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Long Term Effects of Smoking on the Human Body Nicotine is a poisonous alkaloid found in cigarettes and is considered the addicting substance that makes quitting smoking so difficult. Each day, more than 4, 800 teenagers, between the ages of eleven and seventeen, smoke their first cigarette. Almost 2, 000 of these young people will become regular smokers, adding up to 730, 000 teenage smokers annually. Also, inhaling tobacco smoke is habit-forming. It causes a temporary lift to the nerves and the taste of smoke becomes addictive. Furthermore, after becoming addicted to cigarettes, teenagers often start using other addictive drugs.
These drugs may include tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and sometimes even harder drugs. In addition, young people tend to become addicted faster than older people. This allows them less time to mature to understand the problems of smoking. The addiction to smoking is the easy part for teenagers; the hard part is the struggle to quit smoking.
Smoking is one of Americas highest causes for death and responsible for one third of all cancers. And the majority of all smokers start in there teenage years. In my paper I would like to explain how people get addicted to smoking, the damage it causes, when and why people start smoking and how we can prevent them from doing so. Nicotine, one of the more than 4000 chemicals found in cigarettes, is the main component that causes addiction to smoking. Nicotine causes the neurotransmitter dopamine to reach high levels in the pleasure part of the brain, which in turn gives a high to the user. This effect, however, is short lived.
The effects wear off within less than an hour of inhalation, so the smoker has to inhale frequently throughout the day to maintain the drugs effect and prevent withdrawl. Repeated use of nicotine over a long period of time results in a tolerance to the drug so that it takes higher and higher doses to produce the same initial effect. The damage caused by repeated use of cigarettes is extensive, it ranges from things like bad breath, loss of appetite, severe coughing, yellowing teeth and skin, shortness of breath, and premature aging to serious diseases like chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and has also been known to cause asthma. Dr. Alan I.
Leshner a pioneer in the Truth campaign against drug abuse stated The use of tobacco is the nations most critical health problem. I wondered why Dr. Leshner would believe smoking was worse than aids, heart disease, or other cancers. The reason is because 90 % of all lung cancers have been linked to smoking. The graph above illustrates deaths from lung cancer in comparison to other diseases. The knowledge of the effects of smoking has long been available to the American population.
After extensive research, former Surgeon General Luther Terry released the first Surgeon Generals Warning in 1964. His report stated that smoking was a definite cause of lung cancer, and a definite cause of Emphysema. He also released a report in 1986, declaring second hand smoke, or passive smoking, also a definite health hazard (Sonnets 42). In 1988, Nicotine was declared addictive. Nine out of ten smokers claim that they would like to stop smoking but the addiction makes it impossible.
Many people believe that TV and movies may be responsible for some people picking up the habit. As generations grew up watching their favorite shows and movies, the actors and actresses became their models. Many had roles which required smoking, and when this was viewed by the young adult, they to took on the role. When the US Government began to realize what was happening, they began to take action against media. The government first asked to stop all advertising of tobacco products, and to stop all promotion of products through the media. Tobacco companies first complied with the request.
However, as time pasted, tobacco companies became less cooperative. When the government then had to take a larger step in the prevention of smoking, they began to require all tobacco companies to print the nicotine and tar levels on the pack of cigarettes. Later, they were also required to print the Surgeon Generals Warning on every cigarette pack produced (Pietrusza, 49) As time pasted, companies began to turn to print more than TV for their advertising. Companies began to place more ads in magazines and put up more billboards.
According to Gang, in 1985, the industry spent over two billion dollars on advertising (Pg. 32). R. J. Reynolds, a tobacco producer, once placed an ad in a magazine that stated that, our purpose is not to make smokers out of non-smokers, rather, the goal is to persuade smokers of competitive products to switch to one of our brands (Gang 33). It is just as important to place ads persuading people not to smoke than it is to place ads trying to persuade people to smoke.
Smoking is not only harmful to the smoker, but it is also harmful to those ingesting the smoke. According to Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop, the risk of getting lung cancer is thirty percent higher for nonsmoking spouses of smokers than for nonsmoking spouses of nonsmokers. Wheezing and coughing are increased about twenty to eighty percent in children of smokers. Also, infants of smokers are more likely to get pneumonia and bronchitis (Szumski 6 - 7).
In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency, also known as the EPA, concluded that, fifty-three thousand Americans die each year from passive smoking. (Pietrusza, 52) Smoking can also clog arteries and cause heart failure. Severe weakening of the heart is a major cause of heart disease, which is a leading cause of death in many Americans each year. Smoking may also cause cataracts, which is the leading cause of blindness in America (Pietrusza 55 - 58). Smoking also has many harmful effects on a womans pregnancy.
