Cigarette Smoking and the body
Tobacco is consumed worldwide everyday by millions of people. Many people cannot prevent themselves from smoking because tobacco contains a drug called nicotine that makes them feel as if they need it in order to function normally. Nicotine is a substance found in tobacco. It is found in all tobacco products such as: cigarettes, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and cigars. When a person smokes a tobacco product, they inhale the smoke, which contains nicotine as well as over 500 chemicals, including formaldehyde (used to preserve dead bodies), cyanide, insecticide, carbon monoxide and tar [1]. I personally think that smoking is detrimental and that it has many fatal side effects, but eventhough many people know of these effects, they still chose to smoke. For what reason? Nicotine has a few positive effects on the body. It stimulates memory and alertness, enhancing cognitive skills that require speed, reaction time, vigilance, and work performance. It acts as a mood-altering agent, it tends to alleviate boredom and reduce stress, and reduces aggressive responses to stressful events. It also tends to be an appetite suppressant, specifically decreasing the appetite for simple carbohydrates (sweets)
There may be a few benefits to smoking but the dangers are undoubtedly greater and it is in the interest of any smoker, who desires a long healthy life, to quit smoking immediately. After only twenty minutes of quitting a person's blood pressure and pulse rate returns to normal. After eight hours, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in a person's blood are reduced by half; oxygen levels return to normal, and your heart and lungs will begin to repair the damage caused by cigarette smoke. Twenty-four hours later carbon monoxide is eliminated from your body and your lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris. There is no nicotine left in your body after forty-eight hours and your ability to taste and smell is greatly improved. After only 72 hours, breathing becomes easier, your bronchial tubes relax and energy levels increase. One week later and your physical addiction to nicotine is overcome. In 2 to 12 weeks your blood circulation improves. After 3 to 9 months coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function is increased by up to 10%. Five years later and your risk of heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker and finally, after 10 years of not smoking, your risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker and your risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked. Tar contains carcinogens which causes changes in DNA in bronchial epithelial cells, leading to the development of a bronchial carcinoma. [5] This is lung cancer, the most common disease associated with smoking. Smoking also causes cancer of the lips, tongue, salivary glands, mouth, larynx, oesophagus, and middle and lower pharynx and bladder. It is also linked to cancers of the renal pelvis, uterine cervix and pancreas.[3] A smoker may still want to argue that fewer smokers get Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases than non-smokers
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1257
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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