Letter from a Smokers Lungs (Drug Abuse Awareness)

Dear John Black,

I am writing this letter to you because Iam warning you about the effects of smoking and what it does to your body andme, your lungs. You see, I play a very important part of your body. Your Lungsare responsible for transporting oxygen from the atmosphere into thebloodstream, and to release carbon dioxide from the bloodstream into theatmosphere. Breath is the foundation of life and this makes your lungs one ofthe most vital and irreplaceable organs in your body. I am the most importantpart of the respiratory system. All of the cells in your body require oxygen. Withoutit, they couldn't move, build, reproduce, and turn food into energy. So, if Idie you are coming down with me one way or another.

When you inhale air your lungs expand and Iam pulled back to my original state by the elastic tissues lining in my innerwalls. When you smoke, these elastic tissues get damaged due to deposits oftar. After a period of continued smoking, these tissues get so rigid that theyfail to perform their function, so the lungs stay in an expanded state makingit difficult to exhale. This condition is called emphysema. A very importantpart of me is the cilia, it cleans out all the chemicals and waste that end upinside me. Once the tar gets stuck to my cilia it gets clogged and is unable toclean out the toxic chemicals that are in the cigarettes. My air sacs haveproblems with the tar too; they lose their elasticity and make you feel likeyou have congested breaths, after a while my air sacs rupture and fail becauseof undue pressure from the air pockets under the tar. I will also be 60% lessefficient meaning that it is way harder for you to breathe and they have towork more than twice as hard.

Picture of Healthy Lungs (Left) Smokers Lungs (Right)

Continued deposits of tar along thelinings of your lungs (over extended periods) leads to cell degeneration. Mostof the chemicals present in the tar are carcinogenic in nature and hence aretoxic to the living cells in the inner walls of the lungs. With time theaccumulation of toxic chemicals forces the body to create a tumor around theaffected area. You can also get various lung diseases including these commonones, Emphysema, Chronic bronchitis, asthma and lung cancer. It doesn’t takethat long for you to damage me when you smoke. It starts the very first timeyou smoke and keeps building up until I can’t handle it anymore. It only takesabout 6 months to 1 year to start giving me diseases when you smoke!

Just think of what might happen in 5years. Do u want to damage me so much until I am beyond repair? Or will youchoose to quit your addiction and keep me and you safe for many years to come.I mean it has only been 4 months and the doctors are starting to tell you badthings. How do you even see yourself in 5 years or 10 or 20? I hope that youare thinking about the future because if you keep this crazy trend you and Imight be in a coffin by then! Smoking can ruin your life but don’t let it ruinyou.