Monday, October 21, 2013

The Results Of Preventing Smoking

There seems to be a rift between smokers and non-smokers. Non-smokers can never understand why a smoker--even with all the data out about how dangerous the habit is--would ever start smoking. Smokers, on the other hand, can't seem to understand how anyone could get through so many years of life without the euphoric effects of nicotine. Ultimately, the non-smokers are right to find the answers to life's anxiety through other means than cigarettes. The price of cigarettes are starting to rise and many states have banned smoking indoors. Time is prime to quit, and this article will help the soon-to-be non-smoker understand the harmful effects as well as the benevolent effects of stopping smoking.


Nicotine


Nicotine is a highly addictive drug found naturally in tobacco. When smoke is inhaled, the nicotine mixes with various parts of the body, such as the bloodstream, the heart, the brain, and, of course, the lungs. Over time, the smoker becomes emotionally and physically addicted to nicotine. The nervous system eventually adapts to the amount of nicotine in the smoker's body, thereby necessitating more and more to attain that euphoric feeling.


Why It's Hard to Quit


Without nicotine, the body goes through a withdrawal period that starts a few hours after the last cigarette and reaches its apex 2 to 3 days after that. Withdrawal symptoms include:


Dizziness (can last up to 1 to 2 days after quitting)


Depression


Emotions of frustration, impatience, and anger


Anxiety


Irritability


Trouble sleeping


Trouble concentrating


Restlessness


Headaches


Enervation


Greater appetite


Immediate Benefits


The body, miracle of evolution that it is, will start to recover almost immediately after that last cigarette. Here's a time line of immediate healing:


20 minutes after the last cigarette: Heart rate and blood pressure drops to normal.


12 hours: Carbon Monoxide levels drop to normal.


2 weeks to 3 months: Lung capacity improves and circulation starts to go back to normal.


1 to 9 months: Lesser coughing and shortness of breath. Cilia in the lungs start to function properly by cleaning the lungs of mucus, thereby lessening the risks of infection.


Other immediate benefits include having an ever-increasing capacity for cardiovascular efforts, being able to taste and smell better, the teeth becoming whiter and the breath smells rosier than before. One piece of advice: The goal of quitting smoking should be thought of on shorter terms than lessening one's risk for lung disease. Going day by day and seeing the results of self-determination pile up one after the other will give the ex-smoker much more confidence to keep on the right path. Focus on the transformation at hand as well as the goal of a lesser risk of disease.


Why One Should Quit


Cancer, lung disease, blindness, strokes, heart attacks, the list rolls on for the health risks associated with smoking. However, a smoker may think that these maladies occur over years of habitual smoking and that, when illness manifests itself, quitting is a short walk away. Of course, this logic is based on very little fact, as the harmful effects of smoking start on the human body as soon as that first puff. Therefore, it is crucial to understand--more than understand it is crucial to know with both body and mind--that smoking is harmful, and quitting is unpleasant. The trend holds true, though: the sooner one quits smoking, the better. The right time, though, won't arrive until the smoker wishes to quit.


Find Help


A crucial step in deciding to quit smoking is to know there is help available. Help can take the form of family and/or friends or nicotine programs. There are some telephone-based programs, such as the American Cancer Society's Quitline, which connect the ailing with counsel. Also, community oriented programs like Nicotine Anonymous offer support. These programs can be found through calling the ACS at 1-800-227-2345.



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