Most people start smoking when they are teenagers. One of the main reasons is because it looks grown-up, also you are more likely to smoke as an adult if you live with people who smoke. Smoking can make you
Ill at first because your body is not used to it, but people carry on because they like it - the trouble is that the nicotine in tobacco is very powerful and it can take just a few cigarettes for your body to become dependent on it, once the drug is in control and not you it can be very difficult to stop.
FACT:
2 out of every 3 smokers would stop if they could
What Happens when you smoke?
Smoking affects your body beyond the good and bad feelings you get when you inhale the smoke. When you smoke the chemicals affect your body in the following ways:
Brain - After 7 seconds the nicotine reaches your brain, it sends a buzz through the body. It's the bit most smokers like but it only lasts for a few seconds
Eyes - Smoke gets in your eyes and stings
Lungs - Your lungs have to work harder to deal with the smoke you are filling them with. You have to start breathing more heavily and deeply. Because of this even more damage is caused by the smoke.
Heart - Your heart rate goes up by as much as 30% in 10 minutes. This makes your heart work harder and increases the risk of heart attack in the future.
Blood - Carbon Monoxide in the smoke mixes with your blood. This makes it more difficult for the blood to carry oxygen around your body. If your body does not have enough oxygen you will feel tired.
Can I still play sport?
Smokers notice the effects of tobacco even more when they try to get their body to do something like sport or dancing. You can still play sport but will not be as good. The carbon monoxide makes it difficult for the oxygen to move around your body. Your lungs will be less efficient and you will get tired sooner and take longer to recover.
Here is what happened to James - who had been trying to get into the cross country team for months:
"I finally got picked and it was what I had always wanted. For a while it was great, but then smoking got to me, suddenly I wasn't beating my personal best any more - in fact I was getting slower. After a race I'd cough like anything and felt half-dead"
Bad Taste
Smoking smells, and leaves an awful taste in your mouth. People say there is nothing worse than kissing someone after they have smoked,
FACT:
Kissing someone after they have smoked and then had a mint is worse. Mouth spray and mints do not make a difference - it's still like kissing an ashtray - just a sickly sweet mint flavoured one!
Smoking affects your looks
Smoking can damage your skin. Without enough oxygen the skin is less stretchy so it wrinkles more easily. The smoke that is breathed out makes this worse because it dries the skin. That is why smokers get premature wrinkles and why older smokers often have greyish, creased skin with thick lines around their mouth and eyes. Smoking may also encourage hair to turn grey or fall out.
You also develop a yellow - black staining around the teeth which is caused by the cigarette tar. It also damages your gums, which means smokers tend to spend more time at the dentist
