Tobacco Effects
Smoking kills more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, HIV, guns, and illegal drugs combined and accounts for around 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States (American Cancer Society, 2017). Compared to nonsmokers, individuals who use tobacco are more likely to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. Smoking causes diminished health overall and harms nearly every organ in the body (CDC, 2017).
Nicotine is an addictive substance, with around 32% of those who use it becoming addicted (Hill, 2015). For these reasons (and a variety of others), it is important to understand the health effects if you choose to use tobacco.
Tobacco products, including cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and vaporizing devices or e-cigarettes, all contain nicotine and a host of other harmful carcinogens. For this reason, vaping is no less harmful than smoking a cigarette and, in some cases, can even be more dangerous.
Overall, nicotine is considered a stimulant. It also tends to suppress appetite and increase metabolism, which aside from physiological dependence, may make it even more difficult for someone to quit.
While quitting may be difficult, health begins to improve within 20 minutes and will continue to improve every day thereafter!