The effects of smoking – how it damages your health
Reaching for the first cigarette is easy, we usually act on impulse, not realizing that the first cigarette may be followed by others, and this usually results in a lifelong addiction. It is extremely difficult to get rid of it, not many people manage to do so and in addition, smoking causes real havoc in the smoker’s body. Unfortunately, most of them simply ignore it, making smoking a ritual and constantly finding explanations that usually have nothing to do with reality. Smoking, with a thorough information policy on its effects, is devoid of any logic and is at the same time a deliberate destruction of one’s health. The most frightening thing of all, however, is that the cigarette is the only cancer-causingsubstance in the world that is sold completely legally and with the full consent and approval of the authorities.
Contents
- 1 Smoking myths spread by smokers
- 1.1 If I smoke one cigarette, it will not harm me
- 1.2 The cigarette has a calming effect and relieves stress
- 1.3 Smoking promotes concentration during mental work
- 1.4 I smoke because I like it, not because I have to
- 1.5 I will stop smoking when I want to
- 1.6 If I stop smoking, I will put on weight
- 1.7 A pipe is less harmful
- 1.8 If I smoke, I harm only myself
- 2 Smoking cigarettes – what in their composition makes them so deadly
- 3 Cigarette smoking – why you should also avoid the electronic version
- 4 Effects of smoking – what diseases are smokers more prone to?
- 5 How to stop smoking so you never have to smoke again
- 6 Nicotine Free – helps to quit smoking effectively and protects against weight gain
Smoking myths spread by smokers
Smoking is surrounded by a number of myths and explanations of people who are unable or unwilling to give up this disastrous habit. This ugly habit of reaching for the proverbial smoke has its roots as far back as the time of Christopher Columbus, who brought the first tobacco leaves to our continent. Throughout the centuries, however, people smoked smaller amounts of it, mainly a pipe, which does not mean that it was harmless. Smoking tobacco in the form of cigars, and later cigarettes, became popular in the early 20th century, reaching a peak in the years following the end of World War II. The number of smokers around the world was growing, and the worst part was that for a time, the cigarette was thought to be harmless and the diseases it caused were ignored. Smokers themselves played a major role in this, and the claims they still make today not only do not correspond to the facts, e.g. about their health, but are sometimes downright absurd. Among other things, it is common practice to question doctors who warn and inform about the consequences of poisoning the body with nicotine or tar from cigarettes. The truth is that this addiction has the same tragic consequences as taking drugs or drinking alcohol. So let’s not believe the completely erroneous opinions being spread that say:
If I smoke one cigarette, it will not harm me
Nothing more misleading, because if we smoke one cigarette every day, it’s an addiction and this small dose of poisonous substances can harm us. We also hear people say that if I don’t smoke, nothing will happen to me. However, this type of smoking is dangerous for the environment, because we are dealing here with passive smoking, during which a large amount of toxins is blown into the lungs with every portion of smoke.
The cigarette has a calming effect and relieves stress
Which is supposed to be due to the effects of nicotine. This is another myth, which is denied by specialists, and the most poisonous component of tobacco does not calm down, but only stimulates even more, increasing nervous tension states. When smoking, you may feel some relaxation at first, but this is not stress relief, but a feeling caused by satisfying nicotine hunger, because it is what causes excessive nervousness and the need to reach for a cigarette. After some time after smoking, the smoker becomes agitated again and everything starts over again.
Smoking promotes concentration during mental work
This nonsense is really difficult to defend and is again related to the apparent calming effect of nicotine. If we feel its absence in the body, we will certainly not be able to focus on even the simplest activity, because the body will demand another dose of poison and we will be able to think only about this, and not about work or study.
I smoke because I like it, not because I have to
On the contrary, I smoke because I have to satisfy my craving for nicotine, which becomes stronger and stronger as the addiction progresses, and a large group of smokers can even smoke more than 2 – 3 packs of cigarettes a day.
I will stop smoking when I want to
If it was that simple, we wouldn’t have millions of addicts, and unfortunately their number is growing instead of decreasing. More and more young people want to show what an adult they are by smoking, while at the same time saying that quitting is easy. Willpower alone is definitely not enough, and the withdrawal symptoms that accompany quitting smoking can cause noticeable physical pain. In this case, medical assistance and the use of special preparations prove necessary. The substances contained in them help relieve physical and mental symptoms and cleanse the body of toxins left behind by smoking.
