SMOKING: A $16 Pathway to Early Death

The global Tobacco Products market is projected to generate an astounding US$965.1 billion in revenue by 2024, with over 6 trillion cigarettes produced annually.

This staggering production rate reflects a persistent increase in the number of smokers worldwide, with forecasts indicating an additional 13.9 million individuals taking up smoking between 2024 and 2029.

As one of the most addictive substances, tobacco poses significant challenges across various demographics, leading to severe health risks and affecting individuals’ physical appearance, social lives, and financial well-being.

The Tobacco Products market worldwide is projected to generate a revenue of US$965.1bn in 2024.

Over 6 trillion cigarettes are produced each year which translates to the increase of smokers every year.

According to statista, smoking habit has been forecasted to increase between 2024 and 2029 by 13.9 million individuals.

With tobacco staying at the top of the list as one of the most addictive substances in the world, smoking has been ranked as an addictive habit amongst people of various age groups.

Habits are known to have either positive or negative effects on individuals.

Research has shown the alarming negative effects of smoking in the life of an individual.

Apart from the over-whelming health effects of smoking, the physical, social and financial lives of individuals are affected.

Like the saying “You are what you eat”. What goes into your body, doesn’t only have an effect on your health but also on your appearance.

Smoking has been known to make it’s users look older than their age and get wrinkles early.

The harmful chemicals in cigarettes can increase the rate of aging in an individual which can lead to the individual looking older than their age and getting wrinkles on time.

In a social circle, a person can develop low-self esteem if people mistake them for an older age.

People prefer to be mistaken for a younger age as it is a compliment. Dry and leathery skin is also caused by smoking.

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We smile every time we are happy, our smiles are a way of expressing our emotions.

Smokers have to spend more money to maintain this smile. Research has shown that smoking causes yellow teeth.

Like the people with white teeth on the television adverts, everyone wants their teeth to be white, non-smokers have less work to do to achieve this but smokers that want to maintain their white, healthy teeth have to get toothpastes made specifically for this purpose, an extra coin that can be put to invest in something productive.

Bad breath is an automatic social red flag. Nobody wants to talk to someone with bad breath.

Smoking causes bad breath and this can affect the social life of an individual. The individual can be black listed from some social circles for bad breath.

               Bad Breath

No one likes a person that keeps to himself in a social gathering, it screams “Anti-social”.

Although the person may not be anti-social but if the person always has to leave the gathering to smoke, the individual is unconsciously isolating his or herself from people and may end up lonely in the long run.

People like to invite social and friendly people to parties and gatherings not people that isolate and keep to themselves.

This can take a toll on one’s social life as people can go into depression from this kind of state.

John.F.Kennedy said “We must use time as a tool not as a couch”.

Time is one of the precious things in life.

We always look forward to having a productive day everyday but there are always going to be distractions that aim to waste our time.

Taking a lot of breaks to smoke can consume the time meant to be spent to do something productive.

These distractions can be controlled if the distractions are put away.

Everyone wants to be rich and successful but the habits of the rich and successful are very important.

Study has shown that the rich and successful have habits like prioritizing their needs, budgeting to control their spending, saving and investing amongst other habits.

A study has shown that smokers burn an average of $1.4million in personal costs and this includes spending on cigarettes, medical costs and lower wages brought on by smoking.

Smoking has contributed individuals being in debt with money for basic needs and wants being spent on cigarettes

A Pulitzer prize winning journalist and best-selling author, Charles Duhigg said “Once you understand that habits can change, you have the freedom and the responsibility to remake them”.

Habits are learned and therefore, can be unlearned.

Any addiction can be stopped if you put your mind to it.

BY – PRINCESS ALUEDE.