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This videos interests me because it explains the risks of smoking E-cigarettes from a clinic's point of view.

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Mayo Clinic Minute: Health Risks of E-Cigarettes

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This video is worth watching because it shows that vaping and smoking equally effect your health.

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Vaping versus smoking: what are the risks?

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You should read this article because it gives you the basic facts that you need about the health risks of smoking.

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What are the health effects of smoking?

There's no way around it; smoking is bad for your health. It harms nearly every organ of the body, some that you would not expect. Cigarette smoking causes nearly one in five deaths in the United States. It can also cause many other cancers and health problems. These include:

Women who smoke while pregnant have a greater chance of certain pregnancy problems. Their babies are also at higher risk of dying of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Smoking also causes addiction to nicotine, a stimulant drug that is in tobacco. Nicotine addiction makes it much harder for people to quit smoking.

What are the health risks of secondhand smoke?

Your smoke is also bad for other people - they breathe in your smoke secondhand and can get many of the same problems as smokers do. This includes heart disease and lung cancer. Children exposed to secondhand smoke have a higher risk of ear infections, colds, pneumonia, bronchitis, and more severe asthma. Mothers who breathe secondhand smoke while pregnant are more likely to have preterm labor and babies with low birth weight.

Are other forms of tobacco also dangerous?

Besides cigarettes, there are several other forms of tobacco. Some people smoke tobacco in cigars and water pipes (hookahs). These forms of tobacco also contain harmful chemicals and nicotine. Some cigars contain as much tobacco as an entire pack of cigarettes.

E-cigarettes often look like cigarettes, but they work differently. They are battery-operated smoking devices. Using an e-cigarette is called vaping. Not much is known about the health risks of using them. We do know they contain nicotine, the same addictive substance in tobacco cigarettes. E-cigarettes also expose non-smokers to secondhand aerosols (rather than secondhand smoke), which contain harmful chemicals.

Smokeless tobacco, such as chewing tobacco and snuff, is also bad for your health. Smokeless tobacco can cause certain cancers, including oral cancer. It also increases your risk of getting heart disease, gum disease, and oral lesions.

Why should I quit?

Remember, there is no safe level of tobacco use. Smoking even just one cigarette per day over a lifetime can cause smoking-related cancers and premature death. Quitting smoking can reduce your risk of health problems. The earlier you quit, the greater the benefit. Some immediate benefits of quitting include:

Lower heart rate and blood pressure

Less carbon monoxide in the blood (carbon monoxide reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen)

Better circulation

Less coughing and wheezing

NIH National Cancer Institute

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Smoking | Quit Smoking | Effects of Smoking | MedlinePlus

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There's no way around it. Smoking is bad for your health. Learn the effects of smoking (how smoking harms nearly every organ) and how to quit.

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This article is worth reading because it shows that alcoholics are at more of a risk when smoking.

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Smoking tobacco is dangerous for anyone, but it is even more hazardous for alcoholics-even those who are in recovery. Because years of heavy drinking damages or weakens the body's systems, alcoholics are more susceptible to the dangers than other smokers.

These additional health risks continue even when alcoholics quit drinking but continue to smoke. According to researchers, the death rate for alcoholics who seek treatment is 48.1% within 20 years compared with an 18.5% death rate for the general population. Of those deaths, more than half (50.9%) are attributed to smoking, and only 34.1% attributed to alcohol.

Probably the biggest fear for all smokers is the risk of getting lung cancer, and there is a good reason: male smokers are 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer-and female smokers 13 times more likely-compared to non-smokers. Smoking so-called "light" cigarettes do not significantly reduce the risk of lung cancer.

Lung cancer, however, is not the biggest health threat for those who smoke. The number one killer in the United States for smokers is heart disease, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.

When you smoke cigarettes, you are putting toxins from the tobacco and the chemicals used to make cigarettes into your bloodstream. Those toxins contribute to the development of atherosclerosis or the hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis is caused by deposits of fatty plaques and the thickening and scarring of the artery walls.

When the artery wall becomes inflamed or blood clots develop, blood flow can be obstructed and cause heart attacks or strokes. Smoking causes atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, which results in coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S.

Smoking cigarettes have been linked with sudden cardiac deaths of all types in both men and women. In recent years, it has also been associated with an increased risk of developing an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Because smoking reduces circulation by narrowing the blood vessels, it can increase the risk of developing peripheral vascular disease: obstruction of the large arteries in the arms and legs.

