Information about the dangers of smoking on the human body. Passive smoking or others suffer no less than the smokers themselves

Smokers know that smoking is harmful, but most continue to smoke, because it's easier to indulge your desires than to care about how long and from what you will die. Probably these people do not know everything or do not think about what can happen to them from this evil habit. There is a glimmer of hope that it will not affect them, the detrimental consequences of cigarettes. But do not think that you can smoke with impunity for your health.

Everyone who buys a pack of cigarettes sees an inscription on it (that excessive smoking is harmful to your health) and a terrifying photo, while concluding that they want to intimidate him with scary pictures, or simply ignores them, making himself disabled with his own hands. Yes, perhaps, it is not necessary to build promotion of a healthy lifestyle with such methods (in the article: "" - I talk about the basics), I agree with this. But we are shown the truth of life that happens to people who constantly smoke. And you just can't turn a blind eye to it. Let's honestly recognize for ourselves that the problem exists and it needs to be solved, and not put up with it. I realized it myself and I haven't smoked for several years, with 12 years of experience.

Many smokers don't even know what we have until they think about a change in their lives. First of all, it is necessary to accept, assimilate and believe that smoking causes irreparable harm, that with every cigarette smoked you undermine your health and shorten your life not for months, but for years. That these are not just words spoken to nowhere, these words, if you smoke, will turn out to be a cruel truth at some point in your life. Smoking a cigarette is not a pleasant dizziness from each subsequent puff, it is a poisoning of the human body with various poisons: nicotine, ammonia, methanol, arsenic, carbon monoxide, toluene, etc. Once in the human body, they cause enormous damage, disrupting many different systems, leading to the final eventually to cancer.

Therefore, before it’s too late, take note of a couple of interesting books, and if you don’t like to read a lot, then just go over a couple of interesting articles on my website - they briefly outline the materials of a dozen books.

Organs most affected by smoking

But let's consider in order what harm from tobacco is caused to each of the systems or organs of our body:

Respiratory organs first get hit by smoking

  • the respiratory organs suffer the most when smoking, it is they who take the heaviest blow of all those poisons that the smoker enjoys in the process of smoking. They suffer from poisons: the mucous membrane of the larynx and vocal cords (taste buds become dull, the voice sits down and you have to tie it up with singing in the shower, cancer may develop in the future)
  • due to exposure to poisons, the body becomes weakened, smokers are prone to various lung diseases, therefore they often suffer from bronchitis, and I generally keep quiet about constant coughing
  • twice as likely to get tuberculosis
  • the main reason for the development of lung cancer in the body
  • cancer from smoking can form not only in the lungs, other organs can also suffer, and the stomach is no exception (everything that is swallowed after smoking ends up in the stomach, so draw conclusions)

The nervous system suffers no less

  • the human nervous system collects into one: sensitivity, motor activity and the work of the endocrine and immune systems
  • poisoning with poisons from smoking for the nervous system are initially accompanied by dizziness
  • smoking with experience, in the future, causes headaches associated with vasoconstriction, increased intracranial pressure, which often leads to strokes
  • heavy smokers get tired quickly, are in a state of nervousness, memory weakens, become very irritable

I want to remind you of a small motivating video from Soyuzmultfilm, suddenly something from childhood will wake up in my head:

The heart of a smoker gets a double load

  • during each puff, the heartbeat quickens, there is a strong load on the heart, it wears out faster than a non-smoker
  • smoking contributes to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the vessels
  • poisonous and toxic substances interfere with the absorption of vitamin C, which contributes to the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels
  • Thus, smoking contributes to the development of atherosclerosis and hypertension, which, accordingly, can lead to various heart diseases, including coronary disease.
  • As a result, smokers have a much higher mortality rate than non-smokers.

Digestive organs are destroyed along with other organs

  • poison from cigarette smoke irritates: oral cavity, salivary glands, because of this, profuse salivation occurs, tooth enamel is destroyed, bad breath is constantly present
  • harmful substances from the smoke entering the stomach (in different ways: with saliva, through the blood) cause an increased secretion of gastric juice, which leads to gastritis, and then not far off a stomach or intestinal ulcer, which can then lead if you do not stop smoking, and do not start treatment, for stomach cancer and not only
  • smoking disrupts intestinal motility, which also leads to all sorts of problems and suffering with the human body
  • scientists studying the effect of cigarettes found that smoking most often leads to cancer in the oral cavity: lips, tongue, larynx


Reproductive organs receive their dose of harmful substances

1. Smoking for a woman is especially harmful to her reproductive function:

  • women who smoke are more likely to experience inflammation, which can further lead to miscarriages or infertility
  • the egg collects and stores harmful substances from tobacco smoke, which will also lead to complications
  • girls who smoke have problems with their menstrual cycle, which will not lead to anything good if you don’t quit
  • women age early, which also leads to sexual fading
  • if a woman smokes during pregnancy, it causes irreparable harm to her baby

2. Smoking for men is no less harmful than for women:

  • if a man smokes for a long time, it can lead to impotence
  • also to infertility
  • to cancer of the seminal glands

What can I say, ladies and gentlemen, by continuing to smoke, you reduce your chances of moving from simple relationships to a healthy full-fledged large family

The human senses are severely affected by smoking.

  • a non-smoking person can very subtly perceive all the notes of taste of the food he takes, and in a smoker, endings of taste nerves are killed by toxic smoke, so this feeling is dulled or can be irretrievably lost
  • the sense of smell suffers greatly from tobacco, many smokers do not perceive or do not distinguish the variety of smells of our world, suffer from various diseases of the ENT organs
  • I repeat a million times that in the smoke of every cigarette smoked there is a whole bunch of toxic poisons poisoning the body, therefore vision also suffers from them, it can deteriorate over time or complete blindness occurs
  • the smoker also suffers from hearing, the auditory nerve is destroyed by toxic substances, hearing acuity decreases

Passive smoking or others suffer no less than the smokers themselves

  • Those around who inhale the smoke of a smoker are also subject to all the same diseases as the martyr himself, since most of the smoke with its harmful substances is not inhaled by the smoker, but is dispersed in the surrounding air, and non-smoking people inhaling this air receive their dose of poison, which contributes to the development of various diseases and in them
  • Therefore, if you care about people close to you, quit smoking as soon as possible.
  • The sooner you quit, the less sores you and your loved ones (parents, wife, children) will have

The conclusion is certainly not comforting, the more and longer you smoke, the more terrible the disease sticks. But common sense should someday put things in order in your head and prevail over addiction to nicotine. After all, the sooner you give up poisoning with toxic substances, the faster and without any complications your body will recover.

