer is massively made up of smokers.

CARBON MONOXIDE - The carbon monoxide component poisons your body's circulatory system. This disables the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen to the heart, leading to heart disease.

NICOTINE - It is the addictive ingredient in cigarettes, the additive that makes it so difficult for smokers to kick the deadly habit. It's a little known fact that nicotine also poses a notorious threat to the body as it is also a heavy toxin. As nicotine is a stimulant, it causes increased heart rate and heightened blood pressure.

The four harmful components mentioned above, combine to make a lethal chemical cocktail that literally destroys millions of bodies each year. The immediate effects may be manifested by coughing, burning of the nose and throat or dizziness. There is also the tendency of increasing the health risks of a person already suffering from illnesses such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Smoking also has a detrimental affect on a woman's ability to get pregnant. A pregnant woman who smokes will definitely harm the baby inside her womb. Studies reveal that cigarette smoking actually increases the probability for the incidence of having a low birth weight, stillbirths and sudden infant death syndrome. The mother also is in danger as smoking will increase the risk of having a high blood pressure or suffering a stroke.

Smoking Kills Others

Passive smoking creates the most unfortunate victims, a result of extreme selfishness on a smokers behalf. Breathing in fumes from other people's cigarette or tobacco has been proven to have the same effects there is to an ordinary smoker depending on the regularity of exposure and endurance of the non-smoker.

Recent studies show that passive smokers, children and adults alike, even have the higher risk of developing lung and other respiratory problems. Children who are constantly exposed to the fumes are highly susceptible to colds, ear infections and breathing problems. We are also seeing a high number of cancer sufferers emerging as a result of years of exposure to second hand smoke.

In this day and age it's a wonder that smoking is so popular, that despite all the warnings and open information, society is insistent on a habit with such high costs, financially and in lives.