Smoking is one of the leading causes of death and illnesses in the world. Smoking increases the risk of developing over 50 health conditions that may or may not kill you in the long run. Some of these health conditions may be fatal, which could lead to death, while some may cause long-term irreversible effects that could decrease your quality of life.
Smoking, in its entirety, is damaging to you and to the people who are around you when you’re smoking.
The Different Types of Smoking
There are three different types of smoking which are first, second, and third-hand smoking. But what are the differences between the three?
First-hand smoke is the smoke that is inhaled by the person who is smoking or vaping.
While second-hand smoke is the smoke that is exhaled or the smoke at the butt of the cigarette and inhaled by people around you. Second-hand smoking is a major public health hazard and a driving force behind smoke-free legislation.
Second-hand smoke, also known as passive or secondary smoking, raises the risk of a variety of illnesses. When you inhale tobacco smoke, your body quickly absorbs these chemicals, which induce alterations in your cells. These cell alterations have the potential to cause major health issues, such as cancer.
Smoking also leaves a chemical residue on surfaces where someone has smoked, which can last for a long period of time after the smoke has been eliminated from the surroundings. This occurrence is also known as “third-hand smoke.”
It is becoming more widely recognized as a potential health hazard, particularly for toddlers, who not only breathe in the fumes emitted by these residues but also ingest remnants that get on their hands while crawling on floors or touching walls and furniture. This is one of the most dangerous, especially if you don’t clean your walls or surfaces at all.
What are The Effects of Smoke/Smoking on the Body?
Tobacco usage affects all of your body’s organs. Tobacco smoke introduces not only nicotine but also over 5,000 chemicals into your lungs, blood, and many other organs such as your heart. These chemicals that are introduced to your body also include several carcinogens (cancer-causing compounds).
Smoking has the potential to dramatically reduce your lifespan and may give you multiple serious health conditions such as:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Coronary heart disease
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Asthma
- Pneumonia
- And many more
The carbon monoxide in tobacco also depletes the oxygen supply to your heart, preventing it from pumping blood around your body. Your airways swell up over time, allowing less air into your lungs.
It will also affect the way you look. You’ll have yellow-stained teeth and fingers, hair loss, make you more wrinkly, etc. and over time, you’ll look older than your age.
Is Vaping Better?
E-cigarettes’ safety and risks are still unknown. Many e-cigarettes have high nicotine content. Vaping could also serve as a gateway to other nicotine products, such as cigarettes or chewing tobacco.
Other harmful compounds can also be found in e-cigarette vapor. Inhaling these non-nicotine vape components can cause EVALI/VALI, a type of lung injury that can be fatal.
Final Thoughts
Smoking is fatal not only for you but also for the people around you. Help yourself and other people and try to look for better alternatives so that you can live a longer and happier life.