For starters, I suggest reading an article about what changes will begin in your body after you quit smoking. To be honest, at one time I did not expect such a quick result, well, do not forget about health, because quitting smoking easily gains weight.

Let's not postpone until tomorrow what can be done now, because there are already so many examples of how to smoke a habit and they do not want to return to it anymore. Take your first step on the path of recovery and change your life for the better.

Be sure to tell your friends about us

I have been struggling with the problem of smoking for probably 7 years, the first 3 years I did not realize that I was already addicted, after that I decided that I would no longer smoke and my personal hell began.
It took about half a year from trying to trying to quit smoking, I quit everything according to the scheme, I hate the world, I smoke, I hate myself for being weak.
In the course were books and pills and patches. Everything is even. Until the decisive day came, I found out that I would become a mother, and now 3 years have passed since that day, and I am not drawn to cigarettes. Probably everyone just needs a very strong motivation and faith in themselves.

  1. I completely agree with you. Motivation is the first step to breaking any bad habit. And to become a mother, in my opinion, is a really strong motivation. There was a period when I even envied my friends who became a mother and stopped smoking - this is of course nonsense, because the whole process from bearing a child to raising a person out of him is much more false than some kind of getting rid of smoking. But there were times like that... And then I just found my own motivation and started on my way to quit smoking, and I did. For more than two years I have not had a craving for smoking, which I am immensely happy about

    1. I think it is necessary to motivate a person on a state scale. It can reward a person or pay a bonus or reduce utility payments. It's really a state problem.

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Smoking - what is it of course you know. How to get rid of this ill-fated habit is of interest to many. But a smoking person, purely psychologically, cannot give up smoking and always puts it off for later.

We understand intellectually that smoking is a kind of light drug, which is very difficult to give up, but the habit holds and does not let go. We ourselves are able to regulate our needs and desires, we need willpower.

Although people know that smoking is dangerous, they are still little aware of the danger that threatens health. From the article you will learn how dangerous smoking is, what deadly diseases a smoker can develop, what the consequences of smoking can be, etc.

One of our main enemies is smoking

Although many smokers are aware and aware of the fact that smoking is harmful, but very few people are aware of the dangers of smoking. There are three diseases that begin precisely because of smoking.

What smoking can lead to: Three major diseases can develop, which are often fatal.

What are these diseases that, due to smoking, lead to irreparable:

  • lung cancer
  • Chronical bronchitis
  • emphysema (a disease of the tissues that make up the lungs)

People who smoke regularly for many years die ten to fifteen years earlier. Heavy smokers always find an excuse for their addiction. They say something like this: my grandfather lived to be ninety even though he smoked up to forty cigarettes a day».

They also say this: no one is safe from death, tomorrow, for example, I can get hit by a car and my life will end". If you refer to such examples, you can justify anything, but it will not add health.

Harm of smoking real facts

As a result of smoking or other way of using tobacco, one person dies every ten seconds. Worldwide, about three million people die every year from tobacco smoking.

If this percentage of smoking continues, the death rate, in thirty forty years, will increase to another ten million. Sixty-two million people have died from tobacco since 1950. Fewer people died in World War II.

Tobacco and tobacco smoke contain a huge amount of chemical compounds. Some of them are carcinogens that can cause cancer.

Harm of smoking real facts: the more cigarettes you smoke a day, the more smoke you inhale, the faster you get lung cancer. With such cancer, people live no more than five years.

What are the signs of cancer from smoking:

  • chronic cough
  • hemoptysis
  • wheezing
  • dyspnea
  • chills for no reason
  • weight loss and appetite
  • endlessly recurring acute respiratory infections that resemble pneumonia or bronchitis
  • felt in the chest pain

After quitting smoking

  • Sensitively cleared breath in a month
  • chronic cough will stop bothering you
  • your sleep will become more restful
  • efficiency will increase
  • the general tone will increase significantly
  • the lungs will be freed from such harmful products as: tobacco dust, tar, etc. in half a year
  • reduce the risk of developing heart disease by fifty percent in a year
  • in five years, the incidence of lung cancer will decrease significantly

All this awaits you after quitting smoking. Not bad right?

Consequences of smoking

Smoking causes the greatest harm to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. But most importantly, smoking provokes the appearance of cancerous tumors. A cough develops in the respiratory system.

Inflamed and narrowed small Airways. Inflamed cells are more commonly found in the lungs of smokers. A more severe form of asthma attacks is acquired from smokers.

Respiratory diseases are on the rise. Every cigarette you smoke increases your blood pressure. Increased heart beats. Causes vasoconstriction of cigarette smoke.

Smoking also contributes to the formation of blood clots, because this addiction reduces the time for blood to clot. Due to the carbohydrate oxide contained in tobacco smoke, the amount of hemoglobin that delivers oxygen is reduced.

What are the consequences of smoking?

  • smoking increases the content of fatty acids and cholesterol
  • increased risk of sudden death
  • increased risk of atherosclerosis
  • contributes to the occurrence of coronary heart disease in women

What are the consequences of smoking?

  • if a woman is pregnant and she smokes, a miscarriage may occur
  • can a dead baby be born
  • Can a baby be born with a very low birth weight?
  • a smoker most often has a stomach and duodenal ulcer and there is a risk of death. Moreover, the smoker is higher than the non-smoker

Smoking and cancer

More than three thousand chemical compounds contain tobacco and tobacco smoke. More than sixty compounds contained in tobacco and its smoke can cause the growth of a cancerous tumor.

Scientists prove that approximately eighty percent of cancer cases are associated with smoking. The more cigarettes a person smokes per day, the greater the risk of lung cancer. A very small percentage of cancer patients survive five years

Composition of tobacco smoke

What tobacco smoke contains:

  • hydrogen
  • argon
  • hydrogen cyanide
  • methane
  • Carbohydrate oxide, which is more dangerous

Just imagine what is in cigarette smoke:

  • acetone
  • ammonia
  • benzene
  • acetaldehyde
  • butylamine
  • ethylamine
  • hydrogen sulfide
  • methyl alcohol
  • hydroquinone

And that's not all that is part of tobacco smoke. Due to the large amount of data that allows us to say that there is a connection between drugs and tobacco consumption.

Tobacco is also compared to marijuana and cocaine. Some researchers have suggested that there are three components between drug and tobacco use.

1 . nicotine in the central nervous system causes changes in the brain centers, which morphine and cocaine affect in the same way. This predisposes the person to certain drugs.

2 . Inhaling cigarette smoke is a learned behavior that can make other drugs more effective.

3 . people unknowingly using nicotine for mood and behavior regulation may use tobacco as a stepping stone to drug use.

