SMOKERS GUIDE TO BETTER TO BETTER CHIMNEY LIFE
Just like alcohol its starts with the first little taste and after that the rest is done by the cigarette and the special brands and the multi million advertising techniques.
Smoking is not a sin that’s why it has advantages and a few disadvantages {you wish}
Well here is some sound Advice on the Advantages of Smoking Tobacco
* You will always have something to do with your hands.
* To avoid headaches later in the day, always have a cigarette first thing in the morning.
* If you work with explosives, you have a handy method of lighting the fuse hopefully your insured for your families sake especially you children.
* Smoking is a good career move if you want early retirement and would like to use up your sick leave.
* On New Years Eve you don't have to go out to the fireworks. Just dip your cigarette into a jar of ground up sparklers.
* Amuse your friends and be the life of the party by blowing smoke rings.
* Always discard your butts in flower pots and garden beds as it helps fertilize the plants and keeps insects away.
* Occasional house fires will help keep firemen employed.
* By buying cigarettes from corner stores, you help support local businesses and help retain the fabric of our society.
* At the beach, children can use the butts to decorate their sand castles.
* Annoy neighbors you don't like by staying home and smoking heavily.
* You will always have a good reason for loitering - "Officer, I'm just having a cigarette".
* Always smoke when you are pregnant. Your smoking helps the unborn baby prepare for the air pollution in the real world.
* When your neighbor’s kids are too noisy, trigger their asthma by breathing smoke on them.
* By smoking heavily, you get out of boring work and will have plenty of short breaks during the day.
* Develop your cool image and fun-loving personality by being a smoker. Non-smoking is for wimps and wusses.
* You will have a good reason to paint the ceilings every three years.
* Why celebrate world no-tobacco day once a year, when every day can be celebrated as a pro-tobacco day.
* You will know when it's time to throw out your old lounge suite by the number of burn marks.
* Smoking is an adult custom. Add years to how old you look by smoking heavily.
* If you run out of smokes late at night, help the taxi industry by getting them to deliver your smokes to the door.
* You can demand more services and benefits from the government because you have paid more in taxes.
* Help keep the bush fire brigades trained and ready for any emergency by throwing lighted butts from your car window.
· Keep your weight down by smoking cigarettes instead of eating them.
To be continued
Facts
After I quit
# All of my muscles are getting harder, more tone to them. I feel stronger, almost like I am 18 again.
# I can sing better, more clearly, without rasping.
# Everything is staying white now.
# I still drink coffee, but I feel like I enjoy it more now.
# The heartburn that I was having no longer exists.
# I have 21 less things to think about per day, sometimes that was even 42 things to think about.
# I now know that you are less likely to land that new job if you smoke. Nonsmokers know if you smoke even before you talk. They can smell it.
# My son was coughing up junk for a week when I put an end to smoking in the house. I'm still coughing, but he's done with it. He only endured second hand smoke for a year. Funny, I can tell for sure, no doubt, he was affected.
# I care more about those around me - I value life more in all walks.
# I set an example for son, my niece, and even a friend who has smoked for 15 years, who will quit just due to me doing it. More important, my wife will finally quit.
# My house plants no longer drip brown, or have brown spots when I spray water on them.
# I can tell when a cat of ours has snuck somewhere and 'messed' on the floor.
# My favorite other children, the cats and dog are lowering their cancer risks right now too.
Are these reasons enough for my dad to quit? I cant wait.
Are you feeling that you would like to start smoking cigarettes? Here are 12 steps to follow to help you decide whether or not to be a smoker, good luck.
1.
Make a list of the people you know who are smokers.
Don't put anyone on the list who has not been smoking at least one year.
Be sure to ask non-smokers too. They may be former smokers. If so, you can add them to the list.
2.
Ask each person on your list if they mind being interviewed.
Tell them that you are doing this because you want to learn from them. Specifically, you want to know what they have learned from being a smoker.
Only if they say "yes" should you proceed with the interview.
3.
Ask them why they started smoking.
Everyone has their story to tell. Some stories will be similar but no two stories will be exactly the same.
4.
Ask them if they have ever regretted having starting smoking.
Give them room to answer this question in any way that they see fit. Different smokers will feel very differently about smoking.
5.
Ask them what they most enjoy about smoking.
If they no longer enjoy smoking, let them say so. If they really enjoy having a cigarette after a meal, let that be their answer.
6.
Ask them what they least enjoy about smoking.
If they feel that they get more colds because of smoking, let that be their answer. If they can't think of anything about smoking that they dislike, let their answer stand as it is.
7.
Write down all the answers that people give you and keep careful records of these answers.
If you learn from the experiences of others, you save wear and tear on yourself.
Saving yourself from unnecessary experiences by learning from the experiences of others is experience that you get for free. It doesn't cost you anything and is the key to a graceful and happy future.
8.
Ask the people how long they've been smoking.
This is so that you can tally up the total number of years that all your respondents as a group have smoked. If you talk to 100 people who have been smoking for 1 year each, you will have recorded 100 years of smoking experience.
Likewise, if you talk to 4 people who have been smoking for 25 years each, you will have recorded 100 years of smoking experience.
If you add the two groups together, you will have recorded 200 years of human experience smoking tobacco.
9.
Don't stop recording people's experiences with smoking until you've recorded over 200 years of human experience.
This is important! You don't want the opinions of just a few people. Otherwise, you might end up with an unbalanced view of smoking.
10.
Expect to be surprised!
The answers that people give you will often be anything but what you expected. Remember, each person will have a point of view that is a little bit different because their experience with smoking will be a little bit different.
11.
Identify the advantages and disadvantages of being a smoker.
Take a piece of paper. Draw a line down the middle. Label one column Advantages and the other column Disadvantages. List the advantages of smoking in one column and the disadvantages in the other.
Continue this list to several pieces of paper if your list of advantages or disadvantages threatens to run off the page. Important! Don't stop listing the advantages and disadvantages of smoking until you've thought of everything you possibly can.
12.
Decide whether or not to be a smoker.
The key moment has arrived. Envelope please!
The old saying "Some teenaged kid decided I was going to be a smoker" is so true. You, however, are at an advantage: You've got 200 years of smoking experience under your belt.
Trust yourself. You -- with your 200 years of experience as a smoker -- will make a very wise and seasoned decision.
Make you decision good luck with that .i made mine and I wont tell you.
Back to advantages
Advantages
1: A Chain smoker never grow old he always remain young because he dies before that.
2: Smoking increase social network of smoker as two smokers are always friends.
3: Smoking brings equality among humans, which many social workers were unable to make because ones cigarettes is always fresh for other smokers.
4: There is no medicine which can assure sleepless nights , so smoking is necessary for working whole night .
5: Smoking removes headache, although there are some medicines available but they also have some side effects.
6: Smoking is unaffected of money, one can smoke “biri” or “ciggare” or “pipe” or even “hucca” . by this way smoking reduces the gap between rich and poor .
7: Smoking have no reservation criterion, so there is not any dispute for smoking.
8: Smoke generated after smoking can be used as room freshener as smokers usually doesn’t like other smells.
9: There is a possibility of passive smoking i.e. smoking & all of its advantages without paying anything.
10: And most interestingly as like “GOD”(for smokers) u can find smokers everywhere .
And here my best advantage of all
Wait for it …..Wait ….ok
Here
The tobacco companies make a lot of money, the government collects a lot of taxes, hospitals and doctors get a lot of new business from the smokers. There are many who benefit from smoking.
Ladies and gentlemen this is the prize winner
Q: Is smoking hazardous to health?
A: The unanimous answer is 'yes'.
* In 1962, the British Royal College of Physicians established a link between smoking and bad health.
* In 1970, A senior medical consultant in the
* In 1978, World Health Organization experts announced that "smoking is a major cause of ill-health and premature death; but this is avoidable by giving up smoking or not smoking at all".
Q: What are the harmful substances to be found in tobacco?
A: The most well-known and most dangerous substances are: carbon monoxide, nicotine and tar.
Q: What harm do these substances cause?
A: Carbon monoxide, also found in car exhaust fumes emitted into the air, reduces the ability of the blood to carry oxygen inside the human body.
* Nicotine, similar to cocaine and morphine, is addictive and makes the smoker dependent on tobacco. It aggravates blood pressure and heart beat, thereby increasing the load on the heart which is already weakened by a shortage of oxygen. The combination of carbon monoxide and nicotine leads to clotting of the blood in the arteries leading to the heart and the brain as well as in the blood vessels. This normally leads to heart failure.
* Tar is a carcinogen which, together with other harmful substances found in tobacco, can cause lung cancer, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Q: Would cigarettes with a lower tar and nicotine content be less hazardous?
A: No. Smokers tend to make up for the reduction in these substances by smoking more and inhaling more smoke, thus taking in the same amount of these harmful substances.
Q: Are filter cigarettes harmless?
A: No. Filters do not prevent carbon monoxide and other harmful substances passing through. Smokers of filter cigarettes run the same risk of heart attack and brain stroke as smokers of unfiltered cigarettes.
Q: Do cigars and pipes carry a lower health risk?
