Essay, Research Paper: Smoking Is An Addiction

Smoking is an addiction. When a person smokes a tobacco product, they inhale the smoke, which contains nicotine as well as over 500 other chemicals. A cigarette contains cover paper, tobacco, nicotine, filter, and tar.
The tobacco is where the tar comes from in a cigarette. The other substances that are in the cigarette produce this tar. The tar causes problems with the throat, mouth, and lungs. This causes lung cancer, emphysema, and bronchial disease.
The reason why cigarettes give a person heart disease and heart failure is the carbon monoxide that is in it. This carcinogen enters the blood stream and slowly brings the heart to a halt or it remains in the arteries or vessels. This causes the heart to not pump as much blood through the system and the victim to have a heart attack.
Also there are other diseases that come with smoking. These are Chronic Bronchitis, digestive cancers, gastric ulcers, cancer of the throat, the tongue, the lips, the esophagus, the colon, and the pancreas. Smoking is also a leading cause of cancer. There are 43 known cancer-causing substances in cigarettes. Smoking is responsible for 90% of all lung cancer.
A few years ago, it was revealed that cigarette companies have purposely added nicotine to their product to make it taste better. The secret behind this find was that they also added nicotine to this product so that they can ensure that they will have future people to buy their product.
It is the nicotine in cigarettes that causes the addiction to smoking. Nicotine reaches the brain ten minutes after intake. It is a drug and is just as addicting as heroine or cocaine. There are three main reasons behind this addiction. First, even when taken in small amounts, nicotine produces pleasurable feelings that make the smoker crave more. Second, smokers usually become dependant on nicotine and suffer both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms when they stop smoking. Headaches, nervousness, irritability, and difficulty in sleeping can be results of withdrawal. Third, because nicotine effects the chemistry of the brain and central nervous system, it can effect the mood and temperament of the smoker. Nicotine is known as a poison and when taken in large amounts it could result in fatality. It paralysis the breathing muscles.
But nicotine is not all that bad. It is also found that this substance relieves stress in the stress mechanisms and can calm the person to a normal state. Though this is little help in the long run, when there are so many harmful side effects.
It is sad to know that there are so many young smokers in our society and era. More than 3,000 American youths start smoking every day-over 1,000,000 every year. This number continues to grow. It is so alarming because young smokers are more suceptible to disease and pre-mature death. Statistics also show that students who use other drugs, get in fights, carry other weapons, attempt suicide, and engage in high risk sexual behavior are more likely to smoke.