No matter what you say, smoking is very harmful in any case. No wonder he is considered one of the main enemies of mankind. After reading the article, you learned what is part of tobacco smoke.

What are the consequences of smoking. How smoking affects our organs and provokes cancerous tumors. How your body is cleansed and how long after you quit smoking.

Be healthy and happy.

Video - Smoking harm

Has any smoker ever thought about the harm he does to his body. Each cigarette, each puff is, in fact, a small step into the grave, and you won’t be able to go there alone, because next to the smoker there are always his relatives: family, friends, colleagues. Inhaling tobacco smoke, they ruin their health, destroy the immune and respiratory systems, harm the heart and blood vessels. Children suffer the most: their body has not yet learned to defend itself against tobacco smoke, so all reactions are doubly active. Having smoking parents, from infancy they get acquainted with shortness of breath, lingering cough and hoarseness, and every year it will only get worse - such is the price of addiction.

The harm of smoking on the human body

Even a child knows that a drop of nicotine kills a horse. However, this fact does not make much impression on smokers: reassuring themselves that you still can’t smoke so many cigarettes at the same time, they continue to slowly kill themselves, taking puff after puff. At the same time, the harm of tobacco smoke is caused not only by nicotine - it only causes addiction, and everything else destroys the body.

Along with cigarette smoke, the smoker inhales:

  1. Arsenic. This poison causes persistent heart problems, provokes cancer and is extremely difficult to remove from the body. If you really want to taste this substance, why do intermediaries? But no: for some reason, no one drinks arsenic in its pure form, but as part of cigarettes, they inhale as much as they like!
  2. Formaldehyde. This toxic chemical compound primarily affects the respiratory system. It is noteworthy that formalin is prepared on the basis of formaldehyde - a substance that is used by pathologists to embalm dead bodies. Indeed, why wait - you can start in life!
  3. Polonium. Background radiation has become the scourge of modernity. Contamination with radioactive substances scares people almost to the point of shivering, but 40% of the population, related to "experienced" smokers, regularly inhale particles of polonium, which "illuminates" them from the inside.
  4. Benzene. This organic matter is the first cause of leukemia and other forms of oncology.
  5. resins. The viscous cigarette smoke that a smoker breathes is not just a suspension of particles that enter the lungs and are just as easily removed from there. Most of the tars that are found in cigarettes contain solid particles that settle on the lungs in a black coating. Over and over again, this "dust" clogs the bronchi, reduces the volume of the lungs and, as a result, depletes the entire body of oxygen.

These substances are far from the only poison that is part of tobacco smoke. Standard chemical analysis of classic cigarettes confirmed that each puff is a cocktail of many toxic components, including:

  • ammonia,
  • butane,
  • methane,
  • methanol,
  • nitrogen,
  • hydrogen sulfide,
  • carbon monoxide,
  • acetone,
  • hydrocyanic acid (hydrogen cyanide),
  • lead,
  • radium,
  • cesium,
  • phenol,
  • indole,
  • carbazole,
  • zinc,
  • antimony,
  • aluminum,
  • cadmium,
  • chromium.

None of these components is safe - each of them somehow destroys the body, corrodes the immune system and ruins the lungs, enters the bloodstream and depresses the heart, brain and other organs, causes cell mutations and leads to the development of oncology.

What harm does smoking do? medical statistics

The consequences of smoking can be a great many - cigarette smoke affects almost all internal organs. However, the most common complications of this addiction are:

  • Chronical bronchitis;
  • oncological diseases of the respiratory system (trachea, larynx, lungs);
  • cardiovascular pathologies (CHD, arterial hypertension, vascular thrombosis, etc.).

It has long been statistically confirmed the fact that in 90% of cases of lung cancer in the patient's history there is smoking. In addition, mortality from bronchitis and emphysema in 75% of cases is somehow connected with this addiction. Yes, and heart disease in 25% of cases in smokers are much more severe and lead to early death.

Those who have never smoked are 13 times less likely to suffer from angina pectoris, 12 times less likely to have a heart attack, 10 times less likely to have a complicated stomach ulcer. There is no such organ that would not suffer from cigarette smoke: on average, the heart rate of a smoker is 650 beats per hour more than that of a non-smoker, and even with such a load, the heart still cannot cope with providing the body with oxygen through the blood. Firstly, it enters the lungs in a much smaller volume, and secondly, carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke combines with hemoglobin much more easily, taking the place of oxygen in the body. As a result, the brain, liver, kidneys, excretory and reproductive systems are affected, and the incidence and, accordingly, mortality are growing significantly.

Opinion of scientists: articles and books about the dangers of smoking

Doctors and biologists are already tired of “beating the bells”: films and numerous videos have been made about the dangers of smoking, books and brochures have been published, and the number of studies exceeds all conceivable norms. One of the most popular works was Alan Carr's book The Easy Way to Quit Smoking. In the process of reading, the smoker should have an aversion to nicotine, because the whole ugly truth about tobacco is revealed in the book. However, this method does not help everyone - although it showed good results, a universal way to quit smoking, except, perhaps, willpower and a desire to extend one's life, has not yet been invented.

However, many quotes make smokers look at cigarettes differently:

  • "The only reason any smoker lights a cigarette is to try to end the feeling of emptiness and insecurity created by the previous cigarette".
  • “The only thing that drives us to smoke is people who already smoke. We feel like we are missing something. We are willing to work hard to become addicted to smoking, but no one has ever tried to figure out what exactly he was missing.
  • “This is the only trap in nature that does not contain any bait, not even a tiny piece of cheese. The trap closes not because the taste of cigarettes is delicious, but because it is disgusting.

If cigarettes are still a part of your life, try reading Alan Carr's book - perhaps this is the way to help you take a step towards a healthy lifestyle. However, for this, banal willpower is enough - everything else is just self-hypnosis and self-deception.

The harm of smoking on the body of a woman

The female body reacts to tobacco much more pronounced than the male. In addition to the main diseases that are familiar to almost every smoker, the fair sex with a cigarette risks sacrificing her youth, freshness and beauty in the name of a bad habit, but the worst thing is the opportunity to become a mother.

Nails and hair due to smoking suffer from oxygen starvation, become dull and brittle, practically stop growing and look gray and faded. The teeth are gradually destroyed by tobacco smoke, and the bad smell from the mouth cannot be interrupted by any chewing gum. Yes, and the skin looks 10-15 years older, lacking oxygen and adequate nutrition from the blood. As a result, the passport age, which promises a young and attractive look, is far from the biological one, in which a smoking woman looks like a tired, wrapped up middle-aged lady.

