Some facts about nicotine.

1.   Nicotine addiction has been one of the hardest addictions to break.
2.   Insignificant amounts of nicotine is also found in tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and leaves of cocoa plants other than tobacco.
3.   Like caffeine, nicotine is toxic to certain insects and was used as an insecticide.im
4.   Nicotine burns at a temperature below it’s boiling point, which happens continuously as a cigarette is smoked.
5.   It takes only 7 seconds for nicotine to hit the brain when inhaled.
6.   The pleasure feeling generated by nicotine is similar to that caused by cocaine and heroin, thus causing the addiction associated with the need to sustain high dopamine levels. Smoking has been reported to make you feel relax, calm, and alert.
7.   Even concentration and memory are increased, but all nicotine effects will only last from anywhere between 5 minutes to 2 hours. To sustain the pleasant effects, a smoker would have to puff an average of 20 cigarettes in 24 hours.
8.   Quick puffs by smokers produces a stimulating effect, whereas deep puffs produces a relaxing effect. This is because quick puffs produce low blood nicotine levels, whereas deep puffs depresses the passage of nerve impulses, producing a mild sedative effect.
9.   Nicotine reduces appetite and raises metabolism, a possibility for weight loss.
10. 50mg of nicotine is the average lethal dosage to kill a human being. Very, extremely lethal compared to common street drugs like cocaine. A cigarette contains an average of 1.5mg of nicotine.
11. Know that nicotine on its own does not promote development of cancer. However, nicotine suppresses apoptosis, an automatic process by the body to remove mutated or damaged cells that may become cancerous. This leads to encourage cancer cells to develop.
12. Nicotine exposure could cause the netopathological changes experienced by infants dying from Sudden Death Infant Syndrome.
13. 82% of schizophrenics smoke, due to the desire to self medicate, seeking the short term effects of nicotine.
14. The only medicinal use of nicotine is to treat nicotine dependent people through gums, dermal patches, lozenges or nasal sprays.
15. Many research has been carried out on the risk lowering affects of nicotine towards Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson’s Disease happens when dopamine in the brain is less than acetylcholine. Nicotine decreases acetylcholine levels.

Smoking may shorten penis almost a centimeter

Furthermore do all that which leaves you as well and he so much likes, aprovech privacy and subtle and sensual, so these revelale data on their intimate parts. Another option: Please an erotic to see how much you know about “his friend” test. Know you well? If not, play to the teacher and the student and ense?ale.

1 – Smoking may shorten them penis almost a centimeter. The equation is simple: the better circulates blood, better is the erection. Cigarette, calcifying the blood vessels, stifles erectile capacity and there! resultado… view One more reason to convince him to stop smoking.

You know that the average male orgasm lasts for 6 seconds and our 23? In theory, just would be for each of our orgasm, they should have 4. One of the few cases where we should not fight for the igualdad…

3 – In order to not be afraid you or you do too many illusions, you warn: there are two types of penises. The first is that “grow” much when they get an erection. Others, are those who always seem big, but at the time of sex is “lengthen” less and the difference between both States is not as noticeable.

4 – With regard to the above, according to a survey conducted by Men′s, 79% of men has the first type of penis and 21% other.

5 – In today’s doctors regenerate skin for grafting in burnt patients using circumcised boys prepuce. A foreskin can produce up to 23,000 square metres.

6 – An enlarged prostate can cause erectile dysfunction as premature ejaculation. If time this happens to your partner, and not found an apparent cause, recomendale which a check is made. In addition, tené into account which of the 50 years, has to be a mandatory annual control. It is ugly, we know that, perhaps if acompa?ás it feel better.

7 – The circumcised foreskin can be reconstructed. Mobile skin on the shaft of the penis is pushed towards the tip and located in place with a Ribbon. Then to fix it doctors apply plastic rings or other add-ons. It may take years, but eventually get there are no traces of circumcision. Do I need so much suffering?

8 – It is estimated that only one man 400 is flexible enough to autopracticarse oral sex. What is clear is that all they put it into practice. Will it do better than us?

9 – This us sounds weird: a group of German researchers claimed that the average penetration lasts for 2 minutes and 50 seconds. However, it seems that women perceive it differently and we feel as if it had lasted for 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Mmmm….

10 – Men that seem cute have the strongest sperm. Spanish team showed a group of women pictures of men had good sperm, men with normal semen photos and pictures of men with low-quality sperm. Without knowing this fact, they should choose that, at its discretion, considered more good waiters. In general, women chose the best producers of semen beyond physical appearance. Survival instinct?

