Smoking twenty cigarettes a day can cost 18 or more a week. Tobacco contains the stimulant drug nicotine, which increases pulse rate and blood pressure. First time users may simply feel dizzy or sick. Regular smokers often say it helps them to concentrate, relax, combat boredom and reduce anxiety. It also suppresses the appetite, so people often eat less.
Effects start very quickly and can continue for up to thirty minutes from one cigarette.
Although some people smoke occasionally, most people become hooked and smoke regularly. If they don't smoke regularly they may feel restless, irritable and depressed. Coughs, chest and breathing problems, and bad breath are very common among smokers. Regular long-term users have much greater risk of developing lung and some other cancers, heart disease, circulatory problems, bronchitis and ulcers. Smoking during pregnancy can damage an unborn child.