Formal Letter/Email: Structure

1. Salutation
Dear…

2. The first paragraph (opening)

Say why you are writing. Clearly state the subject or context.
 3. The next paragraphs (main content)
Give the details about why you are writing. Organise all the essential information in a clear and logical way.
linking structures to make your letter flow

4. The last paragraph

Say how you expect the other person to respond to your letter if this is appropriate.

5. Closing and signing off

Finish your letter with an appropriate comment. Don’t just stop abruptly.
Yours ……….

Essay On Smoking

One of the most common problems we are facing in today’s world which is killing people is smoking. A
lot of people pick up this habit because of stress, personal issues and more. In fact, some even begin
showing it off. When someone smokes a cigarette, they not only hurt themselves but everyone around
them. It has many ill-effects on the human body which we will go through in the essay on smoking.

Ill-Effects of Smoking

Tobacco can have a disastrous impact on our health. Nonetheless, people consume it daily for a long
period of time till it’s too late. Nearly one billion people in the whole world smoke. It is a shocking figure
as that 1 billion puts millions of people at risk along with themselves.

Cigarettes have a major impact on the lungs. Around a third of all cancer cases happen due to smoking.
For instance, it can affect breathing and causes shortness of breath and coughing. Further, it also
increases the risk of respiratory tract infection which ultimately reduces the quality of life.

In addition to these serious health consequences, smoking impacts the well-being of a person as well. It
alters the sense of smell and taste. Further, it also reduces the ability to perform physical exercises.

It also hampers your physical appearances like giving yellow teeth and aged skin. You also get a greater
risk of depression or anxiety. Smoking also affects our relationship with our family, friends and
colleagues.

Most importantly, it is also an expensive habit. In other words, it entails heavy financial costs. Even
though some people don’t have money to get by, they waste it on cigarettes because of their addiction.

How to Quit Smoking?

There are many ways through which one can quit smoking. The first one is preparing for the day when
you will quit. It is not easy to quit a habit abruptly, so set a date to give yourself time to prepare
mentally.

Further, you can also use NRTs for your nicotine dependence. They can reduce your craving and
withdrawal symptoms. NRTs like skin patches, chewing gums, lozenges, nasal spray and inhalers can
help greatly.

Moreover, you can also consider non-nicotine medications. They require a prescription so it is essential
to talk to your doctor to get access to it. Most importantly, seek behavioural support. To tackle your
dependence on nicotine, it is essential to get counselling services, self-materials or more to get through
this phase.

One can also try alternative therapies if they want to try them. There is no harm in trying as long as you
are determined to quit smoking. For instance, filters, smoking deterrents, e-cigarettes, acupuncture,
cold laser therapy, yoga and more can work for some people.

Always remember that you cannot quit smoking instantly as it will be bad for you as well. Try cutting
down on it and then slowly and steadily give it up altogether.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of the Essay on Smoking

Thus, if anyone is a slave to cigarettes, it is essential for them to understand that it is never too late to
stop smoking. With the help and a good action plan, anyone can quit it for good. Moreover, the benefits
will be evident within a few days of quitting.

FAQ of Essay on Smoking

Question 1: What are the effects of smoking?

Answer 1: Smoking has major effects like cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and
more. It also increases the risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems with the immune
system.

Question 2: Why should we avoid smoking?

Answer 2: We must avoid smoking as it can lengthen your life expectancy. Moreover, by not smoking,
you decrease your risk of disease which includes lung cancer, throat cancer, heart disease, high blood
pressure, and more.

Through the years, awareness against smoking has grown indefinitely and nowadays it is a known fact
that smoking, as well as passive smoking is harmful to people’s health. This leads us to the danger of
these effects in workplaces, which is becoming a serious issue for many people and demand a healthy
working environment by insisting to create a legislation about the employer’s and employee’s rights and
obligations. Nowadays some form of legislation is already in place and is observed in most workplaces;
however it still must be enforced even further for the sake of people’s welfare. Although having a smoke
free workplace is generally the ideal, this also has a series of disadvantages which influences us on an
economic and social level.
Advantages of Smoke Free Workplaces

There are six main reasons for employers to support smoke free workplaces:

employee welfare;

level of productivity;

reduction of costs;

greater job satisfaction;

helpful surroundings;

Positive corporate image.

