Awareness of the dangers of smoking is often limited to clichés such as “nicotine loss kills a horse” and the fear of dying from cancer.
The consequences of smoking
In fact, it is difficult to find an organ that is not affected by smoking: these include the respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and nervous systems. Nicotine can be called a global killer due to its negative effects on the human body.
In addition to the harm they do to their own health, smokers also pose a danger to the people around them. And often their neighbors become victims of smoking; they are forced to breathe “smoky” air and become smokers themselves. When women smoke during pregnancy, they harm the health of their unborn child because they expose him to oxygen deprivation and toxins from second-hand smoke, which easily pass through the placenta.
Nicotine addiction
Although nicotine does not create a sense of euphoria, its effects are very strong compared to heroin and cocaine. In addition, the use of tobacco products can create psychological and physical addiction. After a few weeks of starting to smoke, most people realize that smoking is almost necessary to maintain their health. When the body is deprived of nicotine, smokers experience withdrawal symptoms (physical and psychological) that disappear or decrease after repeated doses of nicotine. That’s why not everyone can quit smoking.
Unfortunately, the health risks of smoking only began to be studied half a century ago, when the number of smokers reached millions. Therefore, the problem of nicotine addiction, which had long been a personal problem for smokers, has now become a social problem. Today, we are in the middle of a very intense debate between health services and tobacco companies.
How Can I Quit Smoking?
Quitting smoking is a long process and even difficult for some smokers. People who quit their jobs tend to be angry, disappointed and sometimes depressed.
Everyone is free to enjoy the short-term pleasure of smoking and to protect themselves from the harm caused by smoking by quitting. When smokers decide to quit smoking on their own or under the influence of advertisements, they may face psychological problems. Quitting smoking is a long process and is difficult for some smokers.
Many unpleasant sensations such as sweating, coughing, sore throat, headache, stomach ache may occur. People who quit their jobs can feel negative, angry and sometimes depressed.
The most well-known, long-lasting and unpleasant part of quitting smoking is weight gain. Weight gain is especially common in women who quit. It is very difficult to get back to your old weight (without going back to smoking).
The results showed that there was no difference in the risk of most diseases between smokers and non-smokers two years after quitting. Many people start by gradually reducing the number of cigarettes they smoke each day. You can do this by increasing the time between puffs and smoking only half of the cigarette (the closer you get to the filter, the more tar and nicotine you take in).
Switching to flavored cigarettes is not a good idea: First, light cigarettes do not necessarily contain less harmful chemicals and nicotine; Second, when smoking a light cigarette, the person instinctively takes a deep breath, so the desired result is not achieved. .
In general, a gradual approach to quitting smoking is considered hopeless. For those who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day, some interventions may be needed in the initial stages. According to current data, quitting smoking immediately produces the best results.
