effects of smoking

Great Video About Smoking & What It Does To You

Health Benefits Quitting Smoking

When you take that last puff of a cigarette and are on your way to total freedom, there are many benefits that you will enjoy. Unfortunately, you may also feel as if you are leaving a bad symptom.

However, keeping in mind your intense motivation (ways to quit smoking motivation) to be free now, choose from the following list the health benefits you would like to start enjoying immediately once you quit smoking. Number your choices by priority:

• Hands and feet become warmer from improved circulation.
• Blood pressure and pulse rate lower and approach normal.
• Mouth and hair no longer smell of smoke.
• Senses of taste and smell improve.
• Cough disappears and phlegm production returns to normal.
• Stamina increases significantly.
• Energy level is higher.
• Field of vision increases by 15 to 20 percent.
• Risk of all diseases caused by smoking is reduced - emphysema, heart attacks, and cancers of all types.

Emotional Benefits of Being Quit of Smoking

You can now begin to sort out your emotional attachment to your "best friend" - the one who is betraying you. Your nicotine-drenched brain has made it difficult for you to evaluate your feelings about cigarettes.

You were forced to say you enjoyed them, because in all other matters you are a rational being. And why would a rational being who recognizes that smoking is unpleasant, irritating, and harmful do it anyway? Many people admit that they often smoke against their own will.

Now number in order of priority the emotional benefits of quitting smoking you will get minutes after you break free:

• You have improved your self-image.
• You have put yourself in charge of your life.
• You have a feeling of accomplishment and self-respect.
• You are becoming happier, less depressed.
• Never again will you have to plan every activity around cigarette smoking.
• Never again will you have to make excuses, or feel guilty about needing cigarettes.
• Never again will you have to go back into the house to be sure all cigarettes are extinguished.
• Never again will you have to take inventory of smoking paraphernalia before you leave your home or office.
• Now you can hold on to the excitement of being a winner and bask in a sense of well-being.

Guide to quit smoking

Do you want to quit smoking easily and quickly? then do take to read this articles slowly. The mind has two parts: the conscious and subconscious. You might want to quit smoking because it's bad for your health (conscious reason), but you're still aware that smoking makes you feel good about yourself (subconscious reason).
However there is a proper way to proceed with once you have decided to quit smoking viz.
1. First sit down and write down why you want to quit smoking (the benefits of quitting and ways to quit smoking): live longer, feel better, for your family, save money, smell better, find a mate more easily, etc. You know what's bad about smoking and you know what you'll get by quitting. Put it on paper and read it daily.

2. Ask your family and friends to support your decision to quit smoking. Ask them to be completely supportive and non-judgmental. Let them know ahead of time that you will probably be irritable and even irrational while you withdraw from your smoking habit.


3. Set a quit smoking date. Decide what day you will extinguish your cigarettes forever.

4. Talk with your doctor about quitting. Support and guidance from a physician is a proven way to better your chances to quit smoking.

5. Begin an exercise program. Exercise is simply incompatible with smoking. Exercise relieves stress and helps your body recover from years of damage from cigarettes.

6. Do some deep breathing each day for 3 to 5 minutes. Breathe in through your nose very slowly, hold the breath for a few seconds, and exhale very slowly through your mouth.

7. Have your teeth cleaned. Enjoy the way your teeth look and feel and plan to keep them that way.

8. Drink lots of water. Water is good for you anyway, and most people don't get enough. It will help flush the nicotine and other chemicals out of your body, plus it can help reduce cravings by fulfilling the "oral desires" that you may have.

9. Learn what triggers your desire for a cigarette, such as stress, the end of a meal, arrival at work, entering a bar, etc. Avoid these triggers or if that's impossible, plan alternative ways to deal with the triggers.

10. Find something to hold in your hand and mouth, to replace cigarettes. You might try an artificial cigarette.

11. Lastly believe in yourself. Believe that you can quit smoking. Think about some of the most difficult things you have done in your life and realize that you have the guts and determination to quit smoking.

Positive And Negative Side Effects Of Quitting Smoking

For the first few days after you have said goodbye to cigarettes, the most conspicuous change in the system appears in the form of a dipping blood sugar level. The ostensible symptoms come to happen basically due to the lessening of the total blood sugar amount. Dizziness, concentration lapse and other behavioral changes have been attributed to the sugar related phenomenon. Also, you may experience a sudden hankering for sweet food. The symptoms associated with the going down of blood sugar resemble the lack of oxygen in the system of any and every living being. This means that you have to encounter with a situation where you lack enough oxygen. This prevents the brain from working at its maximum capacity. This is where the symptoms like light-headedness and nausea originate.

The relation between nicotine and the maintenance of blood sugar may present itself as an anomaly to the uninitiated. Nicotine does not supply the system with sugar, as some people may come to think. It simply excites some specific organs as a result of which the amount of sugar stored in our body is released. This compensates for the low level of oxygen. Consequently, the system can keep functioning normally despite the lessening in the amount of oxygen.

When you quit smoking, your body has to adjust itself with the changed situation. You will usually tend to have more food to maintain the balance of the dipping blood sugar level. It may eventually lead to weight gain. Lack of sugar is the main reason as to why most of us develop a yen for sugary eatables. The body finds itself at a loss due to low sugar, so it automatically prods us to provide it with some form of supplements or the other. This can be a very irritating symptom. The best thing to do is to ensure the intake of several glasses of juice during the span of the first couple of days. It fulfills this need of your body for the time being, in the process acclimatizing yourself for the normal functions of the future days.

