Introduction
Here I will be looking in detail about the effects of smoking and how to quit and I will also show some celebrities that smoke as well as videos that show the effects of smoking and hopefully this can help you quit.
Fact & Figures
There are about 10 million adults who smoke cigarettes in Great Britain:
this is about a sixth of the total UK population
In Great Britain 22% of adult men and 17% of adult women are smokers
Smoking rates have more than halved since 1974 when 51% of men and 41% of women smoked
Smoking prevalence is highest in the 25-34 age group (25%) and lowest amongst those aged 60 and over (11%).
More than half (58%) of all adults report that they have never smoked.
Smoking rates are much higher among poorer people.
In 2013, 14% of adults in managerial and professional occupations smoked compared with 29% in routine and manual occupations.
Two-thirds of smokers start before age 18.
Of those who try smoking between one-third and one-half will become regular smokers.
It is illegal to sell cigarettes to any person under the age of 18.
Role Model effect
The present study assessed the impact of parents, peers, siblings, cigarette advertising, and sponsorship as role models influencing attitudes toward smoking and smoking behavior in seventh- and eleventh-grade students. The participants completed an anonymous questionnaire concerning their current and future smoking behavior, attitudes toward a cigarette advertising ban, general attitudes toward smoking, and smoking status of parents and siblings. Fifty-one percent of the smokers reported that they are not likely to be smoking in the future. Smokers were found to have less negative attitudes than never smokers. Seventh-grade students who admitted to being triers or smokers had less negative attitudes toward smoking than eleventh-grade students. Parent smoking had no impact on attitudes. However, if a sibling smoked, the respondents' attitudes toward smoking were less negative. Students appeared to be more aware of sport sponsorship than conventional advertising. Most never smokers favored a total cigarette advertising ban, versus only 35% of smokers. Results from this study suggest that intervention programs need to address nicotine addiction and be in place before grade seven. Investigations is further warranted in the shaping of attitudes toward smoking.
Short term Effects
- Awful breath - this makes people avoid you because they wouldn't want to be around someone who constantly has bad breathe. This can also be hard to get rid off and this can make you become lonely and depressed.
- Yellowish shade on teeth and fingers- This can make it look like you never brush your teeth and people may try and avoid you because your hygiene isn't that good as you would have yellow/brown teeth and looks really bad.
- Continuous cough- This can also make people avoid you because they may think you have a contagious cough and would want to stay away just because they don't want the disease and I also sounds awful. This can lead to depression because you will feel lonely because no one wants to spend time with you.
- Reduction in taste and smell
- Weaker immune system
- High chances of getting regular colds and flu
- Reduced potency in men
- Reduced fertility in women
- Negative effects on pregnant women and their baby
- Smoking also affects skin to look older
Smoking video
How to Quit
Smoking tobacco is both a physical addiction and a psychological habit. The nicotine from cigarettes provides a temporary, and addictive, high. Eliminating that regular fix of nicotine will cause your body to experience physical withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Because of nicotine’s “feel good” effect on the brain, you may also have become accustomed to smoking as a way of coping with stress, depression, anxiety, or even boredom.
S = Set a quit date.
Choose a date within the next 2 weeks, so you have enough time to prepare without losing your motivation to quit. If you mainly smoke at work, quit on the weekend, so you have a few days to adjust to the change.
T = Tell family, friends, and co-workers that you plan to quit.
Let your friends and family in on your plan to quit smoking and tell them you need their support and encouragement to stop. Look for a quit buddy who wants to stop smoking as well. You can help each other get through the rough times.
A = Anticipate and plan for the challenges you'll face while quitting.
Most people who begin smoking again do so within the first 3 months. You can help yourself make it through by preparing ahead for common challenges, such as nicotine withdrawal and cigarette cravings.
R = Remove cigarettes and other tobacco products from your home, car, and work.
Throw away all of your cigarettes (no emergency pack!), lighters, ashtrays, and matches. Wash your clothes and freshen up anything that smells like smoke. Shampoo your car, clean your drapes and carpet, and steam your furniture.
T = Talk to your doctor about getting help to quit.
Your doctor can prescribe medication to help with withdrawal and suggest other alternatives. If you can't see a doctor, you can get many products over the counter at your local pharmacy or grocery store, including the nicotine patch, nicotine lozenges, and nicotine gum.
At the same time, the act of smoking is ingrained as a daily ritual. It may be an automatic response for you to smoke a cigarette with your morning coffee, while taking a break from work or school, or during your commute home at the end of a long day. Perhaps friends, family members, and colleagues smoke, and it has become part of the way you relate with them.
To successfully quit smoking, you’ll need to address both the addiction and the habits and routines that go along with it.
Long term effects
- Cancers (Smoking related cancers are: lung, mouth, throat, stomach, bladder, cervix and more)- Cancers more often than not will lead to fatality and this is because smoking will damage the vital organs and this can invite certain types of bacteria that can form and cause cancer in the organ and this can spread to other organs within the body.
- Lung diseases
- Heart disease
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Heart stroke
- Circulatory problems
- Ulcers
- Premature aging- This can make you look older than you are and this is because smoking takes away an important part of your hormones and this gives you wrinkles far too early and can be bad for going to interviews and first impressions.
- Damage to the fetus
- Causing low sperm count and impotence- This can be bad as if you want to have a baby in the future this can hold you back because your sperm count will be low and it will become tricky to impregnate a woman.
- Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage)
- Decreased lung function
- Infections
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease