Smoking

 Smoking is a typical habit all over the world. More and more people start smoking at a very young age. It is considered “cool” and relaxing. But is this really true? How is it possible that smokers do not realize this habit is threatening our lives in the long run? So many victims and symptoms, yet society can’t stop generating smokers.

Smoking causes problems in both physical and mental health. To begin with, it affects people's bodies and more importantly the lungs and heart. Smoking can provoke heart disease, lung cancer, pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis, intense coughing, and other indications of poor lung function as well as blood pressure. In addition, many smokers develop fertility problems and pregnant smokers are prone to premature birth, babies with chronic diseases and even a miscarriage. Moreover, there are also passive smokers. Passive smokers are people who, though they do not smoke themselves, breathe in the smoke.

On the other hand, mental health can also be affected by this detrimental habit. It's a widely spread view that smoking is relaxing. However, that’s actually not true. Smoking increases anxiety and other mental health problems someone may already have. Additionally, it makes them feel tired all the time and they have less energy to exercise. Therefore, smokers move on to becoming a “couch potato” and indulge in a malnourishing diet. All these mental consequences also affect their progress at school or work. Last but not least, their life expectancy is a lot less than a non-smoker’s.

To sum up, all these effects cited above are enough, in my opinion, to prevent someone from taking up smoking or motivate someone else to stop practicing this nasty habit. Not only are smokers harming their bodies and souls, but the people around them as well. Not enough is being done by the government to drastically exterminate this habit as it is seen as something “normal” and “usual”. However, smoking is actually a slow death that must be dealt with and now is the time.

Eirini Ampatzi