However, all this seems small and insignificant compared to the fact that women who smoke cannot become mothers. Among them, infertility occurs in 42%, while the fair sex, who are not familiar with cigarettes, cannot get pregnant for medical reasons in only 4% of cases.

Harm of smoking during pregnancy: one smokes - both suffer

It is not clear what can induce a pregnant woman to take at least one puff, knowing that not only she can suffer from this, but also a child who cannot run away anywhere so as not to breathe this poison, because he is in the womb of a smoker. The blood-brain barrier is not an obstacle to most of the poisons that are contained in tobacco smoke, which means that the unborn baby suffers from a peculiar form of "passive" smoking, even before he was born.

In addition, the reproductive system itself is also affected, turning from a cozy "nest" into a dangerous and uncomfortable "shelter" for the baby. The uterus, under the influence of nicotine, contracts and relaxes uncontrollably, and the amount of oxygen is getting lower every day. As a result, the baby constantly seems to be suffocating, grabs water with a small mouth, but instead of oxygen, it receives only carbon monoxide from the mother's blood. This leads to all sorts of fetal pathologies, underweight at birth, weakness and nervous excitability of the baby. Moreover, not every “sore” will appear immediately - many of them make themselves felt only when the baby begins to grow up.

Harm of smoking for pregnant women: let's sum up

So what do the statistics say about this:

  • 96% of miscarriages are somehow related to cigarettes;
  • in mothers who smoke during pregnancy, the risk of stillbirth is 1.3 times higher;
  • premature babies with low body weight are born to smokers 8 times more often;
  • defects of the facial part (“cleft lip”, “cleft palate”, etc.) appear in newborns exposed to tobacco smoke intoxication in the womb, 2 times more often;
  • maternal smoking directly affects hyperactivity, nervous irritability and mental retardation of children.

However, at first glance, quite healthy children can be born to smokers, but over time, this habit, which the mother did not think of giving up at least during pregnancy, will still affect the baby. Such children have weaker immunity, get sick more often and suffer more from colds, and their intellectual development is inferior to peers whose mothers did not smoke.

The harm of smoking on the body of a teenager

Unfortunately, teenage smoking is far from uncommon these days. It is forbidden to sell tobacco to minors in stores, and schoolchildren seen with a cigarette risk getting serious problems, but this does not affect the statistics in any way: every third teenager gets acquainted with a cigarette before the age of 15. Moreover, in half of them, this seemingly harmless “prank” develops into an addiction that persists into adulthood.

Another interesting observation is the fact that the majority of adult smokers started during adolescence. According to statistics, only 10% of the total number of smokers got acquainted with a cigarette after the age of 18 - the remaining 90% started much earlier. And if an adult, starting to smoke, is already aware of what risks he is taking, then young people, unfortunately, just pay tribute to fashion, want to look stylish and attract attention, show rebellious impulses and try to emphasize their independence.

Teenagers and addictions: the harm of smoking on the body

The body of a teenager reacts to tobacco smoke very violently. First of all, it suffers:

  1. Brain. Teenagers who smoke have poor memory because their brain cells suffer from oxygen starvation.
  2. Vision. From tobacco smoke, the pathology of the visual cortex develops, the colors become duller, faded and gray. Over time, such a defect can cause complete color blindness.
  3. reproductive system. Even those teenagers who by the age of 20-25 were able to quit this habit are more likely to face infertility (both male and female) than their non-smoking peers. In addition, women with a history of smoking are more difficult to tolerate inflammatory processes in the pelvic organs, and men are 1.5 times more likely to get acquainted with impotence.

However, other manifestations - respiratory diseases, heart pathologies and oncological neoplasms - do not bypass smoking teenagers. It is a pity that few of them are aware of the full degree of responsibility for this habit. Therefore, the task of adults is to explain to children in as much detail as possible what awaits them in the future, and also to show by their own example that life without smoking is much better.

Harm of passive smoking: nicotine without a cigarette

Inhalation of tobacco smoke by others is no less safe than classic smoking. Passive smokers are exposed to harmful tars, poisons, and carcinogens from cigarettes in exactly the same way, with the only difference being that they did not choose this path. For them, everything was already decided by those who lit a cigarette: parents, friends, colleagues, just fellow travelers at the bus stop - in a word, everyone who is nearby.

A nicotine cloud is not just a bad smell that can be ventilated. Smoking in an apartment will forever affect everyone who lives there. Children whose parents smoke in their rooms perceive the school curriculum worse than their peers, find it harder to find a common language with others and endure any cold more painfully. Therefore, do not be deceived when going to the toilet or to the balcony - tobacco smoke still penetrates into the apartment and destroys the lives of your loved ones!

The harm of smoking on the human body: briefly about the sore

It is difficult to put the harm of smoking into any verbal form - experiments show it much more clearly. In the lessons of chemistry and biology, every student saw how tobacco smoke settles on cotton wool from a bottle if you insert a cigarette into the hole and set it on fire. In addition, there are many scientific videos on the Internet that clearly demonstrate the ugly truth about smoking. Nevertheless, there are no fewer smokers in the world - tobacco corporations have done everything not to lose their super-profitable business.

Many of the smokers could live much longer, be happy for their grown and independent children, babysit their grandchildren, teach them to read and take them to first grade ... But it will not work: according to statistics, regular smoking takes an average of 10-15 years of life. Is the cigarette craving worth such sacrifices? ..

We all know from childhood about the dangers of smoking. Parents, teachers, educators and doctors from all sides explain to us what consequences are possible if we get carried away with addiction. Some adults have gone so far as to take children with the agreement of the leadership of a medical school to a room where the lungs of deceased smokers are stored. Yes, it's not a pleasant sight. But, unfortunately, no methods are capable of causing fear among heavy smokers. Even lying on his deathbed due to lung disease, a person with tubes that help receive oxygen still reaches for a cigarette and wants to inhale poisonous smoke. Let's consider together where it originated and where this deadly gift was brought to us. At the same time, we will find out what dangers the plant carries and how to get rid of a bad habit once and for all.

History of tobacco

The fact that there is a plant in the world that can give imaginary lightness and pleasure was learned in the 15th century. And, of course, Christopher Columbus was the supplier of information, as it was supposed to be in those years. Having discovered America, one can say for sure that the navigator opened access to one of the most terrible poisons in the world, which lead to serious consequences and death to a person.

Once on the continent of the modern United States, the traveler drew attention to the representatives of the Mayan tribe. They all as one, including children, women smoked pipes. According to the research of modern scientists, the use of tobacco for smoking began thousands of years ago. This is evidenced by the drawings on the walls of ancient temples discovered by historians and archaeologists.

