SMOKING

Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the vapors either tasted or inhaled.
Smoking can also affect more than just your lungs. Smoking can increase your risk for heart attack, stroke, osteoporosis (thinning or weakening of your bones), and cancers other than lung cancer.

"SIDE EFFECTS OF SMOKING"


1)...Every year hundreds of thousands of people around the world die from diseases caused by smoking - Smoking KILLS.

2)...One in two lifetime smokers will die from their habit. Half of these deaths will occur in middle age.

3)...Tobacco smoke also contributes to a number of cancers.

4)...The mixture of nicotine and carbon monoxide in each cigarette you smoke temporarily increases your heart rate and blood pressure, straining your heart and blood vessels.

5)..This can cause heart attacks and stroke. It slows your blood flow, cutting off oxygen to your feet and hands. Some smokers end up having their limbs
amputated.

6)...Carbon monoxide robs your muscles, brain and body tissue of oxygen, making your whole body and especially your heart work harder. Over time, your airways swell up and let less air into your lungs.


7)..Smoking causes disease and is a slow way to die. The strain of smoking effects on the body often causes years of suffering. Emphysema is an illness that slowly rots your lungs. People with emphysema often get bronchitis again and again, and suffer lung and heart failure.

8)...Changing to low-tar cigarettes does not help because smokers usually take deeper puffs and hold the smoke in for longer, dragging the tar deeper into their lungs.


"Secondhand Smoke"


Secondhand smoke is the smoke from the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar combined with the smoke breathed out by the smoker. You can be exposed to secondhand smoke anytime a person smokes near you.

"Dangers of Secondhand Smoke"

Secondhand smoke causes about 3,000 deaths from lung cancer and about 46,000 deaths from heart disease every year. The more you are around secondhand smoke, the more likely you are to get sick. There is no safe amount of secondhand smoke.

Other health problems caused by secondhand smoke include:

* nasal sinus cancer
* eye, nose, and throat irritation
* coughing
* congestion


"HOW TO QUIT SMOKING"

Switch brands

* Switch to a brand you find distasteful.

* Change to a brand that's low in tar and nicotine a couple of weeks before your target date. This will help change your smoking behavior. However, DO NOT smoke more cigarettes, inhale them more often or more deeply, or place your fingertips over the holes in the filters. All of these will increase your nicotine intake, and the idea is to get your body used to functioning without nicotine.

Cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke

* Smoke only half of each cigarette.

* Each day, postpone lighting your first cigarette 1 hour.

* Decide you'll smoke only during odd or even hours of the day.

* Decide beforehand how many cigarettes you'll smoke during the day. For each additional cigarette, give a dollar to your favorite charity.

* Change your eating habits to help you cut down. For example, drink milk, which many people consider incompatible with smoking. End meals or snacks with something that won't lead to a cigarette.

* Reach for a glass of juice instead of a cigarette for a "pick-me-up."

* Remember: Cutting down can help you quit, but it's not a substitute for quitting. If you're down to about seven cigarettes a day, it's time to set your target date and get ready to stick to it.

Don't Smoke "Automatically"

* Smoke only those cigarettes you really want. Catch yourself before you light up a cigarette out of pure habit.

* Don't empty your ashtrays. This will remind you of how many cigarettes you've smoked each day, and the sight and smell of stale butts will be very unpleasant.

* Make yourself aware of each cigarette by using the opposite hand or putting cigarettes in an unfamiliar location or a different pocket to break the automatic reach.

* If you light up many times during the day without even thinking about it, try to look in a mirror each time you put a match to your cigarette - you may decide you don't need it.

Make smoking inconvenient

* Stop buying cigarettes by the carton. Wait until one pack is empty before you buy another.

* Stop carrying cigarettes with you at home and at work. Make them difficult to get to.

Make smoking unpleasant

* Smoke only under circumstances that aren't especially pleasurable for you. If you like to smoke with others, smoke alone. Turn your chair toward an empty corner and focus only on the cigarette you are smoking and its many negative effects.

* Collect all you cigarette butts in one large glass container as a visual reminder of the filth smoking represents.