European Journalists April Issue | Page 5

Smoking  Kills  –     Not  Only  Physically         We   already   know   that   smoking   kills.   The   effects   of   smoking   cigarettes   are   physically   disastrous   and   harm   our   bodies.  What  we  don’t  know  yet,  is  how   the   smoking   affects   our   minds   and   mental  health.     Until  now.  A  new  British  study  shows  that   not   only   the   physical   health   deteriorates   with   cigarettes,   but   also   the   mental   health.   Sometimes  to  quit  smoking  could  even  be   better   than   taking   anti-­‐depressants.   Scientists   have   examined   26   people   that   smoke  about  twenty  cigarettes  a  day,  and   followed  them  for  six  months.       The   study   shows   that   you   easily   become   depressed,   get   a   weaker   stress   barrier,   and   have   a   more   negative   view   on   life   if   you  don’t  stop  smoking.       Even  if  we  know  about  this,  a  lot  of    young   people   in   Sweden   smoke.     Approximately   16   000   teenagers   start   smoking   every   year,   and   according   to   an   article   in   the   Swedish   newspaper   Dagens   Nyheter,   a   third   of   all   the   young   people   in   Sweden   are   feeling   stressed   on   a   daily   basis.   A   solution   for   this   problem   might   not   only   be   less   homework,   but   also   less   cigarettes…       So,   if   you’re   a   smoker   and   you’re   feeling   stressed  out  –  stub  out  your  cigarette!       Hanna  Alström  Schieche   Matilda  Lindquist