There is also evidence that smoking pipes and other accessories were found in the burials of ancient pharaohs. This fact suggests that not only representatives of the peoples of the American continent, but also in other parts of the world were fond of this disastrous "hobby".

As for the ancient smoking pipes, their appearance resembles hookahs, which have become very popular among young people in recent years. But it should be understood that for most of our ancestors, smoking was part of a certain ritual dedicated to getting rid of drought, disease, pestilence, in order to attract good weather, rains, etc. Also, with the help of tobacco smoke, shamans tried to get closer to deities and spirits, and the intoxicating property of the plant allowed them to see creatures, which is now called a banal hallucination.

So, having landed on the island of San Salvador, Columbus and his team saw local residents who happily inhaled the smoke from smoldering plants, their leaves. As for the navigator, this way of getting pleasure did not interest him in any way. On the other hand, the monk who was obligatory present in the team stood out for his entrepreneurial spirit. He took with him the seeds and leaves of tobacco, but only as an ornamental decoration in his own garden. And his friend Perez became addicted to smoking, for which he was put in jail and taken away tobacco. So they wanted to force him to give up his harmful addiction. The first smoker was also accused of being in the power of impure forces, as smoke comes out of his mouth.

How did tobacco spread?

So, after the delivery of tobacco by Columbus' companions, it began to spread throughout Europe, and even ended up in the markets of Turkey, that is, in those days of the Ottoman Empire. Many began to depend on it, they not only smoked tobacco, but also chewed it, sniffed it. Most justified their enthusiasm by the fact that the plant benefits human health and has healing properties.

This method of agitation was adopted by the sellers of the goods and trumpeted everywhere about the incredible properties of an exotic plant. So, Nicholas Mondares, a famous doctor in 1571, published a book in which he described the beneficial properties of plants, did not fail to talk about the benefits of tobacco. For modern doctors, this certainly sounds terrible, but those times demanded it. And this plant did not bring harm immediately. No wonder tobacco is called a slow killer. So, Mondares in his treatise presented more than 35 diseases for which tobacco was the best cure. All dogmas relied on the main substance of the plant - nicotine.

The personal physician of Catherine de Medici, Nico Jean, suggested that his mistress chew tobacco leaves for migraines. It is clear that there were many at court who decided to follow the bad example of the queen. For example, the well-known Marquise de Pompadour began to smoke tobacco and pipes for smoking were made by her order. In total, she had more than 300 of them.

An interesting fact: the first anti-nicotine company began in the 17th century and the Catholic Church was the initiator of the bans. It was not allowed to indulge in tobacco in places where services were held during prayer, but this concerned the Spanish colonies.

In the same 17th century, the first studies were carried out and the results horrified doctors. But getting in the way of the already established tobacco monopolists was like death. After all, the tobacco trade brought fabulous incomes to the treasury, and with the ban on the import of goods, speculation and smuggling grew.

The same thing happened in Russia. Initially, the harmful product was brought from Europe, and some began to indulge in sniffing it. Then the Dutch, Germans, British, French began to come to our country. It was they who introduced the fashion of the court for smoking a pipe with tobacco. But in 1634 there was a strong fire in Moscow and the reason for this was smoking. In order not to be accustomed, they adopted a cruel law banning tobacco smoking.

It was supposed to be up to 60 blows with a stick in the footsteps of the offender. If a person was caught smoking a second time, then they cut off his nose and ears. The law was repealed by Peter the Great, who himself was not averse to smoking his pipe. He acquired an addiction in Holland, where he studied various crafts. So smoking began to spread at an incredible speed and swallowed up not only the rich, but also the poor. This continues to this day. Companies supplying tobacco products to the market get rich and continue to poison people. Prohibitions, restrictions gradually help to reduce the number of smokers, but slowly.

In the production of modern tobacco products, various chemicals have been used that have an even worse effect on the human body than ancient cigarettes made from leaves and pipes.


What are the dangers of smoking

The vast majority of those who smoke are well aware of how harmful their addiction is. But they do not even realize that it is because of smoking that they doom themselves to very serious illnesses and torments. For this reason, once again, specifically and sensibly, we will try to explain to the voluntary martyrs about the degree of risk of tobacco addiction.

To really make it clear how high the danger of cigarettes is, doctors created a direct parallel with other causes of death. Immediately, we highlight three main and terrible ailments caused by smoking: coronary disease, emphysema and bronchitis, and lung cancer.

  1. Long and careful studies have shown that emphysema and bronchitis are the cause of death in 75% of smokers.
  2. Death from lung cancer occurs in 90% of smoking addicts.
  3. Deaths due to diseases of the heart and blood vessels are observed in 25% of smokers.

It is because of smoking that up to 25% of young people die prematurely. Doctors point out that if it were not for a bad habit, they could live 15, 20, or even 40-50 years longer.

An interesting fact: scientists made a discovery and found that smoking in one small European country with a population of 50 million people kills as many people as would be lost on a large airliner, and every day.

Almost every heavy smoker tries to justify his addiction with the usual excuses. Some argue that their grandfather smoked all his life and lived to be almost 100 years old. Others point out that a very young neighbor who never smoked died of cancer or heart disease. The smoker also draws attention to the risks not associated with smoking - tomorrow I may be hit by a car or a balcony may fall on my head. But the statistics are not fictional, but a real fact. Judging by them, it is clear that smokers expose themselves to greater danger than those who are not addicted to a bad habit. There is an interesting comparison that proves the danger of how a person exposes himself:

Jogging for health can be arranged both on the road lane and on its side. The possibility that the runner will be hit here and there exists. But the risk that he is more likely to be hit on the roadway is simply not discussed, it is many times greater.


What is in tobacco

The smoke of cigarettes, pipes, cigars and other tobacco products has a "rich" composition, which includes more than 4 thousand compounds. About 40 of them are life-threatening, they cause oncological pathologies of the respiratory tract. Here they are - these enemies of human health: benzapyrene, arsenic, cyanide, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, hydrocyanic acid, nicotine, carbon monoxide, etc. Also on the list of hazardous components are: bismuth, lead, polonium. Laboratory studies have shown that the degree of toxicity of tobacco products is comparable to the strength of such a poison as hydrocyanic acid.

The toxic substances in cigarettes also include: hydrogen cyanide, methane, argon, hydrogen, nitrogen. Threatening human health are benzene, dimethylamine, acetaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide, methyl alcohol, pyridine, nickel, ammonia, butylamine, ethylamine, nickel compounds, DDT, etc.