Woman and Smoking

God created women to represent beauty, love and purity on earth, give birth to human progeny and mother the human race. Woman, with her power of will, have reached the pinnacle of social and professional success today. Her intellectual genius and worth do not require any testimony but physically she remains as delicate and requires purity for her healthy survival. She is always supposed to be immaculate in every aspect that is why smoking cessation is all the more necessary for her as nicotine has worst consequences on women. Many researches have discovered that women are more susceptible to nicotine and have a slower metabolic cleaning system of nicotine from their body than men.

Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor that tightens blood vessels and restricts blood causing permanent damage to arteries. We have already read about the affects of smoking on human body and mind. The women, who smoke, suffer all the corollaries of tobacco use, like the way men do, as for example, increased risk of various cancers like lung, larynx, pharynx, mouth, kidney, esophagus, pancreas, kidney, and bladder and respiratory diseases. But to add on to the list of jeopardy women smokers are 12 times more prone to die from lung cancer than women who do not smoke. Also,- women smokers are ten times more likely to die from bronchitis and emphysema. Post-menopausal women and women on birth-control pills are at the top of the ‘risk chart' because smoking-related diseases can cause them death. Medications like Chantix are available; to help in quit smoking by overcoming the withdrawal effects like cravings for a smoke.

There is accurate awareness on many health risks of tobacco or cigarette smoke that are solely related to women. Let us know the affects of smoking which are unique to women and realize why smoking cessation is necessary;

Smoking affects on Menstruation, Menopause

• Smoking women experience unusual vaginal discharge or bleeding in most of the cases.
• The components of nicotine in the female body increase the frequency of secondary amenorrhea or absence of menstruation as well as irregularity of periods.
• Smoking women reach natural menopause at least two years earlier than non-smokers or those who quitted smoking.

Smoking affects and oral contraceptives

• Women who are smoking and using oral contraceptives are ten times more at risk of heart attack and stroke compared to those who are smoking but not taking contraceptives.
• They are more at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as blood clots.
• As the risk increases with age, the use of oral contraceptive is not recommended to a woman who is smoking and is over 35.

Smoking affects on Hormones

• The benefits of Estrogen replacement therapy are many times negated by the increased cardiovascular and other health risks associated with cigarette smoking
• Smoking women are at more risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke during the use of estrogens
• Please let your doctor know about your tobacco before beginning hormone replacement therapy.

Smoking affects and Infertility

• Many studies proved that smoking women have reduced fertility.
• Smoking women were found to take more than one year to conceive.
• Recent researches have represented the fact that the fertility of smoking women was 72% then that of non-smokers.

Smoking & Libido

• During sexual arousal, the labia, clitoris, and vagina also swell up with blood enhancing sensation and arousal. As nicotine restricts blood flow that have a negative effect on sensation and arousal.

Smoking affects on Pregnancy

• Tobacco chemicals passed to fetus from the blood stream of pregnant mothers.
• Smoking during pregnancy results in preterm delivery, premature rupture of membranes, placenta previa, miscarriage, neonatal death.
• The birth weight reduction depends on the quality of cigarettes a woman smokes during pregnancy; the more she smokes during pregnancy, lower the birth weight.
• Recent studies refer to the reduction of the flow of blood in the placenta due to nicotine, which limits the amount of nutrients that reach the fetus.

Smoking affects on Infant health

• Cigarette smoking increases the chances of sudden infant death syndrome including infant and prenatal deaths.
• Babies born to smoking mothers suffer from learning disorders, attention deficit disorder and disruptive behavior.
• Infants, whose mothers smoked during the time of pregnancy, have the same nicotine levels in their bloodstream as smoking adults. They go through nicotine withdrawal syndrome during their initial days of life.
• Babies born to smoking mothers are on average 200 grams (8 ozs) lighter than babies born to non-smoking mothers.
• Toddlers born to smoking mothers experience more ear aches, respiratory problems, colds, and illnesses requiring pediatrician visits compared to children born to nonsmoking mothers.

Not only a woman is victimized by tobacco use and cigarette smoking, the well-being of her baby is also endangered. If you understand the reasons behind the unquestionable necessity of quit smoking , there are many anti-smoking medications available, and Chantix is one of those medications that can be a boon, to the woman as well as her child.

Passive Smoking Effects

How secondhand smoking affects your family and environment!

Passive smoking means the smoke in the ambience exhaled from the lungs of the smoker or the smoke that comes from a person’s burning end of cigarette, cigar or pipe and that inhaled by others. This is also known as involuntary smoking, secondhand smoking and Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS).

There are 4000 chemicals in tobacco having 100 identified poisons and 63 components that cause cancer. When the smokers are directly taking these poisons in, they are, at the same time, polluting the environment with the dangerous chemicals. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) causes death of an estimated 3,000 nonsmoking Americans per year due to lung cancer and 300,000 children undergo lower respiratory tract infections.

Worldwide research institutes have established the facts of short term and long term effects of environmental tobacco smoke. Let us understand these one by one;

Short Term Effects: It depends upon the susceptibility of a person to nicotine. Some can stay in a room with smokers for quite a long time apparently without being effected. Others may feel ill within a few minutes or an hour of exposure to environmental smoke.