Effects of smoking on sex

Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning it tightens blood vessels and restricts blood flow. In the long term, it has even been shown to cause permanent damage to arteries. Since a man's erection depends on blood flow, researchers assumed smoking would affect erections. Studies have confirmed this time and again. In a study published in Addiction Behavior, it was shown that just two cigarettes could cause softer erections in male smokers. Results are corroborated by a review of all studies done on impotent men over the last two decades. The research showed that 40 percent of men affected by impotence were smokers, as opposed to 28 percent of the general male population. That is either a really amazing coincidence, or there is a relationship between smoking and male impotence.

It should be noted that most of these men were older, and smoking is considered just one cause of erectile dysfunction. The others include stress, hypertension, alcoholism, diabetes, and prostate surgery. Young smokers may not notice negative effects right away, but they could be setting themselves up for "failure" later on.

So what does all this about impotence mean for women? During sexual arousal, the labia, clitoris, and vagina also swell up with blood, similar to a man's penis, enhancing sensation and excitement. If nicotine can restrict blood flow and cause erectile dysfunction in men, it may be reasonable to predict that blood flow is restricted in women as well, and may also have a negative effect on sensation.

It's hard to say whether your sex life will improve if you quit smoking, since there are many factors influencing your sex life beyond genital sensation. Of course, quitting smoking would also eliminate stained teeth, unhealthy skin, rapid accumulation of wrinkles on the face, and clothing, hair, and breath that smell of smoke. That might improve one's sex life. Decreasing your risk of cancer and heart disease — which tend to have negative effects on one's sex life — could be sexy in the long run.

Quitting smoking won't harm to your sex life, so if you're thinking about quitting anyway, why not give it a try? If you discover a new realm of sensation during sex from smoking cessation, that's just one more benefit you'll experience from quitting.

Effects of smoking on unborn baby during pregnancy

Tobacco smoke contains more than 4000 harmful chemicals, of which a number of them are known carcinogens in humans, whilst others are highly toxic and poisonous.

The chemicals that most affect the foetus and its healthy development are nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide, although arsenic, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde and creosote are in no way good for the baby to inhale either.

When an expecting mother inhales tobacco smoke from a cigarette, some of the chemicals are exhaled immediately and leave the body, but others stay in the body and make their way into the placenta. The unborn child, as well as inhaling the mainstream smoke that the mother breathes in from the cigarette, which stays in her body, it may also inhale any secondhand smoke that is in the air. This would mean that the growing foetus would be negatively affected by two different types of smoke. Once the baby is born, it would no longer be affected by the mainstream smoke that the mother inhales, however if the mother continues to smoke, the child will suffer the effects of secondhand smoke and become a passive smoker itself.

The unborn child in the womb relies on the mother for its food, nutrients and oxygen in order to develop and grow healthily before the birth. The placenta is the tissue that connects the foetus to its mother and from where it receives all it needs for its correct development whilst it is in the mother's womb.

On smoking several things happen. Firstly, there is a reduced supply of oxygen, due to the increase of nicotine and carbon monoxide in the mother's bloodstream. This means that there is less oxygen available to the baby, as the harmful substances replace it. The baby will begin to move slower after the mother has smoked a cigarette and the baby's heart will have to work faster, as it tries to breathe in more oxygen. Consequently, its breathing and movement will be altered. In other words it will suffer unnecessary stress.

As well as a reduced amount of oxygen, the nicotine constricts the blood vessels in the mother's side of the placenta, thus preventing the blood supply, oxygen and the necessary amount of nutrients and food from reaching the baby, which will result in the slow growth of the foetus.

As a result the foetus will not develop or grow as well as it should and this can lead to the birth of a low-weight baby and all the risks and complications that this could entail. A low-weight baby is more likely to be placed in intensive care once it has been born.

Not only this, once the mother has given birth, she will cut off the supply of nicotine to her child and shortly the baby will begin to suffer the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Even if the mother does not smoke but the baby is exposed to passive smoking from the father, the growth and development of the foetus can be affected.

Effects on the mother and the pregnancy

Smoking throughout pregnancy does affect both mother and child and can lead to complications that could have been prevented had the mother stopped smoking.

Fortunately some mothers suddenly develop a strong distaste for smoking when they become pregnant and are easily able to give up smoking for the nine-month period or longer.

If you quit smoking within the first 3 months of being pregnant, you are greatly increasing the probability of giving birth to a normal and healthy baby.