A: Cigars and pipe, in fact, have a higher tar and nicotine content than cigarettes. Moreover, smoke given out by cigars and pipes is more concentrated and therefore more dangerous to nonsmokers.
Q: What is 'smoke-free' tobacco?
A: It is tobacco that is not smoked but chewed or carried inside the mouth for long periods of time or sniffed. It is usually available in soft lumps, called snuff, cut into small pieces; as leaves for chewing; or as ground, dried snuff in powder form.
Q: Is smoke-free tobacco a safe substitute for ordinary tobacco?
A: No, despite claims to the contrary. It causes cancer of the mouth and tooth decay as it contains all the cancer-causing substances, including nicotine which makes it addictive also.
Q: How much is spent worldwide on tobacco advertising and on smoking in general?
A: Tobacco advertising is estimated to cost about US$1500 million a year, worldwide. This is enough to cover the cost of vaccinating all newborn babies against the six major diseases: diphtheria, whooping cough (pertussis), tetanus, measles, poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis), tuberculosis. Money spent on smoking worldwide every year is estimated to be forty times as much, or US$100 000 million (1992 figures).
Q: How many people die of smoking-related diseases every year?
A: Around 1.5 million people die each year worldwide due to smoking-related diseases, a rate of one death every 13 seconds.
Q: What is the death rate due to the various smoking-related diseases?
A: Eighty-five per cent of all the deaths due to lung cancer, 75% of those due to chronic bronchitis and 25% of those due to other heart diseases are smoking-related.
* Almost no lung cancer cases can be treated by surgery, and only 5% of those that can continue to live for five more years. Smoking-related diseases contribute to a large proportion of the total death rate worldwide. For instance, they contribute to 30% in
Q: What other risks are faced by mothers who smoke, in particular ?
A: Mothers who smoke and are taking oral contraceptives run ten times the risk of heart attacks, brain strokes and clotting of the blood in the legs. Health risks are higher in mothers who smoke with high blood pressure or high body cholesterol. Women who smoke reach menopause between one and three years carlier than nonsmokers.
Q: What risks are faced by pregnant women who smoke and by their unborn babies ?
A: When a pregnant woman smokes, her baby also smokes. Carbon monoxide and nicotine are carried through the blood stream from the mother to the baby, leading to lower levels of oxygen intake and higher pulse rate. Such babies run the risk of being born prematurely or underweight, and when they start walking may show signs of lack of coordnation and general ill-health. In developing countries, these risks are even higher as mothers are likely to come from poorer families, to be anaemic and have a higher fertility rate.
Q: What is "passive smoking"?
A: Passive smoking is involuntary or forced smoking when nonsmokers have to breathe in smoke-filled air. Nonsmokers, in this situation, find themselves forced to smoke against their will.
Q: How is this dangerous to non-smokers ?
A: Tobacco smoke has certain chemical properties that cause irritation of the eyes, the nose and the throat to nonsmokers sitting with smokers in enclosed areas, such as offices, homes and public places. This is more than just a minor inconvenience, it is a real health hazard. It has also been shown that the incidence rate of lung cancer for women whose husbands smoke is higher than that for women whose husbands do not.
* In 1985, for the first time, a court in
* It is estimated that between 4000 and 5000 nonsmoker deaths in the
Q: What are the benefits to be gained from giving up smoking ?
A: Being rid of bad breath and foul smells which stick to hair, clothes and curtains; getting rid of staining of teeth and fingers; eliminating the risk of fire to homes, table cloths, furniture, mattresses, carpets, and sofas; not having to apologise for smoking and being rid of a very costly addictive habit.
Q: What advice do health authorities give on smoking ?
A: They hold that nonsmokers have the right to breathe smoke-free air, especially in the workplace and in enclosed public places and, in particular, in areas where food is being served or consumed.
* Medical staff, doctors and nurses in particular, as well as all hospital workers should set a good example to others and refrain from smoking.
* A "protective embargo" should be imposed on smoke-free tobacco advertising and trading in countries where it has not been introduced.
* Young people should be targeted in health education and promotion programmes aimed at fighting addiction, and "stop-smoking" programmes directed at smokers who wish to give up smoking.
* Precedence should be given to public health over tobacco company profits, whether the companies are in the public or private sector.
* People's attitudes to smoking need to be changed, so as to make nonsmoking the normal and natural social behaviour and smoking an antisocial and unacceptable habit.
MORE Q&A
1. What health problems are caused by smoking?
Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and diminishes a person’s overall health. Smoking is a leading cause of cancer and of death from cancer. It causes cancers of the lung, esophagus, larynx (voice box), mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, pancreas, stomach, and cervix, as well as acute myeloid leukemia .
Smoking also causes heart disease, stroke, lung disease (chronic bronchitis and emphysema), hip fractures, and cataracts. Smokers are at higher risk of developing pneumonia and other airway infections .
A pregnant smoker is at higher risk of having her baby born too early and with an abnormally low weight. A woman who smokes during or after pregnancy increases her infant’s risk of death from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome .
Millions of Americans have health problems caused by smoking. Cigarette smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke cause an estimated average of 438,000 premature deaths each year in the
. Smoking is the leading cause of premature, preventable death in this country.
Regardless of their age, smokers can substantially reduce their risk of disease, including cancer, by quitting.
2. Does tobacco smoke contain harmful chemicals?
Yes. Tobacco smoke contains chemicals that are harmful to both smokers and nonsmokers. Breathing even a little tobacco smoke can be harmful (1, 3). Of the 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 250 are known to be harmful (4, 5). The toxic chemicals found in smoke include hydrogen cyanide (used in chemical weapons), carbon monoxide (found in car exhaust), formaldehyde (used as an embalming fluid), ammonia (used in household cleaners), and toluene (found in paint thinners).
Of the 250 known harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke, more than 50 have been found to cause cancer. These chemicals include :
* arsenic (a heavy metal toxin)
* benzene (a chemical found in gasoline)
* beryllium (a toxic metal)
* cadmium (a metal used in batteries)
* chromium (a metallic element)
* ethylene oxide (a chemical used to sterilize medical devices)
* nickel (a metallic element)
* polonium-210 (a chemical element that gives off radiation)
* vinyl chloride (a toxic substance used in plastics manufacture)
3. What are the immediate benefits of quitting smoking?
The immediate health benefits of quitting smoking are substantial. Heart rate and blood pressure, which were abnormally high while smoking, begin to return to normal. Within a few hours, the level of carbon monoxide in the blood begins to decline. (Carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas found in cigarette smoke, reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.) Within a few weeks, people who quit smoking have improved circulation, don’t produce as much phlegm, and don’t cough or wheeze as often. Within several months of quitting, people can expect significant improvements in lung function (6).
4. What are the long-term benefits of quitting smoking?
Quitting smoking reduces the risk of cancer and other diseases, such as heart disease and lung disease, caused by smoking. People who quit smoking, regardless of their age, are less likely than those who continue to smoke to die from smoking-related illness. Studies have shown that quitting at about age 30 reduces the chance of dying from smoking-related diseases by more than 90 percent. People who quit at about age 50 reduce their risk of dying prematurely by 50 percent compared with those who continue to smoke . Even people who quit at about age 60 or older live longer than those who continue to smoke .
5. Does quitting smoking lower the risk of cancer?
Quitting smoking substantially reduces the risk of developing and dying from cancer, and this benefit increases the longer a person remains smoke free. However, even after many years of not smoking, the risk of lung cancer in former smokers remains higher than in people who have never smoked (1).
The risk of premature death and the chance of developing cancer due to cigarettes depend on the number of years of smoking, the number of cigarettes smoked per day, the age at which smoking began, and the presence or absence of illness at the time of quitting. For people who have already developed cancer, quitting smoking reduces the risk of developing a second cancer (9, 10).
6. Should someone already diagnosed with cancer bother to quit smoking?
Yes. There are many reasons that people diagnosed with cancer should quit smoking. For those having surgery or other treatments, quitting smoking helps improve the body’s ability to heal and respond to the cancer treatment, and it lowers the risk of pneumonia and respiratory failure (1, 9). Also, quitting smoking may lower the risk of the cancer returning or a second cancer forming (9, 10).
7. What are some of the challenges associated with quitting smoking?
Quitting smoking may cause short-term problems, especially for those who have smoked a large number of cigarettes for a long period of time:
* Feeling sad or anxious: People who quit smoking are likely to feel depressed, anxious, irritable, and restless, and may have difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
* Gaining weight: Increased appetite is a common withdrawal symptom after quitting smoking, and studies show that people who quit smoking increase their food intake (11). Although most smokers gain less than 10 pounds, for some people the weight gain can be troublesome (12). Regular physical activity can help people maintain a healthy weight.
Depression, anxiety, restlessness, weight gain, and other problems are symptoms of nicotine withdrawal (11). Many people find that nicotine replacement products and other medicines may relieve these problems (see Questions 10 and 11). However, even without medication, withdrawal symptoms and other problems do subside over time. It helps to keep in mind that people who kick the smoking habit have the opportunity for a healthier future.
8. Can a doctor, dentist, or pharmacist help a person quit smoking?
Doctors, dentists, and pharmacists can be good sources of information about the health risks of smoking and the benefits of quitting. They can describe the proper use and potential side effects of nicotine replacement therapy (see Question 10) and other medicines (see Question 11), and they can help people find local quit smoking resources.
