Speech: Quit Smoking

Speech: Quit Smoking

I. Introduction

a. Whoa 1,000 dollars! Yes, ladies and gentleman, my first slide of my power point presentation does say, "Whoa…1,000 dollars!"

b. From my Health Psychology Book by Linda Brannon and Jess Feist, it stated that "Currently, about 25% of the adults in the United States are classified as smokers," in 1998 when the book was published.

c. Now, considering all of us are 18 or older in the room, one out of every four of us is a smoker. Therefore, one out of every four of us spends approximately 1,000 dollars a year on cigarettes, plus the health damage it will do to them later on in life.

d. In America, the average number of cigarettes smoked per day is 18. That's almost a whole pack of cigarettes a day. Smoking cigarettes is a practice that people should never take a part in.

e. I intend to explain why Americans today should either stop smoking or should not start at all by examining these main points:

i. The financial end of the deal is absolutely absurd and that money could be put to a greater purpose.

ii. Smokers and non-smokers alike should be aware that cigarette smoke contains harmful chemicals.

iii. The health factors involved with such a small product outweigh the enjoyment of the actual smoking itself.

[To begin with, I'd like to show some statistics of the financial side of cigarettes as well as personal characteristics and behaviors that predict smoking.]

II. Body

a. There has been a major price increase since both my parents began to smoke.

i. My mom told me when she first started smoking she would spend five dollars for a carton of cigarettes, which was almost 24 years ago.

ii. Now, on average a carton of cigarettes are between $...

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...auses about 87% of lung cancer deaths.

iii. Some symptoms of lung cancer include cough, shortness of breath, hoarseness, blood in the sputum, and pain.

iv. The biggest prevention of lung cancer is of course to not smoke.

[I hope it is clear that there is more that comes along with just smoking a cigarette.]

V. Conclusion

a. To sum up my main points, the money, the harmful chemicals, and the health concerns make smoking worthless.

b. Therefore, in order to save money, and keep you in a good health, please either stop smoking or don't start!

c. And lastly, I've been talking about my parents' experiences with smoking, and they are one of the main reasons for choosing this topic for my speech. However, I am glad to say that 3 years ago on New Year's they made the decision to quit. It was a very hard decision for them to make but it was for the best. Thank you!