Employee Welfare

The most valuable investment that an employer can make is an investment in employee welfare
because the employees drive the company to success or failure. Statistics show that employees who do
not smoke or are not exposed to constant passive smoking take fewer sick days and in the long run are
more effective. Employees who smoke or are subject to intense passive smoking are more likely to retire
early or go on disability. It is a known fact that most people want to quit smoking and therefore a
healthier environment at work may encourage them to quit. In some cases, it may be possible to get
lower health, life, and disability insurance coverage as fewer employees smoke.

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Level of productivity

Nowadays smoke free workplaces are encouraged to be implemented by the employers not solely
because of health reasons but also because “the main reason for productivity losing due to the smoking
in the workplace is the absenteeism”, as the “Action on Smoking and Health” (ASH) suggests
(www.ash.org.uk). This loss of productivity is contributed by employees having too many smoke breaks
which cause numerous interruptions to the job at hand and therefore becoming inefficient. In addition
the smoke breaks are not regulated with a specific time or frequency. Due to this inefficiency, non
smokers have to work harder to compensate for the work load of the smokers when they are on smoke
breaks. This may also create squabbles between employees due to the unbalanced workload of smokers
versus non smokers and non smokers may argue about the detriment of passive smoking, which they
might feel is against their fundamental rights. This kind of friction may influence the levels of
productivity and harmony of a work place. Hereunder is an excerpt about the difference a smoker could
make to a business.

“It costs the average business £2000-£3000 more to employ a smoker than a non smoker. In the South
East alone, an estimated £370 million is lost to businesses due to sick days taken by smokers. A
staggering £1.2 billion is lost from employees taking smoking breaks throughout the day. Research has
also shown that 70% of smokers want to quit – becoming smoke free could help them do so.”
(Government Office South East, 2005)

Reduction of costs

Companies invest a lot of money into hiring and training their employees and therefore it is important
for them to be healthy. If employees are encouraged to quit smoking, employers will see less loss of
skills and knowledge, and therefore will reduce the cost of training employees in the long run. Statistics
show that many companies which offered smoke free workplaces to their employees all ended up
having positive results. The Canadian Lung Association reported that the economic benefits of smoke
free workplaces are noticeable over the long term such as five years or more.

Greater job satisfaction

Several studies show that the vast majority of both smokers and non smokers prefer to work in a smoke
free environment. When employees are healthy and have a strong sense of personal welfare, there is an
improvement in their morale and the overall quality of the work environment. In this environment,
employees are more productive and feel a greater sense of loyalty. Statistics show that the majority of
people who smoke want to quit and several national surveys that took place in Canada showed that
fewer people are smoking and those who smoke are smoking less.

Helpful surroundings

In our everyday life we experience two environments which have a great influence on people’s health,
which are homes and workplaces. Therefore the workplace is a very important surrounding where one
can help people to quit smoking for many reasons:

A substantial amount of time is spent at the workplace

Due to the large number of employees that workplaces contain, this environment is able to reach out to
many people and therefore have the chance to influence an effective amount of smokers constantly.

Workplaces give the opportunity to meet with people from all walks of life and consequently the
workplace might be a suitable place for smokers to get the necessary information and support from
other employees, and from others who promote health in the workplace.

Enforcing a smoking ban in workplaces encourages smokers to cut down or quit and the non smokers to
stay away from smoking.

The employer’s role is very important in this process because they can present employees opportunities
and choices which will help them succeed in quitting smoking. By providing smoke free workplaces,
employers and health promoters in workplaces can give the necessary support for those trying to quit.

Positive corporate image

In the business world, the corporate image means a lot because what a company represents influences
the opinion of people interested in the company. A positive image helps attract potential investors and
valuable employees. This kind of image is up kept by complying with the non smoking legislation and
offering of services and support to the company’s employees. The greater the commitment of the
company in its employee’s welfare, the more respected the company becomes. The companies which
offer such smoke free workplaces and employee support become workplaces of choice.

Employers and employees – rights and obligations

These above mentioned factors have led to the creation of policies which observe the rights and
obligations of the employers and employees. Such policies include

Operating guidelines of a smoke free workplace such as the rights of non smokers and the conformity
with the legislation of the specific country which relates to smoking in work places.

The legislation nowadays covers all workplaces and certain countries do not make provision for smoking
in restrooms, canteens, corridors, personal offices or meeting lounges. Specific places and times must be
set from the company if it allows smoking areas.