9. How can I help someone I know quit smoking?
It’s understandable to be concerned about someone you know who currently smokes. It’s important to find out if this person wants to quit smoking. Most smokers say they want to quit. If they don’t want to quit, try to find out why.
Here are some things you can do to help:
* Express things in terms of your own concern about the smoker’s health ("I’m worried about...").
* Acknowledge that the smoker may get something out of smoking and may find it difficult to quit.
* Be encouraging and express your faith that the smoker can quit for good.
* Suggest a specific action, such as calling a smoking quitline, for help in quitting smoking.
* Ask the smoker for ways you can provide support.
Here are two things you should not do:
* Don’t send quit smoking materials to smokers unless they ask for them.
* Don’t criticize, nag, or remind the smoker about past failures.
10. What are nicotine replacement products?
Nicotine is the substance in cigarettes and other forms of tobacco that causes addiction. Nicotine replacement products deliver small, measured doses of nicotine into the body, which helps to relieve the cravings and withdrawal symptoms often felt by people trying to quit smoking. Strong and consistent evidence shows that nicotine replacement products can help people quit smoking (13).
It’s far less harmful for a person to get nicotine from a nicotine replacement product than from cigarettes because tobacco smoke contains many toxic and cancer-causing substances. Long-term use of nicotine replacement products is not known to be associated with any serious harmful effects (14).
All nicotine replacement products, which are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and available in the following five forms, appear to be equally effective:
* The nicotine patch is available over the counter (without a prescription). A new patch is worn on the skin each day, supplying a small but steady amount of nicotine to the body. The nicotine patch is sold in varying strengths as an 8-week quit smoking treatment. Nicotine doses are gradually lowered as the treatment progresses. The nicotine patch may not be a good choice for people with skin problems or allergies to adhesive tape. Also, people who experience the side effect of vivid dreams may opt to wear the patch only during the daytime.
* Nicotine gum is available over the counter in 2- and 4-mg strengths. When a person chews nicotine gum and then places the chewed product between the cheek and gum tissue, nicotine is released into the bloodstream through the lining of the mouth. To keep a steady amount of nicotine in the body, a new piece of gum can be chewed every 1 or 2 hours. The 4-mg dose appears to be more effective among highly dependent smokers (those who smoke 20 or more cigarettes per day) (14, 15). Nicotine gum might not be appropriate for people with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease or for those with dentures or other dental work such as bridges. The gum releases nicotine more effectively when coffee, juice, and other acidic beverages are not consumed at the same time.
* The nicotine lozenge is also available over the counter in 2- and 4-mg strengths. The use of the lozenge is similar to that of nicotine gum; it is placed between the cheek and gum tissue and allowed to dissolve. Nicotine is released into the bloodstream through the lining of the mouth. The lozenge works best when used every 1 or 2 hours and when coffee, juice, and other acidic beverages are not consumed at the same time.
* Nicotine nasal spray is available by prescription only. The spray comes in a pump bottle containing nicotine that tobacco users can inhale when they have an urge to smoke. Absorption of nicotine via the spray is faster than that achieved with any of the other types of nicotine replacement. This product is not recommended for people with nasal or sinus conditions, allergies, or asthma, nor is it recommended for young tobacco users. Side effects from the spray include sneezing, coughing, and watering eyes, but these problems usually go away with continued use of the spray.
* A nicotine inhaler, also available only by prescription, delivers a vaporized form of nicotine to the mouth through a mouthpiece attached to a plastic cartridge. Even though it is called an inhaler, the device does not deliver nicotine to the lungs the way a cigarette does. Most of the nicotine only travels to the mouth and throat, where it is absorbed through the mucous membranes. Common side effects include throat and mouth irritation and coughing. Anyone with a bronchial problem such as asthma should use it with caution.
Experts recommend combining nicotine replacement therapy with advice or counseling from a doctor, dentist, pharmacist, or other health care provider. Also, experts suggest that smokers quit using tobacco products before they start using nicotine replacement products (16). Too much nicotine can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, weakness, or rapid heartbeat.
11. Are there products to help people quit smoking that do not contain nicotine?
Bupropion, a prescription antidepressant marketed as Zyban®, was approved by the FDA in 1997 to treat nicotine addiction. This drug can help to reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms and the urge to smoke (13), and can be used safely with nicotine replacement products (16). Some common side effects of bupropion are dry mouth, difficulty sleeping, headache, dizziness, and skin rash. People should not use this drug if they have a seizure condition such as epilepsy or an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, or if they are taking other medicines that contain bupropion hydrochloride. Also, people should avoid using alcohol while taking buproprion because alcohol consumption increases the risk of having a seizure.
Varenicline, a prescription medicine marketed as Chantix™, was approved by the FDA in 2006 to help cigarette smokers stop smoking. This drug may help those who wish to quit by easing their withdrawal symptoms and by blocking the effects of nicotine from cigarettes if they resume smoking. Some common side effects of varenicline are nausea, changes in dreaming, constipation, gas, and vomiting. People should not use this drug if they have kidney problems, and women should not use this drug if they are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding (17, 18, 19).
Although nortriptyline and clonidine are not currently approved by the FDA for the treatment of nicotine addiction, doctors sometimes prescribe these drugs to help people quit smoking (13, 15, 16).
12. What about combining medications?
Some health care providers suggest that combining the nicotine patch with nicotine gum or nicotine nasal spray may work better than using a single type of nicotine replacement therapy (14, 15). Nicotine gum in combination with nicotine patch therapy may also reduce withdrawal symptoms better than either medication alone. The patch provides a base level of nicotine, and the additional products can deliver extra nicotine when cravings or withdrawal symptoms occur (15). Another option is the combination of bupropion and nicotine patch therapy (15). People who think they may benefit from combining medications should consult with their health care provider before making a decision.
13. Are there alternative methods to help people quit smoking?
Some people claim that alternative approaches such as hypnosis, acupuncture, acupressure, laser therapy, or electrostimulation may help reduce the symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal. However, clinical studies have not shown that these alternative approaches help people quit smoking (20).
14. What if a person smokes again after quitting?
Many smokers find it difficult to quit. People commonly quit smoking and then find themselves smoking again, especially in the first few weeks or months after quitting. People who smoke after quitting should try again to quit. Most people find that they need to persist in their attempts to quit smoking before they quit for good. It may take four or more attempts before smokers are able to quit for good (15). People who stop smoking for 3 months or longer have an excellent chance of remaining cigarette free for the rest of their lives (21).
15. How do I find agencies and organizations that help people quit smoking?
A number of agencies and organizations provide information and materials about where to find help to quit smoking. State and local health agencies often have information about community programs to help people quit smoking. The local or county government section in the phone book (blue pages) has current phone numbers for health agencies. Information to help people quit smoking is also available through community hospitals, the yellow pages (under "drug abuse and addiction"), public libraries, health maintenance organizations, health fairs, bookstores, and community quitlines.
Several federal agencies and national organizations provide information about how to quit smoking.
REFERENCE AT THE END OF DOCUMENT
What is nicotine addiction?
Nicotine is the tobacco plant's natural protection from being eaten by insects. It is a super toxin that, drop for drop, is more lethal than strychnine or diamondback rattlesnake venom, and three times deadlier than arsenic. Yet, amazingly, by chance, this natural insecticide's chemical signature is so similar to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine that once inside the brain it fits a host of chemical locks permitting it direct and indirect control over the flow of more than 200 neurochemicals.
Within eight seconds of that first-ever inhaled puff, through dizzy, coughing and six shades of green, nicotine arrived at the brain's reward pathways where it generated an unearned flood of dopamine, resulting in an immediate yet possibly unrecognized "aaah" reward sensation. Sensing it would cause most first-time inhalers to soon return to steal more. Nicotine also activated the body's fight or flight pathways releasing adrenaline, and select serotonin pathways impacting mood and impulsivity.
Brain Defenses Create Dependency
A toxic poison, the brain's defenses fought back but in doing so they had no choice but to also turn down the mind's sensitivity to acetylcholine, the body's conductor of an entire orchestra of neurochemicals.
Reseach suggest that in some regions the brain diminished the number of receptors available to receive nicotine, in others it diminished available transporters but in most affected regions it grew or activated millions and millions of extra acetylcholine receptors (a process known as "up-regulation"), almost as if trying to protect itself by more widely disbursing the arriving pesticide.
There was only one problem. All the physical changes engineered a new tailored neuro-chemical sense of normal built entirely upon the presence of nicotine. Now, any attempt to stop using it would come with a risk of intermittent temporary hurtful anxieties and powerful mood shifts. A true chemical addiction was born. Returning home to the "real you" now had a price. Gradually the calmness and comfort associated with being the "real you," of going weeks and months without once wanting for nicotine, faded into distant or even forgotten memory.
The brain's protective adjustments insured that any attempt to stop would leave you temporarily desensitized. Your dopamine reward system would briefly offer-up few rewards, your nervous system would see altering the status quo as danger and sound an emotional anxiety alarm throughout your body, and mood circuitry might briefly find it difficult to climb beyond depression.