• Asthma patients may experience attacks due to ETS exposure.
• Allergy patients experience all types of allergic symptoms like stuffy nose, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, wheezing etc.
• Coughing
• Headache
• Nausea
• Lethargy
• People who are trying to quit feel cravings for a smoke

Long Term Effects: There are quite a number of dangerous long term effects of environmental smoke depending upon the frequency of exposure to involuntery smoking. The likelihood of below mentioned diseases are increased by frequent exposure to passive smoking.

• Risk of lung cancer
• Risk of heart disease
• Risk of miscarriages and birth defects
• Risk of developing asthma in children and adults
• Risk of ear infections
• Aggravated asthma, allergies, and other conditions
• Learning difficulty in children
• Risk of lung infection

California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a review by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) identify the consequences of passive smoking which are displayed in the table below;

CHILDBIRTH & CHILDHOOD	DISEASES IN CHILDREN	DISEASES IN ADULTS	OTHERS
# Low Birth Weight # Cot death (SIDS)	Induction & Exacerbation of # Asthama; # Pneumonia; # Bronchitis;	# Lung Cancer; # Heart disease Stroke; # Nasal Cancer;	# Spontaneous abortion; # Meningococcal infections in children; # Undesirable impact on learning and behavioural development in children; # Cancers and leukaemia in children; #Exacerbation of cystic fibrosis; #Asthma exacerbation in adults; #Decreased lung function; #Cervical cancer;

Smoking Statistics

• Being responsible for more than 118,000 deaths, COPD was the fourth most important cause of death in the United States in the year 2001.



• Due to Tobacco induced lung cancer, 124, 0000 deaths were recorded from 1995 to 1999.



• Smoking or other form of tobacco use killed 440,000 people which make it about 20% of total deaths in the U.S. from 1995 to 1999.



• Each year passive smoking causes 3,000 cancer deaths and 300,000 sufferers from respiratory tract infections.



• Medical cost on tobacco induced diseases exceeds $75,000,000,000 per year.



• Any type of tobacco use during pregnancy is responsible for lower birth weight, a major reason behind sudden infant death syndrome.



• Tobacco is responsible for productivity loss greater than $80,000,000,000 per year.

Effects Of Stop Smoking - Enrich Your Life In More Ways Than One

Even if you are a chain smoker, who cannot live for fifteen minutes together without smoking a cigarette, you will be knowing full well how this habit of yours is wreaking havoc with your health. There is enough literature present everywhere and you would have to be living on another planet to miss it, and indeed a statutory warning of smoking being injurious to health is plastered on the very cigarette packet you use.

But just to start the record, let me reiterate what all diseases your smoking habit may cause. The smoke you take in directly enters the respiratory system, so that is where your health depreciation will begin. Emphysema, bronchitis and a general difficulty in breathing are the most common ones. If you have asthma, then your smoking habit could greatly aggravate it.

If you have diabetes, the nicotine in the cigarette can make your blood sugar levels go up, and you know very well what kind of complications diabetes mellitus can cause on its own. And, of course, we should not forget the cancers. Smoking increases the risk of several types of cancers, most notably oral cancer and lung cancer.

Hence, one of the most major effects of stop smoking will be that you will be able to live a healthier life. But that is certainly not all. There are many things you will get that you might not even have thought about. Here are some of these hidden effects of stop smoking that you will be able to enjoy:

An Improved Family Life - The first positive effect of your smoking cessation will be evident in the way your own family reacts with you. Your partner might appreciate you better too, and so will your children. If you have mainly nonsmokers in your family, then you might have also been an object of ridicule when you were a smoker. As soon as you give up smoking, though, they will appreciate you for your determination and coming out of the vice.

An Improved Social Life - Your friends will appreciate you better too. Remember that there are always more nonsmokers than smokers. So, there is all chance you are among the few smokers - if there are any at all - in your social circle. That could have also been the reason for you to miss out on invitations and being generally left out from the group. Welcome yourself back in your social circle again by giving up the damaging smoking habit.

An Improved Career - The nicotine in the cigarette can interfere with your brain receptors. That would lead you to lose focus from your work, and could take a heavy toll on your professional life. When you are able to get yourself rid of the habit, you will find a marked improvement in the way you work, and your earnings will certainly go up.

Enjoy Life Better - Finally, you will be doing yourself the best service by giving up your smoking habit. You will breathe easier, appreciate nature better and be able to do the things you always wanted - like participate in sports. Smokers do not realize how much they are shunting themselves out from the world; but it is a fact that nonsmokers live better lives in several ways than smokers do.

What Are Some Rewards of Quit Smoking!

Within a few days you will probably begin to notice some remarkable changes in your body. Your sense of smell and taste may improve. You will breathe easier, and your smoker's hack will begin to disappear, although you may notice that you will continue to cough for a while. And you will be free from the mess, smell, inconvenience, expense, and dependence of cigarette smoking.

It is important to understand that the long range after-effects of quitting are only temporary and signal the beginning of a healthier life. Now that you've quit, you've added a number of healthy productive days to each year of your life. Most important, you've greatly improved your chances for a longer life. You have significantly reduced your risk of death from heart disease, stroke, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and several kinds of cancer­p;not just lung cancer. (Cigarette smoking is responsible every year for approximately 130,000 deaths from cancer, 170,000 deaths from heart disease, and 50,000 deaths from lung disease.)

Relapse: If You Do Smoke Again

If you slip and smoke, don't be discouraged. Many former smokers tried to stop several times before they finally succeeded.

