Smoking Side Effects

One smoking side effect: a mass in the lung

It is such an irony that people gets addicted to smoking even when it brings more harm than benefits to health. Despite several studies proving that smoking side effects are dangerous to health both in the physiological and psychological aspects, still a majority of the smokers can’t just quit smoking that easily. In fact, some smokers would even rationalize that it is easy for non-smokers to keep on complaining and uttering negative things about smoking because they have not experienced the pleasure from smoking and the distress from quitting the habit. Well, it is really difficult to understand the logic behind the smokers’ minds, especially when the cost of their pleasure is life!

Seeing the smokers’ point of view, pleasure is the sole purpose why they smoke. Indeed, smoking would seem to bring about pleasure and reduce stress. The content of tobacco products such as nicotine and Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) directly target the pleasure center of the brain and trigger an increase in the level of neurotransmitters like dopamine that causes the feeling of euphoria (exaggerated and unreasonable happiness) and relaxation to smokers. Consequently, these sensations produced by tobacco content leaves an imprint in the brain. The more an individual smokes, the more it becomes hazy for the brain to identify real from pseudo-pleasure. Eventually, the person becomes consumed by this tobacco-induced gratification and ends up addicted to smoking.

Moreover, smoking side effects are not limited to addiction. Nicotine often stimulates narrowing of the blood vessels (vasoconstriction) that results to hypertension (high blood pressure) in most smokers. Eventually, when the smoker doesn’t quit smoking, hypertension becomes chronic and may even lead to other health problems like heart attacks and stroke.

Other hazardous content of cigarette and tobacco products called tar may also deposit in the lungs. It damages the sweeping structure of the respiratory tract called cilia that propels harmful and foreign substances outside the lungs like bacteria, pollutants and other disease-causing microorganisms. As a result, smokers often acquire respiratory tract infection and other respiratory diseases like pneumonia and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Likewise, tar is carcinogenic that makes smoking one of the leading causes of lung cancer, which is definitely fatal. Tar may also cause staining of the teeth which is one of the most obvious smoking side effects evident among smokers.

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Last but not the least, carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke alters the ability of blood to carry and deliver oxygen to the different organs in the body. Bear in mind that body organs particularly the vital ones like the heart, brain, kidneys, lungs and many more require oxygen to perform their specific tasks. Without oxygen, these organs will malfunction and may even result to other life threatening conditions.

Tobacco has thousands of chemical components and merely discussing few of them with their corresponding side effects is already nerve cracking.

Overall, smoking side effects may start mild and will end up fatal. Some smokers might joke around that non-smokers have higher risk of dying from lung cancer without even experiencing the pleasure that smoking can provide. Here is the bad news buddy; non-smokers only have 2% chance of having lung cancer while smokers’ risk is around 20%. But it’s not too late; you still have the chance to quit smoking right now!