Do you know the consequences of smoking? Do you know how many people can die from smoking? 6 billion people on average lose their lives each year as a result of smoking-related illnesses, with 600,000 of those deaths being caused by second-hand exposure or “passive smoking”. Cigarettes are not only harmful for those who smoke them, they can also be harmful to those around the smoker. Smoke particles left behind on clothes can linger for hours, causing harm to others. Here you can read about cigarettes and cigarette use as well as help on how to quit smoking.
The consequences of smoking
Click the hotspots below to view some of the consequences of smoking cigarettes.
The consequences of smoking seen through a daphnia
As part of the CED+ programme, students took part in biology experiments to test the changing heart rate of daphnia. The experiment required students to place a variety of addictive substances including nicotine and alcohol in the daphnia’s environment to compare their heart rate before and after the addictive substance.
The results of the daphnia experiement can be seen to the right.
The results show the effects of a stimulant drug (tobacco) and a depressant dug (alcohol) on the daphnia’s heartbeat. It is clear the depressants reduce the heart rate whilst stimulants increase heart rate.
Underneath you can click the button for our survey about nicotin and adiction in the three different countries about
The heart rate of a daphnia
- With tobacco
- With alcohol
- With tobacco
- With alcohol
Addiction is the principle of having a compulsive need for an object or a practice. For example smokers are addicted to cigarettes.
Smoking is an addictive habit because the stimuant drug known as nicotine makes the brain release endorphins that provide a feeling of pleasure. This feeling goes away in time, making a smoker crave more nicotine to bring that same feeling back.
Why is it so popular to smoke in France ?
France is known as a country of smokers, however why is this the case ? Statistics from 2014 have shown that 47 billion cigarettes are lit up in France in each year, maing it one of the ‘smokiest’ countries in the world.
French student Quentin, gave his reason for smoking:
“…because it makes me feel cool and different from other people. It makes me look like a tough guy that can’t be messed with.”
Why do you get addicted? Researching in the science lab
Many smokers gets addicted to their cigarettes, but why? This question is being answered underneath and the truth is that it is all combined with the chemical called ‘dopamine’.
What is dopamine
Dopamine is like chemicals in your brain, it’s the feeling people gets when they achieve a goal, it’s the feeling you get when you finally beat the boss in a game, when your dad rubs your shoulder and says “well done”.
Dopamine is like a drug there gets realized in the brain when you do such things, our line here is that there are many ways to get this feeling/dopamine.
Outside the central never system, dopamine functions primarily as a local chemical messenger. In blood vessels, neurotransmitter in the brain release and acts of blood vessels the kidneys, it increases sodium excretion and urine output; in the pancreas, it reduces insulin production, in the digestive system and in the immune system and it reduces the activity of white blood cells. With the exception of the blood vessels, dopamine in each of these peripheral systems is synthesized locally and exerts its effects near the cells that release it.
All drugs of abuse excite the parts of the brain that make you feel good. But, after you take a drug for a while, the feel-good parts of your brain get used to it. Then you need to take more of the drug to get the same good feeling. Soon, your brain and body must have the drug to just feel normal. You feel sick and awful without the drug. You no longer have the good feelings that you had when you first used the drug.
After you take a drug for a while, the feel-good parts of your brain get used to it. Soon, your brain and body must have the drug to just feel normal.
Tobacco contains cloth called nicotine. People usually smoke, chew or sniff Tobacco.
The nicotine can connect to nicotine receptors in your nervous system than it makes you feel relaxed and it affects the thinking skills and attention. Another impact is that it makes your body produce more adrenalin.
It also raises your blood pressure.
How to quit smoking
We understand that quiting smoking is a challenge. Therefore we have devised a list of useful tips to help you quit your addiction.
- Nictone patches
- Nicotine gum
- Reducing the amount you smoke a little at a time
- Swapping to an E-Cig
- Replace your addiction with a healthy habit such as exercise
There are a variety of organisation across the participating CED+ countries which provide support for people who want to quit smoking.
Electronic cigarettes (also called e-cigarettes or electronic nicotine delivery systems) are battery-operated devices designed to deliver nicotine with flavorings and other chemicals to users in vapor instead of smoke. While e-cigarettes are often promoted as safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes, which deliver nicotine by burning tobacco, little is actually known yet about the health risks of using these devices. Some people believe e-cigarette products may help smokers lower nicotine cravings while they are trying to discontinue their tobacco use. However, at this point it is unclear whether e-cigarettes may be effective as smoking-cessation aids. There is also the possibility that they could perpetuate the nicotine addiction and thus interfere with quitting.