The Dangers of Smoking

By: Jennifer Dixon For ages 11 – 19

CIS1020 Final Project

I decided to start smoking when I was 16 years old.

I started because I thought it would be cool, my friends and family were smoking, so why couldn’t I?

The signs I saw from smoking were: the emergency room trips that repeated over, and over for bronchitis and other lung infections, my mood, and my physical ability to run, hike, or even take walks smoking slowed me down tremendously.

I smoked for 7 years, it took me 4 (real) attempts to finally quit smoking.

I have been smoke free for 2 ½ years now!

My Story

My Steps to Recovery

The first step: was realizing that I have an addiction.

Second step: finding the motivation and inspirations to quit.

Third step: gradually stop smoking i.e. one less cigarette a day, one less pack a week.

Fourth step: find support through friends, family, and colleague’s.

Fifth step: pick a day and just do it! Become smoke free!

And if you fail, then try again and again. It took me 4 (real) attempts to quit smoking, never give up!

The Deadly Side Effects

Tobacco smoke contains 4,000 different chemicals, more than 50 are known to cause cancers. A few of those chemicals are: Hydrogen

cyanide (poisonous gas used in pest control), Benzene (component of gasoline), Formaldehyde (chemical used to embalm corpses), Carbon

monoxide (found in car exhaust). (WebMD Secondhand Smoke)

People who smoke don’t think about how it could affect others, or they would just prefer to ignore it. (I know this because I was a

smoker) This should be reason enough to quit or avoid smoking.

The Body:

Bladder cancer Esophageal cancer Kidney cancer Abdominal aortic

aneurysm Oral cancer Cancer of the pharynx

(throat) Stomach cancer, and

many more cancers (CDC)

The Lungs:

Smoking causes many lung diseases: emphysema, bronchitis, asthma, & chronic airway obstruction.

The loss of lung elasticity - the elastic tissues fail to perform their function, so the lungs stay in expanded state making it difficult to exhale.

Tar sticks to the thin like cilia hair along the nasal and throat passage causing them to get clogged. Develops into a smoker’s cough which is common among regular smokers.

The Brain:

The chemicals from cigarettes, particularly nicotine reach the brain 10 seconds after the smoke is inhaled and it remains active after 20-40 minutes.

Nicotine affects special receptor cells (regulates mood and memory) in the brain.

Researchers have found that long-term smoking have harmful effects on memory, problem-solving, I.Q., and diminishes the thinking ability of a person.(Ygoy Health Community)

The Heart:

Atherosclerosis disease - a waxy substance built up (plaque) in your arteries. Overtime, the plaque hardens and narrows your arteries. Limiting the flow of oxygen-rich blood to organs and other parts of the body.

Coronary heart disease – occurs when plaque builds up in the coronary (heart) arteries, which can lead to chest pain, heart attack, heart failure, arrhythmias, or even death.

Smoking is a major risk for heart disease. (National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute)

Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Quitting smoking lowers the risk of diabetes, lets blood vessels work better, and helps the heart and lungs.

Quitting while you are younger will reduce your health risks more, but quitting smoking at any age will bring back years of life that be lost if continued smoking. (American

Cancer Society )

Started smoking? Tips on how to stop…

The Dangers of Smoking

CIS120 Final Project November 28, 2012 by: Jennifer Dixon

BibliographyAmerican Cancer Society . n.d. <http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/guidetoquittingsmoking/guide-to-quitting-smoking-benefits>.CDC. n.d. <http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/>.Harvard Health Publications. n.d. <http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Heart_Letter/2010/September/readers-stories-of-how-they-quit-smoking>.National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute. n.d. <http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/smo/>.Quit your smoking addiction. n.d. <http://www.quityoursmokingaddiction.com/smoking-affects-lungs.php>.WebMD Secondhand Smoke. n.d. <http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/effects-of-secondhand-smoke>.Ygoy Health Community . n.d. <http://smoking.ygoy.com/effects-of-smoking-on-the-brain/>.