If I stop smoking, I will put on weight
Unfortunately, we have to partially agree with this, because most ex-smokers have to fight with growing overweight, which, however, is due to their own negligence. Weight gain is caused by reaching for sweets or other snacks instead of a cigarette. However, this needs to be fought vigorously by changing to a lower calorie diet or even a slimming diet and moving a lot outdoors. We also debunk the myth that nicotine reduces weight, because it causes disturbances in digestion and metabolism, which in extreme cases leads even to obesity threatening almost all aspects of health.
A pipe is less harmful
However, smoking a pipe is in fact much more dangerous, increasing the risk of cancer not only in the lungs, but also in the larynx, oesophagus and nasopharynx, i.e. elements of the upper and lower airways. We should also not let ourselves be persuaded that menthol or light cigarettes are less harmful. In the former, menthol is only to increase flavor, while in the latter you need to smoke more to fully satisfy nicotine cravings.
If I smoke, I harm only myself
Another nonsense, because passive smoking is even more dangerous than active smoking. Tobacco smoke exhaled from the lungs contains more poisonous substances reaching a non-smoker, about 4 times more nicotine and over 35 times more lethal carbon monoxide.
Smoking cigarettes – what in their composition makes them so deadly
As you can see, the claims about the harmlessness of this addiction can be put between fairy tales, it is also worth knowing what makes smoking shorten our lives, while exposing ourselves to the development of numerous diseases. As we wrote above, for years the harmfulness of smoking was overlooked and at one time tobacco was even considered a plant with medicinal properties. However, doctors realized in time that some diseases are directly caused by substances contained in tobacco, so they isolated and described them in detail. The result of their work was striking, in every tobacco product, cigar, cigarette, pipe, or even just a snuff, there is a multitude of chemical compounds that can be safely considered lethal. There are over 4,000 ingredients in smoke, but the most poisonous and well known, which ruin your bodywith every “smoke” are:
Nicotine
A substance from the group of alkaloids, highly addictive from the first dose delivered while smoking. Its effect can be compared to other addictive substances, because it causes increased secretion of dopamine, called the happy hormone. This has an addictive effect, giving an apparent feeling of relaxation. In reality, nicotine is a neurotoxin, high doses of which cause irreversible damage and can, together with other components of the smoke, even lead to death.
Tar
According to many experts, the most dangerous component of cigarettes, more dangerous than nicotine. So what if their percentage is indicated on the package, when in fact no one who smokes pays attention to it. Under this term, we understand all toxic components that adversely affect various parts of our body, and include among others sulfur, phenols and nitrogen compounds.
Carbon monoxide
Not without a reason it is called the silent killer, odourless but deadly at the same time. Another used and known name for it is carbon monoxide, which is the cause of poisoning or death of thousands of people every year, usually in case of fire or leaking gas installation. It is therefore surprising that a product containing it is widely available. The action of carbon monoxide comes down to the combination with haemoglobin, its entry into the blood, which causes disturbances in oxygenation of the body. Although there are only fractions of carbon monoxide in cigarettes, many years of smoking and inhaling CO have an impact on health, especially on the heart and the entire circulatory system.
Hydrogen cyanide
One of the most poisonous, toxic substances, with a characteristic smell of almonds, although of course completely undetectable in tobacco smoke. We could talk about its harmfulness for hours, so we will limit ourselves to a few of the most common symptoms, such as:
- shortness of breath and a feeling of tightness in the chest;
- headaches with tinnitus;
- a drop in blood pressure;
- nausea and vomiting.
Ammonia
Another component which is a gas used in industry, e.g. in refrigeration equipment or in the production of textiles, cleaning agents and cosmetics. It would seem that being present in such small amounts in cigarettes, it can’t do any harm. However, already this dose multiplied by the number of cigarettes smoked and years of smoking causes irritation of the respiratory tractmanifested by cough, shortness of breath and pressure in the lungs. Ammonia also has a negative effect on the eyes, causing their lacrimation, pain, and with time even permanent damage to the eyes, its negative impact on the functioning of the nervous systemcannot be ignored.
Toluene
A poisonous chemical derivative of benzene, also known as methylbenzene, a diluent used in the manufacturing process of paints and adhesives used in construction. Once again, we are surprised that, being found in cigarettes, it has not caused consideration to be given to their complete withdrawal from sale. The toxicity of toluene is rated very high and can cause the following ailments:
- a feeling of constant fatigue;
- nausea, diarrhea and vomiting;
- headaches;
- skin irritation and cracking of the epidermis;
- irritation of the mouth, throat and oesophagus.