Such provisions as mentioned above are available at the employer’s discretion, including policies
regarding smoking outdoors or providing the necessary litter bins where the cigarette butts can be
thrown away.

Employers have the right to write down time allowed for smoking periods and the addition of working
time for the non smokers as contractual obligations and conditions.

Employees have the right to complain about conditions with reference to having a smoke free
workplace.

Employees have the obligation to comply with policies written down in a contractual agreement and if
they fail to comply, they must face consequences.

Employers can offer support services and counseling for those willing to quit smoking.

Employees with a higher health risk such as people with asthma and pregnant women must be given
special attention in order to keep potential risks at bay.

The entire smoking policies must be reviewed regularly so that if any changes are necessary due to new
legislation or an initial adjustment or stricter policies, these can be provided for.

These policies may range from minor restrictions to complete ban of smoking.

At first companies opted for segregated areas in a work place by separating the smokers from the non
smokers. Therefore this required that the groups have their separate workstations, office space, lunch
area etc… Although initially this seemed ideal, it is not that effective since the tobacco smoke is still
not entirely eliminated through ventilation systems or electrostatic filters. Therefore the end result will
end up being similar to a workplace without segregation, although with the effects considerably
reduced. In the end smokers did not like being separated from their friends and colleagues, and non
smokers still reported that they could inhale the tobacco smoke in their segregated area. Generally
there are mainly 2 effective policies which are implemented:

In order to be a smoke free workplace, no smoking should be allowed in company premises and
vehicles. Although it may allow designated outdoor areas where one is free to smoke.

An alternative policy to the designated area might be an area which is well ventilated.
In various aspects, tobacco smoke can be compared to any other air contaminant, which in order for it
to be reduced or completely eliminated, a controlling method has to be created at the source. This is
where the importance of policies comes into play. By implementing policies and enforcing measures we
are ensuring that we safe guard the welfare of the employees. However it is useless to implement a
smoke free workplace unless you have the support of your employees. Therefore it is imperative that
such a transition be put into practice as smoothly as possible through discussion from beforehand. In
order to do such a transition specific steps can be taken, such as organising open discussions to all
employees of every group. When such discussion has taken place, then a company with the backup of its
employees can start the transition whilst keeping the employees informed at every stage. In the long
run when a company has completed such a transition, it must put its foot down and be prepared to
enforce a smoking ban. It is important that after such a ban, no one is granted special privileges among
smokers or else resentment amongst them will start to arise.

Smoking and vapingSHARE

A bin with a sign that reads keep Melbourne clean, no smoking or vaping.

The City of Melbourne is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our community through
reducing the harmful effects of smoking and vaping including second-hand tobacco smoke and e-
cigarette aerosol.

Smoking is a major cause of preventable death and a leading cause of avoidable chronic illness and
hospitalisation from conditions including cancer and cardiovascular disease. There is no safe level of
exposure to tobacco smoke including second-hand smoke.

E-cigarettes can contain up to 200 toxic chemicals, including those present in paint stripper and weed
killer. These substances can cause cancer and impair brain function.

Data from the City of Melbourne Social Indicator Survey (CoMSIS) reveals that the percentage of
residents in the City of Melbourne who are current smokers has increased from 12.5 per cent to 14.6
per cent between 2020 and 2022. The survey also captured vaping data for the first time in 2022, and
found that the percentage of residents who currently vape is 12.5 per cent.

An illustration of a pair of lungs made of wildlife and plants. In July 2021, the City of Melbourne Future
Melbourne Committee endorsed the Smoke-free Melbourne Policy.

Melbourne is now the first city in Australia to have a comprehensive framework to protect the
community from the harms of smoking and vaping.
The aim of this policy is to outline our vision to reduce the harmful effects of smoking and vaping in our
community and how this will be achieved. This policy will guide the creation of more smoke-free and
vape-free areas in the central City of Melbourne, ways to reduce and de-normalise smoking and vaping
as well as supporting people to quit.

Smoke-free Melbourne PolicySMOKE-FREE MELBOURNE POLICY PDF 4.72 MB

Smoke-free Melbourne Policy Development | City of Melbourne

Further information on the community consultation process and outcomes can be found on Participate
Melbourne.

The development of this policy was supported by the Partnership for Healthy Cities – an initiative of
Bloomberg Philanthropies, the World Health Organization and Vital Strategies.