The harm of smoking for women and their bodies. World No Tobacco Day is a great reason to quit smoking! Passive smoking or others suffer no less than the smokers themselves

Tobacco addiction is the most common addiction in modern society. According to World Health Organization experts, it affects about 1.2 billion people worldwide, that is, approximately one in eight adults. The negative impact of smoking on the human body is difficult to overestimate. In 2015, it was recognized as the second most dangerous controllable risk factor for premature death and disability after hypertension. This means that by giving up cigarettes, a person can live a longer, healthier and more active life. The decision to quit nicotine is also facilitated by a wide range of diseases that smoking causes.

Tobacco addiction causes the development of many diseases that can lead to loss of ability to work, disability, and even death. Every year, about 5 million people die worldwide due to the consequences of long-term smoking.

Cigarettes shorten a person's life by an average of 9-10 years. They cause the development of lung cancer in 90% of cases, while the likelihood of its occurrence in smokers is 10 times higher than in people who do not have this harmful habit.

Respiratory system

During the puff, some of the smoke, along with toxic gases and particulates, is ingested and dissolved in saliva. With regular smoking, this can lead to the appearance of malignant tumors in the oral cavity, nasopharynx and even the digestive tract.

The rest of the smoke settles in the bronchi and lungs, where it turns into a sticky and caustic tar. It irritates the mucous membranes, causes their thinning and increased secretion. The ciliated epithelium cannot cope with the removal of such an amount of mucus. As a result, it stagnates and becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. The addition of infections causes respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and pneumonia, which are typical for smokers.

In medicine, there is even the concept of “smoker’s bronchitis.” This disease occurs in the vast majority of people who have smoked for more than seven years.

Another commonly diagnosed severe lung disorder is emphysema. In smokers, it develops within 10-15 years, provided they consume one pack of cigarettes per day. Emphysema affects the alveoli of the lungs - the vesicles located at the ends of the bronchioles, responsible for respiratory function. The resin accumulated in them corrodes the walls. Over time, they collapse and form voids filled with air. As a result, the volume of the chest increases, but due to the lack of healthy alveoli, respiratory function decreases, and the person develops oxygen starvation.

Heart and blood vessels

Smoking has a negative impact on the cardiovascular system. Nicotine causes vasoconstriction while simultaneously increasing blood pressure and heart rate. It has been established that a smoking person has 15,000 more of them per day than a healthy person. Such increased loads “wear out” the heart. In addition, when blood vessels narrow, less oxygen reaches organs and cells, which causes hypoxia.

Other substances in cigarettes help increase the level of catecholamines in the blood. This leads to an increase in the concentration of lipids in it, which causes blockage of blood vessels and the formation of blood clots, which, with increased load on the heart muscle, can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

Deterioration of blood circulation in the extremities, spasm of blood vessels and the deposition of atherosclerotic plaques in them in smokers often become the cause of obliterating endarteritis. The initial symptoms of the disease are decreased sensitivity, tired legs, intermittent claudication. When the vessels become completely clogged and the blood supply to the tissue stops, it dies and necrosis (gangrene) begins.

The influence of the composition of cigarettes on other systems and organs

The negative effect of nicotine on the nervous system is manifested in a decrease in sensitivity due to disturbances during the passage of nerve impulses to organs. This explains the fact that smokers do not perceive taste and smell as clearly. In addition, disruption of nervous regulation leads to abdominal pain, constipation and chills.

Smoking provokes diseases associated with the musculoskeletal system. Under the influence of toxic substances contained in tobacco, the body begins to intensively produce proteins that stimulate the activity of osteoclasts. These cells destroy old bone tissue by dissolving its mineral base, while new bone does not have time to be synthesized. Increased bone fragility can lead to fractures, osteoporosis and disability.

The consequences of smoking also extend to the sexual sphere. This is due to narrowing of the pelvic floor vessels and poor circulation.

Men who do not quit smoking begin to have problems with erection, potency and sperm quality decrease.

In women, smoking tobacco can lead to early menopause, long and painful periods, and complications during pregnancy. The threat of ectopic fetal implantation in women addicted to cigarettes is 2.5 times higher, and placental abruption is 50% higher. Due to poisoning of the body with toxic substances contained in tobacco, the risk of giving birth to a premature baby increases by 2 times, compared with non-smoking women.

Tobacco addiction can cause serious visual impairment, including loss of vision. Smoking contributes to the development of retinal dystrophy. This occurs due to insufficient blood supply to the capillaries and vessels of the fundus. In addition, poisons and toxins contained in cigarettes can damage the optic nerve.

The harm from smoking also manifests itself at the level of the gastrointestinal tract. Disruption of the passage of nerve signals leads to deterioration of intestinal motility, and tobacco toxins “attack” the liver, gastric and duodenal mucosa. Their effect on the digestive organs is similar in degree of harmfulness to alcohol.

Tobacco smoking is harmful to overall health, causing the body to age faster. He rather exhausts his internal resources. A person develops chronic diseases and looks much older than his age. Cigarette smoke has a detrimental effect on the skin of the face that cannot be ignored. It becomes dry, flabby, covered with early wrinkles and age spots.

What danger does a cigarette hide?

Usually, a smoker, when picking up a pack of cigarettes, rarely pays attention to the inscription “Smoking is harmful to your health.” The Ministry of Health warns him not in vain, because according to statistics, up to 5 million people die annually from this dangerous addiction in the world.

Toxic and mutagenic substances in cigarettes are presented in the form of gases and solid particles. In addition to poisons and carcinogens, tobacco products contain heavy metals and radioactive particles that can accumulate in the body and poison it for decades.

The presence of modern ventilated filters in a cigarette reduces the concentration of harmful substances by only 20%. According to research, when smoking such products, each puff delivers more air and less smoke, which makes their effect on the throat gentler. However, this effect is neutralized by smokers themselves - in order to get the usual dose of nicotine, they take many puffs and inhale the smoke more strongly.

During smoking, the temperature of the smoldering end of a cigarette can reach 800 degrees Celsius. At this moment, “dry distillation” of its contents occurs. The air passing through smoldering tobacco receives volatile substances, gases and solid particles formed during the combustion process. When inhaled, they enter the mouth, and from there into the trachea, bronchi and alveoli. As the smoke moves, it cools and condenses, turning into resin with toxic impurities.

It settles in the alveolar sacs, the thin walls of which are penetrated by blood vessels. Once in them, substances quickly end up in the systemic bloodstream and spread throughout the body.

The smoke of one cigarette contains about 4,000 chemicals and compounds hazardous to health. Of these, 196 are poisonous, 96 are carcinogenic, that is, they increase the risk of developing cancer, and 14 have an effect similar to a narcotic.

List of harmful substances

The list of the most dangerous components for health and their effect on the body looks like this:

• Resin– one of the most dangerous components of tobacco smoke, which, when inhaled, penetrates into remote areas of the lungs and causes respiratory tract diseases. It blocks the cleansing function of the ciliated epithelium of the bronchi and accumulates in the alveolar sacs. Stagnation of the resulting mucus together with toxic resin particles in the event of an infection can cause inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system. In addition, it contains carcinogenic substances that lead to mutations in the cell and the formation of cancerous tumors. The resin partially settles on the teeth in the form of an unaesthetic plaque with a yellowish tint, which cannot be removed with regular tooth brushing. It becomes a favorable environment for the growth of bacteria that cause caries, periodontal disease and bad breath. Resin greatly increases the risk of developing emphysema, tuberculosis, pneumonia and bronchitis. Other dangerous components in its composition can lead to the formation of malignant tumors in the larynx, esophagus and other respiratory organs;
• Carcinogens(cadmium, benzopyrene, benzene, nickel, chromium, etc.) are able to penetrate the cell nucleus and damage its genetic apparatus, causing mutations. Degeneration can be malignant, in which case the risk of developing a cancerous tumor is very high. Carcinogens are able to penetrate the placental barrier and cause fetal development disorders;

• Arsenic– a deadly poisonous metal with carcinogenic properties. Cigarettes contain small doses; for example, one pack can contain from 0.5 to 2.5 micrograms of this substance. In some cases, the body gets used to its intake and develops “immunity.” The main danger of arsenic lies in its carcinogenicity and ability to accumulate in body tissues, causing the development of malignant tumors. It primarily affects the liver, thyroid gland and kidneys. Less commonly, the gastrointestinal tract and epithelium are affected. Arsenic poisoning is characterized by severe abdominal pain, digestive disorders, muscle weakness, damage to the central nervous system (memory impairment, mental retardation). Cardiac dysfunction is possible;
• Radioactive particles(lead, polonium, radium, cesium, thorium) enter the body along with cigarette smoke. They are carried throughout the bloodstream and become a source of internal radiation. In addition to toxic effects on internal organs, their isotopes cause malignant cell degeneration and fetal development disorders, especially in the early stages. Radioactive substances cause asthma, toxic kidney damage, and also negatively affect bone tissue, “washing out” calcium from it. Increased risk of fractures and osteoporosis;
• Carbon monoxide– the main component that causes hypoxia (oxygen starvation). It makes up up to 8% of the total volume of tobacco smoke. Carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) displaces oxygen and forms a stable compound with hemoglobin, depriving it of the ability to transport oxygen into cells. First of all, the brain and nervous system suffer from this. Dizziness, speech and vision disturbances, increased blood pressure and shortness of breath are possible. The load on the heart increases as the body strives to make up for the lack of oxygen. It is forced to pump more blood, so it increases in size and exhausts its resource faster;

The effect of carbon monoxide is manifested in decreased sensitivity, memory impairment, and headaches. If a person has mental illnesses, they may worsen. Carbon monoxide causes damage to coronary vessels, cardiac asthma, angina pectoris, and myocardial infarction.

• Free radicals are particles containing one or more unpaired electrons. Penetrating into the body, in order to stabilize their condition, they strive to take them away from the cell. This causes damage to it and triggers an oxidative reaction in it. Free radicals affect the entire body, causing premature aging of the skin and organs. They can affect the central nervous system and brain, causing the development of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. The negative effects of free radicals on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems have been proven. They also have a cocarcinogenic effect, that is, they contribute to the development of oncology;

• Nitrosamines– toxic organic nitrogen compounds formed from tobacco alkaloids. They have a carcinogenic effect even with a single use. They cause the development of malignant tumors of the oral cavity, esophagus, lungs and pancreas in smokers. They affect the liver, are mutagenic, and increase the risk of hemorrhage.

It is worth mentioning separately about nicotine. This is a toxic substance, an alkaloid of plant origin, which is produced to protect against being eaten by insects and animals. Nicotine causes lasting physical and psychological dependence by changing brain biochemistry.

When consuming this substance, a person feels a short burst of strength due to the activation of metabolic processes and stimulation of the nervous system. Concentration and reaction speed increase, which has a positive effect on ability to work. The smoker is relaxed, his anxiety decreases, and there is a feeling of mild euphoria. This effect gradually fades away 20-30 minutes after smoking a cigarette. A period of inhibition of the nervous system begins: thought processes and reactions slow down, weakness and trembling of the fingers appear.

If after this time a new dose of nicotine is not received, then symptoms of withdrawal syndrome develop. The smoker becomes irritable, aggressive towards others, gets tired quickly, and feels bad. He has increased sweating, insomnia, and is tormented by a feeling of hunger.

Nicotine is poison. It penetrates the body within 8 seconds after taking a puff and stimulates acetylcholine receptors, causing the release of adrenaline. As a result, a person’s heart rate and breathing increase, blood pressure increases and blood vessels constrict.

Nicotine affects the digestive organs, causing gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers.

Conclusion

Long-term smoking has a negative impact on the cardiovascular system. Poor circulation can cause strokes, coronary artery disease, aortic aneurysm, and high blood pressure.