What to Do

• Recognize that you have had a slip. A slip means that you have had a small setback and smoked a cigarette or two. But your first cigarette did not make you a smoker to start with, and a small setback does not make you a smoker again.

• Don't be too hard on yourself. One slip doesn't mean you're a failure or that you can't be a nonsmoker, but it is important to get yourself back on the nonsmoking track immediately.

• Identify the trigger. Exactly what was it that prompted you to smoke? Be aware of the trigger and decide now how you will cope with it when it comes up again.

• Know and use the coping skills described above. People who know at least one coping skill are more likely to remain nonsmokers than those who do not know any.

• Sign a contract with yourself to remain a nonsmoker.

• If you think you need professional help, see your healthcare provider for extra motivation to stop smoking. You may want to ask about nicotine gum or a nicotine patch as an alternative source of nicotine while you break the smoking habit.

Quitting is not easy

One of the most vicious diseases in today’s times is smoking. It makes a person baffle for air 3 times more than a non-smoker. It has very many repercussions on the life of the smoker and those around him. It leads to lung cancer and various heart diseases like asthma and emphysema. We should thus abhor this deadly disease and quit smoking.

Quitting is not easy

But to actually quit smoking is not easy, because it is an addiction. However there are very many ways and methods that help us to quit smoking for instance we can opt for acupuncture therapy or aromatherapy. We can also opt for non-nicotine cigarettes or go for precise prescription by a doctor.

But first and foremost we need to decide in our heart to stop smoking and should also fix a day for the same. Inform your family about your decision and seek for their help and assistance. Throw away all the cigarette packets, ashtrays and lighters. Stop buying any more cigarettes. Rather think of the more useful and better things that you can buy with the money thus saved. Ask the other family members also, who smoke, to stop smoking. Keep yourself busy. Exercise regularly and meditate occasionally. Eat healthy food.

After doing all this you may still feel severe urges to smoke. You may also actually retort back to it, but that’s no problem, just be persistent and bring back your decision on to the right track after this break, because most of the people are successful only after 2-3 attempts.

Be prepared for withdrawal symptoms

About 80% people retort back to smoking after once leaving it and only 20% successfully accomplish the task. People retort back due to many reasons. Some say they feel agitated. Others say that the aroma when someone lights up is irresistible. But most of them do so due to the fear of symptoms that appears after that last puff viz. weight gain, aggressive thinking, dry throat, fatigue, muscle cramps, constipation, dizziness, hypersensitivity to stimuli, etc. but these are all just temporary symptoms and disappear in a few days. In fact after the initial bout is over the blood pressure, heart rate, pulse arte all get back to normal. You thus need to keep your will power strong and stick to your decision for a few more days.

Some people are not able to continue with the smoke cessation programs because they say that they are costly. But this is a wrong perception because they are not costlier than the price spent for buying cigarettes. And then isn’t it more logical to spend on your health rather on a disease.

The Pros And Cons Of Smoking

Though the smokers are aware of the dangers of smoking, they are not able to kick the bad habit. They have their own reasons for smoking. Let's have a look at the various pros and cons of smoking.

The pros of smoking are as below:
1) Most of the smokers believe that they feel a very strong bonding with other smokers.
2) Smokers enjoy a sense of gratification by smoking.
3) Smoking cigarettes give smokers the feeling of creating a ritual.
4) Nicotine gives a feeling of pleasure to the smokers.
5) Watching the smoke swirl and the cigarette burn is a fun for most of the smokers.

But the cons of smoking cigarette are numerous. They are:
1) Cigarette smoke leaves an after smell on everything: your clothes, car and home.
2) You may not be able to breathe properly.

3) You may have a nagging cough all day and night.
4) You may suffer from severe headaches, and occasional migraines.
5) You may feel dizzy after smoking cigarettes too fast or after having too many of them.
6) You may have yellow skin, tooth and fingernails.
7) You may have lot of phlegm, which may force you to clear your voice continuously and may even make you lose your voice mid sentence.
8) You may suffer from increased rate of hypertension.
9) You may have a feeling of inadequacy and substance dependence.
10) You may suffer from nausea after too much of smoking.
11) You may feel anxiety and no relaxation throughout the day.
12) You may experience limited motivation and energy to do anything.
13) The sense of smell and taste may diminish.
14) You may accidentally burn holes in you clothes or your upholstery.
15) You are wasting your hard earned money and ruining your health as well.
16) You may also suffer from lingering colds and bronchitis.

Surely, the cons outnumber the pros and give you reason enough to quit this bad habit, right now!

Develop a scare for smoking

There has been a constant research throughout the world to find an easy and perfect way to quit smoking. Medical science is still conducting a thorough research to discover some perfect ways to help people quit smoking.

Smokers are often confused when it comes to kicking out the habit of smoking. If you are a smoker, and do not have commitment, it will become extremely difficult for you to quit smoking. You will, in fact, be neck deep in this trouble. It won’t be easy to quit smoking in such a circumstance.

But, you will become disgusted with the habit of smoking, with the passage of time. So, what to do in such a scenario? Develop a scare for smoking. Scare develops a sense of fear in your mind about lung cancer and cardiac arrest. In fact, this scare or fear will lead you on the path of victory where you will find yourself in the non-smoking zone one day.

Besides, if there is someone in your family who has had such an experience, you will really have to draw lessons from his life. You will need to act accordingly and take preventive measures to quit smoking. It is very unfortunate though that the smoker takes such steps once the tide has passed over the head.

