Smoking
Health Risks Associated with Smoking
Heart disease - a cigarette smoker has almost twice the risk of a non-smoker of having a heart attack. The risk of sudden death from heart disease is also elevated.
Lung cancer - smoking causes 81% of deaths from lung cancer. Other lung diseases such as bronchitis are more common in smokers.
Mouth and throat - smoking is linked to cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus.
Stomach and intestines - smoking is linked to cancers of the stomach, pancreas, kidney, liver, bladder and intestine.
Skin - smoking ages the skin prematurely causing deep wrinkles.
Bones - female smokers are at a greater risk of developing osteoporosis.
Reproductive organs - smoking is associated with infertility. The risk of cervical cancer is 4 times higher in women smokers.
Health risk is not divided evenly across the smoking population. These are additional factors to take into account when assessing health risk:
1. Number of cigarettes per day.
2. Total duration of the smoking habit.
3. Depth of inhalation.
4. Age of onset of smoking; the younger the age of onset the greater the risk. This is probably secondary to the increased vunerability of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems during growth and maturation.
5. Personal characteristics; high blood pressure, occupational exposures (eg. asbestos), diabetes, diet and high blood cholesterol. All these factors can greatly increase the health risk from smoking.
Pipe and cigar smokers who have never smoked cigarettes have a lower risk of heart, lung and stomach diseases, but the samerisk of mouth and throat cancers. This is because the smoke is not inhaled so deeply.
The Contents of Tobacco Smoke
Tar - a mixture of over 1,000 chemicals, including a variety of irritants and at least 60 known carcinogens (cancer causing agents). When cigarette smoke is inhaled it condenses, leaving about 70% of the tar from the smoke on the lungs.
Nicotine - the addictive element. It is absorbed very rapidly from the lungs into the blood stream and reaches the brain after about 7 seconds. It increases heart rate, blood pressure and hormone production, causing small blood vessels under the skin to tighten and producing changes in metabolism. Nicotine disappears from the body in about 2 hours, leaving a craving for more.
Carbon monoxide - also found in car exhaust fumes. Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen from haemoglobin, causing a reduction in the oxygen carrying capacity of blood.
Other chemicals - hydrogen cyanide, benzene, formaldehyde and ammonia are all present in small quantities.
Facts
1. Around a quarter of all smokers will be killed prematurely by tobacco.
2. Smokers are 16 times more likely to die from smoking than die in a road accident.
3. Smokers are 28 times more likely to die from smoking than from renal failure or cirrhosis of the liver.
4. Smokers are more than 100 times likely to die from smoking than from AIDS.
Passive Smoking
Passive smoking is breathing in other people's tobacco smoke. Only 15% of smoke from a cigarette is inhaled by the smoker, the rest goes into the surrounding air and other people can breathe it in.
Tobacco smoke in the enviroment contains most of the toxic are carciogenic components found in inhaled cigarette smoke. The risk is much smaller then smoking itself but is never the less a danger.
Breathing in this smoke can cause discomfort such as:
Nose throat and chest irritation.
Breathing difficulties.
Coughing.
Red and runny eyes.
Runny nose or sneezing.
Headaches.
Dizziness and lack of concentration.
Those people with pre-existing allergies, asthma, heart or lung disease can become more symptomatic in a smoky atmosphere.
Passive smoking has also been connected to more serious illnesses such as lung cancer and heart disease. The risk of lung cancer from passive smoking is small but research suggests that it is up to 100 times greater than the risk from asbestos. It has been suggested that passive smoking can increase the risk of lung cancer by 10 to 30%.
Children and unborn babies can be particularly effected. Children of smokers are twice as likely to suffer from bronchitis or pneumonia. A child with two parents who smoke will, on average, take in the same amount of nicotine as if he or she smoked over 100 cigarettes a year.
Wherever possible avoid smoky atmospheres to ensure that you breathe as little smoke as possible.
Giving Up Smoking
Willpower is the most important factor if you want to stop smoking. Before you give up make a list of all the reasons not to smoke. These may include things like health, money, the effect it will have on your children, the smell etc. Keep this list with you at all times to remind you why you want to stop. Ask your family and friends to support you. If you are sure that you want to stop and are certain of your reasons then it will be easier to stick it out.
