It's Dangerous To Smoke!

The Dangers of Smoking – Brains Up in Smoke!

You’ve probably heard all the warnings about the dangers of cigarettes, but it’s important to understand the specifics that can happen when you take your health into your own hands.

Addiction. One of the greatest dangers of smoking is its addictive nature. Cigarettes are filled with nicotine which has been found to be as addictive as narcotics. You can get addicted to cigarettes from smoking anywhere from 10-100, so it really doesn’t take that long. And once you’re addicted, it’s much harder to avoid health problems.

Cancer. Possibly the most widely known health danger related to smoking is the development of cancer. Lung cancer is one of the most obvious forms and people who smoke are 25 times more likely to develop than nonsmokers.

But people who smoke also have a higher risk of bladder, blood, colon, esophagus, liver, stomach, trachea, and actually any part of your body.

Heart Disease. People who smoke have a two to four times the risk of developing heart disease. This can be related to damaging your blood vessels, causing your blood pressure to go up, and causing your heart rate to increase.

In addition, smoking actually can damage the heart muscle itself increasing your risk of heart attack. Increasing your risk of heart disease also increases your risk of stroke – bleeding in the brain that can cause permanent damage and can even be fatal.

Respiratory Disease. When you smoke, you increase your risk of developing disease related to your respiratory system. Smoking is the leading cause of emphysema and constricted airway disease. When you smoke you have a very good chance of developing chronic bronchitis or COPD.

Fertility and Pregnancy. Smoking can reduce your ability to get pregnant and if you do smoke while pregnant you can increase your baby’s risk of low birth weight and birth defects.

Oral Health. Smoking causes your teeth to become yellow and stained with nicotine, but it can also damage your gums and teeth and lead to tooth loss and gingivitis. You can also develop “hairy tongue” which is an extreme form of halitosis, or bad breath.

Diabetes. Smoking can actually cause Type 2 diabetes –your risk of developing it is as much as 40% higher when you smoke. Diabetes leads to many health problems and can even be fatal.

The good news is that quitting smoking can help you to stop and even reverse many of these health problems. Within ten years of quitting smoking, your health risks decrease by half. But the sooner you quit the better because some damage is permanent.