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A PROJECT REPORT ON

SMOKING HABIT AMOUNG YOUNGSTERS

SUBMITTED BY

JIGAR MORADIA
T.Y.B.M.S. (SEMESTER V)

SUBMITTED TO UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI

PROJECT GUIDE PROF. SWAPNA JOSHI

NAGINDAS KHANDWALA COLLEGE OF COMMERCE, ARTS AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES MALAD (WEST)

ACADEMIC YEAR (2010-2011)


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Acknowledgments
Although the skills required to make this project are different than those used in presentation, written and oral forms of communication have both shaped the content of this project. Therefore, I am gratefull to people who have helped me to make this project .

First and foremost, I take this platform to thank Prof. SWAPNA JOSHI for her constant guidance throughout this project. While working on this project, I have tried to correlate my findings with the learning from the class which has enhanced my understanding of the subject.

I express my sincere gratitude to all the people whom I surveyed for their cooperation and inputs and this has helped me to get a realistic picture of the SMOKING HABIT AMOUNG YOUNGSTERS

Lastly, I am indebted to my batch-mates and friends for their undeterred support. Through the healthy discussions which I had with them, it not only led to enrichment of my knowledge but also aided in developing a broader approach towards certain relevant issues.

Executive Summary
Today smoking is an integral part of everyday life for many people, and smoking among adolescents remains high. It has become a severe problem in world today. Even India is not an exception to this. Brain disease that is characterized by compulsive smoking seeking and use, knowing that it is harmful. There are stages of smoking and different cycle of adiction Smoking kills 900,000 people every year in India, and unless corrective action is taken soon that number will increase to 1 million smoking-related deaths annually by 2010 and beyond, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and conducted by scientists from India, Canada and the UK. For the study, 900 field workers gathered information from a sample of 1.1 million homes in all parts of India. This report gives knowledge about how people take up smoking , how do they get addicted to it and its advantages and disadvantages. It also shows varios effects of smoking on individual society and environment . I have done survey to know the trend of smoking ; if its going up or down and surely the number of smokers are increasing which include cigarette smokers n hukka smokers but the harms of cigarette is far more than that by hukka . Less harmful or more harmfull in the end they all are harmfull therefore smokers must look forward t quit smoking.

INDEX

TABLE OF CONTENT

SR.NO TOPIC 1 INTRODUCTION 2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3 WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY SMOKING? 4 HISTORY OF SMOKING 5 STAGES OF SMOKING 6 CYCLE OF ADICTION 7 REASONS FOR SMOKING 8 SYMPTOMS OF SMOKING 9 EFFECTS OF SMOKING 10 DISADVANTAGES 11 ADVANTAGES 12 SMOKING FACTS 13 TAPERING OFF METHOD 14 15 16

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Introduction What is Tabacco ?


Tobacco is a green, leafy plant that is grown in warm climates. After it is picked, it is dried, ground up, and used in different ways. It can be smoked in a cigarette, pipe, or cigar. It can be chewed (called smokeless tobacco or chewing tobacco) or sniffed through the nose (called snuff). Nicotine is one of the more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes and its smoke. It is the chemical that makes tobacco addictive or habit forming. Once we smoke, chew, or sniff tobacco, nicotine goes into our bloodstream, and our body wants more. The nicotine in tobacco makes it a drug. This means that when we use tobacco, it changes our body in some way. Because nicotine is a stimulant, it speeds up the nervous system, so we feel like we have more energy. It also makes the heart beat faster and raises blood pressure.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This project is a mixture of theoretical knowledge. It also contains idea and information imparted by the guide. This project report contains all the vital information about smoking its satges , advantages and disadvantages .

