THE ALCOHOLISM AND SMOKING ADDICTION

The drugs and harmful substance are problem in around the world, especially for teenagers who
using different kind of illegal drugs to meet their emotions or simply became an excuse for find a
shelter and be able to forget their daily life problems. within the mainly problems is possible to
find the alcohol and tobacco addiction which are legal substances in all over the world with high
consumption rates due to its popularity and its easy access despite the regulation in sales; with
harmful effect for health of consumers and people who are around them. Also, these addictions
generate problems in a personal relationship (family, friends, job, and couple) and impede the
normal development of their activities.
1
According to World Health Organization the alcoholism
and smoking are considered as leading causes of death, morbidity and poverty, similarly, leading
consumers are adolescents and adults between men and women.

The alcohol and smoking consumption have been closely linked with human being development,
during decades, these harmful substances were taken into account in festivities that were
celebrated by very important persons. For that reason, these addictions became in bad habits.
2
Tobacco is a plant native to the Americas. Cristbal Coln noted the indigenous people of the
Caribbean smoked tobacco using a cane shaped pipe called Tobago from which derives the name
of the plant. Apparently they attributed medicinal properties and used it in their ceremonies. In
1510, Francisco Hernndez de Toledo led the seed to Spain, fifty years later the diplomat Jean
Nicot introduced it in France, which the plant should its the generic name (Nicotiana). In 1585
the mariner Sir Francis Drake introduced it in England; the explorer English Walter Raleigh

1
WHO Media Centre (2013). Alcohol and Tobacco. Taken from:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs349/es/
2
Zamorano, I (2012). Tabaco. Taken from: http://www.monografias.com/trabajos12/tabaco/tabaco.shtml#hist
began the custom of smoking pipe tobacco in the Elizabethan Court. Also according to history
3
the man knows alcohol since the dawn of his appearance on Earth, in the Quaternary, possibly
from around age of 50 000 years, due to the spontaneous fermentation of fruits and other food
that was in the natural environment.

The consumption of alcoholic drinks in social meetings is commonly in many places in around
the world despite its harmful effects. Its excessive consumption creates difficulties dependence
and physical-mental health problems.
4
According to World Health Organization it cause 2.5
million deaths each year, similarly, it is evidence that person behavior in state of drunkenness can
injure others persons or put them at risk of traffic accidents. In this way, it is important to
differentiate the alcoholism and the alcohol abuse. The alcoholism is possible to identify it
through three personalities: 1. the monkey; it refers to when the person behavior is funny and
comic. 2. The lion; it refers to when the person behavior is violent and the last one the pig; it
refers to when the individual takes misguided attitudes such as: vomiting, spitting, etc. It is noted
that in each one the person can lost his conscience. On the other hand, the alcohol abuse refers to
excessive consumption of alcoholic drink where causes some problems but this not generates
dependence.

The tobacco have been considered as a dangerous to the public health since contain cancer
causing chemicals like nicotine and tar. It is important to mention that the tobacco consumption
not only affect to the active smoker who is the person that consume this harmful substance. Also

3
Espacio del Estudiante (2011). Antecedentes Histricos del Alcoholismo. Taken from:
http://cuadernoabc.blogspot.com/2011/11/antecedentes-historicos-del-alcoholismo.html
4
WHO Media Centre (2011). Alcohol. Taken from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs349/es/
it affect to the passive smoker who is the person that is around an active smoker.
5
According to
World Health Organization the smoking is killing nearly six million people a year. More than
five million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while more than 600 000 are the
result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. Approximately one person dies
every six seconds due to tobacco. On the other hand, the smoking produces secondary effects in
the human body such as: variety of cardiovascular problems, lung cancer, cancers of the mouth
cancer, cancer of the larynx, sterility among other illness.

As a conclusion, the consumption of harmful substance for our health like the alcohol and
tobacco causes social problems such as: change in the person behavior, higher death rates, stop
the social development of the adolescents, also it generate poverty; for that reason, with the main
objective to control these problematic each country issued laws for regulate sales and
consumption. E.g. in Colombia the Act 124 of 1994 prohibit the alcoholic consumption to under
age of 18 years old. In the same way, the World Health Organization established ways to reduce
the burden from harmful use of alcohol and tobacco to minimize the impact of the alcoholism and
smoking. It is very important to be aware of the negative effects that generate the consumption of
alcoholic drinks and tobacco. For that reason, we must promoting non-consumption harmful
substance in our environment.






5
WHO Media Centre (2013). Tobacco. Taken from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs339/en/