An interesting fact: scientists around the world do not cease to carefully study the components of tobacco smoke.

The most dangerous of them, as we already know, are benzopyrene and polonium - a radioactive type of isotope. Their colossal volume in a cigarette is easy to check - if you take smoke into your mouth and, without drawing it into your lungs, exhale on a white handkerchief, you will notice a distinct brown spot called tar (tobacco). If you lubricate the ear of a rabbit or hare with this substance 3-4 times, then a malignant tumor will begin to develop in this place.

The danger of a bad habit

Doctors have proven that one pack of cigarettes smoked a day is comparable to exposure to 500 roentgens per year. You also need to know that when smoldering, the temperature of the filter reaches up to 900 degrees. And imagine what will happen to the lungs, bronchi, larynx, if subjected to such chemical and thermal "treatment" 10-20, and some 50 times a day. Lips suffer no less, because the filter burns them first.

After inhaling, nicotine passes through the respiratory tract, enters the lungs, and from there it reaches the brain through the bloodstream. Immediately there is a spasm of blood vessels and oxygen starvation. Some perceive this moment as a pleasure - a slight dizziness, lethargy. But in fact, those very dangerous processes begin, leading to terrible consequences.

Interesting fact: tobacco is considered the fastest drug. Compared to other intoxicating substances, it is enough to smoke or stand near a smoker once and many become addicted. But that's the insidiousness of tobacco smoke, that it slowly sucks. A person can sometimes smoke on holidays, then the habit becomes more frequent and leads to the fact that with a half-empty pack, panic already arises. For this reason, smokers are more likely to buy multiple packs.

  1. Smoking spoils the skin - it becomes lethargic, swollen, acquires an earthy color. The number of black dots and cyanosis increases.
  2. Tobacco smoke is deposited on the teeth, gums and tongue. For this reason, an unpleasant odor arises that cannot be removed by any toothpastes.
  3. Given the fact that smoke passes through the mouth, cancer of the gums, tongue, and lips is possible.
  4. Smoke from the mouth constantly irritates the mucous membranes of the eyes, so they become red, as if inflamed.

An interesting fact: more than 250 billion cigarettes are smoked every year in the world, that is, there are 1800 pieces per capita. Sadly, the number of cigarettes smoked is constantly increasing.

Smoking increases the risk of heart disease: angina pectoris, ischemia, tachycardia, heart attack by 15 times, gastrointestinal ulcers by 10 times and 30 times by oncology of the respiratory canals.

The heart of a smoking addict beats 15,000 times more per day than a non-smoker. In addition, in the latter, oxygen delivery to the tissues, to all parts of the brain through normal vessels proceeds normally. Carbon monoxide is present in the blood vessels of smokers, which prevents red cells from connecting with red blood cells to deliver oxygen that is important for us. This fact slows down all processes, including physical, mental ones. For this reason, students who smoke are many times behind both in physical and mental development from their non-smoking peers.

The entire body suffers from tobacco smoke, the functioning of the liver, kidneys, genitourinary system, female and male organs, bone, nervous, endocrinological and other systems are disrupted.

Important: the lethal dose of cigarettes for an adult is 1 pack at a time, for a teenager - half a pack.


What are the dangers of cigarettes for women

Let's remember how it felt at the first puff. It was choking, itching in the throat, there was a terrible dizziness, nausea. For some, the first experience ended in vomiting and loss of consciousness. All these are manifestations of the body's defense mechanisms, which felt that it was being attacked by toxic substances. But if smoking continues, it means that from time to time the lady tried to suppress unpleasant moments in herself and poisoned herself further. And naturally, there are dangerous prerequisites for serious ailments:

  • morning and night cough;
  • the voice sits down;
  • smells bad from the mouth;
  • the skin of the face and body becomes pale, with an earthy tint;
  • a mass of fine wrinkles form around the eyes.

To minimize the harm from smoking, a lady hooked on nicotine switches to "light" types of cigarettes of a thinner form. But manufacturers of tobacco products are not ready to lose customers and include the same amount of hazardous substances and resins, as well as addictive elements, in the "toothpicks".

Smoking leads to infertility. This is not a myth, but a truth that stubborn smokers still do not believe. The research was carried out by the famous German doctor Bernhard. A gynecologist examined more than 6,000 women and made a sensational discovery. The inability to have children was observed in 42% of smokers and only 4% of non-smokers. Tobacco smoke, which has a powerful vasoconstrictive property, leads to miscarriages in 96%, 1/3 of tobacco-addicted women give birth to premature babies.

Important: women who smoke age faster not only externally, internal organs “burn out”. By the age of 40, they cease to feel sexual desire and enjoy intimacy with a loved one.

Smoking and the psyche

According to many years of research by scientists from US universities, it has been found that smokers are more likely to experience mental disorders. There is an example of problems with the mental component when counting cigarettes smoked. The mentally unstable smoke 40% more cigarettes than the stable. But there is one thing But - the next portion of tobacco smoke further aggravates the patient's condition - a vicious circle arises.

The danger of passive smoking

Once upon a time, no one could have imagined that persons who are close to a smoking person are at no less great danger. And here are the deplorable conclusions of the studies:

  • about 3 thousand people a year die from lung cancer;
  • up to 62 thousand people suffer from heart diseases;
  • 2.7 thousand babies die due to passive smoking as a result of sudden death syndrome;
  • the cause of asthma in 26 thousand children a year is smoking of the father, mother or other family member;
  • 300 cases of bronchitis are observed in children whose relatives smoke, while up to 212 people die;
  • tobacco smoke directly affects the blood vessels of babies. Passive smoking lowers good cholesterol levels but increases bad cholesterol.

Even Adolf Hitler argued that in order to completely destroy the Slavic nation, vodka and tobacco must be supplied. Now we do harm to our body on our own, without the help of tyrants and villains.

How to quit smoking

To date, a lot of ways to quickly get rid of nicotine addiction have been created. An excellent effect is given by hypnotherapy, methods of suggestion.

  1. Before that, it makes sense to read the book by Allen Carr. He masterfully describes our addiction, its mechanisms and helps to get rid of the brainwashing, due to which we are increasingly involved in this quagmire. Each of us gives himself a word - this is the last cigarette, and, breaking loose, begins to blame himself. This approach is not very constructive. You have to try and try. In short, read and be satisfied. But if the method does not help, then see a doctor.
  2. There is another effective way - instead of a cigarette, drink a glass of water. You can also use a nicotine patch or chewing gum. But everything must be done in order, according to the scheme.