It has been scientifically proven that smoking is directly related to the risk of developing cancer, especially in the lungs. The longer the duration of this harmful habit, the greater the likelihood of oncological processes. For those who smoke more than 25 cigarettes daily, it increases 50 times compared to non-smokers. This is why tobacco addiction is an evil that brings death.

The main harm of smoking to the human body is that nicotine and other toxic and carcinogenic substances are practically not removed from it. The more cigarettes an addict smokes, the more vulnerable he becomes to disease. This scenario can be avoided. You just have to realize that smoking is harmful and quit this habit as early as possible.

Video on topic

The use of any substance or product can lead to satiety, when the body is no longer able to process the harmful substances entering it. The scary thing is that an overdose of nicotine can occur both in a person who has smoked most of his life, and in someone who has picked up a cigarette for the first time. Let's look at how it affects, and briefly go through the symptoms of overdose and treatment methods.

Causes of acute nicotine poisoning

The principle of poisoning is quite simple to understand. The cause of this condition is the harmful effects of cigarettes. After the first puff for 10 seconds, nicotine enters the brain through the bloodstream, where it begins its detrimental effect on the functions of all human organs and systems. It is difficult to say how the body will behave in response to the arrival of a given stimulus. What remains important is individual intolerance, the dose consumed can be so strong that it will cause symptoms of the acute phase of poisoning.

Even a small dose of nicotine, equal to a few puffs, can lead to a condition such as acute poisoning. This type of poisoning often occurs in people who take up a cigarette for the first time. Poisoning in large doses often affects experienced smokers who would prefer a cigarette to a hearty snack. The bulk of acute intoxication (poisoning) occurs due to smoking on an empty stomach.

Forms of overdose

Let's look at the forms, as well as symptoms at an early stage and the overall impact of tobacco smoking on men and women. Depending on the severity, as well as damage to the body, there are two different forms of acute poisoning - mild and severe.

And if the second is characteristic mainly of heavy smokers, then the first, mild form, more often occurs in people who inhale cigarette smoke for the first time. At an early stage, symptoms of a mild form will be a large amount of saliva (hypersalivation), pain or tingling in the abdomen, nausea ending with profuse vomiting, dizziness, lethargy, and intestinal disorders. Basically, all these symptoms disappear within one to two days, but cases of more severe consequences may develop.

Symptoms of a severe form of nicotine overdose, which mainly affects long-term smokers, as well as people who have lost control over the number of cigarettes smoked due to various reasons. This form of poisoning is characterized by:

• frequent vomiting;
• disorders of the visual and auditory systems;
• increased heart rate;
• the pupils are dilated, often irregular in shape, there is pallor of the skin, and a decrease in body temperature.

In some cases, shortness of breath occurs, with heavy exhalation, the person loses consciousness, becomes delirious, and with a severe reaction falls into a coma. Epileptic seizures are often observed. If the outcome is unfavorable, due to damage to the respiratory center or heart, the person dies.

Carrots: beneficial properties for restoring health, read how they will help you.

Symptoms of e-cigarette poisoning

Also, modern society is increasingly interested in smoking electronic cigarettes and various mixtures. When taking a puff from an e-cigarette, a person feels a pleasant taste and aroma, unlike the traditional hit in the throat of regular cigarettes. The effect of being high comes a little later - for this reason, a novice vaper (a lover of electronic smoke) puffs on his device for a long time, which ultimately causes an overdose.

While this method of nicotine consumption is considered much safer than traditional smoking, it also has enormous harmful effects. The reason for this is the liquid for refilling electronic cigarettes, which consists of a variety of chemical elements that are incompatible with the human body. The harm of smoking on the human body and from electronic cigarettes is very noticeable.

The symptom complex of poisoning from an electronic cigarette is identical to traditional cigarettes. Namely:

• tachycardia;
• chills with cold sweat;
• inhibition of the central nervous system;
• pain in the heart area;
• stopping breathing.

What to do

Symptoms can occur individually or all together. Nicotine is removed from the body in approximately one to two hours. A mild overdose may go away on its own during this time. If you are faced with a more serious problem, you need to take the following steps:

1. Call a doctor or an ambulance.

2. Before the doctor arrives, drink as much fluid as possible.

3. Free access to fresh air.

4. Breathe vapors of ammonia or essential oils.

Harmful effects of smoking

When tobacco smoke enters the body, the smoker damages not only his lungs. In case of long-term dependence on cigarettes, all organs and systems suffer.

• liver: the main filter of the body, all harmful substances pass through its gates, if their quantity is exceeded, dysfunction of its work occurs;
• due to the constant effect of nicotine on the muscles of the heart, their strength and strength are lost, which leads to heart attacks, strokes and thrombus formation in various parts of the circulatory system;
• half of the harmful substances from cigarette smoke settle on the surface of the lungs. Long-term smokers often develop chronic smoker's bronchitis, which can transform into asthma or lung cancer;


• reproductive function suffers;
• visual function reacts sharply, visual acuity noticeably deteriorates, which then leads to all kinds of cataracts and glaucoma;
• nicotine has a negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract;
• as a consequence: frequent arterial hypertension;
• Nicotine irritates the vocal cords, causing the voice to become rougher.

Harm of nicotine for pregnant women

The consequence of long-term exposure to nicotine for both sexes is infertility. Women experience sexual passivity. Pregnant women who smoke are of particular concern. At the early stage of pregnancy, when the embryo is being formed, pathologies are formed under the influence of harmful cigarette substances. These can be cancerous pathological formations, as well as all kinds of chronic diseases: bronchial asthma, congenital heart defects, etc. There is also a constant risk of sudden fetal death.

First aid

In an overdose of nicotine, there are two phases that transform into each other: excitation and inhibition.

1. In the excitation phase, spasm of blood vessels and peripheral muscles and an increase in blood pressure occur.


2. In the second phase, the consequences are more serious; the patient’s gastric mucosa is damaged by nicotine, which in turn causes nausea and vomiting, general weakness, fainting, and exacerbation of chronic pathological processes in the body.
3. Experienced smokers reject the idea of ​​intoxication with an electronic cigarette, ignoring medical data on poisoning. This category of people has developed a certain weak block against acute nicotine poisoning, their defense is relatively weak, and some of the consequences that occur during the day simply pass by.
4. Severe intoxication can even lead to death. A passerby who inhales steam from an electric hookah will do nothing, but someone who inhales this vaporous substance should think about its chemical component. You need to watch teenagers especially carefully, otherwise this situation is not regulated in any way at the moment. No fines or other control methods are prescribed anywhere.

First aid is necessary only in case of acute nicotine overdose, because if a small amount of poisonous substances is ingested daily, complete cessation of smoking will be effective help. If you quit smoking, life will not lose color. An imaginary feeling of dependence on a cigarette is nothing more than a self-instilled attitude towards self-destruction. For a person who has a mild phase of acute poisoning, to combat it, it will be effective to follow the following points:

• ensuring a constant flow of fresh air;
• if a person has lost consciousness, let them inhale ammonia and rub it on their temples;
• rinse the stomach with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate), or with plain digested water;
• drinking plenty of water;
• turn the victim on his side so that in case of aspiration, he does not choke on vomit;
• If breathing stops, it is necessary to carry out artificial ventilation until the ambulance arrives.

Treatment, drugs

A person who has been exposed to an overdose of nicotine should first rinse his stomach and then begin drug therapy. Drugs used for treatment: activated carbon, various laxatives, potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). For parenteral administration - atropine, to monitor the work of the sympathetic and parasympathetic.

You should also very carefully monitor respiratory and circulatory function (cardiovascular). At any moment, the patient may stop breathing, and he will need to be urgently ventilated with oxygen, which must be humidified. To prevent cardiovascular disorders, catecholamine drugs are used. If the patient’s liver is healthy, then the consequences of an overdose will quickly pass.

Also include running in the morning, which will help restore your health.

Consequences of nicotine overdose

Very often, after prolonged exposure to nicotine, visual function suffers: the cornea loses its sensitivity, and inflammatory reactions develop. The upper respiratory tract is constantly under attack, as a result of which they begin to atrophy. Ulcers and all kinds of stomatitis form in the oral cavity.

• The cardiovascular system, with prolonged exposure to nicotine, also begins to malfunction. This manifests itself in rhythm disturbances, spasm of coronary vessels, leading to myocardial infarction.
• Lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, presented in the form of heartburn, nausea, and decreased appetite. Hypersecretion of gastric juice begins, which is externally represented by increased hypersalivation (increased amount of salivation), as well as increased sweating.

The central nervous system suffers greatly from the effects of nicotine, the result is: all kinds of inflammation of the nerves, impaired speech. When analyzing the blood of a smoker, a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen molecules throughout the body, correspondingly, a lack of oxygen in all human tissues and organs.

The main symptoms that occur after an overdose:

• frequent and severe headaches;
• constant malaise;
• diseases of the nervous system;
• increased degree of fatigue;
• memory loss;
• insomnia, or sleep that does not bring rest;
• hypertension;
• disorders of the side of digestive function.

Recovery from nicotine overdose

The recovery process after completely quitting smoking is a very long and painstaking work. Organs that have been exposed to the harmful effects of nicotine for a long time slowly return to normal functioning.

1. The first to begin the cleansing process are the lungs, which already on the third day begin to gradually get rid of harmful substances. You can check the effectiveness of the recovery and functioning of the respiratory system after six months, using a special study that shows the functional volume of the lungs. Much to our chagrin, they are like that. Your lungs will no longer be like they were before you met a cigarette. Lung recovery is the most difficult and lengthy stage among the rest of the recovery process.
2. The central nervous system is susceptible to withdrawal after quitting cigarettes. Nervous processes will fully recover within the first month, the main thing is to hold out for this period and not give in to desire.
3. The cardiovascular system strives for normal functioning within two to three hours after the last cigarette is thrown away. In fact, after a month, the heart is already working as before, and the contractile function of blood vessels increases.


4. It will take about six months for the body to restore the liver to get rid of the effects of nicotine use. The liver, one of the few organs of the human body, is capable of self-regeneration. It will take about a year to completely return to the period when harmful substances from smoking and liver did not enter the body, while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
5. Due to disturbances in the production of gastric juice, a smoker suffers from all kinds of dyspeptic symptoms - gastritis, enterocolitis, ulcers. When quitting smoking, it takes five to six months to restore the full functioning of the digestive system.

To assess the degree of damage that smoking has caused to the body, as well as to check how the recovery process is going, it is necessary to undergo a high-quality medical examination, with a diagnosis of all organs and systems.

External improvements after quitting smoking

A person who exposes himself to the harmful effects of tobacco has an unpleasant appearance of his teeth and skin. Fingers, in addition to their characteristic yellowness, have an unpleasant odor. It is very easy to get rid of all these problems; just quit smoking. After a couple of months, the skin will again become soft and pleasant in appearance, and not yellow and dry, as during smoking. The unpleasant odor from the oral cavity will disappear, and your teeth will return to their former whiteness.

For women, the topic of cellulite, which is aggravated by smoking, is especially relevant; after quitting cigarettes, you will see noticeable positive changes on the skin previously affected by this problem. Facial features will become much more pleasant, and not pointed and painful, as during the constant intake of nicotine in the body.

Rules for smokers

If a person nevertheless decides to take the slippery path of smoking and let his health take its course, one must adhere to basic rules. This will help avoid overdose:

1. Do not try to smoke half a pack at a time; let the interval between cigarettes be three to four hours.

2. Do not smoke on an empty stomach. The most common cause of mild overdose is smoking on an empty stomach.

3. Quality of tobacco. This does not mean that counterfeit products will not be found in packs that cost twice as much as usual, but still. The better the quality of tobacco, the less chance of ending up in the hospital.

4. And most importantly, you will not overdose on nicotine-containing substances if you simply refuse them. After all, life is beautiful without a cigarette.