The true story of Bryan Lee Curtis

Bryan Lee Curtis, then 33, holds son Bryan Jr., 2, in this March 29 photo.
Curtis would die about two months later.

On the day of Bryan's death, June 3,
wife Bobbie and son Bryan keep a bedside vigil.

He wanted you to know

ST. PETERSBURG -- Cigarette smoke hangs in the air in the room where Bryan Lee Curtis lies dying of lung cancer.

His head, bald from chemotherapy, lolls on a pillow. The bones of his cheeks and shoulders protrude under taut skin. His eyes are open, but he can no longer respond to his mother or his wife, Bobbie, who married him in a makeshift ceremony in this room three weeks ago after doctors said there was no hope.

In Bryan's emaciated hands, Bobbie has propped a photograph taken just two months ago. It shows a muscular and seemingly healthy Bryan holding his 2-year-old son, Bryan Jr. In the picture, he is 33. He turned 34 on May 10.

A pack of cigarettes and a lighter sit on a table near Bryan's bed in his mother's living room. Even though tobacco caused the cancer now eating through his lungs and liver, Bryan smoked until a week ago, when it became impossible.

Across the room, a 20-year-old nephew crushes out a cigarette in a large glass ashtray where the butt joins a dozen others. Bobbie Curtis says she'll try to stop after the funeral, but right now, it's just too difficult. Same for Bryan's mother, Louise Curtis.

"I just can't do it now," she says, although she hopes maybe she can after the funeral.

Bryan knew how hard it is to quit. But when he learned he would die because of his habit, he thought maybe he could persuade at least a few kids not to pick up that first cigarette. Maybe if they could see his sunken cheeks, how hard it was becoming to breathe, his shriveled body, it might scare them enough.

So a man whose life was otherwise unremarkable set out in the last few weeks of his life with a mission.

* * *

Bryan started when he was just 13, building up to more than two packs a day. He talked about quitting from time to time, but never seriously tried.

Plenty of time for that, he figured. Older people got cancer. Not people in their 30s, not people who worked in construction, as a roofer, as a mechanic.

He had no health insurance. But he was more worried about his mother, 57, who had smoked since she was 25.

"He would say, "Mom, don't worry about me. Worry about yourself. I'm healthy,' " Louise Curtis remembers. "You think this would happen later, when you're 60 or 70 years old, not when you're his age."

He knew, only a few days after he went to the hospital on April 2 with severe abdominal pain, how wrong he had been. He had oat cell lung cancer that had spread to his liver. He probably had not had it long. Also called small cell lung cancer, it's an aggressive killer that usually claims the lives of its victims within a few months.

While it seems unusual to the Curtis family, Dr. Jeffrey Paonessa, Bryan's oncologist, said he is seeing more lung cancer in young adults.

"We've seen lung cancer earlier and earlier because people are starting to smoke earlier and earlier," Paonessa said. Chemotherapy sometimes slows the process, but had little effect in Bryan's case, he said.

Bryan also knew, a few days after the diagnosis, that he wanted somehow to try to save at least one kid from the same fate. He sat down and talked with Bryan Jr. and his 9-year-old daughter, Amber, who already had been caught once with a cigarette. But he wanted to do more. Somehow, he had to get his story out.

When he still had some strength to leave the house, kids would stare.

"They'd come up and look at him because he looked so strange," Louise Curtis said. "He'd look at them and say, "This is what happens to you when you smoke.'

"The kids would say, "Oh, man. I can't believe it,' " Louise Curtis said.

In the last few weeks, Bryan's mother has been the agent for his mission to accomplish some good with the tragedy. She has called newspapers and radio and television stations, seeking someone willing to tell her son's story, willing to help give him the one thing he wanted before he died. Bryan never got to tell his story to the public. He spoke for the last time an hour before a visit from a Times reporter and photographer.

"I'm too skinny. I can't fight anymore," he whispered to his mother at 9 a.m. June 3. He died that day at 11:56 a.m., just nine weeks after the diagnosis.

Bryan Lee Curtis Sr. was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Petersburg on June 8, a rare cloudy day that threatened rain.

At the funeral service at nearby Blount, Curry and Roel Funeral Home, Bryan's casket was open and 50 friends and relatives could see the devastating effects of the cancer.

Addiction is more powerful.

As the graveside ritual ended, a handful of relatives backed away from the gathering, pulled out packs of cigarettes and lit up.

Why people smoke?

Why people smoke when they know how dangerous is it? In fact, most of the smokers start smoking in their teen ages.

Let’s see why young people smoke:

1. Young people smoke to look mature - when teens see older people all around them smoking, especially their parents and relatives, they start smoking because they want to look like them.

2. To be like their friend - if their friends or peers smoke, they feel pressured into doing the same to be accepted.

3. To experiment - some teens start smoking because they want to experiment with something new or because of curiosity.

Adults smoke for other reasons:

1. Because of the stess and pressures

2. Because of economic and personal problems

They may be unemployed or working but not making enough money to take care of themselves and their families. They may be homeless, or they may be dealing with alcohol or cocaine/heroin addictions. All these people may smoke to feel relaxed or to give them energy while going through a hard time.

Finally, there are people who say they love to smoke. Smoking gives them pleasure and makes them feel good.

Number one cause of death in America

Have you ever realized that the smoking is number one killer in America although it is the most preventable? Do you know that smoking is the major cause of heart attack? The statistic shows that it’s responsible for 40 percent of all heart attacks in people under sixty-five.