Health
Stopping smoking is the biggest thing that anyone can do to improve their health. It takes just five years to reduce an ex-smoker's risk to that of a non smoker. Within weeks of giving up you should feel fitter and be able to breathe more easily.
Stress
Stress is one of the main reasons that people smoke, or go back to smoking having given up. Many people believe that smoking helps them cope with the stress of job, family or emotional problems. Nicotine is a stimulant which increases heart rate and alerts the brain. This seems to make you feel calm. When the level of nicotine in your body falls it makes you feel edgy and so you have another cigarette. This relieves the withdrawal and eases the edgy feeling. The edgy feeling, or stress, was actually caused by a craving for nicotine.
Withdrawal Symptoms
To give up smoking is to withdraw from a drug and break a very powerful habit. It takes time to clear the body of nicotine. During this time your body is suffering from withdrawal symptoms which may include hunger, disturbed sleep and dreams, depression, light headedness, irritation, poor concentration and craving. If you are determined and do not give in these withdrawal symptoms should only last for up to a month.
Weight
Many people are worried that if they give up smoking they will put on weight. For some people is this is true, although the weight gain is only a few pounds and usually temporary. There are several reasons why people put on weight. Smoking causes the body to waste some of the energy found in food. When you give up smoking the body returns to its normal state and so needs less energy from food. Some smokers find that they eat more or get cravings for sweet food. Here are some tips to keep the weight gain as small as possible.
- If you continue to eat as you did before you quit smoking, the weight gain should be miminal.
- Do not to let yourself to eat more sweets or larger helpings to compensate for not smoking.
- If you feel the need to snack try eating fruit, low fat yogurt, raw vegetables or meusli bars.
- Stick to a fairly healthy diet and exercise regularly.
Giving Up
There are several methods which are used to help you give up smoking. It is a case of deciding which one would work best for you.
Willpower - rely on your willpower to keep yourself from having a cigarette until all cravings have passed and you consider yourself a non smoker.
Cutting down gradually - although some people have stopped smoking this way, this is not a very effective way to give up, it is best to make a clean break.
Nicotine products - gum, patches, lozenges and tablets. These aim to reduce withdrawal symptoms by introducing a low nicotine level in your blood. They can help wean you off the addiction to nicotine but not help you to break the actual habit of smoking. Do not use nicotine products when pregnant. Do not smoke and use these products at the same time as too much nicotine can make you ill.
Herbal cigarettes - these do not contain nicotine but the effects of tar and carbon monoxide are likely to be much the same as with tobacco.
Dummy cigarettes - these plastic cigarettes are to allow you the satisfaction of drawing on a cigarette while you are not actually smoking. They could help to break the physical habit, but not the nicotine addiction.
Alternative therapies - hypnosis, acupuncture. Although there is no proof that these therapies work they do not harm you either. If you have faith in them they may help you. Make sure that you use a fully qualified practitioner.
Courses and groups - the main benefit is that you feel you are not alone, everyone is going through it together and you can support each other.
Hints and Tips
1. Make a date to stop smoking and stick to it. Most people who quit smoking succesfully do so by stopping altogether, not cutting down gradually.
2. Keep busy over the first few days to keep your mind off smoking.
3. Throw away all your cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays.
4. Drink lots of water. Fruit juice and fruit will provide you with vitamin C which helps the body get rid of nicotine faster.
5. Take more exercise to kep you active and relaxed.
6. Change your routine - avoid the shop where you usually buy cigarettes, try not to drink in the same pub as your smoking friends for a while.
7. Do not allow yourself to make excuses. A crisis or a special occasion is not an excuse for a cigarette. One cigarette leads to another.
8. Use the money you have saved to treat yourself to a holiday, new clothes, a meal out or a CD.
9. Try not to eat more chocolate and junk food. Eat raw vegatables instead. If you need something to do with your mouth try chewing sugar free gum.
10. Find something to do with your hands, fiddle with a pencil or a coin - as long as it isn't a cigarette.
If you do start smoking again then have a break, try not to feel guilty and when you are ready you can begin the whole process again.
If you need any help giving up smoking, talk to your GP or call Quitline, on the freephone number 0800 002200, for any advice and support.
Home / Products / Contact Us / Technical Support / Useful Links / More Health Tips