Other carcinogens
That smoking increases the risk of developing dangerous cancers is a proven fact by research, although there are still attempts to dispute these findings. Dozens more highly carcinogenic components of tobacco smoke are responsible, such as:
- benzene;
- vinyl chloride;
- arsenic;
- formaldehyde;
- nitrosamines;
- Heavy metals, e.g. lead;
- radioactive elements;
- methyl alcohol.
Cigarette smoking – why you should also avoid the electronic version
Such chemical composition of every cigarette you smoke should immediately make you put it out and start fighting with this addiction. We should also consider whether it is really worth destroying the health of ourselves and our relatives who are passive smokers. After all, these are often the youngest members of the family, children who will enter adult life with various diseases and should be spared. It is enough to consult medical statistics or your family doctor to know that smoking kills over 65 000 people every year, and further statistics show that over 9 million of our compatriots in Poland smoke, 31 percent of adult men and 18 percent of adult women. Recently, this number has begun to rise due to the emergence of electronic cigarettes gaining popularity especially among younger people, between the ages of 15 and 19. These are mistakenly being touted as the healthier equivalent of a cigarette, although this theory also misses the mark. The Ministry of Health, again based on research, has clearly shown that e-cigarettes are practically as harmful and should definitely be avoided. The most serious threat here is the composition of the liquid, which contains substances such as glycerine and glycol, which are extremely harmful when heated, in addition to various preservatives, including those that are carcinogenic. In addition, e-cigarettes are used more frequently, thus providing larger amounts of health-threatening ingredients, primarily nicotine.
Effects of smoking – what diseases are smokers more prone to?
We already know that traditional cigarettes and their electronic variant, as well as other tobacco products, contain a number of poisons that damage our health on a daily basis. Smoking itself is a disease that needs to be treated. It is the same addiction as to other drugs or prohibited substances. Usually you can’t win with it, only with willpower, although it is the most important and you have to use means supporting it. These are usually nicotine patches or gums, but equally good results can be achieved by using dietary supplements such as Nicotine Free, which will be presented in more detail below. It’s definitely worth listening to doctors who are more aware of the harmfulness of smoking, who keep pointing out that smokers are more prone to numerous diseases and suffer from them much more severely, with practically every symptom worsening. The list of these diseases is really long and before you think about buying your first pack of “cigarettes”, we advise you to familiarize yourself with it:
- respiratory diseases and practically most of them can be caused by harmful compounds contained in tobacco smoke. First of all, it is necessary to mention obstructive lung disease, usually bilateral. It results in increasing breathing problems and their cause is obstruction of the airways. It is manifested by shortness of breath, chronic cough, chest pain, weight loss and leg swelling. Another even more serious condition is lung cancer, which is fatal in nearly 87 percent of cases if not diagnosed early enough;
- other cancers, cancer of the stomach, kidneys, pancreas, liver, bladder, testicles, and in women, breast, uterus and ovaries;
- cancers of therespiratory tract, mouth, lips, gums, salivary glands, larynx, pharynx and oesophagus;
- pepticulcer disease of the stomach, duodenum and intestinal hernia. Smokers are at increased risk, and smoke inhalation also exacerbates symptoms, primarily severe pain in the constantly irritated organ, while reducing the ability of ulcers to heal;
- cardiovascular diseases, and smoking is one of the most common causes of these. This raises understandable concern among cardiologists, who say plainly that the components of tobacco can completely destroy the heart. They are responsible for ischemic heart disease, circulatory failure, atherosclerosis, aortic aneurysm, myocardial infarction, stroke and its hypoxia, thrombosis, hypertension. Ailments caused by overweight are also dangerous, which is why it is so important to take care of a proper diet;
- diabetes, and most smokers who suffer from it complain at the same time of various kidney diseases, including their acute failure leading even to permanent damage;
- thyroid diseases, the development of which is affected by hydrogen cyanide, which impedes the proper absorption of iodine and the production of hormones produced by this organ;
- problems with memory and concentration, as mentioned, nicotine only seemingly increases them, and in fact significantly reduces mental agility and cognitive abilities;
- anincrease in allergy symptoms caused by the irritation of the respiratory tract by tobacco smoke. This applies not only directly to smokers, but also to people exposed to passive inhalation of smoke, which can also trigger dangerous allergic reactions;
- mental ailments, stress and other states of strong nervous tension that can lead to dangerous and difficult to treat depression;
- eye disorders, not only lacrimation or conjunctivitis, but also cataracts, which can lead to permanent blindness;
- reducedsexual performance, potency and erectile dysfunction often resulting in impotence or infertility due to reduced sperm production;
- reduced natural immunity body resulting in increased susceptibility to various infections;
- significantly increased risk of ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, premature birth, placental abruption and fetal demise. Cigarettes are very harmful to the unborn child, who is at risk for serious congenital malformations.