He major steps involved in reseach process are :-

1. Formulating the research problem

Unit of analysis Characteristics of interest

Youngsters Smoking habit among youngsters

Time

Maximum 2 months

Environmental conditions

Trend amongst youngsters

2.Objectives of research 1.To understand why youngsters take up smoking 2.To know its effects on human and environment 3.To understand the role of government on this 4.To know if celebs are a reason for increase in smoking 3.Preparing the research design
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Exploratory research Conclusive research o Descriptive o Casual Descriptive research is known as statistical research, that describes data and characteristics about the population or phenomenon being studied. 4.Sources of data Primary data Data collected for current research. Ways - Survey, observation, personal interview, questionnaire I have used questionnaire Secondary data Pre existing data not collected for current research but may help the researcher at present. Helps to save time and cost. Books articles etc 5.Determining sample design Non probability sampling As it is not possible to ask everyone ,I will randomly select some youngsters n conduct my research it will help me to find out the objectives of my research. 6.Collecting the data The data is collected by the way of questionnaire . 7.Processing and analyzing the data The data collected is presented in analyzing form through tabular form and pie diagrams . 8.Preparing the Research report The objectivity, coherence, charts and diagrams are used freely to express clarity in the presentation of ideas and research
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WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY SMOKING?


Breathing the fumes of burning plant material, especially tobacco, from a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. Despite social and medical arguments against tobacco use, smoking is widely practiced around the world. Nicotine is an alkaloid in tobacco that is addictive and can have both stimulating and tranquilizing psychoactive effects. The tar (residue) and gases produced by burning tobacco have many negative health effects. They include lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and laryngeal cancer; heart disease and stroke; and emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking also increases other health-related risk factors (see asbestosis). A nonsmoker who breathes secondhand smoke (such as the smoke from a lit cigarette) is at an increased risk of the same diseases that affect smokers. Secondhand smoke also increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Doctor-run programs, along with nicotine patches and gums that provide diminishing doses of nicotine, are among the aids available to help those who wish to quit smoking. Hypnosis, acupuncture, herbal remedies, and other approaches are also widely advertised as ways to quit smoking. Smoking has been greatly reduced in the health-conscious West even as it rises in many lessdeveloped countries

Over the years increasing statistical evidence related smoking to cardiovascular and lung disease, especially bronchitis, emphysema, and cancer. It is undoubtedly true that the pleasures of smoking are derived from the actions of nicotine on the central nervous system. Nicotine is rapidly absorbed from the mucosal membrane of the mouth and from the lungs, and readily penetrates the nervous system. It also has peripheral actions, tending to increase blood pressure and heart rate. The Surgeon-General's Report in the US in 1964 was the real start of the campaign to prevent or abolish smoking. Vested interests in the tobacco companies promoted ideas to reduce the harmful effects by the introduction of filters and creation of low tar cigarettes. It is the carcinogenic compounds in the tar which are the serious hazard to health, and some, but not all, of these compounds are removed by the filters. People changing to cigarettes with low nicotine content tend to smoke more and draw more deeply. Artificial smoking materials have been developed, consisting of pure cellulose-based material impregnated with nicotine. However, combustion of all plant material, and of pure cellulose, seems to produce some carcinogenic agents. The ultimate in the safe cigarette consists of a hollow tube which is not ignited but releases nicotine as the smoker draws air through. Nicotine chewing gum and nicotine patches, which release the alkaloid when applied to the skin, have also been produced as substitutes, largely for those
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who are breaking the habit. The taking of nicotine is habit forming, indeed it can be described as addictive. The balance of psychological to physical dependence is generally more towards the former, as physical withdrawal symptoms are less severe than with drugs such as heroin. However, individual tobacco addicts vary enormously in their level of dependence. Some of the pleasures of smoking are due to ritual particularly so in pipe smokers, who carry a variety of equipment for preparing for a satisfying smoke. Many smokers never do so in the dark, for the curl of the smoke from the pipe or cigarette end is part of the ritualistic satisfaction. Many psychological tests have shown that mental activity and performance is enhanced by smoking, particularly when fatigued but the young often take up smoking to imitate their peers or idols. Serious programmes to stop people smoking or to prevent the young from starting are now being offered, particularly in the Western world, and the number of public places in which smoking is acceptable has greatly reduced. To understand why smoking is still so common, despite all that is known about its effects, I have chosen this topic .

