People start smoking for avariety of different reasons.

Some think it loo

ks cool. Othersstart because their familymembers or friends smoke.Sta
tistics show that about 9out of 10 tobacco users startbefore they're 18
years old.Most adults who startedsmoking in their teens neverexpecte
d to become addicted.That's why people say it's justso much easier to
not startsmoking at all

How Smoking Affects Your Health

There are no physical reasons to start smoking. The body doesn't need
tobacco the way it needs food, water, sleep, and exercise. And many
of the chemicals in cigarettes, like nicotine and cyanide, are actually
poisons that can kill in high enough doses.

The body is smart. It goes on the defense when it's being poisoned.
First-time smokers often feel pain or burning in the throat and lungs,
and some people feel sick or even throw up the first few times they try
tobacco.

The consequences of this poisoning happen gradually. Over the long

term, smoking leads people to develop health problems like heart
disease, stroke, emphysema (breakdown of lung tissue), and many
types of cancer including lung, throat, stomach, and bladder cancer.
People who smoke also have an increased risk of infections like
bronchitis and pneumonia.

These diseases limit a person's ability to be normally active, and they

can be fatal. In the United States, smoking is responsible for about 1
out of 5 deaths

There is no single way to prevent youth smoking. A holistic approach

is needed (55). Each country must identify its own issues and
develop relevant action. However, a valuable starting point is New
Directions for Tobacco Control in Canada: A National
Strategy (56),which describes an excellent programme and is full of
practical information.

Tobacco smoking is harmful not only to smokers but also to those

who live or work with them, regardless of HIV status. It has been
associated with a higher risk of HIV infection. There are
conflicting data on the effects of smoking on HIV disease
progression, and the effects of pre-existing smoker's leucocytosis
do not seem to be protective. Although some recent studies point to
increased risks for certain opportunistic infections in smokers,
especially PCP, the only infection in which this association has
been proved is in the case of anogenital abnormalities and cancers.
Despite the long time it takes many smoking-related problems to
develop, smoking is by no means without health risks for the
immunocompromised person .