Many young heroes and people generally think in a style that they are smoking cigarettes, chutta or bidi. But practically analyzing it is the CIGARETTE that smokes the people in different styles, in different fashions and different angles. Primarily, it smokes the pocket, which means the money in the pocket. Even a mild smoker smokes 4-6 cigarettes per day. On average, one cigarette may cost from 10-20 rupees basing on the brand. The price of a cigarette packet varies widely by brand, pack size, and retailer, with prices ranging from approximately ₹95 for a pack of 10 to ₹450 for a pack of 20. For example, a 10-pack of Marlboro Advance Compact can cost around ₹95, while a 20-pack of Gold Flake Kings or Marlboro Red can cost around ₹340.
Therefore, annually, an ordinary smoker spends about 7-8 thousand. Whereas a chain smoker may spend around 50,000 rupees. It’s smoking every part of the body, starting from hair, eyes, nose, ears, skin, nails, neck, lungs, heart, blood vessels, kidney, liver, urinary tract, uterus (womb) in females, prostate in males in other words, from toe to hai,r every organ is damaged by smoking.
The phrase “Cigarettes smoke you… Not you!” is a metaphor that highlights how tobacco companies hook people on nicotine, making them dependent on cigarettes rather than the person being in control. Smoking cigarettes causes a cycle of addiction where the body craves nicotine to avoid withdrawal, leading to a physical dependence that can be difficult to break. As an “eye wipe” phenomenon, the governments ask the tobacco companies to print a statutory warning that “smoking is injures to health” and before playing movies in the theatre, short films on the hazards of smoking are played for a few minutes. Instead of this, voluntary groups or government missionaries appointed in every village should go to each house to identify the smokers and educate them to quit smoking would yield results provided the quit smoking techniques and awareness programs are continued forever or a cent percent no-smoking habit is established. It is not out of context to mention that the author of this article, when he spoke on All India Radio, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Hyderabad and Kadapa few years back hundreds of chronic smokers stopped smoking completely. The evidence is the feedback from Radio listeners to the radio stations and there are still many living case studies available for inspiring the chronic smokers to quit smoking.
Nicotine is highly addictive:
Nicotine in tobacco smoke reaches the brain within seconds, triggering the release of chemicals like dopamine that create feelings of pleasure and a temporary sense of calm. The brain becomes accustomed to these nicotine-induced chemicals, and when the drug wears off, the body’s natural balance is disrupted. This can lead to withdrawal symptoms like irritability and anxiety, which can only be “relieved” by smoking another cigarette. This creates a feedback loop where the smoker is no longer choosing to smoke freely but is instead responding to a craving created by the addiction. They are not in control; the addiction is and cigarette takes total control of the smoker.
Physical and mental damage:
This dependence is made worse because cigarettes contain over 7,000 chemicals, including many known carcinogens that cause extensive damage to nearly every organ in the body. This harm includes increased risks of heart disease, cancer, and lung diseases.
Deaths among infants
Snowballing deaths among infants due to their parents is a big concern. Smoking significantly increases the risk of developing eye diseases that can lead to blindness, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, and glaucoma. It can cause blurry vision, difficulty seeing in low light, and wavy lines, and can also lead to dry eye syndrome and optic nerve damage. Quitting smoking can lower this risk and protect your vision. Smokers are two to four times more likely to develop AMD, a condition that affects central vision. Living with a smoker also increases this risk. Smoking can double the risk of developing cataracts, which cause cloudy vision that can lead to blindness if untreated. The risk of glaucoma is linked to smoking through its connection to high blood pressure and diabetes, which are risk factors for this disease that damages the optic nerve. Smoking increases the chances of getting diabetes and makes managing it more difficult, further diabetic retinopathy, a condition that can lead to blindness. The risk of this inflammation in the eye, which can lead to other sight-threatening conditions, is more than doubled for smokers. Tobacco smoke contains toxins that irritate and worsen this condition, where the eyes don’t produce enough tears for lubrication. Smoking can increase intraocular pressure and limit oxygen to the optic nerve, causing damage that can lead to vision loss.
Smoking causes many serious health issues, including multiple types of cancer (especially lung cancer), heart disease, stroke, and chronic respiratory diseases like COPD. It also harms reproductive health, contributes to the risk of diabetes, and can damage the eyes, immune system, and bones. Even second-hand smoke is dangerous, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and respiratory illnesses in others. Lung cancer is a leading cause of death in the U.S. for smokers, according to the American Cancer Society. Smoking causes cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, colon, liver, kidney, bladder, and cervix. Smoking damages blood vessels, leading to coronary heart disease and an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Plaque build-up in leg and arm arteries restricts blood flow, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is a major consequence of smoking. Smoking can trigger severe asthma attacks and worsen the condition. Smokers are more susceptible to respiratory infections like pneumonia.
Reproductive and Other Issues
Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and birth defects like cleft lip and cleft palate. Smoking increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Components of tobacco smoke weaken the immune system, notes the World Health Organization (WHO). Post-menopausal women who smoke have a higher risk of hip fractures and lower bone density.
It is reiterated that Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke have an increased risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Children exposed to secondhand smoke have higher rates of asthma, respiratory infections, and middle ear diseases. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