Below is a list of possible pregnancy complications that have been associated with women who smoke:
Ectopic pregnancy - this can be life-threatening for the mother and can lead to difficulties in becoming pregnant again. In an ectopic pregnancy, the egg usually becomes implanted in one of the fallopian tubes and begins to grow there. In the majority of cases, this type of pregnancy will never result in the live birth of a child, as there is not enough room for the baby to grow fully, and the cells must be removed as soon as the ectopic pregnancy is diagnosed by either an injection of drugs or by surgery.
Foetal death - this is when the baby is still a foetus (less than 28 weeks) and dies in the uterus. Maternal smoking has been linked to the death of 5 - 10% of all foetal and neonatal deaths.
Stillbirth and death of the baby in the first week - this risk is increased by a third if the mother smokes.
Miscarriage - the risk of suffering a miscarriage is increased by 25% for a smoker.
Placenta previa - the placenta lies extremely low in the uterus and block or covers the opening of the cervix. This can result in a difficult delivery and puts the mother's and baby's life at risk.
Early detachment of the placenta from the wall of the uterus before delivery, which could result in heavy bleeding.
Increase of heart rate and blood pressure in the mother due to the effects of the nicotine.
Blood clots
Vomiting
Vaginal bleeding
Thrush
Urinary tract infections
Premature rupture of the membranes, which may lead to a premature birth as well as infection.
Lack of necessary vitamins and folic acid.
Decreased lung function of the developing baby, caused by the nicotine that crosses the placenta to the foetus and alters the cells of the unborn child's developing lungs.
Premature birth, which could result in a low-weight baby. Full-term babies are healthier and stronger. Going into labour prematurely is twice as common in smokers than it is in non-smokers. The risks are even higher if the mother is still smoking throughout the latter half of her pregnancy.
Respiratory problems in the mother.
Less energy and therefore tiring more easily and less able to cope well with the pregnancy.

Remember, the more cigarettes you smoke throughout your pregnancy, the greater the risks of harm to the foetus, complications with the pregnancy and harm to your health.

source : helpwithsmoking.com

Russia to boo smokers: from scary messages to disturbing pictures

The country’s Health Ministry is pushing for a new regulation that will oblige the tobacco industry to print onto cigarettes packs large and gloomy images of the effects of smoking.

Russian health minister Tatyana Golikova announced his plans at a meeting with the EU health commissionaire.

The images are going to be very graphic, portraying smoker’s yellow teeth, black and withered lungs eaten by cancer, effects of vascular disease, and dead babies.

The technique has been successfully used in a range of countries, including the UK and Thailand. While it is assumed that the measure does not influence older smokers, younger people are more likely to be put off the dangerous habit.

Forty four million smokers make Russia one of the world’s leaders in this area. In recent years, the country has been trying to improve the situation by introducing a number of anti-tobacco measures.

Back in summer 2010, the country ruled that each pack of cigarettes must have a frightening warning on it. The warnings informed smokers that their habit could lead to impotence and infertility, cause heart attacks and strokes, as well as result in a “slow and painful death.”

The government also banned cigarette ads and prohibited smoking in public buildings. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin even urged government officials to quit smoking “to set a good example.”

More anti-tobacco measures are on the way, including a complete ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, set to take place by 2015.

Also, a presidential aide has recently revealed that the government is looking to hike the price of cigarettes up to five times the current cost.

Beware Kochi Smokers.

It is going to be a very tough time for smokers of Kochi. If found smoking in public places, you will be fined Rs 200 on the spot by the anti-tobacco squad that will patrol the Ernakulam district. They have already started their operation from July 18th. Let me make you more familiar with “PUBLIC PLACES”. Usually public places mean those places which are accessed by the public. Public places includes all government offices, educational institutions, bus stands, bus waiting sheds, railway stations, stadiums, auditorium, roads, and all other religious spaces.
This is an initiative by the Ernakulam district administration for a tobacco free district. The anti-tobacco squad will include representatives of the Narcotics Cell, Excise Department, district medical officer, drug inspector, NGOs and a host of other government agencies. The main focus of this initiative would be on check of smoking in public places, refraining sales of cigarettes and other tobacco products near all educational institutions and banning the sale of tobacco products to children less than 18 years of age. The fines will be also imposed on product sellers for the violation of rules.

source: http://www.cochinsquare.com/beware-kochi-smokers/

THE WAY TO QUIT

Yes, there are plenty of people who really manage to quit smoking. This is how they do it.