The Recovery Process
Successful nicotine dependency recovery is in maintaining the motivations, dreams and patience needed to allow: (1) the physical mind time to re-sensitize itself and re-adjust to functioning normally again; (2) the subconscious mind time to encounter and re-condition the bulk of its nicotine feeding cues that triggered brief anxiety episodes in an attempt to gain compliance; and (3) the conscious mind time to either allow years of defensive dependency rationalizations to fade into distant memory, or the intelligent quitter time to more rapidly destroy their impact through honest reflection.
Addiction brain chatter finally at end, natural neuro-chemical flow restored (with up to 17.5 fewer heart beats per minute), the ex-user will find themselves enjoying a deep and rich sense of inner quiet, calm, and tranquility once their temporary journey of re-adjustment is substantially complete.
The nicotine feeding cycle
The body's nicotine reserves decline by roughly half every two hours. It's not only the basic chemical half-life clock which determines mandatory nicotine feeding times, when quitting it's also the clock that determines how long it takes before the brain begins bathing in nicotine-free blood-serum, the moment "real" healing begins.
It can take up to 72 hours for the blood-serum to become nicotine-free and 90% of nicotine's metabolites to exit the body via your urine. It's then that the anxieties associated with re-adjustment normally peak in intensity and begin to gradually decline.
But just one powerful "hit" of nicotine and within seconds up to 50% of your brain's a4b2-type acetylcholine receptors will become occupied by nicotine. Althought we may walk away from that first puff, dip or chew 100% convinced that we've gotten away with it, our brain recorded the entire dopamine experience in high defintion memory and will soon be begging for more. In your mind, see and treat that first hit of nicotine as if the survival rate is zero. None of us are stronger than nicotine. But then we don't need to be as it is simply a chemical with an I.Q. of zero. It cannot plot, plan or conspire, and contrary to the teachings of the
Nicotine Replacement Products
The key to nicotine dependency recovery is not in dragging out the up to 72 hours of natural detox by toying for weeks or months with gradual nicotine weaning schemes or other creative means to chemically stimulate brain dopamine circuitry. The nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) industry want smokers to believe that a natural poison is medicine, that its use is therapy, and that it is somehow different from the tobacco plant's nicotine molecule.
Truth is, the pharmaceutical industry buys its nicotiana from the exact same growers as the tobacco industry. They want us to believe that double-blind placebo controlled studies proved that NRT doubles a cold turkey quitters odds of quitting and that only superheros can quit without it. Truth is, their studies were not blind as claimed, have no foundation in science, and didn't involve quitters who wanted to quit cold turkey. Truth is, that out here in the real world, that 80 to 90% of successful long-term ex-users are quitting entirely on their own.
Here are a few critical facts that those selling creative nicotine delivery devices would rather you not know:
* Nicotine is a psychoactive drug whose "high" provides a dopamine "aaah" sensation accompanied by an adrenaline release. Would you have been able to tell, within 5 minutes, whether the gum or lozenge you'd been given contained the nicotine equilivent of smoking two cigarettes or was instead a nicotine-free placebo? So could they. A 2004 study found that NRT studies suffered from massive wide-spread blinding failures (May 2004). A 2009 study by the inventor of the nicotine patch found that 4 times as many study participants randomly assigned to wear the placebo nicotine patch correctly determined their group assignment as guessed wrong. Placebo controlled pharmacology trials don't measure "efficacy," but frustrations.
* A nicotine smoker's natural odds of quitting for six months, entirely on their own, without any products, procedures, education programs, counseling or formal support is roughly 10% (June 2000)
* Those using the over-the-counter (OTC) nicotine patch or gum as a stand-alone quitting tool have only a 7% chance of quitting smoking for six months (March 2003)
* Up to 6.7% of OTC nicotine gum quitters are still chronic users of nicotine gum at six months (November 2003). The math makes you wonder if any gum users actually break free from nicotine while chewing it. (May 2004)
* 36.6% of all current nicotine gum users are chronic long-term users (May 2004)
* Studies suggest that you truly would have to be a superhero to quit while using the nicotine patch if you'd already attempted using it once and relapsed. The only two patch user "recycling" studies ever conducted have both shown that nearly 100% of second-time nicotine patch users relapse to smoking nicotine within six months (April 1993 and August 1995, see Table 3)
* 91.2% of all successful long-term ex-smokers quit entirely on their own without resort to any product, procedure or program of any kind including hypnosis, Zyban, Wellbutrin, acupuncture, magic herbs, laser therapy, or the nicotine patch, gum, lozenge, spray, or inhaler (ACS 2003)
* Education, understanding, new skills and serious support can more than triple your natural six-month odds of 10% (April 2003)
* Those who refuse to allow any nicotine back into their bloodstream have 100% odds of remaining nicotine free today! (Today, Tomorrow & Always!)
Education Destroys Dependency Ignorance
Is encountering your subconsciously conditioned nicotine feeding cue (times, places, events, emotions) that are in need of reconditioning a good thing or bad? Are almost all cues reconditioned and broken by a single victory in not providing the demanded substance? Is time distortion a normal recovery symptom? Do subconscious crave episodes really last less than three minutes? Can distortion make the minutes feel like hours? Can looking at a clock bring honest perspective? Does the number of episodes peak at an average of six on day three and decline to just 1.2 crave episodes per day by day 10?
If "average," can you handle up to 18 minutes of serious anxiety (3 minutes x 6 episodes)? If you have established twice as many nicotine feeding cues as he average smoker can you handle up to 36 minutes of challenge on your most challenging day of recovery?
Does nicotine really double the rate at which caffeine is metabolized? Will your caffeine blood-serum level really increase by 203% if you drink the exact same amount of caffeine after ending all nicotine use? If you are a heavy caffeine user can elevated levels of caffeine cause additional anxieties, making nicotine dependency recovery more challenging than need be?
Why could you skip breakfast and even lunch when smoking nicotine and never feel true hunger pains? Can difficulty concentrating during early recovery, and other low blood sugar type symptoms, often be easily corrected by simply learning that nicotine is no longer your spoon feeding you stored fats and sugars, and that you must again learn to properly fuel your body? How can temporarily (72 hours) drinking natural acidic fruit juices like cranberry help to both stabilize blood sugar and accelerate depletion of your body’s reserves of the alkaloid nicotine?
These are only a few of the hundreds and hundreds of nicotine dependency recovery issues explored in detail at WhyQuit.com, a free online motivation, education and peer support forum. If you are addicted to nicotine we invite you to sample the juice of understanding and the amazing world of online nicotine dependency recovery. I think you'll be surprised at how much there is to learn about the deadly insecticide that now commands your brain, controls your health and will likely determine your life-expectancy.
The next few minutes are all that matter and each is entirely doable. It may not always be easy but it is simple. There was always only one rule: no nicotine today!
Nicotine Addiction
What causes nicotine addiction?
Nicotine is an addictive drug. It causes changes in the brain that make people want to use it more and more. In addition, addictive drugs cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. The good feelings that result when an addictive drug is present — and the bad feelings when it's absent — make breaking any addiction very difficult. Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break.
The 1988 Surgeon General's Report, "Nicotine Addiction," concluded that
* Cigarettes and other forms of tobacco are addicting.
* Nicotine is the drug that causes addiction.
* Pharmacologic and behavioral characteristics that determine tobacco addiction are similar to those that determine addiction to drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
What else does nicotine do to the body?
When a person smokes a cigarette, the body responds immediately to the chemical nicotine in the smoke. Nicotine causes a short-term increase in blood pressure, heart rate and the flow of blood from the heart. It also causes the arteries to narrow. The smoke includes carbon monoxide, which reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. This, combined with the nicotine effects, creates an imbalance between the demand for oxygen by the cells and the amount of oxygen the blood can supply.
How does nicotine in cigarettes increase the risk of heart attack?
Cigarette smoking may increase the risk of developing hardening of the arteries and heart attacks in several ways. First, carbon monoxide may damage the inner walls of the arteries, encouraging fatty buildups in them. Over time, this causes the vessels to narrow and harden. Nicotine may also contribute to this process. Smoking also causes several changes in the blood that make clots — and heart attack — more likely.
What are the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal?
* irritability
* impatience
* hostility
* anxiety
* depressed mood
* difficulty concentrating
* restlessness
* decreased heart rate
* increased appetite or weight gain
How long does nicotine stay in the body?
From 85–90 percent of nicotine in the blood is metabolized by the liver and excreted from the kidney rapidly. The estimated half-life for nicotine in the blood is two hours. However, smoking represents a multiple dosing situation with considerable accumulation during smoking. Therefore, it can be expected that blood nicotine would persist at significant levels for six to eight hours after smoking stopped.
What Is A Smoking Addiction?
A smoking addiction means a person has formed an uncontrollable dependence on cigarettes to the point where stopping smoking would cause severe emotional, mental, or physical reactions.
Everyone knows that smoking is harmful and addictive, but few people realize just how risky and addictive it is.
Chances are that about one in three smokers who do not stop will eventually die because of their smoking. Some will die in their 40s, others will die later. On average, they will die 10 to 15 years earlier than they would have died from other causes.