We have discussed with you the harm to human health from smoking regular and electronic cigarettes, how an overdose of nicotine can affect health, how to treat it, and what preventive measures smokers should take. We hope this leads you to the right conclusions. Be healthy, enjoy life!

polzavred.info

The effect of smoking on the human body or how cigarettes take away our health

The consequences of smoking were no longer accepted so cordially: in 1809, the doctor Vauquelin isolated nicotine from the leaves, which he gave a detailed description of as a sharp, burning liquid that enters into alkaline reactions, which in its characteristics is similar to the action of previously known poisons.

A substance of plant origin found in many vegetable crops. Nicotine is present in eggplants, green peppers, and tomatoes, but in an extremely small dose.

The harm of smoking to the human body

An addiction to a cigarette can not only cost a smoker his health, but also his life.

Smoking is harmful to all life-supporting systems of the human body, and primarily to the respiratory system. The chemicals contained in cigarettes (more than 400 of them are hazardous to health), settling on the mucous membrane, cause irritation. Thus, it becomes 4-5 times thicker, thereby preventing air from entering the lungs and making breathing difficult.

The harm of smoking on human health

And now all this “compote” ends up in the human body. Everything that the body cannot process and remove from itself ultimately settles in the skin and hair. Naturally, all this begins to smell unpleasant. Let's not talk about all the well-known things, such as caries, gum destruction and burns of the mouth and larynx. All these are just provable and well-known consequences of smoking.

Smoking reduces the volume of the lungs and reduces their performance.

The harm of smoking on the human body

Quick addiction, severe dependence and enormous damage to health are the features of this bad habit. And this makes it the main problem of the modern healthcare system. This is especially relevant for our country: according to statistics, 40% of Russians smoke.

After analyzing many years of observations, doctors say that tobacco affects almost all organs and systems. And its impact is extremely negative.

This is not a complete list of the consequences of smoking and its negative impact on the human body.

Harm of smoking

Let's figure out why smoking is harmful?

Smoking is the inhalation of tobacco smoke deeply into the lungs, the composition of which resembles a list of the most harmful and hazardous substances to health. Of the more than 4,000 chemical compounds contained in tobacco smoke, about 40 are among the most dangerous carcinogens that cause cancer. Several hundred components are poisons, among them: nicotine, benzopyrene, formaldehyde, arsenic, cyanide, hydrocyanic acid, as well as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc.

The harm of passive smoking

And parents are sometimes unaware that they are predetermining the fate of their child by depriving him of health in early childhood.

Young children who inhale cigarette smoke are susceptible to a phenomenon called sudden infant death. Statistics confirm that the mortality rate of children of parents who smoke at home is higher than that of non-smokers. An autopsy always confirmed an elevated level of nicotine in the blood of the deceased child.

How smoking affects human health

Smoking causes changes in mental and physical condition. Depending on the situation, it can be calming or invigorating. The body develops a craving to maintain a constant level of nicotine in the blood, so people who smoke regularly have the desire to take a cigarette.

The effects of smoking are well known through medical research. It has a negative effect on the entire body, all organs suffer.

What harm does smoking cause to the human body - Consequences of smoking

There is no doubt that it is directly related to cardiovascular diseases: smokers are 3-4 times more likely to die from coronary heart disease, which supposedly occurs suddenly, against the background of normal health.

Smokers explain their addiction by saying that a cigarette helps relieve stress, relax or, conversely, concentrate and improve performance. To find out what is actually happening in the body, do this simple manipulation: count your pulse rate before and after smoking, without changing your body position, that is, without adding any other load.

Smoking and its effects

In relation to our country, this problem is especially relevant and its roots go deep into the history of our people, and its spread is also associated with the low culture of society. Not only society must fight this problem, but also every person must be aware of the great harm of smoking and try to fight it.

More and more of my friends and acquaintances are becoming addicted to this habit.

black-lev.ru

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 of an impression on smokers: reassuring themselves that you can’t smoke so many cigarettes at once, 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 attachment, 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 bother with middlemen? But no: for some reason no one drinks arsenic in its pure form, but in cigarettes they inhale as much as they want!
2. Formaldehyde. This toxic chemical compound primarily affects the respiratory system. It is noteworthy that formaldehyde is used to prepare formalin, a substance that is used by pathologists to embalm dead bodies. Indeed, why wait - you can start during your lifetime!
3. Polonium. Background radiation has become the scourge of our time. Contamination with radioactive substances scares people almost to the point of trembling, but 40% of the population, classified as “experienced” smokers, regularly inhale particles of polonium, which “illuminates” them from the inside.
4. Benzene. This organic substance 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 enters the lungs and is just as easily removed from there. Most of the tars that make up cigarettes include solid particles that settle on the lungs as 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 makes up tobacco smoke. Standard chemical analysis of classic cigarettes has 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 in one way or another 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 cause? Medical statistics

There can be a great many consequences of smoking - 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 (coronary artery disease, arterial hypertension, vascular thrombosis, etc.).

It has long been statistically confirmed that in 90% of cases of lung cancer the patient has a history of smoking. In addition, mortality from bronchitis and emphysema in 75% of cases is somehow related to this addiction. And heart disease in 25% of cases in smokers is much more severe and leads to early death.

Those who have never smoked suffer from angina pectoris 13 times less often, 12 times less likely to experience a heart attack, and 10 times less likely to have a complicated stomach ulcer. There is no organ that does not suffer from cigarette smoke: on average, a smoker’s heart rate is 650 beats per hour higher 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 much more easily with hemoglobin, taking the place of oxygen in the body. As a result, the brain, liver, kidneys, excretory and reproductive systems are affected, and morbidity and, accordingly, mortality increase significantly.

Scientists' opinion: articles and books about the dangers of smoking

Doctors and biologists are already tired of ringing 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 imaginable norms. One of the most popular works was Alan Carr’s book “The Easy Way to Quit Smoking.” While reading, the smoker should develop an aversion to nicotine, because the book reveals the whole ugly truth about tobacco. However, this method does not help everyone - although it has shown good results, a universal way to quit smoking, except, perhaps, willpower and the desire to prolong your 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 uncertainty created by the previous cigarette.”.
• “The only thing that leads us to smoking is people who already smoke. We feel like we're missing out on something. We are willing to work hard to become addicted to smoking, but no one has ever tried to understand what exactly they were missing.”
• “This is the only trap in nature that does not contain any bait, not even a tiny piece of cheese. The trap is slammed not because cigarettes taste delicious, but because they taste disgusting.”

If cigarettes are still a part of your life, try reading Alan Carr's book - perhaps this is exactly the way that will 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 a woman's body

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

As a result of smoking, nails and hair suffer from oxygen starvation, become dull and brittle, practically stop growing and look gray and faded. Teeth are gradually destroyed by tobacco smoke, and no amount of chewing gum can eliminate the bad breath. And the skin looks 10-15 years older, not receiving enough oxygen and adequate nutrition from the blood. As a result, the passport age, which promises a young and attractive appearance, is far from the biological age, in which a smoking woman looks like a tired, frazzled 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 representatives of the fair sex who are not familiar with cigarettes cannot become pregnant for medical reasons in only 4% of cases.

The dangers of smoking during pregnancy: if one smokes, both suffer

It is not clear what could motivate a pregnant woman to take at least one puff, knowing that not only she could suffer from this, but also the child, who cannot run 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 contained in tobacco smoke, which means that the unborn baby suffers from a peculiar form of “passive” smoking before it is even born.

In addition, the reproductive system itself is affected, turning from a cozy “nest” into a dangerous and uncomfortable “haven” for the baby. The uterus, under the influence of nicotine, contracts and relaxes uncontrollably, and the amount of oxygen becomes lower every day. As a result, the baby constantly seems to be suffocating, grabs water with its small mouth, but instead of oxygen, it receives only carbon monoxide from the mother’s blood. This leads to all sorts of fetal pathologies, low birth weight, 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.

The harm of smoking for pregnant women: let's summarize

So, what do the statistics say about this:

• 96% of miscarriages are somehow related to cigarettes;
• mothers who smoke during pregnancy have a 1.3 times higher risk of stillbirth;
• 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 2 times more often in newborns exposed to tobacco smoke in the womb;
• Maternal smoking directly affects hyperactivity, nervous excitability and mental retardation in children.

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

The harm of smoking on a teenager's body

Unfortunately, teenage smoking is now far from uncommon. Stores prohibit the sale of tobacco to minors, and schoolchildren who are seen with a cigarette risk serious problems, but this does not affect the statistics: every third teenager is introduced to a cigarette before the age of 15. Moreover, for half of them, this seemingly harmless “prank” develops into a harmful habit that persists into adulthood.

Another interesting observation is the fact that most adults who smoke started in adolescence. According to statistics, only 10% of the total number of smokers became acquainted with cigarettes after 18 years of age - the remaining 90% started significantly earlier. And if an adult, when starting to smoke, already understands the 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

A teenager's body reacts to tobacco smoke very violently. First of all it suffers:

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

However, other manifestations - respiratory diseases, cardiac pathologies and oncological tumors - do not bypass teenagers who smoke. It is a pity that few of them realize the full extent 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 example that life without smoking is much better.

The 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 one difference - they did not choose this path. Everything has already been decided for them by those who lit a cigarette: parents, friends, colleagues, just fellow travelers at the bus stop - in a word, everyone who is nearby.

The nicotine cloud is not just an unpleasant odor 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 more difficult to find a common language with others, and suffer any cold more painfully. Therefore, you should not be fooled when going to the toilet or onto the balcony - tobacco smoke still penetrates into the apartment and ruins the lives of your loved ones!

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

It is difficult to put the harm of smoking into any verbal form - experiments show it much more clearly. In chemistry and biology lessons, every schoolchild 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. However, there are no fewer smokers in the world - tobacco corporations have done everything not to lose their extremely 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 won’t work: according to statistics, regular smoking takes on average 10-15 years of life. Is the cigarette craving worth such sacrifices?..

www.oum.ru

Main components of cigarette smoke

Tobacco smoke contains more than 3,000 harmful synthetic phenylones. With an average daily intake of 20 cigarettes for a heavy smoker, about 120-180 mg of nicotine enters the human organs in its pure form. However, along with inhaled smoke, hundreds of poisons penetrate into the bronchopulmonary system:

• • • hydrocyanic acid;
    • cyanide;
    • carbon monoxide;
    • arsenic, etc.

Also, when smoking, more than 50 types of carcinogens enter the human body. These include chrysene, benzopyrene and many others. Nitrosamines, which can destroy the brain, and radioactive heavy substances such as lead, polonium, and bismuth also enter the lungs. All these are components of tobacco tar, which passes through the internal human system. In a year, the lungs process more than 80 kg of such resin, some of which remains in them forever.

What harm does smoking a cigarette cause?

Damage from smoking to the human body consists of stimulating the development of severe chronic diseases. The toxic compounds that make up every cigarette negatively affect a person’s appearance. According to the latest data, one pack of smoked per day triggers the process of accelerated biological aging of the entire organism as a whole.

Tobacco addiction weakens the nervous system, impairs brain activity, resulting in a significant decrease in intelligence. Also, all the chemistry of tobacco smoke reduces the functionality of the gastrointestinal tract, thereby disrupting its motility and secretory activity, leading to the occurrence of different degrees of gastritis, ulcers and other problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Scientists have confirmed the threat from smoking. They discovered a connection between weakness to tobacco and blindness. Malignant carcinogens cause retinal dystrophy and also negatively affect the visual nerve endings. Hearing disorders are also associated with the use of vakshtaf. Nicotine has a destructive effect on the innervation of the internal components of the ear, which can result in sleep disturbances and a dull sense of smell and taste buds.
After each cigarette smoked, the risk of diseases of the circulatory system and heart increases. Constricted blood vessels cause tissue hypoxia, the number of heart contractions increases, and blood clots can form.