     Amresh Patel is a CEO of a large multinational company. Used to smoke 20 cigarettes a day, and had been doing this for past 30 years. At 47, he decided to quit smoking. Today, at 49, Patel is still here with stick. He stands out amidst 100 who decided to quit, stay off for a few months and pick up the habit again. So what did Patel do that others can’? “I made up my mind, “claims the erstwhile smoker. He says he followed a four-pronged strategy: making up his mind was the first step; then gradually he got used to deprivation and started treating his urge to smoke as an unfulfilled desire. Finally, he renewed focus on his health.

     MAKING UP YOUR MIND.

In Patel’s case, his chronic cough, raspy voice and low levels of immunity led him to consider quitting. Moreover it was disturbing to see his 13 year old daughter aping him with a pencil dangling in her mouth and walking around the house. And that’s when, during one of his trip to the UK, he tried hypnosis to quit.

We all know that hypnosis is concentrated relaxation and is the key to reach the unconscious by removing the barriers of conscious mind. During hypnotherapy, the therapist slips past your conscious mind recommending you to reject your craving for tobacco. Your mind builds up new neutral tracts triggering new ways of thinking and you begin to look at yourself as a non-smoker. As hypnotherapy directly worked with Patel’s habits he did not feel deprived or unhappy.

     DEPRIVATION

Patel started by reducing the number of cigarettes from 20 to six or seven a day so that he didn’t feel he was being deprived. Another way, Patel says, is to start thinking of yourself as a non-smoker. This will make the urge a little more bearable.

     UNFULFILLED DESIRE.

Here is Patel’s advice to all smokers: we all have secret desires. Do we fulfill all of them? If we did a lot of us would be in trouble. Similarly treat the desire to smoke as an unfulfilled desire similar to wanting someone else wife’s, job, money, body, hair or looks. The moment we know that we are in the state of “wishful unfulfilment” our mind accepts it more readily.

     GET HEALTHIER

A few months after Patel quit, his cholesterol level were back to normal his high density lipoprotein levels (good cholesterol that protects the heart) increased, his triglyceride levels (a type of fat found in blood) came down, and his cough vanished. Earlier, smoking was robbing his body off the nutrients that would make his body healthier. Now his body absorbed nutrients from food more efficiently and he looks younger. He gained 3 to 4 kilos which he start losing once he began to work out regularly and have healthier food. Two years on, Patel has a healthy glow on his face, and that raspy voice has been replaced by an even-toned one.

      As for his now 15 year old daughter, her article on how her dad quit smoking just got printed in her school magazine, and her young girl roams around with a cheesy grin on her face. Time for you  to follow Patel?

The author is a wellness coach.

Taken from the outlook Business India.

heavy smoking mean's kidney cancer but more aggressive.

Researchers have found that kidney cancer is not only more
common among heavy smokers, it also appears to be more
aggressive.
According to a study out Monday, more than one in four smokers undergoing kidney cancer surgery had advanced stages of the disease, compared to only one in five patients who didn't light up.
Researchers say about 70 percent of people with early-stage tumors survive at least five years, whereas that number plummets to just eight percent after the cancer has begun spreading.

About one in 70 Americans, most of them elderly, develop kidney cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
But the findings aren't all bad news. Indeed, former smokers who'd kicked the habit had a smaller chance of turning up with advanced cancer.
While the study wasn't designed to prove that quitting can slow tumor growth, Dr. Thomas J. Polascik, who led the work, said he believes that to be the case.
"It can't bring you down to the risk of a nonsmoker, but it can get you almost there," Polascik, a surgeon at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, told Reuters Health. His findings appear in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Polascik and his colleagues looked at data for 845 people who'd had surgery for kidney cancer at their hospital. A quarter of the patients had advanced disease, defined as cancer spreading beyond the kidney.
The odds of finding late-stage cancer were 60 percent higher in smokers -- about a fifth of the patients -- than non-smokers, even after taking age and other factors into account. And the more cigarettes they had smoked, the higher the odds.
Former smokers also had higher odds of advanced disease. But the odds fell by nine percent for every decade they had been smoke-free.
The researchers say that means smoking might not only up the chances the a tumor will form in the first place, but might also fuel cancer growth, perhaps by suppressing the immune system.
However, Alexander S. Parker, a kidney cancer expert at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, said it's also possible that smokers are less likely to seek medical care than non-smokers.
"If this is true, then it would not be the case that the biology of these tumors is different," he told Reuters Health in an email. "Rather, just that the individuals themselves have less contact with the health care system and are less likely to be diagnosed when their cancers are at an early, treatable stage."
Still, Parker, who was not involved in the new work, said the findings lined up with earlier data showing that smokers have twice the risk of developing kidney cancer, in addition to other health problems.
"In the end," he said, "we need to be clear that smoking accounts for hundreds of thousands of deaths every year in the U.S. and therefore, the overall effort should still be focused on getting people to quit smoking and to keep young people from starting in the first place."