Most smokers want to stop and do indeed try, but only one in three succeeds in stopping permanently before age 60. By this time, much harm may have been done to the body - some of it irreversible.
* Those who eventually quit smoking usually try to stop two or three times before they're successful.
* Only 2.5 percent of smokers successfully quit each year.
The reason why so many people fail to stop is because they are addicted. Being addicted does not mean that you cannot stop - only that it is likely to be difficult. Anyone can succeed if he or she goes about it in the right way.
How you stop - and, especially, when you stop - is a very personal matter. Only you know what you have to give up, and how the benefits of smoking can be weighed against the benefits of stopping. Harassment and pressure from others who do not understand is often unhelpful. You will only stop when you have made a firm decision. When you do make up your mind, however, you can succeed, regardless of how addicted you may be.
If you stop smoking before or during middle age (age 35 to 50), you will avoid about 90 percent of the lung cancer risk. If you are currently middle-aged, you are also more likely to succeed in quitting now than when you were younger.
Why Is Smoking Addictive?
Nicotine The substance found in tobacco that causes addiction. is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction. It is absorbed and enters the bloodstream, through the lungs when smoke is inhaled, and through the lining of the mouth (buccal mucosa) when tobacco is chewed or used as oral snuff or for non-inhaled pipe and cigar smoking. It is also absorbed through the nose from nasal snuff, which was popular in the 18th century.
Nicotine is a psychoactive drug with stimulant effects on the electrical activity of the brain. It also has calming effects, especially at times of stress, as well as effects on hormonal and other systems throughout the body. Although its subjective effects are less dramatic and obvious than those of some other addictive drugs, smoking doses of nicotine causes activation of "pleasure centers" in the brain (for example, the mesolimbic dopamine system), which may explain the pleasure, and addictiveness of smoking.
Smokers develop tolerance to nicotine and can take higher doses without feeling sick than when they first started smoking. Many of the unpleasant effects of cigarette withdrawal Symptoms that occur after stopping a drug. Smoking withdrawal may include anxiety, irritability, insomnia, dizziness, difficulty in concentrating, fatigue, depression, and constipation. are due to lack of nicotine and are reversed or alleviated by nicotine replacement (for example, nicotine chewing gum or the nicotine patch).
As with other addictions, it is difficult to give up smoking, and without help most smokers fail despite trying many times. Even after stopping successfully for a while, most relapse within 2 to 3 months. More alarming perhaps than the strength of the addiction is the ease with which it develops. Although teenagers often start smoking for psychosocial reasons, the effects of nicotine soon gain control.
Studies show that tobacco use usually begins in early adolescence, and those who begin smoking at an early age are more likely to develop severe nicotine addiction than those who start later. Each day, more than 4,800 adolescents smoke their first cigarette, and 42 percent of them go on to become regular smokers.
Is Smoking A Physical Addiction?
Smoking is a physical addiction that produces a "chain reaction" in the body:
* Nicotine acts on receptors normally used by one of the main neurotransmitters Chemicals in the brain that carry information between nerve cells. in the brain and nervous system (acetylcholine). Neurotransmitters are the "chemical messengers" released by nerve cells to communicate with other cells by altering their electrical activity.
* The body responds to nicotine at these receptors as if it was the natural transmitter (acetylcholine) and the activity and physiological functions of many brain systems are altered.
* With repeated nicotine dosage the body adapts to what it regards as extra acetylcholine A neurotransmitter, or chemical in the brain that carries information between nerve cells. in an attempt to restore normal function. One way it does this is to grow more acetylcholine receptors.
Thus nicotine induces structural as well as functional changes in the brain of smokers. When nicotine is suddenly withdrawn, physiological functions in the brain and other parts of the body are disturbed. This is known as withdrawal syndrome. It takes time for the body to readjust to functioning normally without nicotine.
Social And Psychological Factors
In all drug addictions, psychosocial factors determine the initial exposures. Addiction may subsequently develop if the drug has pharmacological effects that people like or find rewarding.
It is essentially a learning process:
* Learning when, where, and how to take the drug to get the most rewarding effects. The taste, smell, visual stimuli, handling, and other movements that are closely associated with the rewarding pharmacological effects gradually become rewarding themselves. This is known as conditioning.
* The situations and activities associated with smoking, together with the smoker's mood and psychological state at the time, also become linked with its rewards and with the relief of withdrawal. They come to serve as signals or triggers for the urge or craving for nicotine's effects (for example, after meals, with coffee or alcohol, when meeting people, working, talking on the phone, and when anxious, angry, celebrating, or having a well-earned break, and so on).
* Triggers that bring on the urge to smoke are numerous because smoking can take place in so many situations.
Smoking As A Drug-Taking Activity
Most smokers absorb sufficient nicotine to obtain pharmacological effects. The modern cigarette is a highly effective device for getting nicotine to the brain.
* The smoke is mild enough to be inhaled deeply into the lungs. Due to the large surface area of the lungs, nicotine is absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream and reaches the brain within 7 seconds - more rapidly than after an intravenous injection.
* In this way the smoker gets a small intravenous-like shot of nicotine after each inhaled puff: 20 cigarettes a day, each puffed 10 times, comes to more than 70,000 "shots" per year.
On average, smokers take in about 1 milligram (mg) nicotine The substance found in tobacco that causes addiction. from each cigarette, although some take 2 milligrams or more while others are satisfied with 0.5 milligrams or less. By altering puff-rate, puff-size and amount of inhalation, smokers unconsciously regulate their nicotine intake to their individually preferred levels, which are kept fairly constant from one day to the next.
The nicotine yields of the cigarettes make little difference. By puffing harder, inhaling more deeply, and smoking down to the tip, smokers can get 2 milligrams of nicotine or more from a low-yield cigarette with an official machine-smoked yield of only 0.6 milligrams. Cigarette smokers literally do have fingertip control over the delivery of nicotine to their brain.
Facts About Smoking And Addiction
* Smoking-related illnesses cause about 440,000 deaths each year in the
* Smoking is responsible for 87 percent of lung cancers and also causes most cases of emphysema An enlargement and destruction of the tiny air sacs in the lungs known as alveoli. and chronic bronchitis An inflammation of airways in the lungs known as bronchi, usually caused by an infection or by smoking..
* Tobacco use, especially smoking, is the number one cause of preventable disease and death in the
* Cigarettes contain at least 43 distinct cancer-causing chemicals.
* Nicotine is as highly addictive as heroin and cocaine.
* Approximately 80 percent of adult smokers started smoking before age 18.
* Most people try to quit smoking several times before they're successful. Only 2.5 percent of smokers successfully quit each year.
* The benefits of quitting smoking begin to occur within 20 minutes of the last cigarette smoked.
* A person who stops smoking will have the same risk of heart disease and death 15 years after quitting as someone who has never smoked.
* Secondhand smoke is known to cause cancer and is responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers each year.
A Self-Help Approach To Stopping
Self-help is, in fact, the only way to quit smoking. Others can give you advice and support, but like learning to ski or ride a bicycle, in the end it is up to you. To succeed you must have sufficient motivation to carry you through the task ahead.
If the task is easy, little motivation is necessary, but for a difficult task motivation must be high. For some smokers, stopping smoking will be easier than learning to ride a bicycle. For others it will be much more difficult.
At least two-thirds of smokers are likely to find it difficult to give up smoking. Many will have tried and failed before. It is not their fault that they find it difficult. They do not continue smoking because they are weak-willed or irresponsible, but because they are addicted.
As a result of past exposure to nicotine The substance found in tobacco that causes addiction., starting usually in their teenage years, the nervous system of addicted smokers has been altered and functions best when nicotine is present. They have consequently learned to rely on cigarettes to feel and function normally.
Because of the addictive nature of smoking, smokers generally need to stop smoking long enough for their nervous system to readjust to functioning normally without nicotine and to learn once again to feel happy and normal without cigarettes.
The key to facing the difficult task of keeping off cigarettes long enough for the withdrawal Symptoms that occur after stopping a drug. Smoking withdrawal may include anxiety, irritability, insomnia, dizziness, difficulty in concentrating, fatigue, depression, and constipation. effects to ease and disappear is your motivation to succeed. It helps to understand how smoking damages your body and affects those around you. However, there are also other reasons to think about.
People vary as to what is most important to them personally. An important motive for one smoker may be of little concern to another who stops for a different reason. In general, reasons people give for stopping smoking fall into the following seven themes.
* Health. Concern for their own health is by far the most important motive for smokers who give up smoking. The onset of minor ailments, such as coughs, sore throats, breathlessness, indigestion, and feeling generally less well and less fit, are early signs that the body has had enough. These early warnings are more important in persuading some smokers to stop than is the risk of future fatal disease. Heart disease is the major risk and it is far more important that individuals stop smoking than worry about weight, lack of exercise or being screened for high cholesterol or blood pressure.
* Health of others. Babies and young children are especially vulnerable to passive smoking The breathing in of air that contains other people's smoke. in the home. The health of a nonsmoking spouse is also put at risk. For pregnant women, smoking impairs the development of their unborn child and has lifelong effects on the baby.
* Expense. Many smokers avoid thinking too much about the financial cost. Others come to resent the waste of money, even if they can afford it. Few take the trouble to work out in detail what they could save by stopping smoking.
