Why The Serious Dangers Of Smoking Needs To Be Emphasised In Schools

Why The Serious Dangers Of Smoking Needs To Be Emphasised In Schools

By Charlotte Webster-

The dangers of smoking cannot be understated and needs to emphasised as much as possible in schools.    Teaching about the harms of smoking  in schools is insufficient, and more needs to be done to raise awareness of its dangers,  The health hazards caused by smoking are  so severe that at its worst, it makes absolute nonsense of having money.

A topic under reported, it is important to remind individuals, especially the young of the serious dangers of smoking.Witnessing those dying in hospitals is one of the most heart rendering experience anybody can have. Hospitals have private sections which can only be afforded by the rich, but when bed ridden, the allure of financial might becomes useless. Young people are increasingly taking up the habit of smoking, despite the fact that many adults who smoke wish they never started in the first place. Many smokers try everything they can to give up, from using patches, to E-cigarettes, or just roasting.

Giving up is very difficult for smokers and many just don’t bother trying. Children on the other hand often see smoking as a fashionable habit that makes them cool and accepted by others who smoke. In many cases, it starts from cigarettes and develops to drug usage, as youngsters try to impress their friends and fit into their perception of cool circles. This is why initiatives by the British government to set up summer clubs and increase physical activities in school is commendable.

PHE England has  in the past campaigned against smoking, and between 2017 and 2018 ran an ad campaign urging smokers to switch to e-cigarettes  by depicting the devastating harms that come from smoking, and how a switch to an e-cigarette or using another type of quit aid can help.  They went the extra mile because of their understanding of the serious harm to health and life caused by smoking. We want schools to go the extra mile of providing broad teaching about smoking and its dangers from a young age, going out of its way to enlighten youngsters and actually put them off this habit.

REPERCUSSIONS

Those whose health has not yet faced the most serious repercussions of smoking still have a lot to live for and should want to live life to the full and enjoy the most of it. The fullness of life is hampered by the filthy habit of smoking which gradually begins to erode the best life has to offer each individual. Children need to be exposed from a young age to the full knowledge of the perils of smoking with plenty of visual examples given to them. Most smokers begin in their teenage years and are influenced by their peers because of low self esteem and boredom.

Smokers are four times as likely as nonsmokers to feel fatigue after a night’s sleep, according to Johns Hopkins study. The filthy habit increases the chances of  psoriasis, an autoimmune-related skin condition that can show up even if you never touch a cigarette. Smoking also heightens feelings of stress, even though many smokers engage in this habit to combat stress and boredom, pushing them to an almost irreversible cycle of stress and dependence.

According to a 2007 study,  a pack a day for 10 years or less, raises the risk of psoriasis by 20%; 11–20 years and your risk is 60% higher; and for those who pass the two-decade mark, the psoriasis risk more than doubles.  Smoking also leads to Premature ageing and wrinkles
Experts are united in the view  that smoking accelerates ageing, making smokers look  older than nonsmokers, on average.devastating harms that come from smoking, and how this can be avoided by switching to an e-cigarette or using another type of quit aid.

BLOOD SUPPLY

Smoking hampers the blood supply that keeps skin tissue looking supple and healthy. The nicotine in cigarette smoke can not only make a smokers teeth (and the walls of your home) brown, but it’s also notorious for staining fingers and nails as well.  Smoking also  has long term harmful effects on the hair too. Experts think the toxic chemicals in smoke can damage the DNA in hair follicles and generate cell-damaging free radicals as well.

Health experts also agree that smokers have thinner hair that tends to go grey sooner than nonsmokers. That is, if they have any hair at all. Men who smoke are about twice as likely to lose their hair as nonsmokers, after taking into account factors that increase the risk of baldness, such as ageing and genetics.  .Nicotine causes vasoconstriction, a narrowing of the blood vessels that can limit oxygen-rich blood flow to the tiny vessels in the face or other parts of the body.

DENTAL PROBLEMS

Many smokers are also unaware of the greater risk for all kinds of dental problems, including oral cancer and gum disease that come with smoking. Most young smokers do not have enough knowledge of the harm caused by smoking , except that it is bad for the health. This is not enough. Children in both primary and secondary schools need to be comprehensively taught about the damages of smoking, with several examples of the illness and fatalities it causes. They also need to be taught the psychological reasons people smoke so they can easily identify them in other and avoid giving in to peer pressure.

A 2005 U.K. study in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, also reveals that  smokers are up to six times more likely than nonsmokers to develop gum disease, which can lead to tooth loss. Many, but not all smokers, develop what is known as  ‘Smoker’s Face’ , referring to certain facial characteristics, such as wrinkles, gauntness, and a grey appearance of the skin, caused by smoking. Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide, which displaces the oxygen in your skin, and nicotine, which works against blood flow, leaving skin dry and discoloured. It also counteracts valuable nutrients, including vitamin C, which helps protect and repair skin damage.

Spread the news