No matter how cool you look with a cigarette in your mouth, you are just a sucker at the other end, blowing away your health into thin air. Read on to find out what tobacco smoking can do to you and what are the ways to kick the habit.Smoking for me is just a fad; it will never become a habit

The message that tobacco kills is not very relevant to the youth of the day who believe in their immortality. Attractive advertisements and exciting tobacco promotions are difficult to resist, especially when the cigarette cost is affordable. In a survey done by JAMA (Journal of American Medical Associations) the majority of the people questioned replied that they do not see themselves smoking after 5 years. But after 5 years it was found that the majority of them were still hooked to smoking. Almost all answered no, when asked,”will they be smoking if given a second chance?” This shows the addictive power of cigarettes.

Some figures

The WHO report on the projection of smoking related illness is frightening.

By 2020, it is expected to kill more people than any single disease. Although the number of smokers is falling in the developed countries they are being compensated by the increase in numbers in the developing countries.

Lungs are not the only ones

If you think that lungs are the only organs that are affected then you are way off the mark. The damage starts right from your mouth to your voice-box down to the wind pipe and smaller airways and then the lungs. Smoking affects normal digestion and makes the gastrointestinal disorders worse. It delays healing of ulcers and has the tendency of making them chronic. The buck does not stop here; the other organs affected by smoking are pancreas, heart, and bladder. Men who smoke may suffer from impotence due to damage to the blood vessels in the penis.
Many women who smoke are less fertile than nonsmokers. They take longer to conceive and are more likely to have a miscarriage

Smokers are not invited

Heard about ETS it stands for Environmental Tobacco Smoking. In simple language it reads “everyone around tobacco smokesï”. It has been conclusively proved that second hand smoke is as damaging as the smoke inhaled directly from the cigarette. Countries like Singapore have banned smoking in public places.

Oh that “one little” cigarette

You probably heard about the nicotine and tar of the cigarette. But did you know that cigarette smoke also contains 4000 chemicals and 43 carcinogens.

Tobacco leaves its mark on you. Tobacco smoke can make hair and clothes stink. Tobacco stains teeth and causes bad breath. Short-term use of spit tobacco can cause cracked lips, white spots, sores, and bleeding in the mouth. It also affects our athletic performance; the smokers pant almost 3 times more than non-smokers.