Smoking contributes to reduced bone marrow which causes bone and hip fractures. It also has an bad effect on your skin. It causes wrinkles around the eyes and mouth and gives skin a leathery appearance in some people.

Smoking is also associated with cervical cancer, stomach ulcers and cancer, kidney and bladder cancers, coronary heart disease, and lung cancer. It can also contribute to cancer of your voice box and throat. Add erectile dysfunction to the list. It is said that one in every five deaths in the United States is smoking related.

According to the 1990 report of the US Surgeon General, ‘Smoking is probably the most important modifiable cause of poor pregnancy outcome among women in the United States.‘

The Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health, 1964 stated that ‘the habitual use of tobacco is related to psychological and social drives reinforced and perpetuated by pharmacological actions on the central nervous system, the latter being interpreted subjectively as a stimulant or a tranquilizer depending on the individual response‘.

All you must know is that smoking really harms your health seriously!

7 reasons to quit smoking!!

You might know but smoking is bad for your health. The effects of smoking on the health are very serious - it can lead to very serious consequences such as lung cancer, bronchitis, pneumonia and more…In this article I’ll tell you 7(seven) reasons you have to quit smoking as soon as possible!

Quit Smoking Reason #1
Smoking causes the skin to age prematurely and fine lines and wrinkles to develop. Why?

Smokers tend to pucker their mouth when they puff on their cigarette. The constant contractions of the muscles around the area of the mouth cause wrinkles to develop around the mouth.

Quit Smoking Reason #2
This is another reason why smokers tend to develop fine lines and wrinkles. Smokers tend to close their eyes tight to avoid cigarette smoke in their eyes. Wrinkles may also develop around the eyes.

Quit Smoking Reason #3
Smoking causes the carbon monoxide levels in the blood to increase. This promotes the formation of age-inducing free radicals.

Quit Smoking Reason #4
Nicotine has adrenaline-like effects. It causes blood vessels to constrict. That reduces oxygen supply to the tissues. Heavy smokers have an almost five-fold increased risk of wrinkles compared to those who don’t.

Quit Smoking Reason #5
Smoking also delays wound healing. In a study of 120 women undergoing laparotomy (exploratory surgery), women who smoked had poorer scars compared to non-smokers.

Quit Smoking Reason #6
Smoking causes many health problems, some of which are serious and life threatening. Smoking has been known to cause lung cancer.

Quit Smoking Reason #7
Smoking also depletes the body’s stores of Vitamin C. In one study, smokers with similar intake of Vitamin C had consistently lower blood Vitamin C levels compared to non-smokers. Vitamin C is involved in the synthesis of collagen and is a powerful anti-oxidant in itself.

quit smoking, start remembering and don't forget it

I bet you know that when you get older your memory is not what it used to be when you were young, this is normal. Yes but do you know exactly why? Don’t you want to know how to help you retain or increase your memory? Did you know there are 4 main reasons for this degeneration?

1. Reduction in Neurotransmitters, especially acetylcholine causes decline in your brain function.
2. Reduced blood circulation. The brain uses a significant proportion of all blood. Any impediment to blood flow therefore has a huge impact on brain function.
3. Effects of Cortisol. Cortisol is produced in your brain when you are stressed and damages your Hippocamus which basically converts short term memories to long term ones. The damage in the hippocampus also triggers further production of cortisol setting off a ever increasing cycle of cell damage.
4. Free radical damage. Free radicals are atoms that have an electron imbalance and are constantly seeking to steal an electron to make itself whole. This process of stealing electrons from cells causes cell damage. Brain cells are no exception and brain cell damage also occurs due to free radical activity.

“Ok, these are the reasons, show me how to increase my memory!”. There are many ways to limiting and preventing brain degeneration:

1. Limit alchohol intake and quit smoking will help you reduce the free radical damage and brain damage.
   
2. Limit your intake of salt, fat and cholesterol. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and foods high in antioxidants.
3. Do exercises, don’t become overweight.
4. Control your blood presure.
5. Don’t stress to much!
6. Eat fish. They contain Omega 3 fatty acids which helps you in the battle with the free radical damage.
7. Limit the depression, it affect the way your brain processes information and retrieves it.
8. Do mental exercises like playing board games.

Timeline of quit smoking health benefits:

• After 20 minutes - Both your blood pressure and your pulse rate will have stabilised at a more natural level. As your circulation improves, the temperature in your hands and feet increases to a normal level as the arteries recover.
• After 8 hours - The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops as the amount of oxygen carried throughout the body increases. Smoking hinders both brain and muscle functions by reducing the amount of oxygen available to inadequate levels. The levels of carbon monoxide will now be reduced to a level about 50% of what they used to be when you smoked. Another benefit, probably more noticeable to people other than the ex-smoker themselves, is that “smoker’s breath” becomes less pronounced.
• After 24 hours - Not only is your body now functioning more efficiently, the chances of enjoying your improved health are also increased. Not smoking for a day is all it takes to reduce your statistical chances of suffering a heart attack and improve your chances of surviving one. It also takes about 24 hours for the last of the extra carbon monoxide from smoking to be eliminated from your body.
• After 48 hours - Your senses of taste and smell have become much keener compared to their previously dulled state. Excess mucus and toxic debris that has collected over time will begin to be cleared from the lungs. Although there will initially be an increase in the amount of mucus dislodged from the lungs, breathing will gradually become easier. Amazingly, those nerve endings that were damaged by the smoking habit will begin to regenerate once you quit.
• After 72 hours - Your bronchial tubes become more relaxed and less constricted, making it easier to breathe. The risk of thrombosis is reduced as the blood’s clotting agents return to normal.
• After 2 to 3 weeks - Your lung capacity will have increased by up to 30%. In combination with improved circulation, this means that you will find it easier to engage in physical exercise.
• After 1 to 9 months - You will experience less coughing, wheezing, sinus congestion and shortness of breath. The fatigue associated with these symptoms will decrease as your overall energy levels continue to rise. As the microscopic, hairlike cilia regrow, they increase the lung’s ability to purify the air by once again filtering out impurities and clearing mucus. This also reduces the chances of developing an infection, especially in the sinuses.
• After 1 year - The excess risk of coronary heart disease is now approximately half that of a smoker.
• After 2 years - The risk of a heart attack drops to a more normal level.
• After 5 years - The risk of developing cancer of the mouth, throat or oesophagus will now be half that of a smoker. Abstaining from smoking for between 5 to 15 years will mean that you have reduced your risk of having a stroke to the equivalent of a non-smoker.
• After 10 years - Your lung cancer death rate will now be equivalent to that of a non-smoker. The risk of developing other cancers, such as cancer of the kidneys, pancreas or bladder, is decreased. Healthy cells gradually replace pre-cancerous cells in the body.
• After 15 years - Your risk of developing coronary heart disease will be the same as that of a life-long non-smoker.

* The timeline may be different for different people, just as some people are naturally healthier to begin with, the fact remains that your body will be better off once you quit smoking.

There is Easy Way To Stop Smoking - Be Brave!!

always an easy way to stop smoking. The question is how. Changing your mindset is the simplest thing to do to quit smoking. But often, simple things in life seem the toughest.

Years of smoking make your brain believe that smoking is an integral part of you. You become emotionally attached with cigarettes and the question is to severe the emotional links. Smoking habit is a psychologically addictive habit rather than a nicotine habit and the easiest way to quit it, is to shake up those beliefs associated with smoking.

Smokers never claim that their habit is a healthy one. They would say that smoking helps them to relax. Start with listing all the positives smoking brings to your life and then detach your self and question them. You would see those positives are nothing but illusions.
Every New Year people make resolutions to quit smoking but finally they fail. So you need something to assist you to make your resolution come true and find an easy way to stop smoking.

There are various aids, some of which are available in the market to help you to quit smoking:
- Nicotine patches, nasal sprays, gums, lozenges, inhalers are some of the stuffs to help you to reduce your nicotine craving.- Natural cures to give up smoking are calamas and chamomile. Chew the root of the first one to reduce your desire of smoking and take the second one 3 to 6 times a day to help yourself relax.- Hypnotherapy is one of the best ways to quit smoking. It is 60% to 70% successful to help you put off your bad habit. Hypnotherapy reaches your sub conscious to cleanse your mind from the cravings of nicotine. According to an analysis in 1992 by New Scientist Magazine, proved that hypnosis is 60% successful in helping people to quit smoke. Usually a single session may prove helpful or you may get a stop smoking CD to carry on with the session according to your time.- Acupuncture, aromatherapy, meditation and complete relaxation practices are other ways to put off the bad habit.- Sheer determination and will power are very important to quit smoking.- Counseling is a great support to boost your will power. Many private, governmental and charitable organizations provide stop smoking counseling.- Proper medication can also help you to quit smoking according to doctor's recommendation.

You just have to opt the best and an easy way to stop smoking. In the beginning you may feel anxious, irritable and craving for nicotine but in the long run a healthy and strong life awaits you.

pictures about effect of smoking

Quit smoking

Smokers who die as a direct result of smoking lose 16 years of life on average. Quitting smoking halves your risk of getting lung cancer or heart disease, stoke or chronic lung disease within a few years!. After 10 to 15 years, it is the risk of cancer and heart disease drops to the same as a non-smoker. Ex-smokers save thousands of dollars per year (or more if they are from Britain) to spend on holidays and luxuries they otherwise couldn? t afford! Quitting smoking sets a role model to your children, grand children, friends and family - gaining you respect and filling you with pride.

How does smoking affect your body?

What are the short term effects of smoking?

Brain - Increase in carbon monoxide and reduced oxygen may lead to sub-optimal brain functioning.

Ears - Reduced blood flow causing deafness.

Eyes - Watery, sore eyes which may impair vision.

Mouth - Unpleasant sense of taste and sensation in lips, tongue, and throat.

- Bad breath and mouth infections.

Nose - Reduced sense of smell.

Skin - Decreased skin temperature

- Early wrinkles on the face.

Lungs - Difficulty in breathing and reduced athletic performance.

What are the long term effects of smoking?

• Cancers (e.g. of the Lung, Breast, Mouth-throat and Intestine).
• Heart diseases.
• Strokes.
• Lung diseases (e.g. asthma, bronchitis).
• Mouth and gum diseases.
• Ulcer (stomach, peptic).
• Osteoporosis (bone thinning).
• Infertility (unable to produce babies).
• Low sex drive.
• Impotence.

Smoking: What Are The Effects?

Effects of tobacco smoke
Tar in cigarettes coats the lungs and can cause lung and throat cancer in smokers. It is also responsible for the yellow brown staining on smokers' fingers and teeth.