From today you no longer smoke, but the addiction still continues to torment. To disconnect from it, cook for breakfast. It contains a small amount of nicotine, which will help in the fight against addiction. Create a good mood for yourself, go out of town with friends for a picnic. But keep in mind, if one of them smokes, it’s better not to invite them, let them sit at home.

Lack of cigarettes causes "imaginary" hunger. In order not to gain weight, consume as many fruits, raw vegetables, nuts as possible.

In the morning, do light gymnastics or the first chakra of Kundalini Yoga. It contains a breathing technique that allows you to gradually clear the respiratory channels.

Use an effective tool to help:

We have studied a tiny fraction of how harmful addiction is. Everyone who is addicted to it is sure that at any moment they can quit cigarettes and never return to them. Unfortunately, this is a misleading opinion. It has been repeatedly proven that tobacco smoke can wait and people who have not smoked for decades can start again. And the reason for this is one cigarette, or even just one puff. Avoid this harmful addiction, take care of yourself and loved ones.

All for now.
Sincerely, Vyacheslav.

Tobacco in any form poses a serious threat to human health. Cigarette smoke also harms people who are close to the smoker. Few habits have as many and as harmful health effects as tobacco use.

Tobacco as a drug

Tobacco is a psychoactive drug that causes addiction. The smoke from burning tobacco when smoking has a complex composition. It contains about 300 chemicals that can damage living tissues, in particular tar and related compounds, nicotine and toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen oxides, etc.

resins are and serve as carriers of carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) contained in tobacco smoke. Resins contribute to the development of chronic bronchitis and "smoker's cough".

Nicotine - one of the most toxic substances, causing the strongest addiction. It is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream from the lungs when inhaled and from the oral and stomach mucosa when smokeless tobacco is used. Within 7 seconds, it spreads throughout the body, penetrating into all organs, including the brain, and during pregnancy - into all organs of the fetus. Nicotine is a powerful stimulant that affects the brain and spinal cord, the nervous system as a whole, the heart and many other organs. Nicotine directly stimulates neuronal receptors that are sensitive to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, a substance that plays an important role in the transmission of nerve impulses in synapses (the area where nerve cells come into contact with each other). In people who develop addiction, stopping nicotine use can lead to a withdrawal syndrome characterized by restlessness, anxiety, irritability, depression, headache, stomach pain, insomnia, and dizziness.

Carbon monoxide (CO) - a poisonous component of automobile exhaust, as well as the main ingredient in cigarette smoke. Having a high affinity for hemoglobin, CO blocks it. As a result, hemoglobin loses its ability to carry oxygen, reducing the ability of blood to supply oxygen to the brain, heart, muscles and other organs of the body. Of course, the degree of reduction depends on the number of cigarettes smoked per day and how they were smoked (for how many puffs, how deep and how long the puffs were). The lack of oxygen supply becomes especially noticeable during periods associated with an increased need for oxygen, for example during intense physical exertion.

Hydrogen cyanide - another poisonous gas present in tobacco smoke is that component

smoke, which is most responsible for the deterioration of the function of the ciliated epithelium of the lungs, which leads to the accumulation of mucus, tar and bacterial infection.

Nitric oxide - more one component of cigarette smoke is a toxic substance also present in tar. Nitric oxide reduces the effectiveness of macrophages (a type of white blood cell) that guard the inner surfaces of the lungs and destroy bacteria and other pathogens. Thus, this gas contributes to the development of chronic respiratory infections in smokers.

Harmful effects of tobacco smoking

Many harmful effects of tobacco smoking have been documented. Its impact on human health is determined by the individual characteristics of each smoker. The consequences of smoking are harmful, but appear after many years, so the connection with this bad habit is not obvious. Many say: “... I smoke, I smoke a lot, for a long time, so far I don’t see any pathological changes in the body ...”, but statistics and clinical observations indicate otherwise. Here are the data of WHO experts:

  • mortality among cigarette smokers is approximately 30-80% higher than among non-smokers; o mortality increases with the number of cigarettes smoked;
  • mortality among smokers is proportionately higher among persons aged 45-55 years than among younger or older people;
  • mortality is higher among people who start smoking at a young age;
  • mortality is higher among cigarette smokers who inhale smoke;
  • mortality among those who quit smoking is lower than among those who continue to smoke; o Pipe or cigar smokers in general die no more than
  • non-smokers, since they smoke moderately, do not inhale; o Mortality among those who smoke often or drag on is 20-40% higher than among non-smokers.

In addition to reducing life years, smokers also have poor health. Heavy smokers damage the cardiovascular system. This is expressed primarily in sclerotic changes in blood vessels, resulting in coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, the risk of stroke or cerebrovascular accident; they are also characterized by frequent respiratory diseases, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer. Therefore, breathing in a smoker is difficult, the lungs supply oxygen to the blood worse.

Smoking worsens the physical condition of the body, reduces vitality. Smoking has a negative effect on the function of digestion: nicotine reduces the feeling of hunger by inhibiting the "hungry" contractions of the stomach, i.e. nicotine reduces appetite. Therefore, many people do not want to quit smoking for fear of gaining weight, and with good reason: when stopping smoking, many people tend to replace cigarettes with food. Studies show that a third of those who quit smoking gain weight, a third remain in the same shape, and a third lose weight. Greater food intake is due to the need to stimulate the oral cavity, which was previously carried out by cigarettes, to satisfy the increased appetite due to the removal of the overwhelming effect of nicotine. However, this cannot serve as a basis for continuing smoking.

Smoking also affects the body's use of vitamins. The level of vitamins B 6 , B, 12 and C in the blood decreases, because more of them are spent on the process of detoxifying substances contained in tobacco smoke.

According to experts, the smoke flowing from a lit cigarette (unfiltered, by-product) contains 50 times more carcinogens, twice as much tar and nicotine, 5 times more carbon monoxide and 50 times more ammonia than smoke inhaled through a cigarette. Although non-smokers do not normally inhale sidestream smoke at the same concentration as smokers inhale mainstream smoke, the inhaled concentration is still equivalent to one cigarette smoked per day. For people working in heavily smoky areas (such as a bar or office), exposure to secondhand smoke can be as high as the equivalent of 14 cigarettes per day.

There is strong evidence of an increase in lung cancer among non-smokers.

who live with smokers. Independent studies in the United States, Japan, Greece and Germany have shown that non-smoking spouses of smokers develop lung cancer 2-3 times more often than non-smoking spouses.

Passively inhaled tobacco smoke by non-smokers is known to be a strong lung irritant. It causes at least discomfort and coughing. Studies have shown that children who grow up in smoking homes show signs of disorders that are associated with heart disease in adulthood. For example, they show increased stiffness of the arteries, thickening of the walls of the chambers of the heart, and an adverse change in the blood.