All these seemingly not so big problems subsequently lead to serious diseases that often cannot be treated. These include cancerous tumors, which are 10 times more common in smokers. This could be cancer of the oral cavity, stomach, lungs - those places where a large amount of nicotine tar settles and accumulates. Such diseases often end in death.

Smoking can be equated to drug addiction. The regression that arises often becomes part of the personality, one’s own “I,” and such internal perception is very difficult to correct. The inability to refuse an offered cigarette is to blame for the already emerging tendency to puff. The body requires a dose of nicotine, it “needs” it, like ordinary nutrients.

The evil of smoking on a man’s body is simply enormous. According to the documentation, men smoke more often than women, thus trying to get rid of stressful situations. Since the muscle mass in the female body is approximately 20% less, then in terms of a kilogram of total weight, nicotine-dependent men require a larger dose. The cells of the male body are renewed much less frequently, so the harm from nicotine on the male system is much greater.

The most famous male diseases associated with exposure to tobacco:

• impotence;
• BPH;
• chronic cough;
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The harm of smoking for teenagers

Tobacco is very harmful to a young body that is still growing. The developing organs and systems of young people have increased demands and need more energy. The toxic substances and preservatives contained in cigarettes literally poison young people, contribute to decreased performance, and inhibit mental development.

Smoking poses a huge threat to young girls. Every cigarette you smoke has a negative impact on your appearance. The habit of smoking during puberty provokes problems with women's health, which can subsequently lead to infertility.

Harm from passive smoking

Unfortunately, not only smokers suffer from nicotine addiction, but also the people around them. Inhaling toxic smoke from cigarettes is called passive smoking and is no less harmful. A non-smoking person, being in the same room with smokers, inhales much more nicotine, tar and all compounds of tobacco smoke, because he inhales them without a filter. The consequences of passive smoking will be visible quite quickly, literally in half an hour they will develop:

• depression;
• decreased performance;
• redness of the eyes;
• dry throat;
• cough.

Video: Visual demonstration of the accelerated smoking process

In a short period of time, the level of antioxidants and vitamin C in the body of a passive smoker decreases, which leads to a significant deterioration of immunity and can provoke hypertension, hypotension, arrhythmia and other equally dangerous diseases.

Summarizing information about the dangers of smoking, we can say that a predisposition to tobacco is a slow-acting poison that has a destructive effect on a person’s internal system for many years. All smokers need to realize that this slavery significantly undermines their health. Remember, it’s never too late to change something and forget this harmful thing.

sigaretazlo.ru

The cardiovascular system

One cigarette smoked increases your heart rate by 20 beats and increases your blood pressure. Substances contained in tobacco smoke, when released into the blood, cause vasoconstriction and increased stress on the heart muscle.

Nicotine has an stimulating effect and causes spasms of smooth muscles. The walls of blood vessels lose their elasticity, resulting in increased blood pressure and the development of hypertension and ischemia. Smokers are more likely to have strokes.

Digestive system

When entering the stomach, tobacco smoke substances irritate its mucous membranes and disrupt secretory function. Gastritis or ulcers, heartburn may appear.

Harmful effects of smoking

1. As a result of smoking, the blood is saturated with carbon dioxide instead of oxygen. Entering the brain, it can cause spasm of its blood vessels. Carbon monoxide forms an inextricable bond with hemoglobin and reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen. Oxygen starvation of the brain and cells also does not remain without consequences.
2. During pregnancy, all the harmful substances from tobacco smoke are transferred to the baby. The consequences can be very different - miscarriage, abnormal fetal development.
3. Smokers are more likely to break their limbs because their bones are more fragile. The regenerative function is also impaired, so the healing process takes longer.
4. Smokers are more likely to experience complications from influenza, acute respiratory infections and tonsillitis. This is due to the fact that the body is weakened, it does not have enough strength to resist diseases, and it takes longer to recover.

Myths about smoking

1. It is believed that quitting smoking can cause obesity. But weight problems are most often caused by excessive eating and an inactive lifestyle.
2. Many people think that light cigarettes contain fewer harmful substances. Smokers who switch to such cigarettes usually try to take deep puffs and retain the smoke in their lungs longer. As a result of such smoking, carcinogens are “even better absorbed” by the body.
3. Some people believe that smoking only harms smokers themselves, but those who simply inhale cigarette smoke also suffer. Along with it, all the harmful substances contained in tobacco end up in the body of non-smokers. The health consequences are the same as for active smokers.

Quitting a bad habit will allow you to live longer and reduce the likelihood of deadly diseases. Statistics show that people who smoke live 13 years less. Studies have revealed that more than half of smokers have repeatedly tried to quit the habit. But only those with a strong will or motivation can do this on their own. Modern means have helped many people break away from destructive addiction forever. You can learn more about these methods on the website Regardless.

www.kakprosto.ru

Why does a person smoke

While knowing full well about the harm? This antisocial habit has long become a global disaster. The cigarette has firmly tamed a huge number of people. But the worst thing is that this dependence is formed in two directions at once: physical and psychological. We can say that a person actually becomes captive of tobacco smoke.

It has been proven that the presence of psychological dependence directly affects the impossibility of quickly parting with addiction. It’s not for nothing that they say that a person is a slave to his habits.

Considering the physiological aspect of smoking, we will understand that with complete oblivion of cigarettes, extremely beneficial changes occur in the body:

• vasodilation;
• improvement of brain activity;
• stabilization of the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
• restoration of the respiratory system.

It is in the physical plane that after quitting smoking a person experiences beneficial changes. What can not be said about the psychological mood. Moreover, additional difficulties are added by the fact that the individual adjusts himself to the fact that parting with a cigarette will be very painful. After all, what will then help fight depression, stress and anxiety?

These are echoes of that same psychological dependence. And it appears immediately after the decision to quit smoking. But the most dangerous thing is that smoking is a habit acquired purposefully. The human body is absolutely not designed to be exposed to additional artificial doping.

Remember, smokers, your first attempts to take a drag. Cough, disgust and desire to throw away the cigarette. But the person stubbornly studies the basics of smoking and arms himself with a pack of cigarettes. Why and why? Maybe it’s just that not everyone knows how this will turn out?

The harm of smoking on the human body briefly

People who start their day with a cigarette and continue to actively smoke throughout the day do not even realize what a huge amount of carcinogens they are “launching” into their own body. Doctors have established and proven that by smoking about 15-20 cigarettes a smoker “replenishes” the reserves of his physical potential by:

• 40-45 mg of ammonia;
• 120-130 mg nicotine;
• 0.5-0.6 l of carbon monoxide;
• 0.5-2 mg of hydrocyanic acid.

Add here a huge list of more than 400 names of carcinogenic substances, and you can independently assess the harm of tobacco on the human body. Considering that carcinogenic compounds have a powerful ability to be deposited in the depths of the human body. Where they constantly and purposefully destroy the functioning of internal organs, mercilessly ruining health.

It is a known fact that the life of active smokers with a long history of smoking is reduced by 6-12 years compared to non-smokers.

Thanks to numerous and long-term studies, doctors have found that smoking:

1. It has a detrimental effect on the immune system.
2. Consistently reduces overall health.
3. Increases the risk of developing cancer.
4. Seriously disrupts the functioning of the reproductive system. This applies to both men and women.
5. Significantly constricts blood vessels, which leads to the development of oxygen starvation and problems of the cardiovascular system.

Cigarettes and the nervous system

The toxic carcinogens that every tobacco product contains have a destructive effect on the human central nervous system. The tasks of the nervous system include control over all processes occurring in the body. The central nervous system reacts to tobacco intoxication as follows:

1. Decreased attention level, absent-mindedness and forgetfulness.
2. Dizziness caused by a sharp narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels.
3. Feeling of loss of consciousness. The person seems to fall into short-term prostration.

Heavy smokers with a long history of smoking cigarettes in most cases experience persistent memory impairment, depressive symptoms, and severe migraines. Neurotic signs also develop; smokers are often plagued by chronic fatigue. Carcinogenic smoke has an extremely negative effect on a person’s ability to sense tastes and smells..

Doctors have proven that long-term smoking significantly reduces a person’s ability to perceive colors. Smokers have impaired color perception. The same applies to the work of olfactory receptors.

Smoke lovers also complain of hearing and vision problems. Toxic compounds are harmful to the visual and auditory nerves. If there are existing problems (diseases) in the central nervous system, the smoker may eventually experience disability.

Smoking and the respiratory system

The main and destructive blow of tobacco smoke is the bronchopulmonary organs. Heavy, sticky particles of soot and soot settle in large quantities in the bronchi, disrupting the normal breathing process. Bronchial alveoli are gradually destroyed, subsequently provoking inflammatory processes.

Remember the famous smoker's cough, which begins in the morning and continues all day. This cough syndrome is accompanied by expectoration of viscous grayish sputum. This is coughing up particles of soot that interfere with normal breathing. The voice of the smoker also changes, it becomes rough and hoarse.

During a year of smoking, about 1-1.5 kg of tobacco tar passes through a person’s lungs, and over time the lungs darken. This is clearly visible during the autopsy of a deceased smoker. Such photos are often used in visual anti-smoking posters.

A constant painful cough gradually stretches the alveoli, which impairs their tone and elasticity. All smokers, without exception, experience various disruptions in the functioning of the respiratory system. Doctors regret to note the fact that the number of tuberculosis cases is growing among people who smoke. Smoking is the main cause of various oncological processes occurring in the pulmonary system.

Carcinogenic tobacco smoke contains large quantities of amines. These compounds, when interacting with salivary fluid, form toxic toxins - nitrosamines. Once in the stomach, nitrosamines can trigger the growth of malignant cells. Not to mention that tobacco also contains a number of radioactive elements, which only add to the risk of cancer.

Tobacco and the heart system

Smoking significantly increases heart rate, causing the myocardium to work harder. This significantly increases the load on the heart. Nicotine compounds, along with the bloodstream, end up in the adrenal glands, provoking the latter to actively produce hormones that contribute to increased blood pressure.

The heart requires more and more effort to pump blood, given that the lumens of blood vessels are significantly narrowed due to smoking. Carboxyhemoglobin, which is part of carbon monoxide, also worsens the blood supply to the myocardium. It is inhaled in large quantities by smokers while smoking a cigarette.

A fan of tobacco smoke inhales a lot of catecholamines, which, penetrating into the blood, become the causes of increased deposition of fatty plaques. This situation becomes the direct culprit of atherosclerotic deposits and the development of atherosclerosis. The sad result is obesity of the heart and its various pathologies.

Cigarettes and the digestive system

Carcinogenic smoke has an extremely negative effect on the functioning of the digestive tract. Smoke begins its harmful effects even during the first puff. By irritating the teeth, mucous membranes of the mouth and tongue, tobacco smoke can lead to numerous infectious diseases, not to mention cancer.

A smoker's teeth gradually turn yellow and decay. And what about the unpleasant smell that accompanies a lover of nicotine products? Once in the stomach, carcinogens from tobacco smoke greatly increase the risk of developing ulcerative pathologies, gastritis and pancreatitis.

Nicotine also greatly aggravates intestinal motility. It is this fact that influences the fact that smokers often complain of lack of appetite and various problems with stool (diarrhea, constipation, flatulence).

Smoking and the reproductive system

How can tobacco smoke affect a person’s reproductive functions? Poisonous toxins and carcinogens have a direct and very powerful destructive effect on the germ cells of the human body. The harm of smoking on a man's body is the development of erectile dysfunction and a decrease in libido. Women suffer from various menstrual cycle disorders.