The third leading cause of death in the U.S. is a stroke, and cigarette smoking has been found to be a major cause of strokes. Smokers are up to four times more likely to have a stroke than non-smokers.

Although lung cancer is the biggest cancer threat, smokers are at risk for developing all kinds of cancers. The carcinogens found in tobacco smoke damage the genes that control the growth of cells in the body, causing them to reproduce too rapidly or grow abnormally.

Smoking is associated with increased risk for developing the following:

Esophageal cancer

Stomach cancer

Kidney cancer

Bladder cancer

Cancer of the mouth

Cancer of the throat

Acute myeloid leukemia

Cancer of the cervix

Cancer of the larynx

Pancreatic cancer

Of course, lung cancer is not the only threat to the respiratory health of smokers. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is another leading cause of death in the U.S., and 90% of COPD cases are linked to smoking. An estimated 10 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Female smokers are 13 times more likely-and male smokers 12 times more likely-to die from COPD than those who have never smoked, according to the American Cancer Society.

Smokers can also suffer from chronic coughing and wheezing; upper and lower respiratory tract infections; and declining lung function.

There are additional risks for female smokers who plan to have children or who are already pregnant: smoking makes it more difficult to get pregnant, and research reveals an increased risk of infertility for women who smoke.

Unfortunately, studies show that only about 25% of women smokers who get pregnant quit smoking during their pregnancies. This can result in the following problems:

Pregnancy complications

Premature birth

Low-birth-weight infants

Stillbirth

Infant death

Placenta previa

Placental abruption

There are many other health risks associated with smoking that is not necessarily life-threatening. Smoking has been found to harm almost every organ of the body, causing many diseases and generally reducing the overall health of smokers.

The good news is that quitting smoking can immediately begin to reduce some of these increased health risks, and the benefits of quitting increase the longer you stop smoking. Your risk of heart attack and stroke are immediately reduced as soon as you quit, and former smokers have the same stroke risk as nonsmokers after 5 to 15 years, according to the Surgeon General.

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How Smoking Can Increase Health Risks in Alcoholics

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Smoking tobacco is dangerous for anyone, but it is even more hazardous for alcoholics-even those who are in recovery. Because years of heavy drinking damages or weakens the body's systems, alcoholics are more susceptible to the dangers than other smokers. These additional health risks continue even when alcoholics quit drinking but continue to smoke.

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This article is worth reading because the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Goes into detail about the risks of smoking.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases, and reduces the health of smokers in general. 1,2

Quitting smoking lowers your risk for smoking-related diseases and can add years to your life. 1,2

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. ¹

Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. This is nearly one in five deaths.1,2,3

Smoking causes more deaths each year than the following causes combined:⁴

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Illegal drug use

Alcohol use

Motor vehicle injuries

Firearm-related incidents

More than 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States.¹

Smoking causes about 90% (or 9 out of 10) of all lung cancer deaths.1,2 More women die from lung cancer each year than from breast cancer.⁵

Smoking causes about 80% (or 8 out of 10) of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).¹

Cigarette smoking increases risk for death from all causes in men and women.¹

The risk of dying from cigarette smoking has increased over the last 50 years in the U.S.¹

Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. ¹

Estimates show smoking increases the risk:

For coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times1,6

For stroke by 2 to 4 times¹

Of men developing lung cancer by 25 times¹

Of women developing lung cancer by 25.7 times¹

Smoking causes diminished overall health, increased absenteeism from work, and increased health care utilization and cost.¹

Smokers are at greater risk for diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease). 1,2

Smoking causes stroke and coronary heart disease, which are among the leading causes of death in the United States.1,3

Even people who smoke fewer than five cigarettes a day can have early signs of cardiovascular disease.¹

Smoking damages blood vessels and can make them thicken and grow narrower. This makes your heart beat faster and your blood pressure go up. Clots can also form.1,2

A stroke occurs when:

A clot blocks the blood flow to part of your brain;

A blood vessel in or around your brain bursts.1,2

Blockages caused by smoking can also reduce blood flow to your legs and skin.1,2

Smoking can cause lung disease by damaging your airways and the small air sacs (alveoli) found in your lungs. 1,2

Lung diseases caused by smoking include COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.1,2

Cigarette smoking causes most cases of lung cancer.1,2

If you have asthma, tobacco smoke can trigger an attack or make an attack worse.1,2

Smokers are 12 to 13 times more likely to die from COPD than nonsmokers.¹

Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in your body: 1,2

Bladder

Blood (acute myeloid leukemia)

