The Sweet-Bitter Ride of Smoking (A Health Concern)

12 days ago

When you see people tell you that smoking is amazing, how do you respond to them or look at them? You see, if we will be sincer to one another, smoking is someworth amazing in its own right because it gives a solution to a problem it created almost instantly. Have you see people who are addicted to smoking with nicotine effect act when they are in serious need of that one stick of cigarette?

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In simple word, Cigarette creates a temporary problem and a straight solution. People who are addicted to nicotine begin to experience itching, stress and nervousness within 72 hours of not having it in their system but with a single stick of cigarette, th entire problem disappears making them feel good. For people who smoke, smoking helps with focus on work, surppreses appetite, and it makes bad moment feel less bad while making good moments better.

That stick of cigarette is a combination of dried, grinded tobacco leaf, mixed with series of chemicals which is then burned slowly, thanks to the filter stopper at the tip of one end where it is being inhaled from. When inhaling, the slow burning allows for nicotine to be absorbed along side the particular flavor that is added in the making of the cigarette. When smoked cigarette is made up of majorly gases, water vapour, and tar. The gases includes Oxygen, nitrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide while the Tar is made up of Nictine, carbon and nitrogen. When smoked, the particles of the smoke goes to every part of the body as they go, and they end up in the throat, tongue, and trachea.

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In the lungs, it is different as the lungs is made upof cilia cells filled with mucus to trap dust and bacteria but in the case of inhalling cigarette, the tar particles sticks to the mucus and weakings the cilia. The tar then begins to reach for the alveoli which is responsible for breathing. Nicotine enters the bloodstream through the alveoli going to all part of the body, and reaching the brain very fast.

On reaching the brain, Neurotransmitters are released with Epinerphrine causing the heart to beat faster, dopamine giving the happiness and relaxation feeling, and beta endorphines reduce pain and stress. With nicotine reaching the brain, a person is excited and calm at the same time, leading to being more alert, enhancing focus, and being sensitive to pleasant sensations.

In all this, the brain tries to return back to its normal self but since there is still nicotine in the body, it is very difficult to do but once it wear off, the brain becomes imbalance and this is where addiction comes into play as you stop to fell like your normal self when you are not taking the cigarette. Now there is a problem, because before you took it to feel great, but now you need it to feel normal.

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So you know, nicotine doesn't go into the body alone, it is accompanied with other chemicals like Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Hydrogen Cyanide, Hydogen Peroxide, Nitrogen Oxides and so on, and these chemicals cause a lot of damage in the body where they reach. With carbon monoxide in the body, blood is unable to carry enough oxygen, and the alveoli begin to feel overworked and start becoming damaged.

Overtime, to get the Tar and Mucus in the lungs out, people begin to cough. As a result of the damage the tar and chemical have caused in the lungs, the body immune system such as macrophages begin to do their job as they begin to consume tar particles. In the process of doing their jobs, they also release chemical substances that injure the lungs causing scar tissues which results in inability to breath properly.

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When it comes to blood circulation, nicotine raises heart rate while constricting blood vessels in the body. In the same light, chemicals stuck on the vessels leading to plaques that makes the blood vessels narrow causing the heart to work more than normal. Also, the likelihood of a bloodclot rises critically as blood goes through the vesselsas it can either lead to a heart attack or stroke. Asides from the damages that I just mentioned, we should not forget that the body is being flooded with over 70 carcinogenic chemicals including formaldehyde, Ethylene Oxide, Benzo(a)pyrene, 2-toluidine, and so on.

People find leaving smoking difficult because of two reasons which are the physical effects and the psychological effects of nicotine. While the physical effects of quiting nicotine intake can last from 3 to 7 days, the psychological effect is very hard to overcome as strong habits are formed when smoking that cannot be destroyed easily.

Reference

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2 comments

@sperosamuel15 68

11 days ago

It's just that people aren't enlightened enough but honestly, there's nothing positive about smoking
It doesn't even give you the so called pleasure, it's just harm and harm
And there should be a movement against smoking because it's taking more life and damaging people's organ....pheww

It just destroys you and reduce your organ efficiency

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@stemsocial 64

11 days ago

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