Why you should stop
Try this quick experiment:
- Take a mouthful of smoke BUT DON'T BREATHE IT IN. Blow the smoke out through a tissue. The smoke leaves a brown stain (of tar).
- Now take a mouthful of smoke into your lungs in the normal way. Blow out through a tissue. There's little or no stain.
So, where's the tar?
What's in a cigarette?
Cigarette smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, many of which are harmful to the body. To see some of the substances contained in cigarette smoke, take a look at the cigarette recipe.
The three main substances found in tobacco smoke are:
- Nicotine - a powerful and fast-acting addictive drug - just as addictive as heroin and cocaine. When you smoke a cigarette, the nicotine goes straight into your bloodstream. Nicotine affects the body in many ways, for example stimulating the nervous system, increasing your blood pressure and making your heart beat faster.
- Carbon monoxide - a poisonous gas produced when things burn. Commonly given off by car exhausts and faulty gas fires. If you smoke, some of the oxygen which should be carried around your body in your blood is replaced by carbon monoxide. This can lead to a number of health concerns, including heart disease.
- Tar - when tar in a cigarette is heated it becomes brown and treacly. When you smoke the cigarette deposits 70% of its tar in your lungs, clogging them up. A lot of the substances contained within tar damage the lungs, cause respiratory problems, and often cancer.
What are the health risks associated with smoking?
A large number of diseases and disorders are caused, or made worse, by smoking. Below are details of just a few of them:
- lung cancer
- high blood pressure
- osteoporosis
- other cancers including:
mouth, nose and throat, stomach, liver, kidney, bladder, pancreas, oesophagus, cervix, pharynx, and larynx
- heart disease
- stroke
- gangrene
- stomach ulcers
- emphysema
- bronchitis
- damage to unborn child
Benefits of giving up smoking
Some of the health benefits of stopping smoking are:
- you'll be at much less risk of heart attacks, strokes and cancers when you're older
- you'll get fewer colds, and flu won't be as bad
- your lungs will rid themselves of mucus
- oxygen levels will rise throughout your body.
Along with the health benefits, look at all the other things that will improve when you stop smoking:
- your breath, hair and clothes will smell fresher
- your skin will be clearer and you'll get fewer wrinkles
- your sense of taste and smell will return
- stains on your teeth and fingers will disappear
- you'll have more energy
- exercise and exertion will be easier
- when it's cold, your fingers and toes will feel warmer
- toxic chemicals such as carbon monoxide will clear from your body
- your smoker's cough will stop
- wounds will heal faster.
Your self-confidence and pride will improve:
- you'll feel in control
- you'll have proved yourself to other people
- you might have inspired someone else to stop
- you'll know that you won't be harming other people with your smoke
- you won't be adding to pollution
- you'll be proud that you broke the power of nicotine over your life
- you'll feel really good about yourself.
And, if all that's no enough to convince you, just look how much money you'll be saving!
Contacts
The contacts database contains details of organisations that may be able to offer information or assistance on this issue.
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Some information on this page reproduced, with kind permission, from the Comic Company