Unborn children, while still in the womb, receive all of the oxygen they need from the mother. If a mother smokes, the carbon monoxide entering the body depletes the supply of oxygen in the blood, and therefore, the unborn child receives little oxygen. The baby also absorbs the nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar from the cigarettes. Smoking during pregnancy can cause many different birth effects.
The lack of oxygen to the brain during the developmental stages can possibly cause the babys brain to not form correctly. This can lead to a lower IQ than one of a child born of a nonsmoking mother. Smoking is also the cause of twenty to thirty percent of all low weight and premature births (Pietrusza 23 - 26). Smoking is very harmful to everyone. The United States Constitution says that your rights extend until you begin to coincide with someone elses rights. Smoking has been a big issue when it comes to this right.
Smokers feel they should have the right to smoke wherever they please because of their rights stated in the Constitution. However, when his or her smoking begins to bother someone else, a problem arises. Many lawsuits have been brought forth declaring that someone elses smoking infringed on their rights. Many trials have been held regarding matters such as these, and as a result, in 1970, measures began to be made to prevent future problems.
In 1970, airlines began to make separate sections on their planes for smokes and nonsmokers. Restraints all over the United States followed by making their facilities a smoke free environment. Today, many places are smoke free environments. According to the American Lung Association, Tobacco use primarily begins in early adolescence, typically by age 16; almost all first use occurs before the time of high school graduation. Each day, more than 4, 800 adolescents (ages 11 - 17) smoke their first cigarette. Almost 2, 000 of these will become regular smokers - that's 730, 000 annually. (par 3 and 4).
These statistics make is look as though the rate of teenage smoking is on the rise, but looks can be deceiving. Although smoking rates among high school students increased 32 percent between 1991 and 1997 (27. 5 percent to 36. 4 percent), rates have declined by almost 22 percent between 1997 and 2001 (36. 4 percent to 28. 5 percent) (American par 9). One of the leading causes as to why teenagers decide to try smoking a cigarette is due to flashy cigarette advertisements. Cigarette advertisements tend to emphasize youthful vigor, sexual attraction and independence themes, which appeal to teenagers and young adults struggling with these issues, states the Tobacco Education Corner for Teachers and Community Leaders/Educators (par 10). The appeal of the advertisements seemed to fool teenagers into thinking that they could look like the people on the billboards or in the magazines if only they smoked that certain brand of cigarettes as well. In the early 1990 s, that posed a problem since the research showed that there was an increase in cigarette smoking.
The problem was addressed by trying to get companies to agree to stop targeting youth. It didnt necessarily work. ABC News notes that Not only are [the companies] continuing to target youth through magazine advertisements, but theyre doing it more than ever before and at levels that almost ensure that their brand messages will be memorable and (make an impact on) teens, Cheryl Health, president of the anti-tobacco Foundation, said. (par 19). Now, anti-smoking advertisements are constantly being shown on television and in magazines to try and counteract the impact tobacco companies are having on teenagers.
These advertisements are especially informative about the harmful affects smoking can cause. Another leading cause that contributes to teenage smoking is peer pressure. The American Lung Association has found that Peers, siblings, and friends are powerful influences. The most common situation for first trying a cigarette is with a friend who already smokes. (par 18). Teenagers feel that in order to be considered cool, they have to partake in something that they may not necessarily want to do. At this age, teenagers have to deal with insecurities and feel the need to fit in.
They dont take into consideration that they will get addicted to it. Teenagers seem to have the attitude that itll never happen to me. Then when they do become addicted to nicotine, they cant seem to quit. In high schools today, there is a lot more focus on health education concerning the risks of smoking. School-based programs can have a significant impact on smoking behavior among young people and are most effective when part of a comprehensive, community-based effort, according to the report of the Surgeon General (par 6).
Many students are realizing how ignorant it is to partake in smoking cigarettes because of how harmful they are to the students health. One of the main reasons teenage girls decide to pick up smoking is because it helps them lose weight. Instead of reaching for something to eat when they feel hungry, they simply light up a cigarette and the hunger pains go away. It starts to make them feel good about themselves and the way they look so they continue to smoke cigarettes without even realizing they are becoming addicted to it. Then they dont realize how hard it is to quit once they are addicted. It doesnt matter how many times they are told how bad smoking is for them, they still cant seem to find the willpower to stop smoking.
