Smoking is a very hard habit to quit. When smoking, it makes the person feel relaxed, and in some way makes one feel less stressed. Especially during work breaks, or going out with friends for a drink, smoking always comes as some sort of ?necessity.? It can calm down the throbbing nerves of a drunk person, or it may take away the stress and adrenaline from all the stressful situations in a person's everyday life. Either way, smoking can temporarily relieve the stress of one person, but that one stick of cigarette can actually lead to a dreaded disease or even a fatal illness.

Quitting smoking can be easy to say and a frequently heard advice given to smokers. But in reality, quitting is complicated, hard, and not very amusing to smokers. This could mean the end of the world to others (a little exaggeration won't hurt), or having a drastic change in their lifestyle. Moreover, quitting is all about the self, and if the person is wholeheartedly open to quitting smoking, then they will become successful. Otherwise, it could be a waste of time for them, since they are not open to the possibility of a healthier life after quitting smoking.

The effects of smoking can vary from physical appearance to risky health conditions. Tar in cigarettes can coat the lungs and eventually lead to lung and throat cancer. Nicotine is also responsible for the yellow brown stains on the smoker's fingers and teeth. The carbon monoxide in cigarettes robs the muscles, brain, and blood of oxygen, thus making the body (especially the heart) work much harder. Over time, this can cause the airways to narrow, and the blood pressure to rise, leading to heart attacks and strokes. High levels of carbon momoxide and nicotine can also increase the risk of heart disease, hardening of the arteries, and other circulatory problems.

Moreover, research has shown that there is a small difference between the amount of chemicals inhaled by those people who smoke ?light? or ?low tar? cigarettes and those who smoke regular cigarettes. People who smoke ?light? cigarettes have the same risk of developing smoking-related diseases as people who smoke regular cigarettes. so either way, whatever brand of cigarette one smokes, the effects of smoking would still be the same.

The effects of smoking can be seen immediately, and can be experienced as soon as one puffs that cigarette. First, there is an initial stimulation, followed by a reduction in the brain and nervous system activity. Enhanced alertness and concentration is also felt, together with a feeling of mild euphoria, feelings of relaxation, increase in blood pressure and heart rate. However, the negative effects of smoking will be immediately experienced. The smoker will suffer from a decrease in blood flow to body extremities like the fingers and toes, dizziness, nausea, watery eyes, and high acidity in the stomach, and a decrease in appetite, taste, and smell.

Long term effects of smoking leads to more than 140,000 hospital episodes and 19,000 deaths, with principal diagnoses such as cancer, heart diseases, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Passive smoking can also cause a number of health problems including heart disease, lung cancer, and irritation of the eyes and nose. When one sees this from a bird's eye view, everyone is at risk for smoking cigarettes, be it a smoker or a nonsmoker.