An addictive drug is a substance that can be abused by an individual which latter causes detrimental effects in one’s psychological and physiological well-being. These addictive drugs can lead to drug dependence or addiction if it is taken without supervision and it can cause long term harmful effects on the human body, such as cancer, and can alter human behavior. An example of an addictive drug is nicotine. Nicotine can be found in tobacco products and is considered as a stimulant. Stimulants are also known as “uppers”, this stimulates or heightens the body’s energy and alertness through increasing the action of the human’s central nervous system.

An addictive drug causes drug addiction or abuse which is characterized as psychological and physiological dependence. An example of an addictive drug is nicotine, which is found in tobacco products.

There are a lot of toxic substances found in cigarette smoke that can cause various life-changing and life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, heart and lung diseases. These includes carbon monoxide, tar, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, and other toxic substances. Carbon monoxide is a compound that can cause death because in comparison with oxygen, it can easily bind to the RBC’s hemoglobin which hinder hemoglobin and oxygen binding and will further result in a lack of oxygen being transported to the different organs of the body. Tar is a substance made when tobacco is burned and it is a cancer-containing substance and known to cause damages in the respiratory system. Hydrogen cyanide is a poisonous compound that can lead to respiratory, cardiovascular and many other complications.

The toxic substances found in cigarette smoke includes carbon monoxide, tar and other substances like hydrogen cyanide. These substances can cause harmful effects to the human body. Many of these substance can cause cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

The short-term effects of using tabacco that immediately affects the body includes alterations in the brain’s chemistry, increase in the heart and respiration rate, reduced appetite and physical changes. Brain chemistry alterations happen when an individual had been dependent to the addictive drug and this results in chemical imbalances in the brain’s neurotransmitter due to excessive or lack of stimulants. Increase in heart and respiration rate is due to the toxic substances from the tobacco that contaminated the blood and causes lack of oxygen binding to the hemoglobin, and upon the substances circulation throughout the body, these causes damages to the heart and lungs. Reduced appetite due to tobacco usage occurs because nicotine activates the hypothalamus which supresses appetite. Physical changes, such as yellow teeth, is caused by the staining of the nicotine and tar to the teeth.

Using tobacco immediately affects the body through altering brain chemistry, increasing heart and respiration rate, reduced appetite, and physical changes, like yellow teeth.

The continuous use of tobacco can lead to harmful long-term effects in the respiratory system and that includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema and lung cancer. Chronic bronchitis is considered as an inflammation in the bronchial tubes due to the buildup of tar that causes excessive secretion of mucus and chronic cough. Emphysema is a lung condition wherein the alveoli or the air sacs in the lungs had been damaged. Some of its symptoms are chest tightness, shortness of breath and frequent coughing. Lung cancer is the common type of cancer caused by smoking. This cancer can occur due to constant damage to the bronchi and accumulation of mucus that leads to the abnormal growth of cells which started in the lungs.

The three ways tobacco affect the respiratory system includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema and lung cancer.

Aside from the fact that using tobacco affects one’s health, it can also affect one’s well-being and relationship with others. The well-being of a person does not only include its physical health, it also considers the person’s emotional, environmental, social, and psychological well-being. The nicotine in tobacco affects a chemical in the brain called dopamine that is responsible for a person’s emotional responses. Environmentally, tobacco usage releases toxic air pollutants that are harmful for the environment and contributes to air, soil and water pollution. Smoking can affects your social life because tobacco causes bad breath, yellow teeth and bad odor that could be the reason to having low self-esteem. And lastly, it can affect a person’s psychological state because of the dependence in smoking tobacco. These are the reasons people should not use any form of tobacco.

People should not use any form of tobacco because it can affect, not only our physical health, but also our emotional, environmental, social and psychological well-being.

TOBACCO: A Threat to the Society

Tobacco products had been utilized by the human population as early as 5000 B.C. However, during those generations, tobacco was not yet known to pose detrimental consequences to the human health. The most common tobacco product is cigarette. Smoking cigarettes are constantly being popular among teenagers and adults, even though there have been several significant studies that corroborate to the harmful effects of smoking. Some of the reasons why an individual starts smoking include peer pressure, parental smoking and for the purpose of rebelling and being independent. Cigarette approximately contains 600 ingredients and when burned, it produces more than 7,000 toxic compounds in which some of them are carcinogen and the others can be found in consumer and industrial products. These toxic substances, like tar, can cause various health complications in the future. Approximately 80% of deaths caused by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and 90% of deaths due to Lung Cancer deaths are associated with the use of tobacco products. Smoking does not only harm an individual’s respiratory system, it also affects every organ in the human body, especially the circulatory system. Cigarette smoking can cause plaque accumulation in the arteries or blood vessels which leads to Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke. Even though quitting smoking completely is probably time consuming and needs a lot of effort and patience, there are possible ways to quit smoking. In order for someone to successfully quit smoking, he needs a support group that will be by his side throughout his journey towards a healthy and quality life. That person also needs to divert his mind to other things, like doing exercises or having a conversation with someone. Being positive and believing in one’s self is also essential. Using tobacco is not only detrimental to one’s health, but also to one’s emotional, environmental, social and psychological well-being. It would be better to live in a harmonious, healthy and quality life rather than suffering from different diseases in the future.

Editorial of newspaper that encourages people to quit tobacco use.

FACTS ABOUT TOBACCO SMOKING

Why you should avoid cigarettes?

Tobacco has a great impact in your health and well-being. It is slowly killing you without you even noticing. Smoking alters your brain chemistry when you became dependent to the consumption of nicotine. Tobacco contains nicotine and eventually produces tar and other toxic substances that is harmful for your heart, lungs and other organs.

The Long-term Effect of Smoking

1. Chronic Bronchitis is the inflammation along the lining of the bronchi which causes accumulation of tar in the lungs.

2. Emphysema is a condition where in the tiny air sacs in the lungs called alveoli are severely damaged that leads to lack of oxygen in the lungs resulting to difficulties in breathing.

3. Lung Cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the lungs due to the abnormal production of cancerous cells that eventually blocks the airway of the lungs.

4. Coronary Heart Disease occurs when the arteries have plaque formation that hinders the adequate flow of blood.

5. Stroke can occur when your blood pressure increases and oxygen supply decreases because of plaque accumulation.

6. Weak Immune System. Your body will be vulnerable to various diseases, such as tuberculosis.

How to Avoid Smoking

1. Find a support group.

2. Think positive and believe in yourself that you could quit smoking.

3. Plan your diet and meals. Eat healthy.

4. Do exercises.

5. Occupy your mind with other things.

REMEMBER: QUIT SMOKING, LEAD A QUALITY LIFE!

Pamphlet in raising awareness of the health risks of tobacco usage.