Much has been said about the dangers of smoking during pregnancy. Carcinogens and a huge list of toxic substances from tobacco smoke lead to the formation of painful toxicosis, problems with normal pregnancy and the birth of babies with numerous congenital pathologies.

This is only a tiny part of the destruction that smoking brings with it. The health effects of nicotine are wide-ranging and complex. Almost all internal organs and systems suffer, collapse and die. What can be concluded? The sooner a person forgets about his addiction, the greater his chances of living a full, healthy and long life.

vsezavisimosti.ru

Composition of cigarette smoke

The whole truth about the dangers of smoking is convincingly demonstrated by the fact that tobacco smoke contains 3,000 different chemical compounds. 20 cigarettes (the average daily intake of a smoker) contain 130 mg of nicotine.

In addition, it includes hundreds of poisons, including:

• cyanide;
• arsenic;
• hydrocyanic acid;
• carbon monoxide, etc.

Tobacco smoke contains 60 strong carcinogens: benzopyrene, chrysene, dibenzpyrene and others, as well as nitrosamines, which have a destructive effect on the brain.

In addition to them, it contains radioactive substances:

• polonium;
• lead;
• bismuth, etc.

In one year, 81 kg of tobacco tar passes through a smoker’s respiratory tract, some of which settles in the lungs.

The effect of nicotine on the human body

The harm of smoking to the human body lies in its ability to stimulate the development of severe systemic diseases. Many of them are fatal. Briefly and eloquently about the harm that smoking causes to the body is evidenced by medical statistics.

Every year, tobacco kills approximately 5 million people worldwide. Every day in Russia alone, nicotine claims about 1 thousand lives. Approximately 90% of lung cancer deaths are caused by tobacco use. It has been proven that the life of a person with nicotine addiction is 9 years shorter than that of his non-smoking peer.

Lung cancer is 10 times more common in people who use tobacco. Regular ingestion of saliva containing nicotine breakdown products contributes to the development of cancer of the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach and duodenum. In the lungs of a person with nicotine addiction, tars settle and accumulate, contributing to the development of diseases of the respiratory system, including fatal ones.

Smoking causes enormous harm to the heart and blood vessels. After one cigarette, blood pressure increases, increasing the risk of blood clots and blockage of the arteries. The pulse of a person who uses tobacco is 15,000 heartbeats per day faster than that of a non-smoker. Thus, the load on his heart is approximately 20% higher than normal. Vasoconstriction causes oxygen starvation of tissues - hypoxia.

An increase in catecholamines in the blood of a smoker contributes to an increase in the concentration of lipids and the development of atherosclerosis, hypertension and fatty degeneration of the heart. Various genital disorders caused by narrowing of the pelvic vessels occur 3 times more often in smokers than in non-smokers. Every year in Russia 20,000 amputations of the lower extremities are performed due to obliterating endarteritis. The disease develops as a result of a violation of tissue trophism due to insufficient blood supply caused by tobacco use.

Recent research data shows a link between nicotine addiction and blindness. The harm of smoking to the visual apparatus is due to dystrophy of the retina and choroid due to insufficient blood supply, as well as the destructive effect of poisons on the optic nerve.

Along with this, nicotine has a negative effect on the hearing aid. The released toxic substances have a destructive effect on the innervation of the internal structures of the ear. Due to the death of sensory receptors, problems with sleep arise, and the sense of smell and taste is dulled.

Nicotine addiction depletes the nervous system and inhibits brain activity. A smoker's reactions slow down and intelligence decreases.

Tobacco use reduces the motor function of the stomach and intestines and negatively affects the condition and functional activity of the liver. Mortality from diseases of the digestive system - stomach and duodenal ulcers - among smokers is 3.5 times higher than among non-smokers.

Nicotine negatively affects appearance, causing deterioration of the skin, darkening of teeth and an unpleasant odor. It has been proven that tobacco use contributes to accelerated biological aging - the functional indicators of the body do not correspond to age.

Smoking causes great harm to the body of a pregnant woman and the fetus. Chronic hypoxia causes delays in its development and creates a threat of miscarriage. Children of mothers who smoke during pregnancy are often born prematurely. They often have signs of malnutrition and immaturity, often get sick and lag behind their peers in development.

In addition to the fact that smoking is harmful to health, it causes many fires, often leading to disability or death.

Diseases from smoking

Smoking harms not only the health of the smoker, but also his family and employees. People who are constantly nearby regularly inhale smoke. Its excess indoors can cause dizziness, nausea and vomiting, coughing, irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes and throat, and allergy attacks. In non-smokers, tobacco smoke contributes to the development of the same diseases as in smokers.

The destructive effect of smoking on the body of any person lies in its ability to cause:

• various types of cancer;
• myocardial infarction;
• stroke;
• pulmonary embolism;
• atherosclerosis;
• blindness;
• deafness;
• obliterating endarteritis;
• impotence and frigidity;
• infertility;
• emphysema;
• pneumonia;
• Chronical bronchitis;
• destruction of tooth enamel;
• gastrointestinal diseases;
• congenital deformities;
• developmental delay;
• early mortality.

The harm of smoking to the body of passive smokers is confirmed by medical statistics: approximately 600 thousand people die every year in the world, 300 thousand of whom are children. These and other scientific data became the basis for the adoption of a law banning smoking in public places.

There are many modern effective methods and articles about the dangers of smoking that help you get rid of nicotine addiction on your own without the help of a narcologist. One of them is Allen Carr's video course, which is available online for free 24 hours a day on our website. The resource contains a large amount of various information about the dangers of smoking. With its help, thousands of people were able to get rid of addiction forever.

For free! Information about the dangers of smoking

If you are interested in the pros and cons of various methods of combating nicotine addiction, as well as the advantages of the Allen Carr method, you can read the articles online on our website. They contain comprehensive information about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

The prevalence of smoking in Chelyabinsk is 60% among men and 15% among women. Of particular concern is the “fashion” for smoking among adolescents and young people. According to sociological research, about 30% of the capital's tenth-graders and almost 20% of tenth-graders smoke. In the coming years, their number may increase, because 70% of tenth-graders surveyed have a positive attitude towards smoking. A survey of Chelyabinsk schoolchildren confirmed that 35% of students smoke. Surveys of adult smokers show that almost 85% of them began smoking regularly before the age of 18.

The main reason for such widespread smoking is ignorance of how destructive this habit is both for the person himself and for those around him. The content of these recommendations most fully presents this material - about the effect of nicotine on the human body and the harmful effects of smoking.
Anti-smoking legislation.
Article 1. “Basic concepts”, which provides definitions:

Tobacco- a perennial plant of the nightshade family, used for the production of tobacco products;

Tobacco products- tobacco processing product - shag, pipe tobacco, smoking tobacco, cigarette tobacco, snuff tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, cigarettes, non-smoking tobacco;

Smoking tobacco- a common bad habit of inhaling smoke from burning cigarettes, cigarettes, cigars, shag and tobacco from a smoking pipe;

Tobacco smoking addiction- mental and physical dependence of a person on nicotine and other components of tobacco that enter the body when consuming tobacco products in the form of smoking, chewing tobacco or inhaling tobacco dust through the nose;

Passive tobacco smoking- inhalation of tobacco smoke through air, including forced inhalation by non-smokers;

Nicotine- an alkaloid contained in tobacco plants (tripyridine, C 10 H 14 M), including any salt or nicotine compounds;

Resin- one of the tobacco products formed during its combustion during smoking contains substances that cause the occurrence of malignant tumors.

Article 2. “Legal basis for restricting tobacco smoking and consumption of tobacco products,” which emphasizes that the main legislative acts regulating restrictions on tobacco smoking and consumption of tobacco products are the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Fundamentals of Legislation of the Russian Federation on the protection of the health of citizens, the Code of Administrative violations, Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

Article 3. “Restrictions on the production of tobacco products and their sale”, which prohibits the production, sale and import of cigarettes containing more than 1.1 mg of nicotine and more than 12 mg of tar in one cigarette, the sale of tobacco products in healthcare, educational, cultural and sports, as well as closer than 100 meters from these organizations.

Article 4. “Prohibition of the sale of tobacco products to persons under 18 years of age,” according to which the seller is obliged to sell to young citizens upon presentation of a passport. Violation of this article is punishable by a fine and deprivation of a license.

Article 6. “Prohibition of smoking in workplaces, transport, sports facilities, cultural, health and educational institutions, premises of government bodies and public places.” Violation of this article results in a fine of 10 minimum wages.

When cigarettes are burned, ammonia, volatile carcinogenic nitrosamines, hydrogen cyanide, acroylene, nitrogen oxide, formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, radioactive polonium and 3900 other different substances are formed.

The smoke inhaled by a smoker first enters the upper respiratory tract, and then into the trachea and lungs. Under the influence of smoke, chronic irritation of the mucous membrane of the larynx occurs, and inflammation of the vocal cords develops. The ligaments thicken and become rougher. This leads to a change in the timbre of the voice - the rough voice of a smoker. This change in voice is especially noticeable in young women.

Sometimes this can be the cause of loss of professional ability for singers and actors. This is why opera singers do not smoke.

With increased physical activity (running, fast walking), such lungs of a smoker turn out to be defective. The person experiences shortness of breath. The lungs cannot increase their volume, and to compensate for the need for oxygen, the person makes more respiratory movements and breathes more often. At the same time, he gets tired very quickly. After running a little, a person is forced to stop to take a breath.

In a smoker, clearing the trachea and bronchi from mucus and foreign particles becomes possible only when coughing. Waking up in the morning, the smoker coughs for a long time and produces dirty, gray phlegm. There is even such an expression as “smoker’s cough.”

Mortality of smokers due to chronic bronchitis as
the underlying disease and associated pulmonary-heart failure with cor pulmonale, according to statistical data, is 15-20 times higher compared to non-smokers, and for those who smoke more than 25 cigarettes per day, the mortality rate was 30 times higher than for light smokers.

Long-term chronic bronchitis of smokers sooner or later turns into emphysema. Attacks of difficulty breathing, vascular spasms and shortness of breath can also occur in passive smokers who stay in a smoky room for a long time.

Lungs damaged by nicotine become unstable to infections, which is why smokers are more likely to get tuberculosis and it is more severe for them.

Carcinogenic substances contained in tobacco smoke contribute to the development of lung cancer.

In addition to direct carcinogens, tobacco smoke contains substances that stimulate the growth of tumors and suppress the body's defenses.

If we consider that 95% of those who died from lung cancer were heavy smokers, smoking 20-40 cigarettes per day, then almost all deaths from lung cancer can be considered directly related to smoking.

Lung cancer is very insidious and is not accompanied by any painful manifestations for a long time. Smokers who feel well and appear to be completely healthy are often diagnosed with lung cancer during medical examinations and, unfortunately, not only in the initial stages of the disease, when removing part or the whole lung can save their life, but also with advanced disease , for the treatment of which the patient is subjected to both surgical and long-term radiation and chemotherapy treatment. The situation is worse for those patients with lung cancer who have complaints of cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, and hemoptysis. Although medicine has made great strides in recognizing and treating lung cancer, such patients often fail to undergo radical treatment and save their lives.

Scientists know that smoking increases the risk of developing not only lung cancer, but also malignant neoplasms of other organs: tongue, larynx, esophagus, stomach, bladder.

The effect of tobacco on the cardiovascular system.

Among the diseases of the cardiovascular system that are significantly affected by smoking are coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis of cerebral and peripheral vessels.

A smoker has a slightly reduced oxygen level in the blood. Insufficiently oxygenated blood flows slowly through narrowed vessels. As a result of lack of oxygen, most organs and nervous tissue suffer - headaches, fatigue, malaise, and dizziness occur. Under the influence of smoking only half a cigarette, the pulse rate increases by 14%, blood pressure increases by 5.3%, and the myocardial tension index increases by 19%.

