Even if you are not worried about how smoking affects you now there are a number of long term effects, smoking will not only stain your fingers and teeth yellow, but it also damages almost every part of your body. At least 43 of the chemicals in cigarettes can cause cancer.
FACT:
At least half of all the teenagers who are smoking today will die from diseases caused by tobacco if they carry on smoking
Here are some of the ways in which smoking can affect your body:
Brain - At least 1/3 of strokes are caused by smoking. A stroke happens when brain cells suddenly die because the blood is not circulating properly.
Lungs - Lung cancer causes the most cancer deaths in the world
Throat - 90% of throat and mouth cancers are caused by smoking or chewing tobacco
Heart - As your heart is having to work harder, a cigarette smoker is 2-3 times more likely to have a heart attack than a non-smoker
Limbs - About 2000 arms and legs are amputated in the UK because of diseases cause by smoking. This most often affects men between 20 and 40
Fertility - Smoking can decrease fertility in both men and women
Smoking can damage everything - just some of the health problems you can get due to smoking are:
Asthma, Arthritis, Back Pain, Bowel Problems, Diabetes, Eye problems, Flu, Gum Disease, Tooth loss, Osteoporosis, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis.
FACT:
Every time you light up you are increasing your risk of developing at least one health problem
