Smoking

Is Tobacco a dangerous substance?

Yes, tobacco is a dangerous substance. It is addictive, it destroys health and it causes many debilitating and life-altering diseases that can kill. Tobacco is wrapped and sold as cigarettes.

What's in a Cigarette?

One cigarette contains:

Nicotine. Nicotine is a poison. Swallowing two of three drops of pure nicotine can kill a person. It acts as a stimulant speeding up activity in the brain. Nicotine is considered more addictive than heroin, and the younger a person starts smoking, the less likely they are to quit.

Tar. Tar is the main cause of cancers in smokers. It also aggravates bronchial and respiratory diseases.

Carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a very toxic gas. It is found in car exhaust fumes and smoke from fires. Smoking causes a greater concentration of carbon monoxide in the lungs than breathing polluted air.

Other chemicals. Amounts of more than 4,000 other substances can be found in cigarette smoke. Some are toxic and 43 have are known to cause cancer. Some of these substances are acetone, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide.

What are the immediate effects of Smoking?

• raised heart rate

• bad breath

• smelly clothes

• decreased fitness and sports performance

• weakens taste and smell

What are the long-term effects of smoking?

• stained teeth

• high risk of bronchitis and respiratory diseases,

• high risk of lung cancer,

• acne and skin problems, wrinkles and dry skin

• addiction to nicotine

• affects female fertility

• impotence

Other dangers and effects

Tolerance & Lifetime Addiction

"Tolerance to Nicotine means that a person needs greater quantities of nicotine to get the same effect. Addiction to smoking is very hard to beat and the more a person smokes, the more he suffers. Also, the earlier a person begins to smoke, the more difficult it is for them to quit.

Other Drugs

Tobacco, like Ganja is considered a 'gateway' drug because people who smoke are much more likely to try illegal substances.

Passive Smoking

Passive Smoking is a term used to describe the effects of tobacco smoke on people who don't smoke but spend time with smokers. Passive Smokers may be exposed to greater concentrations of poisons than smokers themselves. Passive Smoking is a significant cause

of lung cancer, asthma attacks and other respiratory illnesses.

Non-smokers that live with smokers have a greater chance of developing respiratory illnesses than people that live in smoke-free environments.

Unborn babies Exposure to prenatal smoking may diminish pulmonary function at birth and airway size.

Children: Bronchitis, pneumonia and other respiratory diseases occur twice as often in children of parents who smoke than in Children of non-smokers.

Tips to Remain Smoke-free

Make a commitment to be smoke-free

Remind yourself often of your smoke-free commitments

Participate in sports

Let others know what you think about smoking

How to say NO to smoking

"I'm not into that"

"No thanks"

"I don't want to smell like smoke"

"I want to stay in good shape"

"I chose not to smoke"

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Posted by Health Care , Published at 9:46 AM and have 0 comments