Cervix

Colon and rectum (colorectal)

Esophagus

Kidney and ureter

Larynx

Liver

Oropharynx (includes parts of the throat, tongue, soft palate, and the tonsils)

Pancreas

Stomach

Trachea, bronchus, and lung

Smoking also increases the risk of dying from cancer and other diseases in cancer patients and survivors. ¹

If nobody smoked, one of every three cancer deaths in the United States would not happen. 1,2

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and affects a person's overall health. 1,2

Smoking can make it harder for a woman to become pregnant. It can also affect her baby's health before and after birth. Smoking increases risks for:1,2,5

Preterm (early) delivery

Stillbirth (death of the baby before birth)

Low birth weight

Sudden infant death syndrome (known as SIDS or crib death)

Ectopic pregnancy

Orofacial clefts in infants

Smoking can also affect men's sperm, which can reduce fertility and also increase risks for birth defects and miscarriage.²

Smoking can affect bone health.1,5
Women past childbearing years who smoke have weaker bones than women who never smoked. They are also at greater risk for broken bones.

Smoking affects the health of your teeth and gums and can cause tooth loss.¹

Smoking can increase your risk for cataracts (clouding of the eye's lens that makes it hard for you to see). It can also cause age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is damage to a small spot near the center of the retina, the part of the eye needed for central vision.¹

Smoking is a cause of type 2 diabetes mellitus and can make it harder to control. The risk of developing diabetes is 30-40% higher for active smokers than nonsmokers.1,2

Smoking causes general adverse effects on the body, including inflammation and decreased immune function.¹

Smoking is a cause of rheumatoid arthritis.¹

Quitting smoking is one of the most important actions people can take to improve their health. This is true regardless of their age or how long they have been smoking. Visit the Benefits of Quitting page for more information about how quitting smoking can improve your health.

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.The Health Consequences of Smoking-50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014 [accessed 2017 Apr 20].

2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 [accessed 2017 Apr 20].

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. QuickStats: Number of Deaths from 10 Leading Causes-National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2013:62(08);155. [accessed 2017 Apr 20].

4. Mokdad AH, Marks JS, Stroup DF, Gerberding JL. Actual Causes of Death in the United States. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association 2004;291(10):1238-45 [cited 2017 Apr 20].

5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Women and Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General, 2001 [accessed 2017 Apr 20].

6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reducing the Health Consequences of Smoking: 25 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 1989 [accessed 2017 Apr 20].

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See the data and statistical information on health effects of cigarette smoking.

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This article is worth reading to me because it shows that even the government doesn't recommend that you smoke.

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Health Effects of Quitting Smoking | Smokefree

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Smoking negatively affects almost every part of your body and health. Smoking weakens your immune system and changes how your brain functions.

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This article interesting to me because it shows that not even teens are safe from smoking.

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Did you know that each day there are more than 3,200 people, under the age of 18, who smoke their first cigarette? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that in 2012, 7% of middle school and 23% of high school students reported current use a tobacco product. And according to the Department of Health and Human Services it is estimated that each day approximately 2,100 youth and young adults who are occasional smokers become daily smokers.

Most adult smokers today state that they started smoking by age 18. In 2010, close to 70% of adult smokers reported that they would like to quit. Research has shown that people who start smoking during adolescence may have the hardest time quitting. It is not surprising to hear that many people attempt to quit smoking several times before they are successful. Remember that addiction to nicotine is a chronic, relapsing medical condition and should be treated as such.

Harmful Effects of Teen Smoking

Tobacco use in teenagers and young adults can cause both immediate and long-term harm. Though some parents may emphasize the long-term impact of smoking on their teen's health - as they should - teenagers and young adults may be more persuaded by the immediate and early negative effects. These include:

Reduced physical fitness. Smoking reduces lung function and lung growth. It also causes shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing and increased phlegm

Early heart disease. Smoking can damage the heart and blood vessels which can increase the risk for atherosclerosis and heart disease

Poor oral health. Smokers may suffer from yellow teeth, bad breath and other mouth problems

Poor skin. Smoking is associated with skin wrinkling and early skin damage

Adolescent tobacco use is concerning because adolescents are still growing and their brains are still developing. Signals in the brain move more slowly than in a mature brain. The decision-making part of the teenage brain that is responsible for impulse control and planning is not fully developed, so teens may make more impulsive decisions - such as starting to smoke tobacco - compared to adults.

