Giving Up Smoking

The Dangerous Effects On The Body.

Did you know that there are over 4000 chemicals and over 40 cancer causing substances known as carcogenics in cigarette smoke.

When you smoke a cigarette you are inhaling filtered smoke, but those people around you are getting the full harmful effects of your cigarette smoke such as your kids, your partner and your friends.

We all know that smoking is bad for our health, but the chemicals from smoking has some devastating effects on the organs of the body, I am going to list some of the effects on you and the organs:

Throat - can cause cancer of the larynx and irritates membranes of the throat.

Heart - can increase heart rate, increase blood pressure and constrict blood flow, increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Reproductive System - reduces sex drive and increase the risk of impotence and in females increases the chances of cervical cancer, less fertility and can bring on menopause earlier.

In pregnant women it increases the chances of miscarriage, complications during pregnancy, bleeding and premature delivery,

The effects on the unborn child are impairment of growth, intellect and emotional development.

Mouth - gum disease, dulls taste buds, tooth decay, loss of teeth, cancer of the mouth, bleeding and receeding gums.

Bones - increases the risk of osteoporosis.

The Dangerous Chemicals In Cigarettes.

Now I would like to educate you on the harmful chemicals that are in your cigarette smoke, where some of these chemicals can be found and what effects they can have on your body:

Carbon Monoxide - can be found in car exhausts and gas fires it is an odourless, tasteless and poisonous gas and robs your muscles, brain and body tissue of oxygen, making your whole body and especially your heart work harder.

Nicotine - can be found in insecticides, is an addictive poison that acts as a stimulant and one of the most addictive substances known to man, a powerful and fast-acting medical and non-medical poison and in heavy smokers, the addiction can be comparable to the extremely potent drugs cocaine, and even heroin in terms of addiction intensity and

Tar - can be found in coal and petroleum, it is a sticky black/brown substance that once inhlaed 70% of it sticks to the lining of your lungs causing respitory problems such as shortness of breathing.

Arsenic - can be found in insecticides, is used as rat poison and is especially potent.

Cadmium - can be found in batteries and plastic products.

Acetone - can be found in nail polish remover, is a colorless, mobile, flammable liquid and can cause liver damage.

Ammonia - can be found in toilet cleaners and dry cleaning fluids, helps the addictiveness of cigarettes.

Formaldehyde - can be found in imbalming fluid, a colourless liquid, highly poisonous, used to preserve dead bodies and is known to cause cancer, respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal problems.

Benzene - can be found in petrol as an addictive, used as a solvent in fuel and in chemical manufacture and it is a known carcinogen and is associated with leukaemia.

As you can see all of these chemicals are highly dangerous and can cause some serious health risks.

There are two reasons why you smoke, one is the physical addiction to the chemicals in the cigarettes which is caused by the nicotine and the other is a psychological addiction.

Types of psychological addiction are:

Stimulation - like getting out of bed and making a coffee to kick start your day or smoking a cigarette to get your motor running.

Relaxation - normally after a meal or with a drink, this is normally a social smokers emotional addiction.

Craving - this is the nicotine having an effect on the brain making you dependant on the cigarettes.

Crutch - is when you are under pressure of some kind, you light up to supposely relax yourself and cope with it.

Handling - watching the smoke, flicking the ash and holding the cigarette.

Timeframe.

Within 24 Hours - body starts cleansing itself of toxins, carbon monoxide and nicotine levels start to fall, shortness of breath starts dissapearing, wheeziness starts reducing and lungs are cleaner.

Within Weeks - smell and taste become more acute and your smokers cough starts to dissapear.

Within 1-2 Years - halved your chances of a heart attack.

Within 10 Years - halved your chances of Lung Cancer.

Within 15 Years - halved your chances of many different diseases caused by smoking such as cardio vascular diseases.

The Process Of Giving Up

Smoking is a process and once you understand what effects smoking has on you and your body, what makes you smoke, what barriers make you give up trying to quit smoking and then put a plan into action to give up, you are much more likely to be able to give up, no matter how times you have tried in the past.

Most people just go and buy a smoking aid and expect to give up straight away, or they make try weaning themselves off by cutting down and then hoping to eventually cut it out completely.

These methods do not work for a majority of smokers, but do work for some, some people are even that strong willed that they just decide to give up and then they never smoke again, but they are a very small minority.

We are all individual and what works for one person may not work for us.

Your Plan Of Action.

1) Educate yourself on the harmful effects of smoking and realise what it is doing to you and your body.

2) Work out what triggers your smoking, what psychological addictions do you have and find alternatives if neccessary.

3) Work out what barriers you have such as a fear of gaining weight because your appetite will increase or maybe a fear of failure. These barriers are only short term and you will overcome them.

4) Think about the benefits of giving up such as more money in your pocket, better health and a longer life.

5) Decide on which smoking aids you will use to help you give up such as patches or gum to combat the physical addiction.

6) Choose a date and stick to it, think positively, take it a day at a time, reward yourself as you go, avoid temptation, use a support structure like friends announce to them that you are trying to give up.