What causes smoking?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 46 million people in the United States
(18 years of age and older) smoke cigarettes. Smoking is more common in men than women and
appears to be prevalent across a variety of different ethnic groups. The highest percentage of
smokers is in the 25 to 44-year old age group.
Despite the prevalence of smoking, the factors that lead a person to start smoking are difficult to
understand. In many cases, smoking is started at a young age due to peer pressure, tobacco
advertising, or a concept that smoking is an acceptable behavior. Many people who start smoking
have a family member or close friend who smokes.
Once started, cigarette smoking and chewing tobacco are difficult to stop. It is a well-known fact that
smoking and chewing tobacco are behaviors that can become addictions due to the presence of
nicotine and other chemicals generated from smoking. Like many other addictive substances, these
chemicals trigger a series of biochemical reactions and pleasant sensations to which you can quickly
become accustomed. Regular tobacco users eventually develop a need to experience these
sensations in order to feel normal, which makes quitting a difficult challenge.

What are the risk factors for smoking?

Although there does not appear to be a specific trigger that causes a person to start smoking or
chewing tobacco, there are several risk factors associated with smoking. Risk factors include:

Behavioral problems such as aggression

Family member who smokes

Lack of education past high school

Low self-esteem

Poor financial or social status

Poor school or academic performance

What are the symptoms of smoking and smoking-related diseases?

There are many signs and symptoms of smoking and smoking-related diseases including addiction to
nicotine, a harmful substance found in tobacco.

Symptoms of smoking and smoking-related diseases

Symptoms of smoking and related diseases, disorders and conditions include:

Bad breath and yellowing of the teeth

Cold hands and feet

Frequent or recurrent lung infections and other diseases, such as influenza, common colds,

bronchitis, and pneumonia

Hypertension (high blood pressure) and rapid heart rate

Loss of taste and smell

Low oxygen levels in the blood

Low tolerance for exercise and fatigue

Nicotine-stained fingers and teeth

Premature aging and wrinkling of the skin

Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing

Smoker's cough (an ongoing loose cough that produces phlegm) and hoarse voice

Smoky-smelling clothes and hair

Compilations of Smoking.
What are the potential complications of smoking?
There are many complications of smoking that are serious and even life threatening. Smoking causes
or aggravates many diseases and damages almost every tissue and organ in the body. Cigarette
smoking was responsible for one in five deaths in the United States during 2000 to 2004, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People who are physically close to a smoker on a frequent basis can also experience similar effects
due to the inhalation of secondhand smoke. Smoking cigarettes also exposes you to over 4,000
chemicals, many of which are toxic. Toxins found in cigarettes include formaldehyde and cyanide.

Smoking and cancer

Smoking causes many cancers and the vast majority of cases of lung cancer. Cancers caused by
smoking include:

Bladder cancer

Cancer of the pharynx and larynx (voice box)

Esophagus cancer

Kidney cancer

Leukemia

Lung cancer

Oral cancers

Pancreas cancer

Stomach cancer

Throat cancer

Uterine cancer

Smoking and lung, heart, and vascular disease

Smoking causes life-threatening lung and cardiovascular diseases, such as:

Abdominal aortic aneurysm

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis)

Coronary heart disease

Smoking also exposes you to carbon monoxide, a gas that lowers the level of oxygen in the blood.
This is further complicated by the fact that smoking constricts blood vessels, decreasing blood flow to
vital organs, such as the brain and heart and large arteries of the arms and legs, which can lead to
peripheral vascular disease. Smoking also thickens the blood and increases the risk of developing
life-threatening blood clots and complications of blood clots including:

Buergers disease (acute inflammation and clotting of arteries and veins)

Deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the leg)

Heart attack

Higher risk of serious blood clots in women who take contraceptives containing hormones

Pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung)

Stroke

Smoking and pregnancy

Smoking causes or increases the risk of serious complications with pregnancy and infections in
infants including:

Increased risk of ear infections in infants and toddlers exposed to secondhand smoke

Infertility

Low birth weight babies

Premature delivery

Stillbirth

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Other complications of smoking

Smoking worsens or increases the risk of many diseases and serious medical conditions including:

Cardiovascular and heart diseases

Diabetes

High cholesterol and atherosclerosis

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Osteoporosis and hip fractures

Smoking also exposes you to nicotine, which is an addictive drug whose side effects include:

Increased heart rate

Blood vessel irritation and a higher risk of developing blood clots, which increases the risk of

cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke

10 Ways to Quit Smoking

A list of possible solutions for smokers

Smokers are in something of a conundrum. They have to find ways of quitting the habit. It is a bit like
learning how to stop smoking pot. There will be many temptations and the person has to have the
discipline to overcome them. Here are ten tips to quit:

Drinking water: This is a good habit in any case but it also cleanses the body. In any case
the process of preparing the water might help the person to overcome the temporary urges.

Honest assessment: The individual that is trying to quit has to look at their problem squarely
in the face and then start the process of healing and recovery. Pretending to give up is not a good
idea.

Get rid of the memories: The aids to smoking will be a temptation and therefore must be
removed from the environment. They are unnecessary distractions to the things that you are trying to
achieve.

Independence: Do not rely on others to tell you why you should quit. The decision is
personal. This is not an area where you can rely on the props from other people in order to succeed.

Publicize the decision to quit: This will ensure that you cannot be openly hypocritical about
the situation. The publicity will mean that you are under an obligation to remain clean.

Increase the exercise regime: It will keep you occupied and help you to look much better. It
is also part of the healthy lifestyle that you are trying to emulate. Certainly it has worked for people
that wish to achieve certain goals.

Keep a diary of progress: This will focus your mind on the task ahead. This might be a
private affair or you could put it on the social media networks. People normally respond to share their
experiences. Of course you might get some abuse but that goes with the territory.

Ask for help when you need it: This means that you are not dealing with the problem in
isolation but with the support of the community around you. The family will be especially important at
this time in your life.

Get friends that do not smoke: They will put pressure on you not to smoke in their
presence. They will also keep you occupied with activities that are not likely to get you back to the
habit.