In people with asthma (attacks of shortness of breath caused by narrowing of the bronchioles), passive smoking can trigger a severe attack. This is especially true for children. The incidence of asthma in children living in homes where someone smokes is higher than in children from homes where there are no smokers. Babies living in homes with smokers are twice as likely to get respiratory illnesses as other babies.

Psychophysiology of smoking

The first attempt at smoking is quite painful. The smoker experiences weakness, nausea, dizziness, sometimes fainting, vomiting are observed. At this stage, the body, as it were, is protected from the harmful effects of nicotine.

With repeated use of a cigarette, the toxic effect is expressed in a weakened form. The smoker feels a pleasant excitement, inner warmth, a mild “high”, smoking becomes pleasant for him, and most importantly, the imaginary self-affirmation of his “I” grows. It is in this phase that signs of addiction to smoking appear.

The third phase is characterized by perception and analysis. The smoker begins to comprehend that smoking brings not only pleasure (imaginary, ostentatious), but also harm. Sometimes it does not cause pleasant sensations, but turns into a duty. Watch how a smoker's work day goes. He jumps up after a certain time, for example, once or twice an hour, runs to the smoking room to take a puff, talk and returns to the workplace. This is already a pharmacological dependence, which we talked about in section 8.3.

Smoking cessation and consequences

Quitting smoking is a very difficult task for most smokers. Smoking cessation

Cigarettes mean freedom from addiction, which has both physiological and psychological components. Nicotine addiction, while incredibly strong, is not the only reason people continue to smoke. Successful programs to help people who want to quit smoking must take into account all the reasons why people smoke. Due to physiological dependency, attempts to stop smoking will cause a withdrawal syndrome, which manifests itself in nervousness, severe headaches, inability to concentrate, and the like.

A very optimistic view of the problem of smoking cessation by Bayer and Scheinberg. According to them, smoking cessation methods range from instantaneous and complete quitting once and for all, which is achieved without anyone's help and without the use of any means, to long, carefully designed and expensive programs. The degree of effectiveness of any method depends on the degree of addiction of the smoker and the strength of his interest in quitting smoking. But the difficulties experienced by many people who quit smoking have attracted many charlatans to the smoking cessation business; in addition, some remedies help some smokers, but are useless for others.

Rules for quitting smoking proposed by K. Bayer and L. Sheinberg

  • Set a date that has some special meaning for you if that date is near. It can be your birthday, the birthday of a girlfriend (friend). New Years or some kind of anniversary. If you smoke because of the stress of studying, quit this habit during the holidays. Do not set a date in the distant future, you may lose your spiritual fuse.
  • Agree with a smoking friend (girlfriend) or spouse (husband) to quit smoking together so that you can support each other.
  • Tell everyone you know that you are quitting smoking. They will try to support you.
  • Find a group of people (who support you in your quest to quit smoking) that you can call any time you feel like smoking.
  • Try replacing smoking with other activities—exercise, a new hobby, chewing gum, or low-calorie snacks. Avoid eating high-calorie foods: you can gain weight.
  • It is best to quit smoking immediately and completely. Gradually quitting the habit of smoking produces worse results. However, those who are addicted to nicotine can quit smoking gradually (or use nicotine gum) in order to avoid wasting syndrome. If you are going to stop smoking gradually, develop a plan in advance and follow it firmly.
  • Do not smoke a cigarette until 5 minutes have passed since you felt the need to smoke. During these 5 minutes, try to change your emotional state or do something else. Call someone in your "support group".
  • Make smoking as uncomfortable as possible. Always buy only one pack of cigarettes and only after the previous one has finished. Never carry cigarettes with you, either at home or at work. Do not carry matches or lighters with you.
  • Make a list of things you could buy with the money you saved from smoking. Convert the cost of each to non-smoking days.
  • Always ask yourself if you really need this cigarette or if it's just a reflex reaction.
  • Remove all ashtrays from your home, car, and workplace.
  • Find something to do with your hands.
  • Be sure to go to the dentist to clean your teeth from tobacco yellowness.
  • Spend your free time in new activities, avoid activities that were associated with smoking (sitting at a bar, watching TV, etc.). Become more active physically.
  • If you find it difficult to quit smoking yourself, contact a specialist.

One way to stop smoking is to use nicotine gum instead of cigarettes. But in order for this method to succeed, the ex-smoker must completely refrain from smoking, since even one cigarette carries the risk of resuming the habit. Not everyone is recommended to use nicotine gum. It is contraindicated in heart patients, nursing mothers, pregnant women and women who are planning to become pregnant. For some people, nicotine gum causes nausea, hiccups, or a sore throat.

There are more severe methods, for example, aversion therapy - the development of an aversion to smoking. This type of behavioral therapy combines education with negative reinforcement to make smoking disgust the smoker. One form of aversion therapy requires you to puff every 6 seconds until smoking becomes very unpleasant. Another form uses a combination of each puff with a mild electric shock.

In addition, hypnosis and group programs are used, built on the type of the Twelve Step program for alcoholics.

How to quit smoking and not gain excess weight?

When you stop smoking, the following happens to you: o your body's metabolism is optimized and food is absorbed more efficiently; o taste buds on the tongue begin to taste food better, tempting you to eat more; O Over the years, you've grown accustomed to having a cigarette in your mouth, and now you're trying to recoup that pleasure by snacking between meals.

Here are some tips to help you stay healthy and maintain weight after quitting:

  • eat three times a day regularly;
  • do not snack (these sandwiches are eaten mainly out of habit);
  • do not eat more than one serving: if you are hungry, wait 20 minutes before taking a supplement - perhaps during this time the feeling of hunger will pass;
  • do not eat at all or reduce the proportion of high-calorie foods in your diet, such as margarine, butter, fatty meats and fatty cheeses, mayonnaise, jams, jellies, soft drinks;
  • exercise regularly – regular exercise burns calories, reduces stress and distracts you from smoking.

So tobacco is a drug. Tobacco smoking causes psychological and physical dependence and leads to the destruction of health. The most common diseases among heavy smokers are coronary heart disease, strokes, bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer. Tobacco smoking is especially dangerous for women and young people.

Giving up smoking, alcohol, drugs means maintaining health, and for this, students need to: understand how great the danger of abuse of harmful addictions is for health and life and how severe are the long-term negative consequences of these addictions that affect the health of future offspring; o to form a sense of responsibility for their own health and the health of their offspring; o acquire the necessary knowledge and skills in order to avoid the use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco; o realize that the prevention of cravings for the use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco is the "work" of the student himself.