HISTORY OF SMOKING Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the vapors either tasted or inhaled. The practice began as early as 50003000 BC. Many civilizations burnt incense during religious rituals, which was later adopted for pleasure or as a social tool. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes. The substance was met with frequent criticism, but became popular nonetheless. German scientists formally identified the link between smoking and lung cancer in the late 1920s leading the first anti-smoking campaign in modern history. The movement failed to reach across enemy lines during the Second World War, and quickly became unpopular thereafter. In 1950, health authorities again began to suggest a relationship between smoking and cancer. Scientific evidence mounted in the 1980s, which prompted political action against the practice. Rates of consumption from 1965 onward in the developed world have either peaked or declined. However, they continue to climb in the developing world. Smoking is the most common method of consuming tobacco, and tobacco is the most common substance smoked. The agricultural product is often mixed with other additives and then pyrolyzed. The resulting vapors are then inhaled and the active substances absorbed through the alveoli in the lungs. The active substances trigger chemical reactions in nerve endings which heightens heart rate, memory, alertness, and reaction time. Dopamine and later endorphins are released, which are often associated with pleasure. As of 2000, smoking is practiced by some 1.22 billion people. Men are more likely to smoke than women, though the gender gap declines with younger age. Many smokers begin during adolescence or early adulthood. Usually during the early stages, smoking provides pleasurable sensations, serving as a source of positive reinforcement. After an individual has smoked for many years, the avoidance of withdrawal symptoms and negative reinforcement become the key motivations to continue.

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STAGES OF SMOKING Stage 1-Experimentation This is how every smoker starts. Either through curiosity or peer pressure, and typically at a young age new smokers start through experimentation. They may want to fit in with a group of new friends, look cool, be rebellious or just see what the big deal is about smoking. Many new smokers never make is past this phase. Either smoking makes them feel ill or they come to their senses and realize that it is not for them. A lot of people do make it through this stage and smoking becomes a bigger part of their life. Stage 2-Commitment Once a person passes into this stage of smoking they are past a casual urge to smoke and they have made a commitment to their habit. They now actually buy packs of cigarettes. They do not just smoke here and there or just at parties or gettogethers, they smoke all the time. Some people may to be able to quit at this point. But it gets harder the closer they get to the next stage. Stage 3-Addiction Once a smoker hits this stage smoking is no longer a choice. They are now having a smoke as soon as they wake up, throughout the course of the day, and before they go to bed at night. Smoking has weaved its way into the fabric of their lives. Stage 4-Regret Most smokers who have become addicted eventually regret the fact that they have become powerless over cigarettes. They try to quit smoking, only to find that it is difficult. They desperately want to kick the habit but end up lighting up again. They start the sad merry-go-round of trying to quit smoking. Some will succeed in stopping smoking some will go years trying to quit smoking never to succeed. Some people can go through these stages very quickly. Or they may go straight from experimentation to addiction. Either way once they have made it to Stage 4, or regret, they need to find an effective way to quit smoking to quickly put an end to the physical and mental anguish that goes along with trying to quit smoking.

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Cycle of Addiction Nicotine is the chemical that makes cigarette smoking addictive. It is just as addictive as heroin or cocaine. Smoking is a habit that is not easily stopped. The body and mind want and need the nicotine. If a person smokes more than five cigarettes a day, he/she is usually addicted. When people inhale the smoke of cigarettes, the nicotine goes deep into the lungs. From the lungs it goes into the bloodstream and is carried to the heart and then the brain. It only takes six seconds for nicotine to reach the brain.

Nicotine

How Cigarettes Addict Lungs quickly absorb nicotine and other chemicals, which go directly to the heart, then the brain. As a reslut, smoking delivers drugs to the brain much faster than other modes of delivery, such as injection with a needle.

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Credit: Figure 6,Tobacco: Biology & Politics, HEALTH EDCO, Waco, Texas. Nicotine is a stimulant. It speeds things up. It makes the heart beat faster and increases blood pressure. It makes smokers feel more alert or awake. After about 45 minutes when the level of nicotine in the blood goes down, they start to feel withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal is the feeling they have when the nicotine is taken away. They may feel tired and irritable (angry, impatient, nervous). Smokers slowly increase the number of cigarettes they smoke to prevent the bad feelings of withdrawal. They keep increasing the number of cigarettes until they reach a certain level of nicotine in their blood. Usually they will light up a cigarette before they start to feel any withdrawal symptoms. People smoking low tar and nicotine cigarettes will have to smoke more cigarettes to reach their maintenance level. After sleeping, the level of nicotine in the blood is lower than it is during the day. Therefore, heavy smokers will usually begin their day with a cigarette very soon after waking up. The nicotine will stimulate them and make them feel awake. A person can tell how addicted he/she is to smoking by how soon after waking, he/she lights up the first cigarette of the day.