The Effects of Smoking on Beauty

Did you know? In 1985, the term “smoker's face” was added to the medical dictionary, meaning that there is a definite difference visually in a smokers face compared to a non-smoker.

Looking old – everyone's worse fear. (Or is it just me?) Unfortunately, a smoker has way more things than a few wrinkles or lines to worry about. Here's some of them, (brace yourself).

Your Skin Texture. Smoking reduces the production of collagen and elastic up to 40%, some reports state. This means skin starts to thin out, which leads to premature sagging, wrinkles, and fine lines. Deep lines and wrinkles usually form around the eyes and the mouth area, thanks to the constant squinting from smoke irritation, and puckering of the lips when inhaling a cigarette. According to some studies by Skincare Physicians.com, smokers develop premature signs of aging much sooner than a non-smoker, even as young as 20 years old. “Facial wrinkling, while not yet visible, can be seen under a microscope.” Overall, because of its thousands of toxins going directly into your body from a single cigarette, your overall complexion can have a yellow, sullen, leathery texture – so attractive!

Aged Eye Area. Because smoking damages the cells around the eyes, you can not only expect wrinkles and lines, but also sucken eyes with dark eye circles. This is especially common with chain smokers.

Wrinkled, Shriveled Lips. Again, because smoking zaps all the collagen and elastic from your skin, your lips suffer too. Lips can become wrinkled and look shriveled. The skin around the mouth, again, will eventually lead to deep, dark lines and wrinkles because of the constant puckering of your lips.

Stained Teeth. Smoking stains the teeth. Smokers are also more likely to loose teeth, have plaque buildup, and lose part of the jawbone that helps keep their teeth in place – scary!

Lifeless Hair. Smokers are up to four times more likely to have these problems with their hair, thanks to the chemicals in cigarettes. They starve your hair of oxygen and make it dull, lifeless and brittle, and in the long run contributes to hair loss, premature graying, and balding.

Appearance of an Aged Body. Your fingers will eventually get stained by a beautiful yellow tinge, and recent studies from the Research in Archives of Dermatology stated that smoking ages skin all across the body, especially sagging in the upper inner arms.

aroma. No one can deny the smell smoking causes. I don't know how I did it, but I had a boyfriend who smoked and everything – everything! – smelt awful. His hair, clothes, apartment. Not very appealing. He would wear cologne, but what was the point? One cigarette later and his precious cologne was long gone.

… And as if that's not bad enough, you may be a little more dumb than the rest of us. Not exactly something you'd like advertised about yourself, huh?

In conclusion, smoking blesses you with some very attractive physical traits! But seriously – if that doesn't make you want to quit ASAP, Amanda Sanford of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) sums it perfectly: “No amount of anti-aging cream will remove the wrinkles caused by cigarettes, so the best way for smokers to avoid the wrinkled prune look is to stop.”

FAQ's

Smoking Cessation helps smokers kick their nicotine addiction by providing tools and support for people who want to quit smoking.

Are “light” cigarettes better than regular ones?
Cigarettes are cigarettes. There is no difference. Light cigarettes have tiny holes just where your fingers hold them. So, when you inhale, you get full-strength smoke. When just the end of the filter is inserted into a “smoking machine” to determine the tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide content, the smoke is diluted by air entering through those holes. What's more, people inhale more deeply and more frequently after switching from "regular" to "light" cigarettes, in order to keep the same average level of nicotine in their bloodstream.


If I quit smoking, I’ll gain weight. What can I do to stay slim?
You harm your body far more by smoking than by carrying excess weight. You can control your weight by eating less, exercising more, reducing sweets, and by altering your lifestyle. Become more active. Not only will this keep you occupied, you will also lose weight.

