Stop Smoking!
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There’s a saying that goes something like this, “Bad habits are like a comfortable bed; they’re easy to get into but hard to get out of.” The same can be applied to smoking. According to the American Lung Association, over 438,000 people die from tobacco-caused diseases, making it the leading cause of preventable death! And every day, more than 1,000 young adults and children will become regular, daily smokers (one of two who will eventually die as a result). Shocking, isn’t it? So, why IS it so hard for people to quit smoking once they’ve started. The answer is simple: Nicotine.
 What is Nicotine & How Does it Work?
Nicotine is a highly addictive drug found in tobacco products. By definition, it is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants, predominantly in tobacco and coca, and in lower quantities in tomato, potato, eggplant and green pepper (Wikipedia). According to the American Heart Association, Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break.
When a person inhales cigarette smoke, nicotine is carried into the lungs and is quickly absorbed by the bloodstream. Your blood then carries the nicotine to you heart and other parts of your body. Even after a person quits smoking, nicotine can remain in their bodies for an additional three to four days.
Why People Get Hooked
There are many reasons why people start smoking. For some, it begins because of the television and the celebrities they see smoking. It’s the “cool thing” to do. For others, their influence may have come from their parents smoking around them. And still, others who smoke do so because of peer pressure to smoke when they were young adults. However, the dangers of starting to smoke are often overlooked. Because nicotine is highly addictive, most people who even smoke a few times can become hooked.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), nicotine produces pleasant feelings that make the smoker want to smoke more. It also acts as a depressant by interfering with the flow of information between the nerve cells. After a while, the smoker’s body will develop a tolerance to nicotine, which will result in increased instances of smoking. Something, which may surprise you is the fact that nicotine, when inhaled in cigarette smoke, will actually reach the brain faster than other drugs taken intravenously. Perhaps the most damaging information of all, however, is how easy it is to get nicotine! Just go to any local drugstore or supermarket.
Withdrawal
There are many benefits to those who make the active choice to quit smoking. However, as with any other drug, there are withdrawal side effects that go along with quitting, which may include any of the following:
- increased appetite
- headaches
- restlessness or irritability
- anxiety or feelings of frustration and anger
- trouble concentrating
- various sleeping problems
- dizziness
Reasons to Quit
People who choose to quit smoking are making a statement that says they care about their life as well as the lives of other people around them. Have you ever been around a person who smokes? It’s annoying! Your hair (not to mention your clothes) end up smelling like smoke, and if you’re not a smoker yourself, it can sometimes cause people with allergies to have allergy attacks. The worst news is: second hand smoke kills! There has been recent studies done which reveal that people who are around second hand smoke can also develop cancer and other medical problems as a result.
Among other smoking-related illnesses are: cancer, lung disease, strokes, blindness and miscarriages. According to data collected in the late 1990s from the United States� Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adult male smokers lost an average of 13.2 years of life due to smoking while female smokers lost 14.5 years of life. Need more incentive? Many insurance carriers today actually charge people more for their insurance if they admit that they are smokers because smokers are a liability.
If you know someone who is addicted to drugs, whether it be nicotine or something else, contact Mark Houston Recovery today to speak to a representative.
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[...] Stop smoking! It should be just as easy as simply stating it, right? Wrong. Did you know that nicotine is just as addicting as heroine? Smoking is no longer the "cool thing" you do outside of class, behind the school building. From the first two times you try smoking, you could just as easily become addicted. My dad started smoking when he was 17 years old and is still addicted almost forty years later. A bunch of my friends who started smoking because it was "something to do" back in high school are now addicted ten years later. The funny thing is, when it comes to smoking tobacco products, no one even blinks an eye. To say that you’re "addicted" to smoking is almost treated as a joke. After all, how can you be "addicted" to smoking? The common misconception is that addiction is something you associate with illegal activity and/or drugs. But with smoking, it’s different. You can buy a carton of cigarrettes over the counter almost anywhere you go. It’s not illegal. Perhaps if cigarrettes were made illegal, people would feel differently. [...]