A smoker's pulse is 15-18 beats per minute faster. This means that the heart makes 12 - 15 thousand more contractions per day. If we consider 60 heart beats per minute normal, then a smoker’s heart works for 3 to 4 hours, more every day. With such intense work, the nutrition of the heart muscle suffers, it weakens and ceases to cope with the increased load.

It is known that a person lives as long as his heart lives. Over 70 years it makes 2575 million cuts. A smoker's heart speeds up slightly during and after smoking. If a person smokes 20 cigarettes daily, then his heart works at an accelerated pace for about 10 hours. Consequently, a smoker ages earlier than a non-smoker.

Nicotine causes an increase in blood pressure. One cigarette smoked increases it by 10 mmHg. With constant smoking, blood pressure increases by 20-25% of the original level.

What's wrong with raising blood pressure by 10 mm? Do thousands of people who smoke measure their blood pressure every day? No, the majority, of course, do not measure. But an astronaut whose blood pressure has increased will be removed from the next training session, the driver will be removed from work, and the pilot will not be allowed to take the flight. This is what a smoked cigarette costs. Poor nutrition of the heart muscle and increased work of the cardiovascular system when smoking leads to depletion of the entire circulatory system.

Extreme degree of disorder of the blood supply to the heart muscle -

death of a section of the heart muscle, which is called myocardial infarction.

This is a life-threatening disease that makes a person permanently disabled.

1. 
   Smokers are 12 times more likely to have a myocardial infarction than non-smokers.

Tobacco smoke, especially ammonia, which is part of it, irritates the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and causes increased salivation. The mucous membrane becomes easily vulnerable, bleeds, inflammation often occurs, and bad breath appears. Under the influence of tobacco tar, tooth enamel deteriorates, a brown coating forms on the teeth, they turn yellow and are gradually destroyed.

On the surface of the tongue there are special papillae that perceive taste. Thanks to them, we feel sweet, bitter, sour, salty. In smokers, taste buds atrophy, and taste perception becomes dull and even disappears altogether. This is why many smokers do not like sweets. Perverted taste perception does not bring proper pleasure from the taste of food, and the appetite spoils.

Using an X-ray machine, you can see that after smoking a cigarette, contractions of the stomach wall (peristalsis) stop. This state sometimes lasts up to 15 minutes or more, and then peristalsis is restored. This paralyzing effect of nicotine on the stomach wall imitates the satisfaction of hunger. Someone who smokes a cigarette temporarily feels full. With disruption of the digestive glands, food is retained in the intestines, chronic inflammation of the intestines develops, which leads to a disorder of its function. This can be expressed by persistent constipation or, on the contrary, debilitating diarrhea.

When smoking, nicotine dissolved in saliva is swallowed and enters the stomach, having a direct effect on its wall.

According to researchers, under the influence of nicotine, salivation, secretion of gastric juice and mucus increase, and spasms of stomach vessels intensify. With relatively short periods of smoking, gastritis occurs.

Gastric ulcers occur 12 times more often in smokers than in non-smokers.

The effect of smoking on other organs and systems.

Smoking can cause hearing loss of varying intensity. This is due to damage to both the sound-conducting and sound-receiving apparatus. A certain role is played by the swelling of the mucous membrane of the Eustachian tubes and the rush of blood to the tympanic cavity. The auditory nerve may also be affected.

As a manifestation of intoxication, smoking abuse causes blurred vision, difficulty reading, photophobia, and retrobulbar pain when moving the eyeball.

Under the influence of smoking, tooth enamel cracks and the development of dental caries is accelerated. Smokers are more likely to experience periodontal disease. Finally, smoking causes changes in saliva and an increase in its secretion, which contributes to the emergence of a smoker's bad habit - spitting.

The nervous system suffers significantly. Manifestations of oxygen starvation are headaches, dizziness, decreased performance, and deterioration in the assimilation of new knowledge. Almost all smokers are characterized by mood instability, irritability, and increased fatigue. Smokers gradually and inevitably develop osteoporosis (bone loss, increased bone fragility).

Smoking and women.

The prevalence of smoking among women in Russia until the early 1990s was traditionally lower than among women in other countries; this figure did not exceed 5–15%. The upward trend in the prevalence of this phenomenon continues today, especially among young girls and women. Women in Russia now smoke more than, for example, in the USA and Finland, which may lead to an increase in mortality from lung cancer in women.

The effect of smoking on the female body, in addition to general harm, is also aggravated by the characteristics of the female body. For example, it is much easier for a woman to become addicted to a cigarette, but it is much more difficult for a man to quit smoking

Tobacco deprives a woman of her attractiveness. The skin of the face and entire body ages prematurely. Women who smoke change their complexion and become sallow. Sunken cheeks, eyes without shine, swelling, blueness under the eyes - all this sooner or later awaits smokers. They have sharper, more jerky movements and bad breath.

Smoking is especially dangerous for women, because... it negatively affects the reproductive function of women and is manifested by infertility, miscarriages, and pathology of pregnancy and childbirth.

In recent decades, many studies have been conducted around the world that have developed and deepened understanding of the harmful effects of smoking on pregnancy. Based on the synthesis of research results, it is possible to indicate a complex adverse effect of smoking on pregnancy.

The mortality rate of children during childbirth among smoking mothers is on average 30% higher than among non-smoking mothers. Stillbirth rates are especially high in families where the mother and father smoke.

Children born to women who smoke are characterized by a slowdown in not only physical, but also intellectual, including emotional, development. They begin to read and count later, and lag behind in school in reading and mathematics. A high incidence of fetal malformations: cleft lip and congenital cleft palate (cleft palate) is observed in pregnant women who smoke. Pregnant women should not only smoke, but also not be in the same room as smokers.

Children whose mothers smoke are more likely to smoke.

Women whose husbands smoke live 4 years less compared to women whose husbands do not smoke.

How to quit smoking?

Smoking is one of the options for drug addiction. The characteristics of narcotic substances that cause addiction or even morbid addiction fully apply to nicotine:

• 
  need for constant or periodically renewed intake
  of a given substance for pleasure or relief of physical or
  mental state;
• 
  the occurrence of increased resistance to the action of this substance, due to the body’s addiction to it, therefore, for
  to obtain the same effect with repeated doses, one has to resort to
  increasingly higher doses;

Household smoking (stage 1) - unsystematic smoking (about 5 cigarettes per day), no nicotine withdrawal, vegetosomatic phenomena are absent or weakly expressed, completely reversible.

• 
  habitual smoking (stage 2) - constant smoking (from 5 to 15 cigarettes per day), damage to internal organs is present, but to a certain extent reversible after smoking cessation.
• 
  addicted smoking (stage 3) - high tolerance to smoking, severe withdrawal symptoms, purely physical dependence, irresistible craving (a person smokes at least 1 - 1.5 packs of cigarettes or cigarettes per day), the habit of smoking on an empty stomach and immediately after meals has developed, as well as in the middle of the night. Significant damage to internal organs and the nervous system is determined.

Numerous statistics have proven that the main obstacle to quitting smoking is the lack of sufficiently deep motivation and tobacco addiction. But with deep motivation (a strong desire to quit smoking), which arises in the face of a real danger - a complex, serious illness, for example, even heavy smokers with 30 years of experience have given up cigarettes.

Smokers in the first two stages of nicotine addiction (domestic and habitual smoking) can actually quit smoking on their own. However, many smokers from both these groups, and especially from the third group (compulsive smoking), require medical or psychological help. The most commonly used methods currently used to help those who decide to quit smoking are acupuncture (introduction of special needles into the biologically active points of the auricle).

To quit smoking on your own, a system of self-restraints is successfully used:

• 
  do not smoke on an empty stomach, try to delay the moment of lighting the first cigarette as long as possible;
• 
  do not smoke 1.5 - 2 hours before meals;
• 
  do not smoke immediately after eating;
• 
  If you have a desire to smoke, wait a while to implement it and try to keep yourself occupied or distracted with something;

• 
  every time you take a cigarette, place the pack away from you;
• 
  do not carry a lighter or matches with you;
• 
  buy no more than one pack of cigarettes each time;
• 
  buy different brands of cigarettes, not just your favorite ones;
• 
  try not to open a new pack of cigarettes for as long as possible;
• 
  smoke standing or sitting in an uncomfortable place;
• 
  when you run out of cigarettes, do not borrow them from anyone;
• 
  do not smoke in company;
• 
  refuse if offered a cigarette;
• 
  do not take a drag from a cigarette;

Try to reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke daily.

To quit smoking, you should choose the three or four easiest rules from this list and strictly follow them. Then, as they are observed, move on to implementing the next one or two self-restraints, and so on until they exhaust themselves.

During the period of quitting smoking, a smoker may experience some unpleasant subjective sensations, which can be avoided by certain measures. A worsening cough may occur. This is explained by the fact that the cleansing process has begun in the lungs. The cough usually lasts 1 to 2 weeks. You can help this process by increasing your fluid intake to 3 liters per day. You can drink juices, mineral water, fruit drinks, weak tea with lemon, tea with honey. They help enhance the removal of tobacco poisons from the body and reduce dry mouth, which often occurs when quitting smoking. There may be a headache from a lack of nicotine, the supply of which is decreasing, more irritation and fatigue. These symptoms can be eliminated through auto-training, increasing rest and sleep time. The appearance of increased nervousness is due to the fact that the presence of nicotine in the body speeds up the passage of food through the digestive system, which slows down until the body gets used to functioning without nicotine. Increasing coarse fiber in your diet will help avoid this. You should eat more vegetables and fresh fruits, dried fruits, wholemeal bread, and cereals.

Many smokers, especially women, are afraid of weight gain when quitting smoking. If a person who has smoked for many years quits smoking, they may actually gain weight. This is explained not by the mysterious properties of tobacco, but by the fact that, having given up smoking, he regains his former health and, most importantly, his appetite, his taste sensitivity to food is restored. And many smokers, especially in the first 1 - 1.5 months, get great pleasure from food, this explains the fact that some gain weight. But not every person who stops smoking gains weight, and the weight gain is 2.5 - 3 kg. Physical activity and a balanced diet of low-calorie foods can help avoid this. In the first three months of quitting smoking, hot baths and saunas, walks for up to 1.5 - 2 hours, and gymnastics are useful.

By giving up smoking, a person saves money, using it for more necessary needs, becomes psychologically independent and, most importantly, regains lost health. After stopping smoking, the concentration of nicotine in the blood decreases, which means that blood pressure decreases to normal, heart function is restored, blood supply to the legs, feet and palms is improved, and the oxygen content in the blood is normalized.

Already in the first month, the functioning of the respiratory system improves, breathing becomes deep. The unpleasant smell when breathing, from the skin, hair disappears, and the complexion improves. In the morning the cough stops bothering me, fatigue and headache disappear. Vitality and general well-being improve significantly. And girls and women literally blossom before our eyes.

Typically, self-cleansing of the body occurs within a year. After one year, the risk of developing coronary heart disease is reduced by half compared to smokers.

After 5 years, the likelihood of dying from lung cancer sharply decreases compared to those who continue to smoke.

In economically developed countries, the fashion for smoking is gradually disappearing. Nowadays, sports style, a slim figure, regular gymnastics, bodybuilding and other health procedures are in fashion. Smoking is neither fashionable nor prestigious. Smoking can ruin not only your health, but also your career - more and more entrepreneurs refuse to hire smokers.

The number of smokers has exceeded 1.3 billion people and continues to grow. And this despite the fact that almost 5 million people die from smoking every year. No war or epidemic can cause such damage to humanity as a cigarette. But people persist in paying millions of dollars for something that is killing them.

