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August 4, 2009

Quit Smoking Side Effects

The first week after quitting smoking is the most difficult, it gets easier and within eight to twelve weeks the comfort of the non-smoking lifestyle begins to take hold. Becoming an ex-smoker is not without side effects however. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug and the withdrawals can be intense. One can expect headaches, anxiety, nausea, and the worst, a craving for tobacco. It’s a chemical dependency, and without maintainance, the body reacts. The side effects are stressful and unpleasant, but they do fade away after just a few days and will be completely gone in just six months.

The first two weeks are critical, seek all the support from family and friends you can find. The side effects to quitting begin just four hours after your last cigarette, generally they peak at three to five days, and then fade out after two weeks. The symptoms are both physical and mental.

The physical side effects should be treated as you would treat any other symptom. The mental symptoms are almost intolerable the first week, you will survive. You may feel clumsy or awkward, even accident prone. You may even exhibit infantile behavior and have a temper tantrum or two. This is why it’s important to tell people you are quitting, they will be tolerant, for awhile.

Depression is also a common short term effect, you could actually find yourself mourning the loss of your cigarettes. Keep a card on hand listing your reasons for quitting, make them positive and uplifting. This same card will come in handy during the mood swings too. It’s important to keep yourself from boredom, it leads to the depression.

Other side effects you can expect are not limited to, insomnia, vagueness, irritability, constipation, gas, cough, dry throat, nasal drip, dizziness, vertigo, fatigue, frustration, restlessness, tightness of the chest, and weight gain. I know this all sounds terrible, but the good news is that it only last a few day, the withdrawal symptoms will go away and serve as a reminder to not smoke so you never have to go through that again. All these side effects are just the body purging itself of all the harmful chemicals.

Acknowledge it’s an addiction, understand the side effects you may experience after you quit smoking, be prepared to experience them and to treat the physical symptoms. Odds are you won’t experience all of them, but do expect to have a few of them. The more prepared you are the easier it will be.

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November 19, 2008

Smoking Bans

Filed under: Stop Smoking — Tags: Bans, No Smoking, Smoking — admin @ 2:55 pm

Many states are adopting laws against public smoking. No smoking in any business, and usually at least twenty five feet from a door to a business. Cities are implementing bans on smoking in public parks and city beaches. Companies now have policies to hire only non-smokers, those that smoked before the ban cannot smell of smoke at work or on the premises. Amazingly most smokers understand and support these bans.

The rationale for these smoking bans is of course the protection from harmful effects of secondhand smoke to workers. Other rationales for smoking bans include reduced risk of fire, decreased legal liability, reduced energy costs due to decreased use of ventilation systems, promotion of healthier environments, and incentives for smokers to quit.

The United States is not alone in smoking bans. The first known smoking ban was in 1590 when Pope Urban VII threatened to excommunicate anyone who used tobacco on the porchway or inside a church. Surprisingly the first modern smoking ban was imposed by the Nazi party in Germany. People were banned from smoking in universities, post offices, hospitals, and the party offices. In the 1970’s most businesses were required to have no smoking sections which eventually led to the 1990 decision the city of San Luis Obispo California to ban all indoor smoking in public places. Ireland was the first country to establish a nationwide smoking ban in all enclosed workplaces. They are right now creating laws that make it so cigarettes are not visible in stores. Norway, New Zealand, Italy, Estonia, Scotland, and Sweden all soon followed suit. Many other countries have bans on smoking, some consider the act illegal.

Here in the United States, with the success and popularity of the smoking ban in California, other states began bans as well. Currently there are thirty five states with some form of a smoking ban. Smoking has been banned on the streets of Tokyo, other Japanese cities are following this trend. Laws in some California cities make it so that the only place one can smoke is in their own home. Many states are adopting laws banning smoking in public parks and recreation areas.

Cigarette advertising in also banned in many parts of the world. Tobacco sponsorship of sports events is also prohibited. Tobacco companies are experiencing an eleven to fifteen percent drop in the use of tobacco products. Many smokers quit within five years of a smoking ban at work. Studies are showing that there has not been a negative economical impact on businesses, in fact local businesses are showing improvements.

