These are only Some of the Effects of Cigarettes Smoking!

Statistics also show that the majority of people who smoke wished they had never started and if they could wind back the clock they would certainly never do so again.

It is only the addictive nature of tobacco that makes so many people continue to smoke long after they realize the way it is affecting their health and encroaching on their lifestyle.

Throughout history the tobacco companies have marketed their products well and the images of Hollywood stars and musicians smoking have had an influence on people's decisions to start smoking.

If something is seen to be cool or fashionable then there will be many people who will do it simply to be accepted by their peers.

Fortunately as more and more people see the dangers that smoking brings with it to their health and longevity it is becoming a more unacceptable practice and not seen as fashionable in many areas of society.

Smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the country and is the biggest cause of disease and death in most western countries.

It is the leading cause of many forms of cancer and also heart disease and stroke.

Virtually every organ in the body is harmed by smoking and this is due to the thousands of chemicals (yes that is thousands) that are present in tobacco smoke.

Many of those chemicals have been shown to cause cancer and many other health problems are caused or made worse due to smoking.

Emphysema is where the cigarette smoke causes the air sacs in the lungs to become damaged and this makes it difficult for the oxygen to get transported to the bloodstream.

Obviously with a reduction in the circulation of oxygen throughout the body it will deteriorate at an increased rate.

In addition to this damage to the air sacs in the lungs the airways can become inflamed from cigarette smoke causing chronic bronchitis.

When the combination of these two illnesses strike a person it can be an extremely unpleasant situation where the shortage of breath becomes increasingly difficult and ultimately results in early death.

Smoking also increases the problem of hypertension (high blood pressure) and along with that smokers are at more risk of having a heart attack than those people who don't smoke.

The deterioration of the ability to breathe freely stops smokers from participating in sports at higher levels and ultimately this reduction in the ability to exercise results in poor health and for many people the sedentary life that they will tend to lead causes many more related health problems.

Each day of smoking is another step in the wrong direction where many parts of the body including the major organs are exposed to danger that can ultimately lead to death.

Most people won't admit that they are addicted to smoking but acceptance of this addiction can help many to quit the habit sooner rather than later.

You see there are three main components to the addiction of smoking and the first one of these is habit.

Humans are very habitual beings and once we do something over and over again it becomes a habit and habits are very difficult to break.

A habit will usually have a strong physical and psychological component and these are the other two components that make up the addiction of smoking.

You might say that you can give up smoking but have you tried and if you have did it work or are you still smoking?

The reason that these questions need to be asked is because most people who have tried to quit will assume that they are a failure if they succumbed to the habit once again.

People who haven't smoked usually can't understand why someone who wants to stop hasn't done so and continues to spend considerable amounts of money on something that they no longer enjoy and would like to stop.

Stress makes quitting smoking even harder than it is already. I used to smoke and it took me YEARS to finally wean myself off it for good.
And whenever I was under a lot of stress, I was tempted to relapse. In fact, quite a few times I DID relapse.
Why? Because -- smoking works. It's a seductive combination of calming and energizing. The perfect drug. If it only weren't so deadly -- and stinky!

So what did I do? Learn to get a grip on stress. And develop a strategy for making it through stress without relapsing (or at least while containing the relapse). Specifics on that on my self help blog.

And in the meantime, here's a little something to help with that stress:

FREE Stress Tips Report

Go get it, and enjoy. It also comes with my popular self-help stuff newsletter, which features lots more helpful info on stress relief, law of attraction, and alternative ways to cope with all sorts of stuff.

And about the stress?

Blaming yourself for this 'failure' won't help the situation and it can cause some people to give up trying where the real problem lies in the cigarettes and not the person or their strength and willpower.

The fact that nicotine is so addictive is the real reason and even those people with incredible will power can struggle to stop.

You need to be ready to stop smoking and you need to believe that you want to stop and can stop.

You need to look for alternative methods for getting the same 'fix' that the cigarettes are giving you and you need to understand that smoking is a habit and only by addressing the habit and the emotions and situations that trigger the habit will you be able to finally quit.

It is not you that is stopping you from quitting. It is what the nicotine has done to you that has made it so difficult. Don't blame yourself for the difficulty of quitting.

Instead focus your attention on the habits that have been created and when these are addressed you will be one more step closer to quitting smoking for good.

Does nicotine have a strong hold over you?

It's one of the most addictives substances on the planet - found naturally in tobacco. Although not illegal, it's equally as addictive as cocaine or heroine, two illegal drugs known for their strong addictive qualities.

When you use nicotine, your body begins to rely on it both mentally and physically. You can't quit smoking because you have to face both the psychological and physical issues facing you at this point, which is often overwhelming for anyone.

It's not the smoke itself that wreaks havoc on your addictions and makes it nearly impossible for you to quit smoking - it's the nicotine that gets carried in the smoke deep into your lungs where it plants itself in your bloodstream and then moves to every available part of your body to affect your internal health.

Your heart and blood vessels, your brain, your hormones, and your metabolism are all directly affected by nicotine. Even though you may logically know the damage being done, your ability to quit smoking is diminished because the drug has the same effect as endorphins, releasing mood-elevating feelings that cause you to crave more.

But nicotine has another result. When you try to quit smoking, or even stay at the same number of cigarettes you currently smoke, your body triggers you to smoke more, telling you that you've become tolerant of your current usage. Nicotine can cause your body to react faster than if you were given a drug intravenously.

If you are able to quit smoking, nicotine will still reside in your body for up to four days after you stop using it. Your body will go into withdrawal, which is both a mental and physical obstacle you have to overcome.

While the physical portion of the addiction has to be dealt with through symptoms such as sleep disturbance, headaches, and dizziness, when someone quits smoking, the mental portion is noticeable when the newly ex-smoker starts dealing with depression, frustration, and anger that results from nicotine withdrawal.

Because of the pressure felt in both the mind and body, many smokers return to the bad habit so that the nicotine will erase the symptoms they're feeling. The dilemma of withdrawal symptoms when someone quits smoking can last for days or weeks, depending on the severity of the addiction.

Eventually, the symptoms disappear and the strong hold nicotine has over the user loosens up its grip and allows the ex-smoker to break the habit for good. Most smokers have to try several times before they're able to quit smoking forever, although many do it on the first try using smoking cessation aids.

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