Nobody enjoys their first cigarette. After smoking, unpleasant sensations appear: dizziness, nausea, cough. But if for some reason a person decides to continue smoking, then the body gets used to nicotine and other components of tobacco smoke. During the first months, smoking can cause mild euphoria, mobilize internal resources, or, conversely, calm you down. But over time, these sensations disappear. Nicotine, although it is a poison (toxin) in nature, is included in the metabolism. Simply put, the body gets used to the fact that this substance is constantly in the blood. When its concentration decreases, the nervous system signals that it is time to replenish reserves. Then the desire to smoke another cigarette arises. Most often, it takes 1 year from the first cigarette to the formation of nicotine addiction or tobacco addiction.

How does smoking affect the human body?

How do harmful substances enter the body?

When you take a drag, the temperature at the tip of the cigarette reaches 800 degrees. Under such conditions, dry distillation of tobacco occurs. This means that the inhaled air, passing through a layer of heated tobacco, carries with it volatile substances and tiny solid particles. They enter the mouth, trachea, bronchi and the alveoli of the lungs with the air flow. Due to the fact that tobacco smoke is an aerosol of small particles, they quickly reach the most remote parts of the respiratory system. Through the wall of the alveoli, penetrated by blood vessels, harmful substances easily penetrate the blood and spread throughout the body. So, 8 seconds after the first puff, the brain already feels the effect of nicotine.

What are the harms of smoking?

Development of caries. The flow of hot air with resin particles damages tooth enamel. It turns yellow and becomes covered with microcracks. Gradually, the cracks increase in size and bacteria and acids penetrate into them, destroying the deeper layers of the tooth and causing caries. This leads to the fact that 45% of smokers over 65 years of age are missing teeth. Among non-smokers this figure is 2 times lower.

Inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system. Tobacco smoke, saturated with caustic particles, irritates the mucous membrane of the mouth, larynx, trachea and bronchi, causing its atrophy. It becomes thin and performs its protective functions worse. The villous epithelium, which is supposed to remove foreign particles and microorganisms, does not cope with its task. The lungs become clogged, creating favorable conditions for bacteria to multiply. Therefore, smokers often suffer from bronchitis and pneumonia. Thus, 90% of people who have smoked for more than 7 years suffer from “smoker’s bronchitis.”

Chronic pulmonary emphysema. Tobacco tar is deposited in the small bronchi and alveoli of the lungs. This substance leads to cell destruction. The small bronchioles collapse and when you exhale, the pressure in the lungs increases sharply. The walls of the alveoli become thinner and collapse, leading to the formation of cavities. The lung tissue ceases to be elastic and stretches, which leads to an increase in the volume of the chest. Gas exchange in the lungs is disrupted. They do not sufficiently enrich the blood with oxygen, and the body experiences oxygen starvation. According to statistics, 9 out of 10 people with emphysema are smokers. The disease develops over 10-15 years if you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day.

Peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum. Smoking reduces the production of saliva, which partially neutralizes the effect of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Tobacco smoke causes the secretion of digestive juices in the stomach and small intestine, even when there is no food there. Active substances corrode the mucous membrane of the digestive organs, leading to the appearance of erosions. These minor injuries do not heal, but turn into ulcers due to deterioration of blood supply and decreased immunity. Therefore, gastric ulcers occur 2 times more often in smokers than in their peers.

Poisoning of the nervous system. Nicotine is a poison that has a toxic effect on the nervous system. This toxin affects the nervous system: the brain and the cells of the intermediate nerve ganglia, which control the functioning of internal organs. Nicotine disrupts the passage of nerve impulses from the brain to organs and muscles. This leads to a decrease in all types of sensitivity. Smokers do not sense taste and aroma as clearly, their sense of touch is impaired, and they often experience chills. Violation of nervous regulation leads to digestive disorders: constipation and painful intestinal spasms.

Stroke. In smokers, the risk of ischemic stroke (associated with poor circulation) increases by 2 times. This is the result of a sharp narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain or blockage of one of them by a blood clot. Weakness of blood vessels and a short-term increase in blood pressure during smoking cause a rupture of a vessel, accompanied by hemorrhage in the brain - hemorrhagic stroke. It occurs 4 times more often in people who smoke than in their peers.

Cancerous tumors. Carcinogenic components of tobacco smoke penetrate the blood and spread throughout the body. They damage the DNA of cells. Such cells with altered genetic material become the basis of a cancer tumor. Suppression of the immune system leads to the body producing insufficient killer cells. Their task is to recognize and destroy mutated cells. In smokers, this mechanism of protection against cancer is impaired, and they often become victims of cancer. So 90% of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. Cancer often affects other organs: lips, larynx, esophagus, stomach, liver, kidneys, prostate, rectum, pancreas and thyroid glands.

Osteoporosis. Tobacco toxins stimulate the production of two proteins that are responsible for leaching calcium from bones. These substances activate osteoclast cells, which are responsible for the destruction of old bone tissue. Therefore, in smokers, bones are destroyed faster than they are restored.

Vascular dysfunction. Under the influence of tobacco combustion products, the walls of blood vessels become dense, insufficiently elastic, brittle and covered with cracks. The content of cholesterol in the blood increases, which is deposited on the walls in the form of atherosclerotic plaques. They narrow the lumen of the vessel. The likelihood of a blood clot and inflammation of the vein wall around it increases. The rupture of a blood clot can cause sudden death. The narrowing of the coronary vessels that supply the heart causes the development of coronary heart disease and heart attack.

Obliterating endarteritis. In smokers, blood flow in the extremities is reduced by 35-40%. The reason lies in chronic vasospasm and the deposition of atherosclerotic plaques on the walls of blood vessels. In addition, disruption of the conduction of nerve impulses leads to a decrease in sensitivity. The disease begins with rapid fatigue and intermittent claudication. Later, deprived of blood supply and innervation, the tissues die and gangrene begins.

Slow wound healing. Poor blood circulation and decreased metabolism lead to the fact that skin cells do not divide actively enough. As a result, wound healing occurs more slowly. It has been noticed that smokers have a 50% greater width of the scar formed at the site of surgical sutures.

Blurred vision and tearing caused by the irritating effects of tobacco smoke and optic nerve atrophy. With increased sensitivity, smokers may experience swelling of the eyelids. Constriction of the vessels of the eyeball disrupts the functions of the retina, leading to the death of its cells, which negatively affects visual acuity.

Sexual problems. Premature ejaculation, decreased potency, deterioration in sperm quality - these problems are associated with impaired blood supply to the genital organs. Due to vasoconstriction and damage to the arteries, blood flow to the penis is impaired, which reduces the quality of erection. The sperm of smokers are not motile enough and are less capable of fertilization, as they have been exposed to nicotine and other substances. If the fusion of the egg and the sperm damaged by nicotine does occur, then the fetus is less likely to attach to the wall of the uterus.

What are the social and psychological reasons for smoking?

Sociologists conducted research to identify the social and psychological reasons for smoking. Young people were asked “Why did you start smoking?” Opinions were divided approximately this way.

Curiosity 40%. The thought periodically arises in the minds of most non-smokers: “What kind of pleasure does a smoking person get, what sensations does he get?”
Desire to join the company - 20%. A person is driven by the fear of becoming an outcast in a smoking company. This applies to both groups of teenagers and adults who have joined a new team. It seems that the most important issues are resolved in the smoking room. And whoever does not smoke remains outside of public life.
Peer pressure - 8%. Peers who smoke often encourage them to “try it” and ridicule those who do not smoke.
Stress relief - 6%. The life of teenagers is full of stress, internal conflicts and quarrels with others. Their nervous system is not yet stable and young people resort to smoking to relax.

Psychologists who study nicotine addiction identify a number of other socio-psychological reasons.

1. Self-affirmation in the eyes of peers, the desire to become cooler.
2. The desire to be an adult. Prove your “maturity” to yourself and others.
3. Extra fun. They start smoking in a comfortable situation: on vacation with friends, drinking alcoholic beverages.
4. Nothing to do with myself. Smoking helps pass the time and replaces computer games.
5. Make an impression and meet expectations. To create a tough guy image, young people have to smoke.
6. According to Freud, smoking is a consequence of “oral fixation.” Up to a year, all pleasant moments are associated with sucking. If for some reason you deprive him of a child, then psychological trauma remains for life and oral fixation occurs. An adult who has experienced such a situation continues to suck a pen, bite his nails or smoke.
7. The pleasure of the process, playing with a cigarette, the opportunity to purchase beautiful accessories: ashtrays, lighters, releasing smoke in rings.
8. Increased concentration and performance. The first 15-20 minutes after smoking a cigarette, the brain works more productively. Some use this effect to improve performance.
9. Conditioned reflex. For some, taking a break from work, drinking alcohol, or drinking coffee may be associated with smoking. A person reaches for a cigarette only in these situations.
10. Fear of gaining weight. Smoking activates metabolism. Therefore, people who try to lose excess weight at any cost resort, among other things, to smoking.
11. Lack of awareness about the dangers of smoking. So most young women do not know how dangerous smoking is for their future offspring.
12. Heredity. There is a theory that if a mother smoked during pregnancy, then her child, as he matures, will be prone to smoking, as he constantly experiences a lack of nicotine.

Smoking ban law

• protect non-smoking citizens from the effects of passive smoking;
• protect young people from the temptation to join the ranks of smokers;
• help those who already smoke to get rid of the bad habit.

What methods are used to combat smoking, according to the law?

• Ban on smoking in public places, which came into force on June 1, 2014. Smoking is prohibited in workplaces, in areas where teaching, treatment and various services are provided. The ban applies to trains, platforms, stations, airports, restaurants, clubs, beaches, playgrounds, stairwells of apartment buildings, and places of trade. Smoking a cigarette is allowed only in specially designated areas or rooms equipped with ventilation. Although such restrictions caused a storm of indignation among the smoking part of the population, they still helped to significantly reduce the number of cigarettes smoked.
• Rising prices for cigarettes. Minimum prices for cigarettes have been established and excise taxes on tobacco products have increased. The government believes that a standard pack of cigarettes should cost at least 55 rubles in order for the demand for them to decrease significantly.
• Marking on a pack of cigarettes. Each pack must contain truthful information about the content of nicotine and other harmful substances, as well as one of the warning labels about the dangers of smoking. They are placed on the front side and occupy 50% of the area. The inscription on the back of the pack must occupy at least 30%.
• Information fight against smoking. Education should be carried out in the family, at school and at work, as well as in the media. The goal is to teach people to take care of their health and provide comprehensive information about the dangers of smoking.
• Ban on tobacco advertising. Commercials and promotions aimed at promoting smoking or any brand of tobacco products are prohibited. Smoking is prohibited in films and programs for children. But in programs for adult audiences, smoking scenes should be accompanied by captions with anti-advertising.
• Medical assistance aimed at combating nicotine addiction. Doctors are required to diagnose smokers with psychological and physical dependence on nicotine. It is the duty of the health worker to explain to the person what risks he is exposed to and help him get rid of the bad habit.
• Restriction of trade in tobacco products and prohibition of illicit trade. Tobacco products can now only be sold in stores or trade pavilions. It is prohibited to place packs of cigarettes on display. Instead, there should be an alphabetical list indicating prices, but without product logos or other advertising elements. It is prohibited to sell cigarettes one hundred meters from educational institutions. Trading is prohibited at train stations, service enterprises, in premises occupied by authorities and organizations working with youth.
• Protecting children from tobacco use. It is prohibited to sell cigarettes to minors. Therefore, the seller has the right to demand a passport to ensure that he is not committing a crime.

How to quit smoking?

E-Sigs

• light indicator – imitates the fire of a cigarette;
• battery that powers the cigarette;
• steam generator - a spraying device that creates steam;
• a replaceable cartridge that contains a liquid that determines the taste of the vapor. One cartridge replaces a pack of regular cigarettes.