* Example. For parents, doctors, and teachers, the responsibility of setting a good example to others is often an additional motive that tips the balance in favor of stopping.
* Social pressure. The social pressures may be for or against smoking, depending on the company one keeps. Due to concern about passive smoking, pressures against smoking in offices, restaurants, and other public places are rising sharply. In some circles, an attitude is beginning to develop that people who still smoke must have a "problem," rather like drinking too much.
* Mastery. Some reach the stage where they realize that they get very little positive pleasure out of smoking and continue only because they are hooked. They come to resent the feeling of being controlled by their need to smoke, and are motivated to stop by their desire to regain control and self-mastery.
* Aesthetic. Unlike nonsmokers, most smokers do not regard smoking as a nasty or dirty habit. They are not disturbed by the sight of overflowing ashtrays and stubs in saucers or put off by the smell of stale smoke on their partner's clothes or breath. But, after years of unconcern, some smokers come to develop a strong dislike of the dirtiness and messiness of smoking and are motivated to stop on this account.
Thinking About Stopping Smoking
Most smokers are motivated and go on wanting to stop for many years before they finally decide to carry it through and stop. Half-hearted attempts to "have a go" or to "see how it goes" are soon abandoned when it gets difficult.
To succeed in stopping, those who find it difficult will need to think and make a plan. They will need to think about their motives and doubts to make sure of their commitment to never smoke again, and to then plan how to face the difficulties of withdrawal until they gradually subside.
To help make up your mind about stopping, make a list of all the reasons that are important for you. Make a similar list of all the positive benefits of smoking you will miss, and any withdrawal difficulties you anticipate when you stop.
When you weigh up the two lists, remember that what you may miss and any suffering you may endure will be temporary and may last only three to four weeks. However, the benefits of stopping will be permanent and success at stopping will give you lasting satisfaction. It is your choice. You will succeed if you commit yourself to stopping.
Don't be discouraged if you have tried before and failed. Most successful ex-smokers will try a few times before finally succeeding. You can learn from previous attempts how to avoid making the same mistakes.
How Smoking Affects The Body
TO BE ABLE TO QUIT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT EFFECTS THE CHRONIC SMOKING DID TO YOUR BODY
Smoking causes many premature deaths from diseases that are largely incurable, but preventable by stopping smoking. There are three main killing diseases which smoking causes or brings on earlier:
* Heart disease. Smoking is responsible for 30 percent of all heart attacks and cardiovascular deaths.
* Cancer. It is responsible for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths and 87 percent of lung cancer deaths each year.
* Lung problems. Smoking is responsible for 82 percent of deaths due to emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Smoking also exacerbates diseases and conditions that are not always fatal, but cause suffering or are sources of personal concern.
* Smoking delays healing of peptic ulcers of the stomach and duodenum, many of which would heal spontaneously in non-smokers.
* Its effects on blood vessels cause chronic pains in the legs (claudication) which can progress to gangrene and amputations of the toes or feet.
* An effect on elastic tissue causes wrinkling of the skin of the face to develop earlier in chronic smokers. On average they look 5 years older than non-smokers of the same age do.
* Smoking also brings on an earlier menopause in women, advancing it by an average of 5 years.
* It reduces women's fertility and delays conception after they stop using oral contraceptives.
* It impairs erections in middle-aged and older men and may affect the quality of their sperm. It seems to "sedate" sperm and to impair their motility. This is reversed after stopping smoking.
* Smoking accelerates the rate of osteoporosis A progressive disease that weakens the bones, causing them to fracture more easily., a disease which causes bones to weaken and fracture more easily.
* Women who smoke during pregnancy damage their unborn child, causing effects that last throughout the child's life. The risks of miscarriage, premature birth, and death of the baby in its first year of life are all significantly increased.
Need To Know:
Smoking during Pregnancy
In addition to the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and death of the baby in its first year of life, a woman's smoking during pregnancy also has other effects on the baby:
* The growth and development of all unborn babies is impaired if their mothers smoke. On average, birth weight is reduced by about half a pound. This makes little difference to a baby of normal weight, but could be crucial to ones weighing 3 to 4 pounds.
* The development of the brain is also affected. Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are on average about one year behind non-exposed children in reading and numerical ability, for example. Loss of a few IQ points may be hardly noticeable to a normally intelligent child or adult, but may be critical for someone on the borderline.
* The child will be more likely to have behavioral problems and hyperactivity.
* Finally, during the first few years of life, children are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of passive smoking The breathing in of air that contains other people's smoke. if their parents smoke. These effects include worsening of asthma, increased frequency of colds and ear infections, and increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
And again you need to know what was In the Cigarettes?
Tobacco smoke is a mixture of gases and small particles made up of water, tar and nicotine. The tar is a messy mixture of hundreds of toxic chemicals, many of which are known to cause cancer (for example, nitrosamines, benzpyrene).
Many of the gases in tobacco smoke are harmful. These include carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, and other toxic irritants such as acrolein and formaldehyde. Due to the high temperatures (over 800°C or 1400°F), the burning end of a cigarette is like a miniature chemical factory. It churns out many more noxious chemicals than are found in unlit tobacco or taken in by use of smokeless tobacco (for example, snuff, which contains no tar or gases). Altogether more than 4,000 chemical compounds have been identified in tobacco smoke.
The chemicals that cause cancer are mainly in the tar. Tar, together with some of the irritant gases, may also be partly responsible for chronic bronchitis An inflammation of airways in the lungs known as bronchi, usually caused by an infection or by smoking. and emphysema An enlargement and destruction of the tiny air sacs in the lungs known as alveoli.. Nitrogen oxides are suspected, but the main agents responsible are not yet known. Neither nicotine nor carbon monoxide causes cancer, but they probably work together as causes of the heart diseases associated with smoking.
It is easy to understand why the main cancers caused by smoking are at sites having direct contact with the smoke, specifically the lungs, mouth, and throat. However, some cancer-producing chemicals are absorbed into the blood and transported to other parts of the body. This is how smoking causes cancer of the bladder, kidney, pancreas, and uterus.
The way in which smoking causes heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases is quite complex.
* After absorption through the lungs, carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin in the red blood cells and reduces the amount of oxygen they can carry around the body.
* Carbon monoxide and nicotine both appear to play a part in accelerating the deposition of cholesterol in the inner lining of arteries which over many years leads to arteriosclerosis A disease in which a sticky substance known as plaque adheres to the walls of the arteries, narrowing and eventually clogging them., a kind of hardening and furring up of arteries which reduces blood flow.
* Cigarette smoking also makes the blood clot more easily, making episodes of thrombosis Blood clots in the legs that can break off and go to the lungs causing respiratory distress or failure. more likely.
* Impairment of blood flow, and of oxygen-carrying capacity due to carbon monoxide, all reduce the supply of oxygen. This happens at the same time that the heart's need for oxygen is increased by the stimulant effect of nicotine on the rate and force of the heart's contractions.
* The lack of oxygen is damaging to the heart and increases the severity of a heart attack.
* Nicotine can cause further problems by upsetting the regular rhythm of the heart.
Nicotine and carbon monoxide are also important factors in peripheral vascular disease A circulation disorder in which arteries carrying blood to the arms and legs become narrowed or clogged., which can lead to gangrene of the feet. Nicotine causes constriction, or narrowing, of the small blood vessels. This, combined with carbon monoxide's oxygen-reducing effect, tips the balance in people with narrowed leg arteries.
Likewise, nicotine constriction of blood vessels in the placenta (which provides nourishment to an unborn baby), combined with the effects of carbon monoxide, reduces oxygen supply to the unborn babies of pregnant women who smoke.
In these various ways both nicotine and carbon monoxide are involved in the effects of smoking on coronary heart disease, other vascular diseases, and on the development of the unborn child. Although stopping smoking may not reverse arteriosclerosis, a disease in which plaque builds up in the arteries, it will progress less quickly.
However, the other negative effects from smoking are reversed within 24 hours of stopping, when nicotine and carbon monoxide have cleared from the body.
Nice To Know:
* Within 48 hours after quitting smoking, blood pressure decreases, pulse rate drops, body temperature of hands and feet increases, the carbon monoxide level in the blood returns to normal, the oxygen level in the blood increases to normal, the chance of a heart attack decreases, nerve endings start regrowing, and the ability to taste and smell is increased.
* Within the first year after quitting smoking circulation and lung function increase, and coughing, sinus congestion and shortness of breath decrease.
About Low-Tar Cigarettes
The average yield of
Cigarette brands having tar yields below 10 mg are labeled low-tar, and their yields of nicotine and carbon monoxide also tend to be low.
Only one in five smokers regularly smokes a low-tar brand. Many smokers find them unsatisfying at first and do not persist long enough to get used to them. A few ultra-low yield brands exist (tar below 3 mg, nicotine below 0.3 mg).
Due to continuous changes in cigarettes over the years and the time taken for smoking-related diseases to develop, it has been difficult to prove that low-tar cigarettes are less harmful. This remains controversial.
