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?Smoke, in general terms, means a vaporous system made up of small particles of carbonaceous matter in the air, resulting mainly from the burning of organic material such as wood, coal and other such products. But we are here not concerned with 'smoke', but with 'smoking', or in particular 'tobacco smoking'.

Smoking, in simple words, means drawing and exhaling smoke from a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. Tobacco smoke contains a stimulant, 'nicotine' which is as highly an addictive drug as heroin or cocaine. In the long run, nicotine forms a strong physical and psychological dependence on it. Dependence is strongest when tobacco smoke is inhaled into the lungs and with time it increases the speed and quantity of nicotine absorption.

Different forms of smoking, apart from the usual one are smoking bidis, hookahs and clove cigarettes, and also chewing tobacco. But these different forms of smoking carry the same risk as cigarettes, cigars or pipes.

But, is nicotine that highly addictive? The answer is 'yes'. Why? When taken in small amounts nicotine creates a pleasant feeling which makes the smoker want to smoke more. Moreover, when a smoker tries to quit, he suffers from physical withdrawal symptoms such as nervousness, headaches and trouble sleeping. It also affects the chemistry of the brain and central nervous system. Ultimately the smoker finds it hard to quit.

Medical research has proven that smoking is a major contributing factor towards many human health problems such as cancer, emphysema, cardiovascular disease and other disorders.

If you sit to jot down the effects of smoking you are sure to come up with all the negative things. It is a habit which makes the smoker it's slave. Once acquired it is hard to quit and once quit it is easy to regain. So, it is always better to stay away from it as much as possible.

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