Will my body ever get back to normal after I quit?
Yes, it will. In fact, your body starts repairing the damage almost immediately. For example, within 30 minutes of quitting smoking, your pulse rate slows down and your blood pressure drops toward normal. Within hours of stopping, the level of carbon monoxide in your blood drops, enabling the blood to carry more oxygen. Two days after quitting, nerve endings begin to recover and your sense of smell and taste begin to return. Within 72 hours of quitting, the bronchial tubes of your lungs expand and lung volume increases.

What’s the best way to quit?
There isn’t a single method that can be applied to all people. Everyone is different, so you must find the method for quitting smoking that works for you. If every method or product worked for everybody, you probably would have quit by now. Some people quit through sheer determination and can quit cold-turkey. Other people need classes, drugs, therapy, various products, etc. Whatever works for you and is safe, you should consider and utilize. Let your doctor know you want to quit and ask for his or her assistance. This step alone can help improve your chances for quitting considerably. And don’t worry about failing. Relapse is part of the quitting process. Many people try three or four times before they finally quit for good.

Does nicotine cause cancer?
As a matter of fact, nicotine does not cause cancer – it is the addictive chemical in tobacco that keeps you puffing away, year after year. However, tobacco smoke has a grand total of 4,000 chemicals – out of which 43 are extremely cancer causing. Therefore, it is safe to chew nicotine gum or use a nicotine patch.

I know smoking causes cancer. Does it cause anything else?
Smoking is responsible for a whole host of illnesses. For example, it contributes to back pain, osteoporosis (thinning of the bones), and male impotence. It affects the circulation and hardens the arteries, while creating low-level carbon monoxide poisoning. Together, these effects decrease the delivery of oxygen to every part of the body including discs in the spine. Smokers have more back pain than non-smokers, and their injuries heal less quickly.

How dangerous is second-hand smoke?
It is very dangerous. For example, recent studies show that second-hand smoke causes a variety of illnesses in children, such as ear infections, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, and SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Smoke in an infant's household quadruples the chances of a SIDS death. Each year in the United States, second-hand smoke causes an estimated 284 to 364 deaths in children from house fires and lung infections. Also, it causes between 354,000 and 2.2 million ear infections in children, as well as 260,000 to 436,000 episodes of bronchitis and 115,000 to 190,000 episodes of pneumonia. A non-smoking spouse of a regular smoker has a 20% increase in his chances of contracting lung cancer, and 30% of developing heart disease.

What can I do get my teen kids to quit?
Most young people just cannot understand the health risks involved with smoking. Remember, they are young, and most young people feel immortal. However, you can discourage them from smoking by making smoking seem less hip and cool. For example, stress tobacco's effect on personal attractiveness. Surveys show that teens, whether they smoke or not, are turned off by the bad breath, smelly clothes and hair, and yellow teeth of smokers. Also, you can steer teens toward peer groups that don't smoke. Teens need the approval of their friends. If their best friends aren’t smoking, they are unlikely to take up the habit. Find extracurricular activities, such as sports, theatre groups, scouting and so forth, and offer to support your teen's participation with transportation and attendance at functions. You can also support education programs that feature older teens who have quit smoking because of the health hazards and other undesirable effects. Start early; the average teen smoker begins at age 14.

Is smokeless tobacco harmful?
Yes, and just as much as cigarettes. There's a widely held myth that smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco) is a safe alternative to cigarettes, when actually it's just as dangerous as smoking. Since nicotine is a habit-forming drug, snuff and chewing tobacco users become just as chemically dependent as cigarette smokers. Smokeless products induce a higher blood-nicotine level, which is sustained for longer periods, since users tend to chew over a period of hours. As with cigarettes, snuff and chewing tobacco may cause heart disease and certain kinds of cancer. These products also have dangers of their own, including gum diseases, erosion of teeth and mouth lesions that can develop into cancer.

How many people actually die from smoking?
In America, an average of 400,000 people die from smoking related diseases every year.

Karen's Quit Story

I am proud to say that I have enough experience with life to have learned how to cherish life's little miracles with the same enthusiasm as I do the large.

A miracle, defined in the dictionary as something that defies scientific laws, an event or act that challenges logic, is exactly what I am living.

Today I celebrate the miracle of being a healthy non-smoker. I have accomplished no other deed that compares to this. No other achievement in my life touches the hem of gaining and retaining my life back from the world of the "Smoking section".

There are many many roads to becoming an ex-smoker. Mine was not the straight and narrow nor was my trip the "shortest distance between two points". I took the long way around. Why?, blurred vision, inability to make a commitment?, or plain laziness?. All of the above, plus 3 or 4 less logical excuses assisted my reasoning, which allowed me to continue smoking when I knew that there was no good thing about it.

