Underground Journal

The Hidden side of Smoking

Why is smoking so intensely bad for someone and their loved ones? The answer is definitely both obvious and not-so obvious at the very same time. There are all the widespread reasons we already know why smoking is so bad, but there are many other reasons that are often inter-linked with each other that result in making smoking the ultimate perfect killing activity. We’ve all seen people happily puffing away seemingly oblivious or in strict denial about the harm they are doing to their bodies. Anyone who has smoked themselves will know what it feels like to them, the combination of a dark smoke and intense smell of ash coursing through a person’s lungs. The feeling can be exhilarating and thrilling at once. But what is going on inside the body while all of this is happening within it?

The chemical reaction starts immediately with the first light of the small cigarette. From there the hot flame ignites the myriad of harmful chemicals contained within each cigarette. The heated chocking smoke then travels to the middle of the chest where it is processed by the lungs. Nicotine is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and the harmful addictive process begins. The human body is able to take all of these chemicals and efficiently eliminate them but eventually time will always catch up to any habitual smoker.

A smoker is essentially coating their lungs with dark liquid tar over time. The result is that roughly one of two lifetime smokers will die from this habit when it’s all said and done. They may not just die of cancer alone however. Other smoking relating diseases include constant asthma, emphysema, and painful bronchitis. Smoking also produces carbon monoxide fumes and can greatly influence the development of damaging heart disease and stroke. Smoking can be very devastating during pregnancy since it increases the rate of premature births, unhealthy baby weights, and even fetal tobacco syndrome.

For all we know about the act of smoking, there is so much more going on in our bodies that we can’t see at all. It is all of these hidden processes in our bodies where all the damage and harm is being done every day. So while we know smoking is extremely  bad for our health, and that fact is imprinted in our brains, if we could see the effects on our bodies, we would be much less likely to begin smoking and smokers today would certainly want to quit smoking now. Unfortunately, we can’t see all of these bad effects and the harmful events seem to be things that “happen to someone else”, so the habit continues for many. Before picking up that cigarette, please carefully consider what you might not be seeing.

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