SMOKING FACTS.
Smoking is today known to be the biggest cause of both preventable and premature death not only in the US, but worldwide. Smoking- related diseases are a cause of over 440,000 deaths in the US annually. In the UK this figure stands at over 105,000 annually.
The life expectancy of the smoker is cut short by 10- 12 years and more than half of all smokers die from smoking-related diseases. The younger the onset of smoking the longer one will most likely smoke and younger one is more likely to die.Smoking is a slow killer, not just to the smoker but to those also around him as they are affected by second- hand smoke.
Comparative smoking facts show that the risk of heart attack is 70% higher among smokers than among non-smokers. The incidence of lung cancer is 10 times greater in smokers than non-smokers and one out of ten of people that smoke will die from this disease. Some 80% of smokers will at one time be diagnosed with heart disease, emphysema or chronic bronchitis.Of the diseases attributable to the tobacco habit, 29% are from lung cancer and 24% are caused by heart disease.
Over and above that,other cancers have also been linked to smoking, including cancer of the throat, mouth, stomach, cervix, breast and pancreas. All this is small wonder as cigarette smoke has been found to contain over 4,000 chemical compounds and toxins, all with very harmful to human health.
The good news is you can make a big difference to your health and these smoking facts can be turned around. It is never too late to stop smoking and greatly benefit your health. And today is a good day to stop.
Whichever way we look at it, smoking is self- destructive behaviour that affects many areas of the smoker’s life and well-being. The major area that suffers of course is his health primarily because of the tobacco addiction.
Nicotine is the active drug in tobacco and is highly addictive in nature. When inhaled in the cigarette smoke it enters the smoker’s bloodstream and into the brain within 10 seconds. It has the effect of creating temporary feelings of ease and elation which are however short-lived. And because the smoker wishes to feel that pleasure again, the craving for the next puff soon comes back and he needs to light up again. Failure to this, the person becomes all agitated and irritable because they are go into withdrawal.
That is the reality of tobacco addiction. As soon as the nicotine gets into the brain a series of chemical reactions are experienced. Adrenaline is released and the heart rate, and blood pressure, increase and blood flow is slowed down. Blood sugar is also increased as the pancreas releases more insulin.
Other chemicals are also found in cigarettes that compound the tobacco addiction and increase the risk of diseases. In addition to nicotine, there are approximately 4,000 toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke.
Tar is what is most associated with pulmonary diseases and smoking lung cancer. Carbon monoxide is what is linked with cardiovascular disorders up to and including heart attacks. Less and less oxygen is available to the body as airways become more constricted and clogged up. Thus the circulatory system becomes less elastic and more dysfunctional.
How does one get out of the tobacco addiction then ? Answer….stop smoking now. Immediately on cessation, the body begins to heal. There will be withdrawal symptoms but in 3 to 4 days the nicotine has left the body.
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