Another key factor is that some teenagers grow up in an environment that welcomes destructive behavior such as smoking. Teenagers see role models, such as their parents, smoking cigarettes which make them think they should. The parents are now becoming more involved with their childrens lives which play a significant role in reducing the abundance of smoking among teenagers. More consistent implementation of effective educational strategies to prevent tobacco use will require continuing efforts to build strong, multi-year prevention units into school health education curricula and expanded efforts to make use of the influence of parents, the mass media, and other community resources. (Surgeon General Par 5). Parents are seeing the special promotions run on television or in a magazine that informs them that they need to talk with the children about smoking and various other harmful behaviors. It may not seem like it at the time, but parents can be a big influence on the decisions that teenagers ultimately make.
The pricing of cigarettes has increased, therefore reducing the number of teenagers that smoke due to the fact that they cant afford to. The cigarette companies have opposed tobacco tax increases by arguing that raising cigarette prices would not reduce adult or youth smoking. But the companies internal documents, disclosed in the tobacco lawsuits, show that they know very well that raising cigarette prices is one of the most effective ways to prevent and reduce smoking, especially among kids. (Lindblom par 1). Teenagers dont always hold a job since they need to go to school, complete their homework, and also participate in after school activities. Most teenagers that smoke arent involved in sports though.
If they have been smoking for a while and are experiencing some of the side affects that goes along with smoking, they arent able to keep in shape. They will become out of breath faster and therefore become fatigued more quickly. The 2000 U. S.
Surgeon General's Report, Reducing Tobacco Use, found that increasing the price of tobacco products would decrease the prevalence of tobacco use, particularly among kids and young adults, and that tobacco tax increases would lead to "substantial long-term improvements in health. (Lindbolm par 14). Teenagers will then be able to participate in healthier habits such as after school sports and will start leading healthier lifestyles. An often overlooked cause of teenage smoking had to do with the way that teenagers party. When going out to a club of some sort or even before getting to a party that will involve drinking, teenagers like to feel buzzed before arriving at these places. Cigarette smoking tends to cause people to obtain a buzz in a shorter amount of time and will keep that buzz for a longer amount of time than if they were to drink without smoking a cigarette.
When interviewed, one college student said, I only smoke when I am at a party or something where I need to feel buzzed in order to have a good time. Since Im a shy person, having a buzz from the alcohol helps me to relax more. I found that by smoking, I can get a buzz more easily and faster. Even though this particular student hasnt yet gotten addicted to nicotine, that doesnt mean that other students that smoke in order to obtain a buzz easier will not get addicted to nicotine.
A person only has to try smoking one time and they can become addicted to nicotine. So while organizations, like the American Lung Association, are working hard to fight the problem of teenage smoking, there are many aspects working against them. It appears as though cigarette smoking among teenagers is decreasing as the years go by and if the companies start abiding by the wishes of the organizations, cigarette smoking among teenagers will persist to decline. The cigarette prices will continue to increase and there will be even less public areas in which people can smoke. Tobacco is a both a costly and deadly addiction.
The EPA estimates that tobacco smoke adds five to ten billion dollars annually to building housekeeping and maintenance expenses (Pietrusza 7). Tobacco kills a person. It is a proven fact that more people will die this year from tobacco related deaths than many other crimes combined. The sad fact of the matter is that it is an avoidable addiction. Bibliography: American Lung Association. American Lung Association Fact Sheet: Teenage Tobacco Use.
June 2002. 4 Mar. 2003. < web >. Collins, Amy. Big Tobacco Spending More on Ads in Magazines With Teen Readers. ABC News. 17 Dec. 2000. 4 Mar. 2003. < web >.
Lindblom, Eric. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids. 3 Jan. 2002. 4 Mar. 2003. < web >. Tobacco Education Corner for Teachers and Community Leaders/Educators. Fact Sheet Teenage Tobacco Use. 4 Mar. 2003. < web >. U.
S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reducing Tobacco Use: A Report of the Surgeon General 2000. 2000. 4 Mar. 2003. < web >. Gang, Lila. Smoking. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1989.
Henning field, Jack E. Nicotine: An Old-Fashioned Addiction. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Mccuen, Gary E.
Tobacco: People Profits and Public Health. Hudson, Wisconsin: Gary E. Mccuen, 1997. Pietrusza, David. Smoking. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1997 Sonnets, Sherry.
Smoking. New York: Franklin Watts, 1977. Szumski, Bonnie. Smoking: Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion. San Diego: Green haven Press, 1989.
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Research essay sample on American Lung Association Surgeon Generals