How to stop smoking so you never have to smoke again
In our opinion, the above list of diseases, and we note that we have included only some of them, is already a sufficient motivation to stop smoking once and for all. We admit that in theory it sounds very simple, however, it usually does not match the practice, but we will try to help you break this terrible habit. There are many ways to do it, more or less effective, but everything isreally about human psyche. You need to convince yourself that cigarettes are something bad, which destroys your health and the health of your loved ones, who, by the way, should actively participate in this complicated operation. The most important thing here is support, which helps to survive the initial, worst period, when a smoker, after quitting daily dose of nicotine, feels various ailments. First of all, they have psychological basis, nervousness, strong stress, and here, the help of family will be indispensable. Sometimes these symptoms also turn into physical ones, pain, pressure in the chest, stomach problems, even requiring a visit to the doctor, who should check whether something serious is going on. Patches or chewing gum containing a certain amount of nicotine that decreases with each dose are very helpful in quitting smoking. However, we recommend more natural methods of dealing with the withdrawal syndrome by using supplements that alleviate its symptoms, such as Nicotine Free.
Nicotine Free – helps to quit smoking effectively and protects against weight gain
Treatment with Nicotine Free tablets has two main objectives, to get rid of all the negative effects of nicotine cra ving and to prevent weight gain. The tablets do their job perfectly, thanks to their natural and safe composition:
- green tea extract, full of valuable nutrients to help regain lost health, such as: vitamins A and B, vitamin C, vitamin D and minerals: potassium, zinc, manganese, fluorine and copper. It is thanks to them that green tea cleanses the body of all toxins, the remains after years of being poisoned by cigarette smoke. It is also an antioxidant which protects against cancer, heart disease and cardiovascular disease, and soothes stomach ailments;
- African mango extract, whose most important components are fatty acids Omega – 3 and Omega – 6 supported by numerous vitamins and minerals. Mango thoroughly cleanses the body of toxins left after smoking, at the same time inhibiting nicotine craving and reducing the desire for a cigarette. In addition, it prevents the formation of excess weight by eliminating the feeling of continuous hunger, which is also facilitated by high physical activity, so we recommend walking with sticks at the beginning, and then active participation in some sport, running or cycling;
- chicory, another blocker of nicotine craving, also has a significant impact on rebuilding the immune system weakened by poisonous components of tobacco;
- glukomannan, without which it would be impossible to control disorders of the digestive system, which sometimes completely disrupt its proper functioning. Dietary fiber contained in this substance primarily improves digestion, eliminates painful constipation, and swelling in the stomach helps control constant snacking;
- chromium which, by regulating blood sugar levels, also helps fight the urge to reach for high-calorie and unhealthy snacks;
- small-flowered mullein, which allows the respiratory tract to be fully cleansed, relieves all irritation caused by smoking and eliminates smoker’s cough.
The composition of Nicotine Free The composition of the product is conducive to its high effectiveness, which has been confirmed by experts. Ex-smokers are of the same opinion, taking just 2 tablets a day and enjoying the effects such as:
- complete disappearance of nicotine craving;
- Complete detoxification of the body;
- Reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases;
- no more unpleasant mouth odour; hair, skin and clothes are not soaked with tobacco smell;
- better oxygenation of the body as the amount of carbon monoxide in the body decreases;
- Better taste and smell, you can finally eat with a real appetite and feel the full flavor of the food;
- Getting rid of annoying smoker’s cough;
- strengthening of the immune system eliminating practically the risk of lung diseases, the capacity of which increases significantly;
- more energy for any form of activity;
- more money in your pocket which you do not have to spend on increasingly expensive cigarettes.
Read more about Nicotine Free
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/smoking/effects-on-body#1https://www.healthline.com/health/effects-of-quitting-smoking#withdrawal-symptoms