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November 17, 2008

Smoking Side Effects

Filed under: Stop Smoking — Tags: Side Effects, Smoking, Stop Smoking — admin @ 8:30 pm

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body. Eighty seven percent of lung cancer deaths are cigarette related. The effects of smoking are also responsible for other various cancers throughout the body, such as throat, mouth, tongue, and skin. Other health problems include, but are not limited to, lung disease, heart and blood vessel disease, stroke, angina, arteriosclerosis, osteoporosis, chronic bronchitis, high blood pressure, impotence, respiratory ailments, and cataracts.

Of the many effects smoking has, according to the American Heart Association, the greatest risk is coronary heart disease. The risk is 2-4 times greater in smokers than in non-smokers. Nicotine from tobacco smoke temporarily increases heart rate and blood pressure, less oxygen-rich blood circulates through the body due to the constriction of the blood vessels. Smoking also leads to stenosis, clumping in the blood vessels, of the heart. All the cardiovascular diseases caused from smoking usually result in heart failure.

Smoking is responsible for one third of cancer deaths in the United States. Countless studies have proved that smoking causes lung cancer, and substantially increases risk of cancer of the larynx, pharynx, oral cavity, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas and suggests a strong association with cancer of the cervix.

Emphysema, another common effect of smoking, is a lung disease involving damage to the alveoli (air sacs). The pollutants found in tobacco smoke damages these sacs. This damage worsens over time affecting the oxygen supply to the body. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chronic cough, fatigue, and wheezing. Other possible effects are respiratory infections, pulmonary hypertension (abnormally high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries), anxiety, edema, and death.

COPD, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung disease that makes breathing difficult, is a lung inflammation that destroys alveoli (air sacs). Fifteen to twenty percent of smokers will develop COPD. Symptoms usually include, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath that lasts for months or years, and wheezing.

Another way smoking effects the body is it lowers the body’s ability to heal. Studies show that smokers have a lower survival rate after surgery due to the damage of host defenses and reduced immune response. Smokers also have a greater risk of infection and postoperative pneumonia.

Of the more than four thousand harmful chemicals in tobacco, more than fifty are known to cause cancer. Not to mention the arsenic, cyanide, formaldehyde, and ammonia bromide, which is used in toilet cleaners are all included in each cigarette, each with their own effect on the body.

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September 7, 2008

Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Filed under: Stop Smoking — Tags: Benefits, Quitting Smoking, Stopping Smoking — admin @ 7:22 pm

The benefits of quitting smoking are numerous. Besides all the health benefits you find yourself with more time, more money, and more energy. I quit just over a year ago and I still discover new benefits daily. I have a better relationship with my family and co-workers. My senses grow stronger daily, recently I’ve noticed even food has better taste. I also learned I was no longer a slave to smoking, no more being an outsider to get my fix. No missing out on family conversations while I stepped outside, or having to plan out my day according to my habit. Shortly after I quit I had one of the worst head colds I’ve ever had, but I’ve not had one since. It was the seventh attempt for me, it was difficult, but even still I believe it was worth it.

Former smokers who’ve quit before age fifty have one-half the risk of dying in the next fifteen years compared with those who continue to smoke. With decreased risk of lung cancer, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung diseases the former smoker can expect a longer, healthier life. You may gain a little weight when you quit, an average of ten pounds, but once you start feeling better you’ll be able to drop it quickly and easily.

There are still benefits to quitting after fifty, the risks are still greatly reduced. Determining your risk factors depends on how long and how much you smoked. The argument of “why quit the damage is done” is not valid. Yes there is damage, it still doesn’t mean you can’t heal and feel better. Every year you don’t smoke your risk of cancer and other related smoking diseases decreases. If you’ve already contracted a disease due to smoking, quitting will aid in your treatment and recovery.

Controlling your weight after giving up smoking could be a benefit to your lungs. Lung function declines with age, smoking increases the decline. After you’ve quit, and you are comfortable with your new smoke free life, start a new health regime. Even just a pleasant walk every day will help control your weight, benefit your cardiovascular system, and strengthen your lungs.

The benefits of quitting outweigh the difficulties of quitting by far. Ask for support from family and friends, get whatever help you may need, set your quit date and start enjoying the benefits of being a quitter.

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