Carbon monoxide in cigarettes robs the muscles, brain and blood of oxygen, making the whole body especially the heart — work harder. Over time this causes airways to narrow and blood pressure to rise, and can lead to heart attack and stroke. High levels of CO, together with nicotine, increase the risk of heart disease, hardening of the arteries and other circulatory problems. A first-time smoker will often feel dizzy and sick.

‘Light’ or ‘low tar’ cigarettes
Research has shown that there is little difference between the amount of chemicals inhaled by people who smoke ‘light’ or ‘low tar’ cigarettes and those who smoke regular cigarettes. People who smoke ‘light’ cigarettes have the same risk of developing smoking-related diseases as people who smoke regular cigarettes.

Immediate effects
Soon after smoking tobacco, the following effects may be experienced:

• initial stimulation, then reduction in brain and nervous system activity;
• enhanced alertness and concentration;
• mild euphoria;
• feelings of relaxation;
• increased blood pressure and heart rate;
• decreased blood flow to body extremities like the fingers and toes;
• dizziness, nausea, watery eyes and acid in the stomach; and
• decreased appetite, taste and smell.

Overdose
Although rare, it is possible to overdose on the nicotine in tobacco.

Very large doses of nicotine can result in an increase in the unpleasant effects, including feelings of faintness and confusion, and a rapid decrease in blood pressure and breathing rate.

In some cases, it can lead to convulsions and death from respiratory failure. 60 milligrams of nicotine taken orally can be fatal for an adult.

Long-term effects
It is estimated that more than 140,000 hospital episodes and 19,000 deaths in Australia can be attributed to tobacco use every year. The principal diagnoses are cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Passive smoking
Passive smoking can cause a number of health problems including heart disease, lung cancer and irritation of the eyes and nose. It involves breathing in tobacco smoke from other people's cigarettes: smoke that has been exhaled or smoke from the end of a lit cigarette.

50 Australians die every day from smoking, compared to 10 who die from alcohol-related conditions and 4 who die as a result of road accidents.

Tolerance and dependence
People who use tobacco tend to develop a tolerance to the effects of the nicotine in the tobacco very quickly. This means they need to smoke more and more in order to get the same effect.

With repeated use of tobacco, the risk of dependence on nicotine is high. Dependence on nicotine can be physiological, psychological or both.

People who are physically dependent on nicotine find their body has become used to functioning with the nicotine present and may experience withdrawal symptoms when they reduce their nicotine intake.

People who are psychologically dependent on nicotine may find they feel an urge to smoke when they are in specific surroundings, such as at the pub, or in particular situations such as during their lunch break or socialising with friends.

Research has shown that smoking is often associated with different roles and meanings for smokers, including the following.

• Social roles, such as enjoyment of the company of friends, the drinking of coffee or alcohol, and promoting social confidence and feelings of independence (particularly for young women).

• Emotional roles — caring for the self, such as helping to deal with stress and anxiety, weight control and providing ‘companionship’.

• Temporal roles, such as connecting the flow of events or time in the smoker's day, providing a break from work or activities and relieving boredom.

This may be why smoking is sometimes referred to as the most difficult drug to give up.

Withdrawal
If a person who is dependent on the nicotine in tobacco suddenly stops using it or reduces the amount they use, they will experience withdrawal symptoms because their body has to readjust to functioning without the drug.

Most of these symptoms will disappear within days or weeks of quitting smoking, but cravings may persist for years after stopping using tobacco.

Symptoms include:

• cravings;
• irritability, agitation, depression and anxiety;
• insomnia and disturbed sleeping patterns;
• increased appetite and weight gain;
• restlessness and loss of concentration;
• headaches;
• coughing and sore throat;
• body aches and pains; and
• stomach and bowel upsets.

Cigarette Ingredients

What is in a cigarette?

A cigarette (French) "small cigar", from cigar + -ette) is a product consumed through smoking and finely cut tobacco leaves and reconstituted tobacco, often combined with other additives, then rolled or stuffed into a paper-wrapped cylinder (generally less than 120 mm in length and 10 mm in diameter). The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder for the purpose of inhalation of its smoke from the other (usually filtered) end, which is inserted in the mouth. They are sometimes smoked with a cigarette holder. The term cigarette, as commonly used, refers to a tobacco cigarette but can apply to similar devices containing other herbs, such as cannabis. and manufactured out of cured

Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known cancer-causing (carcinogenic) compounds and 400 other toxins. These include nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide, as well as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, and DDT.

Nicotine is highly addictive. Smoke containing nicotine is inhaled into the lungs, and the nicotine reaches your brain in just six seconds.

Cigarettes contain over 4,000 ingredients other than tobacco and cigarette smoke contains 69 carcinogens. In addition to common additives such as yeast, wine, caffeine, beeswax and chocolate, cigarettes contain various ingredients with other common uses:

Acetic Acid: vinegar

Acetone: nail polish remover

Ammonia: cleaning agent

Arsenic: poison, used as an insecticide

Butane: lighter fluid

Cadmium: found in batteries

DDT: insecticide outlawed by the US Government in the 1970’s because of human teratogenic (birth defect) properties

Ethanol: alcohol

Formaldehyde: substance used to preserve body tissue; a known carcinogen

Hexamine: barbecue lighter

Hydrogen cyanide: gas chamber poison

Methanol: rocket fuel

Naphthalene: moth balls

Nitrobenzene: gasoline additive

Toluene: an industrial solvent

Vinyl chloride: plastic piping