I won't dwell on my past smoking experiences. I've given enough of my life to a cause whose only return has robbed me of the quality and quantity of time that I may have to spend with my loved ones.

I will clarify, subjectively, the advantages of becoming and remaining a non-smoker.

Children
Anyone that has, loves or wants a child would do himself or herself a huge favor of not smoking. The impression that you make on children by what you do or, more important, don't do is more than you know.

Health
Your health will make or break you, literally. No matter how many old people you see smoking, you will never live to your expectant age if you continue to tell yourself that not every smoker dies early from cancer. The age that you do live to see will not be comfortable or enjoyable.

Time
I once read that smokers are better managers of time than non-smokers. So, I prided myself on being able to plan my next cigarette break before I even finished my current cigarette break, being able to remember to stop between destinations to restock. Progressive? Psychic? Neither, and anyone who still believes that they need a cigarette(a depressant), to figure out life's problems are not using the full capacity of their brain to start with.

Cost
A two-edged sword. I had convinced myself that $3.25 was not a lot to pay for my habit. I never asked anyone to purchase my cigarettes, and it was a small amount when you consider that other ILLEGAL drugs were much more. I work every day, and I am worth a mere $3.25, right? Right, but my life is worth more than that. Plus, I really do notice those extra bills in my pocket.

Smell
I can only laugh at my attempt to conceal the smell of smoke in my hair, clothes, skin, car, house, and mouth. I can now smell smoke from a block away. About the same distance that non-smokers smelt me from, no matter how sweet the perfume, gum or air freshener I used to carry with me at all times.

Making the decision to stop smoking has nothing to do with remaining a non-smoker. Ask any smoker about quitting. It's not the hard part. Remaining a quitter is more than a notion.

A small miracle or a large miracle? I cannot say. I do know that after exhausting all my natural powers, I kept praying for assistance to conquer a habit that half the world considers to be normal and the other half knows by it's true name: an addiction that causes cancer, emphysema, pain, and early death.

Suggestions please

Hi readers, 
Please mail us your suggestions and facts about smoking which we have not posted yet, to kill.a.cigarette@gmail.com . Each and every mail you sent will be taken seriously. Thanking you in advance. 

Some numbers about smoking.

25% of Americans smoke, and 70% of them would like to quit. 30% of them try to quit in any given year. About 2.5% succeed in a given year (this is all comers, whether they try and get help at all or not). Eventually, 50% of all smokers quit.

The percentage of smokers fell quite a bit with initial public education attempts in the 70's and 80's. In 1965, 52% of men and 34% of women were smokers. By 1991, these percentages were 28% for men and 24% for women. The numbers are not falling as quickly now.

Smoking costs are estimated at $50 billion dollars per year. To cover these costs, the taxes on a pack of cigarettes should be about $4.

3000 teenagers start smoking every day.

The medical costs of smoking are $50 billion dollars each year. If you add the lost productivity, the costs rise to $97 billion dollars per year.

But I've smoked so long . . . why bother quitting now?

Because the benefits begin IMMEDIATELY.

In 20 Minutes:

Blood Pressure and Pulse return to normal

Temperature of hands and feet returns to normal

In 8 Hours

Carbon Monoxide levels are already back to normal

In 24 Hours:

Your chance of Heart Attack has already decreased significantly

In 48 Hours

Smell and taste return toward normal

Walking becomes easier

In 2 Weeks - 3 Months

Circulation improves

Lung function can increase up to 30%

In 1 - 9 Months

Coughing, sinus congestion and shortness of breath decrease

Cilia regrow in lungs, increasing the ability of the lungs to resist infection

In 1 Year

Your risk of heart disease is one-half of what it was one year ago.

You see, it really does not matter how long you've smoked. These are reliable changes which you will enjoy.

Smoking ban forces more drivers to light up

The smoking ban will made more smokers light up in their cars - that's according to a survey carried out by Auto Trader.

Almost half of those surveyed said the ban on smoking in enclosed public places in England, would make them more likely to smoke in their vehicles.

Three quarters of smokers questioned said they wouldn't stop smoking in their cars, even if it meant the resale value would be affected.

But almost 60 per cent said they would be less likely to buy a car which had been previously owned by a smoker.

The Government's campaign has had some success - the survey revealed more than 80 per cent of motorists were already aware the ban also applied to commercial vehicles.

Some facts:

90% of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking.

