Welcome to Gaia! ::

Before I begin, I'd like to recommend some music to be playing in the background as you read this. As much as possible, make sure you can't get the song out of your head, so all of this sticks, please~?

Song 1
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Song 4
Song 5

Now then, if you're comfortable with your chosen music, then off we go into this magical tale~! ...if you can call it magical that is sweatdrop

To make it interesting, I'll show you first why smoking really something that can make you feel good and such. Well, it's down to the substance in it called nicotine. Nicotine is a very interesting chemical because this little sucker affects the nervous system. How it does so is the fun part.

The nervous system...it's simplified in this link. If you're familiar with it, then I'm sure the nostalgia will hit you really nice. Now then, once you've heard that jingle, time for me to explain the parts we wanna know. First off, yes, the whole thing works on electricity. Interesting, right? How it works is by the use of the electrolytes of sodium and potassium. The exchange of these two electrolytes allow for the "current" to be made. Now the way the body makes sure the "electrical signal" is made just so that the part you want to move (like your eyeballs as you follow this long winded sentence over that white background of yours on your monitor while that song you chose is still playing....by the way, I hope you keep that song playing now ^^)...the whole way the body makes sure of it is by the use of "gates". These gates utilize their own signals that dictate when they must allow the current to be made.
Where does nicotine come in, you ask? Well, the gates of the neuron (the cell of the nervous system) that sends the info to the neuron next in line, and even the neuron that sends the signal to your skeletal muscles (the muscles under your control) actually can be coaxed into action by nicotine.
Now that's just half of the feel-good puzzle. The second half is in the brain. The brain has this little chemical, that when release, will give you that oh so nice feeling...like after doing something good like...eating.
*shrugs* Use your imagination, but just don't tell me. Nicotine is such a nice fit in where that chemical should be at to make you feel good. So yeah, you get to feel good. That's the other half.
This also has the effect of keeping you alert, by also causing the release of chemicals that keeps you alert. The reason? The gate required for them is the same gate that I'm talking about, which nicotine fits into like a charm.

So now we got that bad boy out of the way, let's move on.
This time around, I'll get help from Bob again. Bow for the audience Bob! ...Wait.... I forgot that you lost a foot.... If you bow now...you'd fall down.... Whoops....

So how does the rest of this happen then if this isn't caused by nicotine? Well, remember the 200 OTHER chemicals I talked about? They're all carcinogens.
Lemmie guess, you keep hearing about carcinogens and the first thing that pops into your mind is cancer, eh? Well, you're not entirely wrong there, however you're not entirely right.

Carcinogens are named because these things cause mutations. They're stuff that SHOULDN'T be in the body that can damage cells at the cellular and the genetic level (yes, they can alter your DNA!). What this translates to is that your cells would be hurt and your body would do all its best to try and repair all of that, and destroy what it can't fix.
The first thing I wanna tell you is at the mouth. Smoke goes in the mouth. Mouth shouldn't have smoke in there. The carcinogens in there would start causing damage to the cells in your mouth, and would force them to try and adapt if it keeps on going on (like you smoking every day/ a lot/ both). These adaptations would ultimately cause them to change their look in the mouth (s'why a smoker's mouth would actually look different under a microscope...and someone really into smoking would actually have a visible change in the mouth). Once this goes on, the forced adaptation would become too much and force itself to really REALLY change itself. And thus, you have cancer in the mouth (cancer of the oral mucosa actually).

Now then, our good friend the lungs. The lung's cells are a very very delicate piece of work. Even the airways are delicate too, you know? You think those 200 chemicals can't reach there? Oh, they do. They really do...and the bad part about it, is that the sensitive airways and lungs take a HUGE BEATING because of that little cigarette. Now let me show you the ways.
The airways require a special kind of cell that would release some lubricant to keep the whole lung moist and damp, so that the dry air (air is always too dry, even when humidified) won't cause that much problems in the lungs. Yay! But you take a smoke. These sensitive cells can't handle smoke too well (if you've have had asthma, you KNOW what I mean). So what do they do? They try and adapt by changing the whole make-up of the cell. Now the cells can survive your daily routine of torturing them with a cigarette every day. Yay! ...but this leaves a problem...they don't produce lubricant anymore.... These adapted cell are UNABLE to produce the special thing...so you'd be breathing dry air every time. ...Yay? Nope...that's bad.

What about your lungs? Well, your lungs are really actually giant sponges (I know. They're squishy, and they make cute sounds when you squeeze them. <3 Oh, and did I mention that they DO act like sponges by...absorbing iquids if you place them in there. You can actually get the liquid out by squeezing the cute little...okay, don't look at me like that <.<). That being said, they're sensitive sponges made of delicate little cells. These cells are very thin, so they can do the job of bring oxygen into your blood and carbon dioxide out. Neat, right? They've very very small and delicate cells. Delicate cells that make a lubricant called surfactant that keeps the whole lung all poofy so you can breathe good. Yay! Now let's add that cigarette and see what happens.
Well, the smoke would cause them to be damaged. Unfortunately these cells don't adapt well so they have to be removed. However, there's another kind of cell that can change its whole being to replace these cells. Yay! Sadly, there's not a lot of these cells around. Aww....
So the more you smoke, the more damage you do to the good little cells. Soon you're going to overwhelm the other kind of cell, causing it to be mutated and be that thing we like to call cancer.
As an added bonus, we'll throw in blood into your lungs, so please smoke today! ...Erm, not really blood but the plasma. You see, the surfactant made by the special lung cells also keeps the pressure balance between the lungs and the capillaries in good working order. If it's gone, there's less pressure from the lungs...so the plasma...the liquid part of the blood...it can easily enter the lungs, which is also a big no-no for the cells of the lungs, causing more damage and more mutations. And did I forget to mention that you can't transfer more oxygen and carbon dioxide? I didn't? Well, there you go...which means you'd tire out more and be more out of breath.

So a recap for the lungs. Smoking can...WILL cause damage to your lungs and airways. The damage would create less surfactant, which would allow fluid into the lungs. The carcinogens in the smoke would care changes and mutations in the airway and lungs, creating cancer and making it even harder to breathe well. You would also be breathing in dry air, which further damages the lungs. And all of that from a cigarette.

And into the home stretch! I hope you've been very attentive students now. If not...well, I do have a spare amount of syringes and scalpels to throw....

Ahem. Well now let's get back to those 200 nifty little carcinogens that you brought into your body because you decided to get a smoke. Those little buggers like to travel around, and cause mayhem with all your cells.
Smoking will make you older. That's a fact. The carcinogens in cigarettes damage the DNA. DNA damage is what contributes to aging. Our whole body is constantly doing its best to repair the damage to our DNA, but in the end we all will become old, because DNA will always end up taking damage. The sun, even breathing causes some damage. However, smoking will cause your aging to ACCELERATE. The 200 carcinogens would cause more damage per cigarette than the sun and breathing can do in a WEEK. This would cause the wrinkling of your skin and other premature signs of aging.

Smoking makes you full. Nicotine and other chemicals in smoke tricks the brain's fullness center. This would cause you to not really feel that much hunger...at a cost. These chemicals would increase the acidity of your digestive system, causing ulcers in your stomach and intestines. Worst of all is that it can cause cancer in the digestive system.

The damage to your DNA is widespread in your body. More DNA damage equals a greater risk for cancer and other diseases.

There is truth when we say that you're slowly killing yourself by smoking a cigarette.