When you take a puff, air flows through the steam generator and produces aromatic vapor made up of tiny particles of smoking liquid. Its advantage over a regular cigarette is the absence of tobacco combustion products: tars, carcinogens. In addition, those around you do not suffer from tobacco smoke.

Electronic cigarettes are considered by some to help people quit smoking. It can help reduce physical dependence on nicotine. In the initial stages, e-cigarette liquid with a high nicotine content is used. After some time, it is replaced with another liquid with a lower nicotine content. Thus, they are gradually switching to nicotine-free filler.

Negative aspects of electronic cigarettes

Experts say that these devices are no less harmful than traditional tobacco products. It is possible that they are much more dangerous than expected.

Facts about the dangers of electronic cigarettes:

To create liquids, synthetic components and flavors are used that penetrate deep into the lungs. Regular inhalation of such substances can lead to bronchial asthma and other undesirable consequences.

It has been proven that vapor contains glycerin and its esters, propylene glycol, combustion products of flavorings and substances emitted by the materials from which the cigarette is made. These components are harmful to health, they have a toxic effect on the body and cause kidney pathologies.

Smoking is a bad example for children. They don't care what their parents smoke. Therefore, there is a high risk that children will become addicted to this bad habit.

WHO experts propose banning the use of electronic cigarettes until serious clinical trials are carried out and a law regulating their production is finalized.

In Russia, from June 1, 2013, the sale of electronic cigarettes is prohibited in accordance with the smoking ban law. These devices fit the description of “imitation tobacco products” and are therefore subject to the ban.

Medicines to help you quit smoking

Psychological help to quit smoking

Think about which of the consequences of smoking scare you most. There are a lot of them:

• Gangrene and leg amputation;
• Cancerous tumors;
• Lung decomposition;
• Sudden death due to stroke or heart attack;
• Asthma and bronchitis in children who become victims of passive smoking.

Don't look for signs of withdrawal symptoms. Studies have shown that the likelihood of developing withdrawal syndrome is not that high. If you nevertheless notice that your memory has deteriorated and it has become more difficult to concentrate, then take tincture of ginseng or eleutherococcus. These natural stimulants, no worse than nicotine, activate the nervous system and metabolic processes, and in addition will help to quickly cleanse the body of toxins.

Who can help in the fight against nicotine addiction?

For individual or group psychotherapy, you can contact a drug treatment clinic or a psychologist who specializes in addiction recovery. Statistics say that psychotherapeutic assistance increases the chances of success by 1.5 times.

Get help from a psychotherapist for free possible in state and municipal medical institutions. A prerequisite is a referral from your attending physician from the clinic. In addition, free consultations are available at rehabilitation centers.

Paid consultations can be obtained from public medical institutions without a referral. And also in non-state psychiatric and psychoneurological institutions and with a private practicing psychotherapist.

Many effective psychological techniques have been developed to help people quit smoking.

1. Methodology of Vladimir Zhdanov

   The technique is known as “Four Stinking Breaths.” Its goal is to cause a lasting aversion to smoking. To do this, you need to taste the tobacco smoke and chew it.

   When you want to smoke, do not inhale the smoke into your lungs, but hold it in your mouth. Throw back your head, close your nose, and chew the smoke intensively with your mouth closed. After 20 seconds, a nasty taste will appear in your mouth. Continue chewing for another 10 seconds and then push the smoke into your lungs. Unpleasant sensations and the urge to cough will appear - this is due to the activation of receptors that are designed to protect you from tobacco smoke. To consolidate the result, take 2 more puffs of “chewed” smoke.

   Fourth inhale – inhale with full lungs. After this, cough out the smoke, tensing your abdominal muscles. Then write down on the packet the date and time you took 4 stinky breaths. After this you can't smoke. If the desire to inhale becomes irresistible, then repeat the technique of chewing smoke.

   Video lectures by Professor Zhdanov help strengthen motivation. They act in two directions: they clearly demonstrate the harm from smoking and create the necessary psychological mood.

2. Allen Carr "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking"

   The technique was developed more than 30 years ago. Statistics say that every year it helps 1 million people quit smoking. The purpose of the technique is to help a person quit smoking without exerting willpower, drugs or other aids.

   The essence of the technique is outlined in the book of the same name. This method can be briefly described in 2 points.

   1. Make a firm, conscious decision that you will never smoke again.
   2. Enjoy your new life and don't get depressed.
   The book shows in a very well-reasoned way why you should quit smoking and what benefits you get by making a choice in favor of a healthy lifestyle. This helps get rid of doubts and temptations to smoke the “last cigarette.”
   
3. Smoking code

   This method is based on hypnotic suggestion and bio-electrical influence on the subconscious. Coding helps develop a conditioned reflex against smoking.

   The purpose of coding is to instill in a person an aversion to smoking. Coding is carried out by psychologists and psychotherapists. In some cases, priests and traditional healers use this method.

   You can only code a person who has already decided to quit smoking. In the event that he came following the persuasion of relatives, then the effect of coding will be short-lived. Another condition for successful coding is the qualifications of a specialist.

   Hypnosis and acupuncture help enhance the effect on the psyche. Some people use the placebo effect successfully. The patient is told that after he has taken a mega-effective drug, he will never have the desire to smoke again. And although the capsule may contain ordinary sugar under the guise of medicine, the idea that there is no longer any craving for tobacco is firmly rooted in the mind.

4. Neurolinguistic programming. Swing technique

   This technique is based on reprogramming the subconscious. Its goal is to create in the subconscious a vivid image of what you want to become. It is suitable for almost all people and helps to get rid of different types of addiction at the same time. NLP is used by psychologists, but you can get rid of bad habits yourself.

   The swing technique consists of five stages.

   Stage 1. Answer the questions.

   • Why do I smoke?
   • How does this change my life?
   • What benefits does smoking bring me?
   Stage 2. Determine the motive for quitting smoking.
   • What will I achieve by quitting smoking?
   • What benefits will it bring me if I quit smoking?
   Stage 3. Formation of a negative image of the “starting key”

   Imagine a not very pleasant picture associated with smoking. For example, a yellow bony hand holding a cigarette.

   Stage 4. Formation of a “positive image”

   Imagine a positive picture of yourself proudly telling your friends that you managed to overcome your addiction.

   Stage 5. Changing images.

   Imagine a negative image, and then replace it with a positive one. Take a short break and repeat the exercise. Gradually increase the pace of changing pictures. You can accompany them with a wave of your hand or a snap of your fingers. The positive image should become more and more vivid in your mind, and the negative one should dim until it completely disappears.

5. Acupuncture

   This anti-smoking technique was developed more than 40 years ago by Chinese neurosurgeon H.L. Venom. It is based on the fact that smoking is a conditioned reflex - the path that a nerve impulse travels in the brain. When nervous excitement once again passes along this path, the desire to smoke arises.

   The goal of acupuncture is to eradicate this reflex. By influencing reflex points on the auricle or wrist, the specialist interrupts the passage of impulses along the reflex path.

   The sessions should be conducted by an experienced reflexologist. Duration of sessions is 20-80 minutes. To obtain lasting results, some people need 2 sessions, while others need 10-20.

Remember that the only condition that will allow you to quit smoking once and for all is your firm and conscious desire to get rid of this bad habit. If you are determined to get rid of addiction, then success will definitely await you!

Smoking code

Smoking is one of the most harmful habits not only among young people, but also among older people. Many people who smoke do not think about the dangers of cigarettes, but smoking has a very significant effect on our health and life expectancy.

Smoking is the inhalation of smoke from the combustion of dry plant leaves. Columbus at one time provided an invaluable service to Europeans by bringing tobacco to Europe. And if then only a select few were allowed to smoke, today many people are susceptible to this addiction: not only men and women, today it is not uncommon for boys and girls and teenagers to smoke, and many begin to smoke in early childhood. Smoking people can be found everywhere, on the street and in hallways, near schools and on playgrounds. There is an opinion among experts that on a planetary scale today there are two reasons that contribute to an increase in the mortality rate: HIV infection and tobacco smoking.

After I completely quit smoking, I no longer have a gloomy and anxious mood. Habit is the tyrant of people! (Shakespeare)

Today, no one will be surprised by the message that smoking has a detrimental effect on health. Labels on cigarette packages informing consumers about the possible consequences of tobacco use do not reduce the number of people purchasing coveted cigarettes. Smokers hear every day about the dangers of smoking, read terrible inscriptions promising quick loss of health on packs, and regularly listen to the indignant cries of non-smokers. But, nevertheless, they continue to smoke. How to explain this? Maybe there are simply not enough words about the dangers of smoking.

What does smoking lead to?

It must be said that scientists have studied in detail the components included in tobacco smoke. A huge number of elements have been identified that are harmful to the health of smokers. Many of these components begin their destructive effects almost immediately after entering the body. These include nicotine and carbon monoxide. Others gradually accumulate in order to later deliver their destructive blow - polonium 210, benzanthracene, benzene, vinyl chloride. These substances are carcinogens - they cause cancer of the lungs, liver, stomach, tongue, and laryngopharynx. Carbon monoxide, interacting with hemoglobin in the blood, disrupts its transport function. The tissues of the human body suffer from hypoxia.

Smoking is dangerous at any age; in adolescence it is even more harmful. Smoking causes irreparable harm to the body, reducing its performance, affecting memory, impairing taste, smell and color perception of the world. Smoking disrupts the functioning of various glands of the body, including the thyroid gland. Teenagers who smoke have more severe skin problems, such as boils or pimples, and slower growth and development. The main problem of smoking teenagers is that while they are young and strong, they do not think about their health. Scientists have discovered a pattern that people who started smoking in adolescence have worse health than those who started smoking in adulthood. Moreover, those who become addicted to smoking in adolescence tend to smoke for the rest of their lives.

It is a very sad fact that the number of girls and women who smoke is growing every year. It should be noted that after about a couple of years it will be quite easy to distinguish a woman who smokes from a non-smoker, even without using special equipment. A lady who smokes will be identified by a smoky, rough voice, dull, gray skin, early wrinkles around the eyes, and the smell of tobacco emanating from the woman. The main changes occurring in the body are often carefully hidden from view. Women who smoke are more likely to experience menstrual irregularities, infertility, and early menopause.

Pregnant women who smoke and fail to give up tobacco cause even greater misunderstanding among others. Most likely, they do not think about the harm that smoking causes to their unborn child. For such women, the percentage of stillborn children is significantly higher than for non-smokers. Nicotine entering the fetal blood through the placenta accumulates there and the concentration of nicotine in the baby’s body exceeds the concentration in the mother’s body. Nicotine causes oxygen starvation of the cells of the developing fetus. Smoking and failure to self-control this habit can lead to premature birth of a child. Children of smoking mothers, as a rule, are born much weaker than those of non-smokers. In addition, they are susceptible to various congenital pathologies.

It is also better for nursing mothers to give up this bad habit. The baby not only inhales the nicotine coming from his mother, he also receives the lion's share of nicotine through her milk. Having examined the milk of smoking mothers, scientists have proven that a liter of such milk contains 0.5 mg of a lethal dose that can kill a baby.

People suffering from problems with the respiratory and circulatory systems should also stop smoking. Nicotine causes the heart rate to increase and blood vessels to spasm. Scientists have found that, in general, people who have suffered a stroke or myocardial infarction at a young age are heavy tobacco smokers.

And of course, one cannot help but notice that smokers cause irreparable harm not only to their health, but also to the people around them. People who are close to a smoker are also smokers, only passive smokers and suffer much more from this habit. Such smoking poses a particular danger for expectant and nursing mothers, the elderly and adolescents, as well as for those who suffer from chronic diseases of the heart, blood vessels and respiratory system.

Tobacco is the cheapest, most “mild” drug, the severe consequences of its use are immediately invisible, but appear in a more or less distant future, which creates the illusion of its harmlessness. (V. Bakhur)