In addition, a recent research study suggested that teenagers may be more vulnerable to nicotine addiction than adults. This study showed that adolescent rats were more prone to developing addiction than adult rats, and this increased susceptibility may be linked to differences in activity between the adolescent brain and the adult brain.

The harmful effects of nicotine in teenagers and young adults create an important call to action for parents. Speak with your children today about the hazards of smoking, the addictive grip of nicotine, and the difficulty in quitting.

Discussing Smoking with Teens

It is important to point out to your teen the potential harm associated with tobacco use. Though the long-term negative health outcomes of smoking are most important to discuss, many adolescents may be more concerned with the impact that smoking has on their lives today than they are with their health in the far future. Emphasizing the immediate negative impacts of smoking to your teen may help get their attention.

Remind your kids that:

Smoking around friends or siblings can also be damaging to them, as secondhand smoke is a known harmful toxin

Teens who smoke may be sick more often than their non-smoking peers and may develop lung problems or have more asthma attacks. This can harm their athletic performance

Smoking may lead to the use of alcohol and other drugs

Smoking has a negative effect on their personal appearance (i.e., bad breath, yellow teeth, poor skin)

Also remind your kids about these damaging long-term impacts on their health:

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States and in the world

Smoking is a well-known cause of heart disease, cancers, and stroke

Smoking decreases life expectancy

Nicotine has adverse effects on brain development which could have lasting effects on memory and attention

Social Smoking Trends: Hookahs and e-Cigarettes

According to the CDC, from 2011 to 2012, there was a significant increase in hookah use in high school students. Hookahs are water pipes used to smoke specially made flavored tobacco such as mint, apple, cappuccino, or coconut. This form of "social smoking" is often thought to be less harmful, but hookah smoking has many of the same health risks as cigarette smoking.

Also popular among adolescents are electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). This 2012 survey also found that from 2011 to 2012, there was a significant increase in e-cigarette use in both middle school and high school students. Nicotine in e-cigarettes is heated by a battery and vaporized and inhaled (or vaped), rather than lit with a flame and smoked. More than a 250,000 youths who had never smoked a cigarette used electronic cigarettes in 2013. Additionally, a 2012 study found that 76% of middle and high school students who used e-cigarettes within the past 30 days also smoked conventional cigarettes around the same time.

Currently, there is no significant data indicating that vaporized nicotine causes young people to try other tobacco products nor is there data proving that it is safe to use. It can be helpful to begin discussing these alternate methods of tobacco use with your teen and let them know they are not necessarily safe alternatives to conventional cigarettes.

Take a Parental Stand Against Tobacco

Speaking with your children early and often about the dangers of tobacco use is key. To do so, you may want to consider that:

Parents are role models and can have the greatest influence in their kids' lives. Set a positive example by tying to quit if you use tobacco. If you smoke, you can also choose not to use tobacco in your children's presence, not offer cigarettes to your kids, and not leave cigarettes where they can easily get it

Starting the discussion about smoking when your kids are young and continuing it through their high school years, may be the best strategy for preventing teen smoking

Knowing if your teen's friends use tobacco can be important. You may be able to help them practice ways to refuse cigarettes and other tobacco products if their peers offer it to them

Helping your kids understand that the media and movies may make smoking seem "cool" when it is actually very harmful can go a long way

Remember, it's much harder to quit smoking than it is to start smoking in the first place. Have your teen speak with an adult who smokes to understand just how difficult it is to stop smoking. It is vital for parents to have a positive influence on preventing adolescent smoking.

Dr. Larry Samuels is a Senior Medical Director at Pfizer in the Cardiovascular Metabolic Therapeutic Area and a former Research Scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

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Did you know that each day there are more than 3,200 people, under the age of 18, who smoke their first cigarette? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that in 2012, 7% of middle school and 23% of high school students reported current use a tobacco product.

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This is a good counterclaim to my claim because it supports the claim that E-cigarettes are better than regular cigarettes.

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The evidence keeps piling up: e-cigarettes are definitely safer than smoking

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Although not harmless, the evidence is unequivocal that vaping is much safer than smoking. But misinformation and scaremongering could still be putting people off switching

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I chose this Image because It shows you what happens to your lungs when you smoke.

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I chose this images because it gives you the basic facts about smoking.

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I chose this image because it gives the basic diseases from smoking.

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I chose this image because it shows that not even smokers are safe from the effects of diabetes.

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This image interests me because it shows that you can get almost every cancer just by smoking.