Smoking Informative Speech

Intro * The world Health Organization did a study that shows tobacco kills more than 6 million people each year. More than 5 million of these deaths are a result of direct tobacco use and 600,000 are the result of second hand smoke. * I have been smoking for 9-10 years now and I know just because you hear these figures does not mean you are going to quit smoking. * Some of the dangers of smoking are nicotine is very addictive, smoking causes health problems and smoking is harmful to nonsmokers.

Body * Nicotine is the most addictive drug. It is more addictive than heroin because is large doses nicotine can be deadly. * Nicotine creates pleasant feelings that make the smoker want to smoke more. * It acts on the
chemistry of the brain and central nervous system, affecting the smoker's mind. * Nicotine works likes other addictive drugs but flooding the brains reward circuits with dopamine. * Nicotine reaches the brain within seconds after taking a puff and the effects start to wear off within a few minutes. * This is what leads to the smoker lighting up again.
* If the smoker does not smoke again withdrawal symptoms start to kick in. * These symptoms include irritability, nervousness, headaches and trouble sleeping. * The true marker for addiction is when people continue to smoke when they know smoking is bad for them and the people around them

* Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and diminishes a person's overall health. * Smoking causes cancer of the lung, mouth, throat, kidneys, bladder, stomach, cervix and leukemia. * Smoking also causes heart disease, stroke, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, asthma, hip fractures and cataracts. * A pregnant smoker is at higher risk of having her baby born too early and with a abnormally low birth weight.

* Secondhand smoke also called environmental tobacco smoke is a combination of sidestream smoke and mainstream smoke. * The international Agency of Research on Cancer classifies secondhand smoke as a known cancer-causing agent and the U.S, Surgeon General estimates that living with a smoker increases a nonsmokers chances of developing lung cancer by 20 to 30 person. * Secondhand smoke causes disease and premature death in nonsmoking adults and
children. * Pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke are at risk of having a baby with low birth weight. * Children exposed to second hand smoke are at risk of SIDS, ear infections, colds, flues, bronchitis, and severe asthma.

* The immediate benefits of quitting smoker are * the smokers heart rate and blood pressure returns to normal. * within a few hours, the level of carbon monoxide in the blood begins to decline. * within a few weeks, people who quit smoking have improved circulation and produce less phlegm in the throat. * within several months of quitting people can expect substantial improvements in lung function. * in addition people who quit smoking will have an improved sense of smell and taste. * The National Cancer Institute did a study that shows smokers who quit at about age 30 reduce their chances of dying prematurely by 90 percent. * people who quit at the age 50 reduces their risk of dying prematurely by 50 percent and people who quit at age 60 or older live longer than those who continue to smoke.

* As you can see, smoking is addictive, it causes many health problems and it affects nonsmokers as well. by quitting smoking you can add years to your life and save others lives. So the next time you're at the doctors ask for information about quitting before something happens to you.