Despite the tendency for smokers to compensate for lower yields by puffing and inhaling harder, the compensation is usually incomplete. On average, blood nicotine and carbon monoxide levels are reduced by at least 10 to 15 percent after switching to low-tar cigarettes. It is therefore likely that they are also less harmful.
Pipe And Cigar Smoking
Pipe and cigar smokers who have never smoked cigarettes tend to be non-inhalers and their health risks are not as great as those of cigarette smokers. Due to the stronger, more alkaline smoke and longer periods of puffing, satisfying amounts of nicotine are absorbed slowly through the lining of the mouth and throat. However, their risk for cancers of the mouth and throat are significantly higher than that of nonsmokers.
Cigarettes, in contrast, provide pharmacological doses of nicotine only if they are inhaled. Cigarette smokers unfortunately become so addicted to the rapid absorption of nicotine through the lungs that they usually continue to inhale after switching to a pipe or cigars. Their health risks are therefore not reduced after switching and may even be increased. By providing smaller and milder cigars, the tobacco industry has made it easier for smokers to continue to inhale when they switch to cigars.
Passive Smoking
Passive smoking The breathing in of air that contains other people's smoke. is the breathing in of air that has been polluted by other people's smoke. The smoke and the chemicals it contains remain in the air of a room for many hours, especially if it is poorly ventilated. They can also spread to other rooms.
The concentrations of some cancer-producing nitrosamines are much higher in the side-stream smoke from the burning end of a cigarette than in the mainstream smoke inhaled directly by the smoker.
Passive smoking is difficult to avoid completely, and most nonsmokers who are exposed to it have measurable quantities of smoke products in their body fluids. Many nonsmokers find other people's smoke unpleasant and irritating. It may give them headaches and feelings of hangover.
Passive smoke also carries significant health risks for nonsmokers:
* The amount of nicotine absorbed by a nonsmoking child whose father smokes is equivalent to the child himself smoking about 30 cigarettes a year; 50 cigarettes a year from a mother who smokes, and 80 cigarettes a year if both parents smoke.
* A nonsmoker who spends about four hours in a smoky room may absorb the equivalent of one cigarette.
* Nonsmoking women whose husbands smoke have a 50% increase in their risk for lung cancer.
* Secondhand smoke causes about 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year in nonsmokers.
* Young children are especially vulnerable and have an increased risk of coughs and chest and ear infections if their parents smoke.
Back to
Here are some more frequently asked questions related to smoking and how to stop:
Q: I've smoked for 30 years. Will quitting do any good or has the damage already been done?
A: It's never too late to quit smoking. The benefits begin just 20 minutes after your last cigarette. After 15 years of not smoking, your risk of heart disease and death is similar to someone who has never smoked.
Q: Isn't there a pill I can take to quit smoking?
A: Nicotine The substance found in tobacco that causes addiction. is a powerful addiction A strong dependence on a drug. and there is no "magic pill" that will completely alleviate your withdrawal Symptoms that occur after stopping a drug. Smoking withdrawal may include anxiety, irritability, insomnia, dizziness, difficulty in concentrating, fatigue, depression, and constipation. symptoms. However there are a number of aids to help ease withdrawal, including: nicotine gum, patches, nasal sprays, inhalers, and an anti-depressant that has been approved as an aid to quit smoking. These medications, together with a support program, may be able to help you quit.
Q: Won't I gain a lot of weight if I quit smoking?
A: You'll probably only gain about seven pounds when you quit, due to increased appetite and changes in your metabolism. You should initially concentrate on stopping smoking, and worry about weight gain when and if it occurs.
Q: Is it better to stop cold turkey or cut back gradually?
A: It's less effective to gradually cut back than it is to stop completely. Choose a target day about a week ahead of time and stop smoking on that day.
Q: If I use an aid containing nicotine, won't I become addicted to it?
A: Medications used to stop smoking deliver less nicotine than cigarettes and are especially useful during the first three or four weeks, when withdrawal symptoms are at their worst. From there, it's usually easier to gradually eliminate them.
Q: I quit smoking six months ago and was doing fine, when out of the blue, I had an incredible urge to smoke. What's wrong with me?
A: It's normal to experience occasional strong urges to smoke after the initial withdrawal period for no apparent reason. That's why it's important to remain committed to a healthier lifestyle and realize that these urges will pass.
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Background
If you like the history.Tobacco was first introduced into European society by Hernandez de Toledo in the sixteenth century. The Spaniard discovered the plant while exploring the
Almost immediately after its introduction into Western civilizations, tobacco attracted controversy. Its use was attacked for many reasons, some equating its use with the social problems associated with narcotics while others complained about the hygienic aspects of spit tobacco. Modern concerns about tobacco focus principally on its health-impairing qualities.
Cigarette smoking is a major preventable cause of disease worldwide, and it is the major cause of premature death in
Tobacco addiction, the second-leading cause of death in the world, is a culprit for approximately 5 million deaths each year or 1 in 10 adult deaths. Currently, about 1.3 billion smokers live in the world; most (84%) live in developing countries.2 With the present smoking trends, tobacco will kill 10 million people each year by 2020.3 Through direct healthcare costs and loss of productivity from death and illness, tobacco will cost governments an estimated US $200 billion per year. A third of these costs will be borne by the developing countries. Many factors have led to increased global smoking rates. These include trade liberalization; direct foreign investment; global marketing; transnational tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; and international tobacco smuggling.
Research investigating why people smoke has shown that smoking behavior is multifaceted. Factors influencing smoking initiation differ from those of smoking behavior maintenance. Nicotine dependence, genetic factors, and psychosocial factors influence maintenance of smoking behavior.
Nicotine meets the criteria of a highly addictive drug. Nicotine is a potent psychoactive drug that induces euphoria, serves as a reinforcer of its use, and leads to nicotine withdrawal syndrome when it is absent. As an addictive drug, nicotine has 2 very potent issues: it is a stimulant and it is also a depressant. For example, one smoker talked too lovingly about her cigarettes who are called her "best friend." They got her going in the morning, and they chilled her out during the day.
Nicotine in cigarette smoke affects mood and performance and is the source of addiction to tobacco. While cigarette manufacturers have publicly denied that nicotine is an addictive drug, recent documents disclose that they have known and used the addictive properties of nicotine since the 1950s. Unfortunately, this misinformation led to the false belief that nicotine use is a habit and not an addiction.
All health care professionals should be aware of the risks of tobacco smoking, understand tobacco addiction, and assist patients with smoking cessation.
Case study
A young adult man met his primary care physician for the first time, during which his prior military history came to light. The young man recalled the anxiety he experienced when he received his military orders for deployment to
Upon return to the
Despite his apparent willingness to consider quitting the use of tobacco, the former soldier also readily admitted he was frightened by the prospect. He recognized that his unresolved, but currently under treatment, emotional issues from the war offered a reason not to tackle another problem at this time. The doctor appreciated this frank disclosure but took issue with the patient’s conclusion. The patient appeared motivated, probably contemplating change, but needed an additional boost to consider a smoking cessation program.
At this point, the doctor decided to discuss co-occurring disorders by explaining the common association of a mental disorder with substance misuse. The doctor further explained how tobacco use, at least in the beginning, helped the former soldier cope with anxiety. After the traumas suffered in the war, the patient developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The continued use of tobacco made it difficult to distinguish the symptoms of nicotine dependence from PTSD, and it delayed recovery from the emotional disorder.
The doctor asked the patient to mull this information over and consider a smoking cessation program. As the doctor further proposed, various medications could alleviate nicotine withdrawal symptoms or reduce tobacco cravings. Medications, when combined with a behavioral strategy, offered the safest and surest route to a tobacco-free life. The patient and the doctor continued to address the issue over a few more visits, including a conjoint meeting with the wife, before he decided to give up smoking. With the doctor’s help, he successfully completed a 3-month smoking cessation program.
Pathophysiology
Nicotine exerts its neurophysiologic action principally through the brain's reward center. This neuroanatomical complex, otherwise known as the mesolimbic dopamine system, stretches from the ventral tegmental area to the basal forebrain. The nucleus accumbens, a dopamine-rich area, is an intersection where all addictive behaviors meet. The release of dopamine at this site promotes pleasure and reinforces the associated behaviors, such as the use of alcohol and drugs, to replicate the positive experience. Other factors may also promote nicotine dependence such as nicotine's reduction in the monamine oxidase inhibitor enzyme. This enzyme is involved in the metabolism of catecholamines, to include dopamine. The net affect would be a lingering presence of the stimulating dopamine at the nucleus accumbens.4
A closer inspection of nicotine's neurophysiology reveals a much more complex system. In particular, researchers continue to study the brain's neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs).The nAChRs are a central component involved in nicotine's widespread influence on brain chemistry. Researchers have identified nAChR subtypes, most prominently labeled as alpha and beta subunits. The alpha - 4 and beta - 2 subunits are the most widely expressed in the brain. Acting through the nAChRs, nicotine influences glutamate, GABA, acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin.5
Nicotine also releases corticosteroids and endorphins that act on various receptors in the brain. Nicotine use results in more efficient processing of information and reduction of fatigue. In addition, nicotine has a sedative action, reduces anxiety, and induces euphoria. Nicotine effects are related to absolute blood levels and to the rate of increase in drug concentration at receptors.
