Advancing Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Advancing Practice - Essay Example In a study it has been revealed that the percent of smoking among adults has considerably decreases in the late seventies and eighties but was leveled in the nineties. Though in late nineties the percentage of smokers had dropped a bit it was estimated that the situation wouldn’t improve further. If the effects of smoking can be quantified, then we will be talking of one of the most expensive pastimes in our time. It is approximated that in United Kingdom alone, the government spends close to a million Euros in intervention measures aimed at smoking cessation. This cost does not reflect the amount spent by other interest groups such as Non governmental organizations, research firms and private charity organizations. Speaking qualitatively, smoking causes more deaths all over the world than HIV/Aids. Of all smokers, a considerable percentage is drawn from adolescents but past smoking cessation programs have not targeted this age group but concentrated in other groups such as adults. This has contributed to a significant drop in the number of adult population smokers but of significance to this essay is the fact that, the prevalence of smoking amongst the adolescents has remained high or plummeted altogether. Substances which adolescents often abuse are referred to as psychoactive substances meaning that when taken, they have the capability to change an individual’s consciousness, mood or thinking process. They suppress a part of the brain whose usual function is normally to regulate the functions of the mood, thoughts and motivations. Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of deaths in the world. But sadly enough, those are deaths which are very preventable if smoking cessation is fully appreciated by the governments and other stake holders like education sector, religious organizations and charities. Studies indicate that in the United States of America alone, cigarette smoking cause up to around