Artikel Bahasa Inggris "Smoking Is Not Good For Our Health"
Does
anyone know why smoking isn’t good for our health? Because smoking is
responsible for several diseases, such as cancer, long-term respiratory
diseases, and heart disease as well as premature death.
Over
440,000 people in the USA and 100,000 in the UK die because of smoking each
year. The effects of smoking are serious. It can harm nearly every organ
of the body. When your parents were young, people could buy cigarettes and
smoke pretty much anywhere — even in hospitals! Ads for cigarettes were all
over the place. Today we're more aware about how bad smoking is for our health.
Smoking is restricted or banned in almost all public places and cigarette
companies are no longer allowed to advertise on TV, radio, and in many
magazines. Almost everyone knows that smoking causes cancer, emphysema, and
heart disease; that it can shorten your life by 10 years or more; and that the
habit can cost a smoker thousands of dollars a year. So how come people are
still lighting up? The answer, in a word, is addiction.
Smoking
is a hard habit to break because tobacco contains nicotine, which is highly
addictive. Like heroin or other addictive drugs, the body and mind quickly
become so used to the nicotine in cigarettes that a person needs to have it
just to feel normal. People start smoking for a variety of different reasons.
Some think it looks cool. Others start because their family members or friends
smoke. Statistics show that about 9 out of 10 tobacco users start before
they're 18 years old. Most adults who started smoking in their teens never
expected to become addicted. That's why people say it's just so much easier to
not start smoking at all.
There
are no physical reasons to start smoking. The body doesn't need tobacco the way
it needs food, water, sleep, and exercise. And many of the chemicals in
cigarettes, like nicotine and cyanide, are actually poisons that can kill in
high enough doses. The consequences of this poisoning happen gradually. Over
the long term, smoking leads people to develop health problems like heart
disease, stroke, emphysema and many types of cancer. Including lung, throat,
stomach, and bladder cancer. People who smoke also have an increased risk of
infections like bronchitis and pneumonia.
These
diseases limit a person's ability to be normally active, and they can be fatal.
In the United States, smoking is responsible for about 1 out of 5 deaths. The
consequences of smoking may seem very far off, but long-term health problems
aren't the only hazard of smoking. Nicotine and the other toxins in cigarettes,
cigars, and pipes can affect a person's body quickly, which means that teen
smokers experience many of these problems, there are, bad skin, bad breath, bad
smelling of clothes and hair, reduced athletic performance, greater risk of
injury and slower healing time, and increased risk of illness.
Now
I would like to give you some recommendation how to stop smoking. Make sure
that you get as much support as you can from family, friends and work
colleagues. Let them know you are planning to quit, and ask smokers not to
smoke around you or offer you cigarettes. Quitting with a friend can also be an
excellent idea, you can share your feelings and encourage each other. And you
are also should remove all things that can make remind you about smoking. Throw
out all cigarettes, ashtrays and lighters and anything else that might remind
you of smoking. Wash your clothes and clean your car to remove the smell of
smoke.
So
ladies and gentleman, being a smoker is not your destination, it’s your choice.
For example, I have a short story of a woman that lives in the New York, her
names is Beatrice, now she is 40 years old, she is the mother of two
boys. She tried her first cigarette at age 7, her second at 11, and then began
smoking regularly when she was 13. She had friends who smoked, and she wanted
to be "cool" like them. More than 25 years later, Beatrice still
smoked. She was not a heavy smoker and had not been diagnosed with any smoking,
related health problems, but she wanted to quit. Her family also wanted her to
quit. Although she had tried many times before, in 2010, Beatrice quit for
good. She encourages anyone who wants to quit smoking to do it, but to get help
if they need it.
Here's a simple step-by-step plan to help you stop smoking.
You decided to stop smoking? Great — it's one of the best things you can do for
your health.
But quitting isn't easy. Nicotine — the addictive
ingredient in tobacco — is as addictive as heroin or cocaine, according to the
American Cancer Society.
In fact, the average person attempts to quit six times
before succeeding.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to set yourself
up for success and kick the habit for good.
Set a date: Pick a day and time in the near future that you expect
to be relatively stress-free so you can prepare to quit smoking.
Quitting when you have a big project
due at work, or even when you have something happy on your calendar like a
birthday party (if you tend to light up when you are drinking or socializing),
can be more challenging.
Write down your reasons: Consider why you want to stop smoking
and jot the reasons down. You can refer to them once you quit when you get a
craving. A
few universal benefits:
- My risk of cancer, heart attacks, chronic lung disease, stroke, cataracts, and other diseases will drop.
- My blood pressure will go down.
- I'll look better. My skin will be more hydrated and less wrinkled, my teeth will look less yellow and my fingers won't be stained with nicotine.
- I'll save money.
- My hair, clothes, car, and home won't reek of smoke.
- I'll have more energy.
- I'll set a better example for my kids, friends, and family.
- I'll live longer.
Get your friends and family on board: The more support you have, the more
likely you are to quit smoking.
Ask your loved ones to help keep you distracted by taking
walks or playing games, and bear with you if you become cranky or irritable as
you experience nicotine withdrawal.
Tell any smokers not to smoke around you, or better yet,
ask your smoking buddies to quit with you.
Identify your triggers: You'll be most tempted to smoke
during the same times you do now. Knowing your habits and what situations may
set off a craving will help you plan ahead for distractions.
For example, you may typically smoke while driving, drinking, or after dinner,
or it may be that you reach for a cigarette when you're feeling stressed,
lonely, or depressed.
Create healthy distractions to head off potential smoking
triggers. If you smoke while you drive, keep a pack of gum on hand, or if you
smoke after dinner, plan to take a walk or chat on the phone with a friend.
Anticipate cravings: It's expected that you'll experience
nicotine cravings as your body begins to go through withdrawal.
The good news is that cravings aren't endless. They
generally last for five minutes and no longer than 10.
When cravings strike, focus on something else: Drink a
glass of water, review your list of reasons for quitting, take deep breaths,
play with your cat or dog — do whatever it takes until the craving subsides.
Distract yourself: Keep celery stalks, carrot sticks, nuts, or gum
handy to give your mouth something to do when cravings occur.
And finding some way to occupy your hands — knitting,
woodworking, cooking, yoga, or yard work — will help keep your mind off
smoking.
Expect to feel a little off: Nicotine
withdrawal can make you feel anxious, cranky, sad, and even make it
hard for you to fall asleep.
It helps to know that all these feelings are a normal and
temporary part of the process.
Throw out all your cigarettes: Yes, even that emergency one you
stashed away.
If you don't have cigarettes on hand, it will make it
that much easier to stay the course when a craving hits.
Reward yourself: With all the money you'll save by not buying tobacco,
you can buy new clothes, splurge on dinner, or start a new hobby.
Referensi:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/quit-smoking/
