Many of us have all walked behind or sat next to someone on campus smoking a cigarette and thought, “why?”. What are the benefits of inhaling thousands of chemicals that will eventually destroy your entire body? Despite all of the warnings we see and education about the dangers of cigarette smoking, there seems to be a significant amount of people who smoke on the Quinnipiac campus. This vile habit is not only harmful to the people consuming the chemicals, but also the surrounding people also exposed to the smoke.
Cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, and 69 of them are known to cause cancer. Long-term smoking can also cause several other diseases including heart disease, stroke, and lung diseases. Worldwide, tobacco use causes more than 5 million deaths per year and on average, smokers die ten years earlier than those who don’t. In addition, nonsmokers who regularly inhale secondhand smoke have an increased risk of lung cancer by 20-30 percent. Please do not blow smoke in people’s faces – no one wants to be exposed to carcinogens.
Why spend thousands of dollars every year on something that is detrimental to your body and literally takes years off your life? It makes your teeth yellow, causes wrinkles and saggy skin, and makes your clothes permanently smell like smoke. Just think – you could be spending your money on that designer bag you’ve been eyeing instead!
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death. Simply stated: If you do not want to die early from horrible diseases, do not smoke cigarettes. It’s as easy as that. Although it is difficult to quit once you have started, there are numerous methods available today that can help aid the process. You are young, smart college students, so why ruin your bright future with something that is so senseless?