Smoking is not a habit and it does not exist. The real reason you continue to smoke is to feed the little nicotine monster inside your stomach. The nicotine in your body has to be fed regularly. You the smoker decide when to feed this monster. Normally when you smoke it is on four types of occasions or a combination of occasions. Read more
In 2012 there were an estimated 58.5 million U.S. residents that were smokers. Second hand smoke kills 53,800 non smokers annually. This makes it the third leading cause of preventable death in America.
Second hand smoke (SHS), contains over 4,000 chemical compounds, two hundred known poisons, and sixty carcinogens, some of which include: Lead, nickel, benzene, formaldehyde, chromium, cyanide, ethylene oxide, arsenic, polonium and carbon monoxide. These dangerous particles can linger in the air for hours, and smoke lowers the amount of oxygen in the blood. Residue left on a smoker's clothing can cause health problems, especially in children.
If a person spends more than two hours in a room with a an individual smoking, the non-smoker inhales the equivalent of four cigarettes. The immediate health effects of SHS are coughing, nausea, headache, eye irritation, sore throat, dizziness, and difficulty in breathing. For those already suffering from asthma or other respitory disorders, this can be dangerous.
In adults, second hand smoke can trigger asthma and bronchitis, and is a known risk factor for lung cancer. It increases the risk of heart attacks, and is also a known risk factor for various other types of cancer.
Children who live with smokers are more apt to develop middle ear and sinus infections. SHS is associated with 413 SIDS deaths in the US annually.
Exposure to SHS as a child is associated with a increased risk of developing Atopic dermatitis which is a chronic nflammation of the skin. A higher risk of tooth decay has also been associated with passive tobacco smoking. Children who grow up around smokers have smaller lungs and decreased lung function than that of a child living in a non-smoking home. Children who are consistently exposed to SHS tend to develop childhood asthma.
When children are forced to be in proximity of SHS, such diseases as cystic fibrosis, bronchitis, and even pneumonia are worsened. These conditions are very difficult for small children to tolerate. Middle ear infections are common in children inhaling second hand smoke. The smoke irritates the Eustachian tube, which connects the back of the nose to the middle ear. This causes fluid retention and can be very painful for the child. If diagnosed right away, these infections can be easily cured, but if treatment is delayed, it can lead to permanent reduction in hearing.
The possibility of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) increases when a mother smokes. Lower birth weight, as well as conditions such as cleft lip and palate are seen in instances of maternal smoking.
300,000 cases of toddlers and infants with respiratory diseases are reported yearly. Much of this could be avoided if parents were to think about the affects of their smoking on children.
Revised and updated from original posting @ Knoji.com
My name is Amber and I am 23 years old. That picture above is of my husband and I. We have 4 beautiful children together. Our family consists of three little men and one little princess. They are 4 years old, 2 years old, 1 year old and six months old.
I am a smoker and I have been one since I was thirteen years old. I was pushed into smoking by two cousins of mine. As it turns out, family can be just as persuasive as your best friend. Family sometimes is much worse, because they are supposed to love you.
Well I started because of them, and I have been smoking ever since. My entire family, the women at least, have no teeth.
I am now missing five teeth on top and one on bottom. I currently have stitches in the bottom part of my mouth. I just recently got all of these pulled. This included my front teeth. I am now wearing partial dentures. I have been told by family that it is because of having kids so close together.
I, however, do not think this is true. Perhaps this affected my dental health a little, but I"m quite certain that smoking has caused this problem for me. I no longer feel as pretty as I once did. I do not think I look as young as I really am, thanks to smoking. My mother is only 42 years old and she looks as if she is 65. This is no joke.
I have been reading up on some advice and tips on quitting. I have already lost some of my teeth, but I would like to keep what I do have. I want to be healthier for my children and my husband. They deserve me, and they deserve to have me around for a while. I do not want to go out the way my grandmother did.
My grandmother passed away having to be on oxygen and other medications. I already have asthma, and I do not want to add to that. I hope I have encouraged someone somewhere to quit with this blog. I am trying my hardest to quit myself.
Decided to quite smoking? You've made it through a long way.
Think you can do it all alone? You are not quite right.
Smoking cessation is easier said than done and you need the support of the people around you. Do not feel scared of failure. You'll fail. Again and again. Then one day, you'll succeed.
1) Take support from family and friends: tell them you want to quit. They'll be more than happy to help you out.
2) Get support from therapists and counselors: there are plenty of counselors out there who are there especially to help you kick the habit.
3) Take your physician into confidence: There are ways to quite smoking. Some drugs may help. Or so may a chewing gum in place of the cigar. Your physician can definitely help you out.
There are many different types of support. Someone can help you through their positive words or encouragement. Or maybe through counseling or prescribing medication. But one thing's for sure. You can do it, but you can't do it alone.
Have you ever walked barefoot on soft and slippery mud, and had the soles of your feet pierced by the wonderfully beautiful bougainvillea thorn?
Have you ever gritted your teeth in pain as a hundred or maybe even a thousand fire ants, crawled inside your clothes, biting you from within with no recourse for you but to lose your mind forcing yourself not to shout at what fate has brought you?
If not, then ladies and gentlemen, I’d like you to meet pain. Read more
I’d like to share one of the most amazing messages I’ve heard. I’ll tell you why this message below is important. It touches on letting you know that ‘yes’ you do have a choice, even though your seeking help nobody is forcing you to change. That your parents aren’t using their parental power to shape your bad habits, but your decisions are your own hardships. Realizing that outside help won’t be the reason you change. Things like support groups, or counseling… Oh they will have crucial impact on your decision, influence, hope, strength; you get all of this from outside help. But what’s inside is stronger than anything imaginable, if you really consider the repercussions and make a conscious decision not to smoke then I believe you will quit sooner than you think. Once you really prioritize the repercussions, you’ve won the battle. We fight for what we stand for, if you are a family man, put family first. If you are an athlete put your body first. See where I am going? It starts by>>>>>>> “MAKING A LIST”
• Putting the people you love at the top
• Next put your legs
• Kidney
• Heart
Now cross of all the things you’re okay with losing because you’d rather smoke.
Wise wisdom from a man named Billy.
With chains I am bound, to a destiny of toil, bondage and servitude to an unseen master. They who have the power to alter the course of this lifestream has a chokehold on my life. Oftentimes, they grip it with talons as sharp as an eagle’s. I turn purple as I grasp for air, trying to clutch that Read more
I am what you call a professional procrastinator. Unfortunately, it has been that way since I was just little diaper clad diva of four who would much rather have smeared my finger paint on the wall than sit down with those boring old letter and number books my parents were always trying to foist Read more
