what is smoking

Smoking is the practice of inhaling and exhaling the fumes of burning tobacco, which contains nicotine, an addictive drug. Tobacco is made by drying leaves from tobacco plants, and when people smoke tobacco, they burn it so they can breathe it in or taste the smoke. Smoking tobacco is the largest preventable cause of death and disease in Australia and can cause a range of devastating illnesses, including coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancers in every human organ system, and decreased reproductive health. Smoking can also affect the people around the smoker through second-hand smoke, which can cause health problems in both adults and children, such as coughing, phlegm, reduced lung function, pneumonia, and bronchitis. Smoking is a hard habit to break because tobacco contains the very addictive chemical nicotine, and the body and mind quickly get used to it. All forms of tobacco, including cigarettes, pipes, cigars, hookahs, and smokeless tobacco, are health hazards.