Introduction
Tobacco poses a major health risk. But this well proven fact has done nothing to make people not take up the habit. More and more people are taking up tobacco usage. The present day high stress lifestyle is partly to be blamed for this upward tobacco usage trend. The health risks related to smoking are many.

Cancers
This is the biggest risk. Nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes and cigars cause discrepancies in the mutation of genes which causes cancers. Smokers are susceptible to all kinds of cancers like cancers of lung, esophagus, throat, mouth, kidneys, pancreas and liver. Men who are smokers increase their risk by falling prey to cancers, especially lung cancer, by ten times as compared to non - smokers.

Respiratory diseases
Respiratory diseases like chronic bronchitis, severe coughing bouts, breathlessness, difficulty in breathing, congestion of the chest, mucus formation are just a few problems that smoking causes. Carbon monoxide, which is a toxic material released with cigarette smoke in your body ruptures the airsacs in your lungs, this also causes disturbance in the free flow of air causing breathing problems. It forms a tar like substance in your lungs and reduces your lung capacity. There are low tar cigarettes available in the market but these are no good. Your lung capacity can reduce by three times due this tar. Breathing becomes difficult with this. Smokers fall prey to Emphysema. This is a condition where the lungs slowly start rotting due to the toxic materials filled up in it. Since smoking is one of the chief sources of toxins in the lungs, it is also the cause behind this disease.

Cardiac and brain related diseases
The heart is badly affected by smoking; the carbon monoxide and nicotine thicken the arteries and veins and so, increase the stress on the heart. Heart attacks and strokes are very common in people who are addicted to smoking. One in every five persons who die due to heart failures is smokers. Carbon monoxide reduces the oxygen content in the blood. Therefore, all parts of the body are affected doe to smoking. The brain needs the maximum amount of oxygen in the body for its functioning. So, less oxygen to the brain means reduced brain efficiency. Memory loss and amnesia are common problems among smokers.

Some other effects
Smoking reduces the density of bones. As a result, bones become brittle and break easily. Fractures of the hip bone are one of the common fractures. Wounds fail to heal early for smokers. Also during surgeries, smokers require a larger dose of the anesthetic. Impotency and infertility problem are very common among smokers. Pregnant women who smoke risk giving birth to babies who are underweight, premature births and other health problems in the baby. Your teeth rot, gums loosen and your breath smells bad. The health hazards related to smoking are innumerable. Awareness about the ailments is necessary as it will discourage people from smoking. So, stay away from it. So, be safe rather than sorry