Persuasive Essay
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COMM 215
July 16, 2012 I am sure that everyone is aware or heard of the harmful effects of smoking. So why do you continue to do it? Why did you ever start? There are multiple reasons why you should not smoke. Three major reasons are the effect on your health, others health and the cost. The most important reason you should not smoke is the effect that it has on your health and the health of others. Smoking affects your body in so many different ways. Though the negative effects may not be noted in the beginning, but it will follow in the future. Smoking causes diseases such as cancer of not only the lung, but bladder, throat, liver, oral cancers, emphysema, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease, heart disease and is also linked to diabetes. It also causes dental cavities, gum disease, bad breath and makes your skin look old very quickly.
The second reason you should not smoke is the costs. Costs of cigarettes have risen drastically of the past decade. A pack of cigarettes costs on average range from five to ten dollars per pack. Due to the increase in taxes, that is so much money just thrown down the drain. Don’t you think? Think about that new car, new clothes, vacations and so forth you could have bought with all the money thrown away on a pack of cigarettes. If you put that five or ten dollars in a jar every time you want to by a pack of cigarettes in just a month’s time you could save anywhere from eighty to one hundred and sixty dollars in a year that is anywhere from one thousand to two thousand dollars give or take a little.
“The effects of smoking on human health are serious and in many cases, deadly. There are approximately 4000 chemicals in cigarettes, hundreds of which are toxic. The ingredients in cigarettes affect everything from the internal functioning of organs to the efficiency of the body's immune system. The effects of cigarette smoking are destructive and widespread.” (Martin, 2008)
The last reason that you should not smoke is it’s affects that it has on others. Every time you smoke, it not only affects you, but the person next to you. You need to remember that you have a filter on your cigarette. They Don’t. It is also a common courtesy that if someone does not smoke, don’t smoke in front or around of them. Smoking also leaves a horrible smell on clothes, house, cars, hair, breath and skin. “Second Hand Smoke (SHS) can cause harm in many ways. Each year in the United States alone, it is responsible for:” (American Cancer Society, 2011) * “An estimated 46,000 deaths from heart disease in people who are current non-smokers” * “About 3,400 nonsmoking adults die of lung cancer as a result of breathing SHS” * “Worse asthma and asthma -related problems in up to 1 million asthmatic children” * “Between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in children under 18 months of age, and lung infections resulting in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations each year” (American Cancer Society, 2011)
I only touched base on just a few reasons why you should not smoke. Only you can make the decision to smoke or not to smoke. I hope that you have listened to some of what I have said and try to make the right decision. If you don’t smoke, “DON’T START”. If you do there is plenty of options available to you. If you decide to take that first step toward quitting, think of a great justice you will be doing for your body and for the sake of others. If you decide not to quit, then you must think of the horrific consequences and the pain and suffering that your family members will endure when they lose you.

References
American Cancer Society. (2011, November 14). Cancer.org. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/TobaccoCancer/secondhand-smoke

CDC. (2012, January 10). Centers for disease control and prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/

Martin, T. (2008, July 20). About.com. Retrieved from http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/tobaccostatistics/a/CigaretteSmoke.htm

Unknown. (2011, January 12). National cancer institute. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/cessation

Unknown. (n.d.). World health organization. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/tobacco/research/youth/health_effects/en/