The effects of smoking cigarettes can initially be quite harmless. At first people reckon it is OK to try it a little for a short while and give up later. Usually due to peer pressure and to fit in. This is just the start as smoking now creeps into not only your life but the life of your family and friends. The effects of smoking can be dangerous and painful for all involved. But the worst part of all this is that the effects of smoking are totally avoidable. It is a personal choice to Smoke!

If you smoke you would have already noticed, it takes a massive toll on your physical capabilities by restricting your lung capacity. This is awful as you'll begin missing out on sport or recreational exercises and playing with your children or grandchildren. Don't forget, too, that your family will all be missing this time with you as well: no one wins. And it gets worse: emphysema and cancer can ultimately be the result of all the lung damage. These diseases will leave you, not just on the sidelines, but in a hospital bed.

The next level of damage is inflicted on those around you- everyone around you. From your coworkers to the waiter at your favorite restaurant, anyone who regularly comes in close contact with you and other smokers, even if they've never smoked in their life, is in danger from the effects of smoking. Tens of thousands of people die each year from second hand smoke. Fortunately, new laws have started to ban smoking in a lot of public places, helping those who work and play in our cafes, parks, museums, and bars. Perhaps the most tragic victims of second hand smoke, though, are not necessarily those who die from it after 30 or 40 years of exposure.

Children who have no choice but to breathe their parents' or grandparents' second hand smoke every day are at very great risk. Not only are their lungs getting just as dirty, but their developing bodies are at a high risk of being hindered in their growth. Kids' immune, respiratory, cardiovascular, and musculovascular systems are all on at risk in the face of second hand smoke, and they can't do anything about it; young children can't exactly move out and take are of themselves. If the effects of smoking don't stop today; future generations will feel the sting of your bad habits.

Quitting is a major consideration for those worried about the effects of smoking on, not only themselves, but loved ones around them. The future is at stake for thousands of friends and strangers, but more importantly, for entire generations. If you don't want strangers touching your baby or wouldn't approve of your five year old eating food off of the floor, why would you let them breathe in some of the dirtiest air imaginable every day? To stop smoking is hard, but perhaps even more difficult having those around you battle with something they didn't agree to.