30% of all cancer fatalities are caused by smoking.

Lung cancer is the most common cancer associated with cigarette smoking but you can also get cancer of the mouth, bladder, kidney, stomach, esophagus, larynx and pancreas. Some of these cancers can be treated and others are 100% fatal.

Cancer isn't the only disease that smoking causes - either directly or indirectly. 75% of all fatal cases of emphysema and bronchitis are linked to smoking. Both of these diseases cause extreme breathing difficulties and emphysema in particular is an extremely nasty disease as your ability to breathe on your own slowly vanishes.

Smokers have dramatically shorter lives than non-smokers. On average a smoker will die 15 - 20 years before a non-smoker. This is truly shocking when you think about it. That's 7,300 days deducted from your lifespan. Look at what you can achieve in a single day and then imagine what you might be able to achieve in over 7,000 days.

This is proof that continued exposure to the toxic substances found in cigarettes and cigars simply isn't good for you - no matter what tobacco companies might say. Smoking will kill you younger.

Why Smoking Makes You Happy?

When a smoker inhales a single "shot" of nicotine from a cigarette the lungs allow the nicotine to pass into the blood stream almost instantly. The smoker then feels the "hit" from the nicotine in their bloodstream and this is the sensation that they crave later on. Don't just assume that you're inhaling "pure" tobacco smoke either. That cigarette you're smoking contains up to 4,000 separate chemicals - many of which are extremely toxic.

That smoke you inhale from a cigarette contains 43 carcinogenic substances. These are substances which have been clinically proven to cause various types of cancer. Cigarette smoke also contains 400 other toxins that can be found in rat poison, nail polish remover and various types of wood varnish. Would you willingly eat any of these products? Of course not because you know that they're incredibly bad for you. As these carcinogens and toxins gather in the body they begin to cause serious problems for the heart and lungs.

Of all the diseases associated with smoking cancer is the most common. Cancer is a relatively new disease that has really only become prevalent since the beginning of the industrial revolution. In effect cancer is a manmade disease for which there is, as of yet, no cure.

A Question For Smokers: Would You Drink Ammonia?

This is scary: Did you know that there are chemicals added to cigarettes which increase the speed at which nicotine reaches your brain? One example is ammonia. The organic chemists of the tobacco industry knew that nicotine made a person feel a lot better if it was quickly delivered to the brain.

After spending millions of dollars experimenting on animals, they came up with the idea of using ammonia, which prevents the filter from removing as much nicotine as filters without ammonia do. Therefore, smokers tend to puff harder and longer, giving their brain a higher dose with each puff taken.

The addition of ammonia represented a very important breakthrough for the tobacco industry because it allowed smokers to receive very high levels of nicotine, which increased the addiction rate.

Ammonia is one of the main reasons that your first cigarette of the day is so enjoyable. Your brain went without nicotine while you were asleep, so it wants some right away.

That first puff rapidly delivers a large amount of nicotine because of the added ammonia to your brain in seven seconds. It’s like drinking a whole glass of water when you are really thirsty. It just gets soaked right up.

Do not think that it is not possible for you to quit smoking cigarettes but it is true that there are many chain smokers, who have quit smoking. The only thing one needs to quit smoking is the determination and once you achieve your goal then you will feel happy and happy.

Death statistics for Smoking.

The following are statistics from various sources about deaths and Smoking:

• Death rate is 2-3 times higher than non-smokers
• Estimated to cause 10 million deaths per year worldwide by 2020 (WHO Web Site)
• 1.2 million deaths in Europe (The European Heart Network)
• 45,000 African American deaths each year in America (CBCF Health Organisation, 2004)
• 1.2 million deaths from smoking in Europe (The European Heart Network, 2000) 
• 400,000 deaths annually in the US (Mayo Clinic)

The shocking death rate.

Deaths from Smoking: 
440,000 annual deaths each year are smoking-associated
Death rate extrapolations for USA for Smoking: 
440,000 per year, 36,666 per month, 8,461 per week, 1,205 per day, 50 per hour, 0 per minute, 0 per second. Note: this automatic extrapolation calculation uses the deaths statistic: 440,000 annual deaths each year are smoking-associated (CDC)
Deaths information for Smoking: 
An estimated 400,000 deaths each year are caused directly by cigarette smoking.
Average life years lost from Smoking: 
12 years
Life years lost from Smoking: 
Smoking doesn't just cut a few months off the end of your life. It reduces the life of the average smoker by 12 years.