Nicotine stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary axis; this, in turn, stimulates the endocrine system. Continually increasing dose levels of nicotine are necessary to maintain the stimulating effects. With regards to dependence, some experts rank nicotine ahead of alcohol, cocaine, and heroin. A teenager who smokes as few as 4 cigarettes might develop a lifelong addiction to nicotine.
Small rapid doses of nicotine produce alertness and arousal, as opposed to long drawn-out doses, which induce relaxation and sedation. Nicotine has a pronounced effect on the major stress hormones. Nicotine stimulates hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), and it increases levels of endorphins, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and arginine vasopressin in a dose-related manner. Corticosteroids also are released in proportion to plasma nicotine concentration.
Nicotine alters the bioavailability of dopamine and serotonin and causes a sharp increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Nicotine acts on brain reward mechanisms, indirectly through endogenous opioid activity and directly through dopamine pathways.
The association between depression and smoking is well established. A lifetime history of major depression is more than twice as common in people who smoke compared to people who do not smoke. A history of major depressive disorder is associated with a decreased ability to quit smoking and an increased likelihood of smoking relapse. Increased relapse rates of major depression after smoking cessation also have been described. In subjects with a history of major depression, smoking may be an attempt to decrease negative affect, and following a quit attempt, they are likely to experience greater symptoms of nicotine withdrawal compared to smokers without a history of depression. Therefore, in patients who are attempting to quit smoking, inquiring about present or past symptoms of depression and anxiety is advisable, and specific therapy may be indicated.
Frequency
In 1965, 52% of men and 34% of women were cigarette smokers. Presently, the incidence of cigarette smoking has decreased to 28% and 24%, respectively. The incidence of smoking is highest in blacks, blue-collar workers, less-educated persons, and persons in the lower socioeconomic strata.
* The trend is decreasing in more educated persons. Forty percent of men with less than 12 years of education, 35.9% of high school graduates, and 17.4% of college graduates smoke. Of women, 30.7% with less than 12 years of education, 29.6% of high school graduates, and 15.1% of college graduates smoke.
* Economic status also is related to smoking behavior. Of men with an income of $10,000-20,000 per year, 36.3% smoke, as opposed to 23.2% of men who make $50,000 or more per year. Of women who had a family income of $20,000 or less per year, 29.8% smoke, as opposed to 19.5% who make $50,000 or more per year.
* In 1983, a comparison was made between white-collar workers, of whom 27.9% smoked, and blue-collar workers, of whom 42.7% smoked.
* Twenty-five percent of pregnant women who smoke quit during pregnancy; yet 80% resume smoking after childbirth.
* Recent surveys show that 20% of teenage girls smoke, and 15% of teenage boys smoke.
International
Worldwide, approximately 1.1 billion people smoke. In
Mortality/Morbidity
The health consequences of this addiction are enormous. Tobacco smoking is responsible for 1 of every 5 deaths and is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the
Tobacco accounts for more than 85% of all deaths due to lung cancer. Approximately 10 million people in the
* Laryngeal cancer is uncommon; however, in 1988, it accounted for 1.1% of cancer-related deaths in men and 0.3% of cancer-related deaths in women. Oral cancer accounted for approximately 2.1% of male cancer-related deaths and 1.2% of female cancer-related deaths in 1988. Cigarette smoking and tobacco chewing are major causes of this disease. Esophageal cancer accounted for 2.6% of male cancer-related deaths and 1% of female cancer-related deaths. Approximately 50% of overall esophageal cancer mortality is due to cigarette smoking.
* Bladder cancer accounted for 2.4% of male cancer-related deaths and 1.3% of female cancer-related deaths in 1988; approximately one third of these deaths were related to cigarette smoking. Pancreatic cancer accounted for approximately 5% of cancer-related deaths in 1990; one third of these deaths were associated with cigarette smoking. Kidney cancer accounted for 2.3% of male cancer-related deaths and 1.8% of female cancer-related deaths. Smoking has been established as an independent risk factor for uterine cervical cancer. Anal cancer in both heterosexual men and women also was due largely to cigarette smoking. Interactions between viral factors and tobacco exposure increase cancer risk.
* Nonsmokers exposed to environmental tobacco smoke have a significantly higher risk of developing cancers and pulmonary diseases. Concentrations of toxins and carcinogens are higher in sidestream smoke. Children exposed to secondhand smoke develop a variety of respiratory disorders and morbidity.
Race
The smoking rate in the
Sex
In the
Age
Studies reveal that the average age of first-time smokers is 14.5 years and the average age of daily smokers is 17.7 years. Approximately 20% of high school seniors smoke.
Clinical
History
* Nicotine addiction is classified as nicotine use disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). The criteria for this diagnosis include any 3 of the following within a 1-year time span:
o Tolerance to nicotine with decreased effect and increasing dose to obtain same effect
o Withdrawal symptoms after cessation
o Smoking more than usual
o Persistent desire to smoke despite efforts to decrease intake
o Extensive time spent smoking or purchasing tobacco
o Postponing work, social, or recreational events in order to smoke
o Continuing to smoke despite health hazards
* Nicotine withdrawal is classified as a nicotine-induced disorder according to the DSM-IV-TR. Symptoms include difficulty concentrating, nervousness, headaches, weight gain due to increased appetite, decreased heart rate, insomnia, irritability, and depression. These symptoms peak in the first few days but eventually disappear within a month.
* Symptoms of nicotine toxicity, otherwise known as acute nicotine poisoning, include nausea, vomiting, salivation, pallor, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and cold sweat.
* A previous history of depression, use of antidepressants in the past, and onset of depression during previous quit attempts should be obtained.
Physical
* Physical effects of nicotine use include increased heart rate, accelerated blood pressure, and weight loss.
* Physical effects of nicotine withdrawal and smoking cessation include weight gain due to increase in appetite, decreased heart rate, and improvement in the senses of taste and smell.
Mental Status Examination
* Aside from the physical effects, nicotine exerts a strong behavioral influence. A complete mental status examination would begin with a general observation of the patient that commonly discloses the odor of smoke, tar-stained teeth, and premature skin aging.
* Nicotine may enhance an individual's level of alertness, although tobacco abuse and dependence may simulate a frantic, almost manic, picture. The speech may also be accelerated in line with the behavior. Tobacco use can contribute to irritability, often soothed by a dose of nicotine. The early phases of withdrawal can present with more irritability, anxiety, and agitation.
* People ostensibly use tobacco for the pleasure derived from the nicotine, but anxiety and depression commonly coexist.
* Tobacco use by itself would not be a significant risk factor for suicide. The co-occurring disorders such as depression and anxiety do increase the risk of suicide. The clinician should inquire about the patient's safety and probe further if the patient endorses suicidal ideation. The clinician should investigate if the suicidal ideation has matured to include a plan, and if so, what factors either aggravate or mitigate the patient's propensity to convert ideation to actual attempt.
* Nicotine would not normally produce perceptual or thought disorders such as visual hallucinations or delusions.
* The use of nicotine should not negatively impact memory, the ability to perform simple calculations, abstract thinking, or judgment.
* Tobacco use disorders should not cause delirium or dementia.
AT LAST
The Smoker’s Vow
To be said just before taking your first puff after
having quit for any appreciable period of time
With this puff I enslave myself
to a lifetime of addiction.
While I can’t promise to always love you,
I do promise to obey every craving and
support my addiction to you
no matter how expensive you become.
I will let no husband or wife,
no family member or friend,
no doctor or any other health professional,
no employer or government policy,
no burns or no stench,
no cough or raspy voice,
no cancer or emphysema,
no heart attack or stroke,
no threat of loss of life or limbs,
come between us.
I will smoke you forever
from this day forth,
for better or worse,
whether richer or poorer,
in sickness and in health,
till death do us part!
“You may now light the cigarette.”
“I now pronounce you a full-fledged smoker.”
REFERENCE
Office on Smoking and Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Mail Stop K–50
Telephone:
1–800–232–4636 (1–800–CDC–INFO) (toll-free)
TTY: 1–888–232–6348 (for deaf and hard of hearing callers)
Fax: 770–488–4760
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
Internet Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/osh/index.htm
Nonprofit:
The American Cancer Society (ACS) offers materials on quitting smoking and other smoking- and tobacco-related topics. The ACS also sponsors a quit smoking clinic called FreshStart, which is available in most of the
Address:
Telephone: 1–800–227–2345 (1–800–ACS–2345)
Internet Web site: http://www.cancer.org/
Related NCI materials and Web pages:
* National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 10.17, The Truth About "Light" Cigarettes: Questions and Answers
(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/light-cigarettes)
* National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 10.18, Secondhand Smoke: Questions and Answers
(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/ETS)
* Clearing the Air: Quit Smoking Today
(http://www.smokefree.gov/pubs/clearing_the_air.pdf)
* Forever Free™
(http://www.smokefree.gov/pdf.html)
* Pathways to Freedom
(http://www.smokefree.gov/docs/pathways_final.pdf)
* You Can Quit Smoking: Consumer Guide
(http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/consquits.htm)
* Smoking and Cancer Home Page
(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/smoking)
TAKE CARE ITS YOUR LIFE
ttekke4@yahoo.com
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