Smoking is a common addiction among us at this present time. It is largely discussed in the media about its adverse effects and the harm it continues to present to the healthcare system. There are many factors which lead to people starting smoking. It is mainly due to peer pressure at a young age to look good. This is the social aspect. Many previous smokers who have “Quit” often turn to smoking as a stress relief. Others see it as a must due to their peer group.
it causes a large amount of health problems in peoples lives. There is a large amount of research about the smoking which point out is harmful effects.There is also the financial aspect of smoking that affects people day to day life. It is not just the smoker that it affects, but the people that are dependent on the person who smokes.
It is often an expensive habit, and other pleasures, or even necessities, are often sacrificed to support the addiction. There is also the cost to the Government that it spends on its healthcare system, but also makes through taxing the people who smoke.
When researching the project, there were a lot of sources available for use, due to the “Smoking Ban in Public Places” which is to be set in place on the 1st of July.The greatest amounts of resources were found on the internet, with a large amount of facts and figures which were reliable and easy to understand.
Unfortunately a local Doctor was not free to comment, which given the current coverage of the subject was not understandable. However, the surgery was able to provide helpful leaflets with information about Smoking and addiction. What is in a Cigarette? People often start smoking at a young age. This is a problem because most people are not educated about what they are actually smoking.
A cigarette company in 1994 released a copy of all the additives they use in there Cigarettes that totalled 599BBC/1994. The most common additives in cigarettes are:
- Nicotine – a drug that stimulates the brain. If you are a regular smoker, when the blood level of nicotine falls, you usually develop withdrawal symptoms such as craving, anxiety, restlessness, headaches, irritability, hunger, difficulty with concentration, or just feeling awful. These symptoms are relieved by the next cigarette. So, most smokers need to smoke regularly to feel “normal”, and to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
- Tar – About 70% of the tar is left in smokers” lungs when they inhale cigarette smoke and this causes many serious lung diseases.
- Carbon Monoxide CO – an odorless, tasteless and poisonous gas. It makes breathing more difficult as it combines with the body’s blood which carries oxygen around the body. Oxygen is essential for our bodies to work properly. Up to 15% of a smoker”s blood may be carrying CO instead of oxygen, which means the heart has to work harder, which can cause coronary heart disease and circulation problems.
- Acetone – widely used as a solvent, for example in nail polish remover.Ammonia – is found in cleaning fluids.
- Arsenic – a deadly poison, used in insecticides.
- Formaldehyde – used to preserve dead bodies.
- Cadmium – a highly poisonous metal used in batteries. Shellac – becomes a wood varnish when mixed with a form of alcohol.
- Benzene – used as a solvent in fuel and chemical production.
- Cyanide – a deadly poison. nosmokingday. org/2007
Why do People Start Smoking? Most people start smoking at a young age due to peer pressure. This is usually at the age of 11 to 17. In the United Kingdom approximately 450 children start smoking everyday.This is because it is seen as cool and follow there friends as they are at a very influential age, although it is not uncommon for people of all ages to start smoking. Older “Starters” mainly blame stress as the reason.
What benefits does it have? Smoking gives people a quick raise in there blood pressure which makes them feel good about themselves and situations they are in. It is sometimes seen as a social bonus to people. The latest news is that countries which have enforced smoking bans has seen people socialise more when they are outside in the designated smoking area than if they were in other situations.But the real truth is there are no long term benefits of smoking.
Worldwide There are an estimated 1. 3 billion smokers worldwide. One third of the global population aged 15 years and above smoke. Among young teenagers aged 13 to 15, about one in five smokes worldwide. Between 80,000 and 100,000 children worldwide start smoking every day in the world. Benefits to the Government The Treasury earned over 8 billion in revenue from tobacco duties for the financial year 2003-2004 excluding Value Added Tax.
Smoking increases the risk of developing various other conditions including: optic neuropathy, cataract, macular degeneration, cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis, psoriasis, gum disease, tooth loss, osteoporosis and Reynaud’s phenomenon quit. org/2006. Death By 2030, tobacco is expected to be the single biggest cause of death worldwide. Five times higher than road traffic accidents, HIV infection, alcoholic liver disease, murder and manslaughter, suicide, and poisoning and overdose combined.
About 106,000 people in the UK die each year due to smoking.Smoking-related deaths are mainly due to cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease. About half of all smokers die from smoking-related diseases. If you are a long-term smoker, on average your life expectancy is about 8-12 years less than a non-smoker.
Put another way, in the UK about 8 in 10 non-smokers live past the age of 70, but only about half of long-term smokers live past 70. The younger you are when you start smoking, the more likely you are to smoke for longer and to die early from smoking. Many smoking-related deaths are not “quick deaths”.For example, if you develop you can expect several years of illness and distressing symptoms before you die.
Smoking increases the risk of developing a number of other diseases, many of these may not be fatal, but they can cause years of unpleasant symptoms quit. org/2006. Conclusion The findings of the report show that smoking is a very harmful addiction and should be stopped. The problem is that although the government put on the face that they are encouraging people to quit, they actually will not place a full ban due to the large amount of profit through tax they create.
Though the NHS spends a large amount of money towards illness that is a direct link to smoking, it is dwarfed by the 8 billion pounds it generates through tax. Although we have brought the problem on ourselves most people need help to quit and cause a dramatic decrease of people who smoke. The smoking ban due on the 1st of July May deter some smokers it is not a great step as business have found ways round it to cater for there smoking staff and customers.
