Smoking is a recreational activity in which a substance, most commonly tobacco, is burnt and the smoke tasted or inhaled.

Smoking is one of the worst things kids or adults can do to their bodies. Yet every single day about 4,000 kids between the ages 12 and 17 start smoking. Most middle school students don't smoke — only about 1 in 10 does. And most high school students don't smoke either — about 1 in 4 does (that means 3 out of 4 don't).

But why do those who smoke ever begin?

There's more than just one simple answer. Some people may start smoking just because they're curious. Others may like the idea of doing something dangerous. Still others might know lots of people who smoke and they might think it's a way to act or look like an adult. Fortunately, fewer people are starting smoking than a few years ago.

What are the problems attributed to smoking?

● Bad breath
● Yellow teeth
● Smelly clothes
● More colds and coughs
● Difficulty keeping up with friends when playing sports
● Empty wallet — cigarettes and tobacco products are very expensive!

Let's find out more about cigarettes and tobacco.

Tobacco contains nicotine a chemical that causes a tingly or pleasant feeling — but that feeling only lasts for a little while. Nicotine is also addictive. That means that if you start to use nicotine, your body and mind will become so used to it that you'll need to have it just to feel OK.

Anyone who starts smoking could become addicted to it. If you're addicted to something, it's very hard to stop doing it, even if you want to.

The nicotine and other poisonous chemicals in tobacco cause lots of diseases, like heart problems and some kinds of cancer. If you smoke, you hurt your lungs and heart each time you light up. It also can make it more difficult for blood to move around in the body, so smokers may feel tired and cranky. The longer you smoke, the worse the damage becomes.

The Other Cost of Smoking

Using tobacco eats up a lot of money, too. A pack of cigarettes costs Rupees 25 on average. That means, even if you buy just one pack a week, you'll spend Rupees 1200 in a year. Some people smoke a pack a day, which adds up to Rs 9000. That's a lot of CDs, computer games, and clothes you could buy instead.

What's It Like?

Usually, people don't like smoking or chewing tobacco at first. Your body is smart, and it knows when it's being poisoned. When people try smoking for the first time, they often cough a lot and feel pain or burning in their throat and lungs. This is your lungs' way of trying to protect you and tell you to keep them smoke free. Also, many people say that they feel sick to their stomachs or even throw up. If someone accidentally swallows chewing tobacco, they may be sick for hours. Yuck.

What if My Friend Smokes?
If you have friends who smoke or use tobacco, you can help them by encouraging them to quit. Here are some reasons you can mention:

● It will hurt their health.
● It will make their breath stinky.
● It will turn their teeth yellow.
● It will give them less endurance when running or playing sports.
● It's expensive.
● It's illegal to buy cigarettes when you're underage.

If you think it will help, you could print out articles like this one to give to a friend who smokes. He or she may be interested in learning more about the dangers of smoking. But people don't like to hear that they're doing something wrong, so your pal also could be a little angry. If that happens, don't push it too much. In time, your friend may realize you are right.

● Smoking KILLS
● Every year hundreds of thousands of people around the world die from diseases caused by smoking.
● One in two lifetime smokers will die from their habit. Half of these deaths will occur in middle age.
● Tobacco smoke also contributes to a number of cancers.
● The mixture of nicotine and carbon monoxide in each cigarette you smoke temporarily increases your heart rate and blood pressure, straining your heart and blood vessels.
● This can cause heart attacks and stroke. It slows your blood flow, cutting off oxygen to your feet and hands. Some smokers end up having their limbs amputated.
● Tar coats your lungs like soot in a chimney and causes cancer. A 20-a-day smoker breathes in up to a full cup (210 g) of tar in a year.
● Changing to low-tar cigarettes does not help because smokers usually take deeper puffs and hold the smoke in for longer, dragging the tar deeper into their  lungs.
● Carbon monoxide robs your muscles, brain and body tissue of oxygen, making your whole body and especially your heart work harder. Over time, your airways swell up and let less air into your lungs.
● Smoking causes disease and is a slow way to die. The strain put on your body by smoking often causes years of suffering. Emphysema is an illness that slowly rots your lungs. People with emphysema often get bronchitis again and again, and suffer lung and heart failure.
● Lung cancer from smoking is caused by the tar in tobacco smoke. Men who smoke are ten times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smokers.
● Heart disease and strokes are also more common among smokers than non-smokers.
● Smoking causes fat deposits to narrow and block blood vessels which lead to heart attack.
● Smoking causes around one in five deaths from heart disease.
● In younger people, three out of four deaths from heart disease are due to smoking.

How Smoking Affects Your Body There's hardly a part of the human body that's not affected by the chemicals in the cigarettes you smoke. Let's take a tour of your body to look at how smoking affects it. Starting at the Top As a smoker, you're at risk for cancer of the mouth. Tobacco smoke can also cause gum disease, tooth decay and bad breath. The teeth become unsightly and yellow. Smokers may experience frequent headaches. And lack of oxygen and narrowed blood vessels to the brain can lead to strokes.