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Reasons for smoking


1. Smoking Is A Lifestyle Coping Tool For many people, smoking is a reliable lifestyle coping tool. Although every person's specific reasons to smoke are unique, they all share a common theme. Smoking is used as a way to suppress uncomfortable feelings, and smoking is used to alleviate stress, calm nerves, and relax. No wonder that when you are deprived of smoking, your mind and body are unsettled for a little while. Below is a list of some positive intentions often associated with smoking. Knowing why you smoke is one of the first steps towards quitting. Check any and all that apply to you. ___ Coping with anger, stress, anxiety, tiredness, or sadness ___ Smoking is pleasant and relaxing ___ Smoking is stimulating ___ Acceptance - being part of a group ___ As a way to socialize ___ Provides support when things go wrong ___ A way to look confident and in control ___ Keeps weight down ___ Rebellion - defining self as different or unique from a group ___ A reminder to breathe ___ Something to do with your mouth and hands ___ Shutting out stimuli from the outside world ___ Shutting out emotions from the inside world ___ Something to do just for you and nobody else ___ A way to shift gears or changes states ___ An way to feel confident

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___ A way to shut off distressing feelings ___ A way to deal with stress or anxiety ___ A way to get attention ___ Marking the beginning or the end of something 2. Smoking Tranquilizer The habit of cigarette smoking is often used to tranquilize emotional issues like anxiety, stress, or low self-esteem. In addition, smoking provides comfort to people with conditions of chronic pain and depression. Smokers with emotional stress or chronic pain often turn to smoking as an attempt to treat their pain. For instance, they may use it to reduce anxiety, provide a sense of calmness and energy, and elevate their mood. Some evidence does suggest that nicotine has some pain-relief benefits. Nicotine releases brain chemicals which soothe pain, heighten positive emotions, and creating a sense of reward. However, any benefit from smoking only eases the pain for a few minutes. Cigarettes contain many other chemicals shown to worsen healing ability of bone, tooth, and cartilage. The mental association between smoking and pain relief can make quitting quite difficult, as can the increased short-term discomfort that quitting smoking adds to a person already suffering with chronic pain, depression, or emotional distress. What are effective ways for people with chronic pain - whether physical or emotional - to make the decision to quit smoking? First, evidence shows that in people who suffer chronic pain, smokers have more pain than nonsmokers do. Also, accept that smoking cessation may indeed make you feel worse in the short run, but may be key to regaining enough vitality to live fully with pain. 3. The Feel Good Syndrome Smoking is a way to avoid feeling unpleasant emotions such as sadness, grief, and anxiety. It can hide apprehensions, fears, and pain. This is accomplished partly through the chemical effects of nicotine on the brain. When smoking, the release of brain chemicals makes smokers feel like they are coping and dealing with life and stressful emotional situations. Nicotine brings up a level of good feelings. Cigarette smokers are aware when nicotine levels and good feelings begin to decrease, and light up quickly enough to stay in their personal comfort zone. However, they may not realize that avoiding their feelings is not the same as taking positive steps to create a life of greater potential and meaning.

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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that people suffering from nicotine withdrawal have increased aggression, anxiety, hostility, and anger. However, perhaps these emotional responses are due not to withdrawal, but due to an increased awareness of unresolved emotions. If smoking dulls emotions, logically quitting smoking allows awareness of those emotions to bubble up to the surface. If emotional issues aren't resolved, a smoker may feel overwhelmed and eventually turn back to cigarettes to deal with the uncomfortable feelings. 4. Smoking Makes You Feel Calm and Alive Smokers often say that lighting up a cigarette can calm their nerves, satisfy their cravings, and help them feel energized. Indeed, nicotine in tobacco joins on to receptors in your brain that release "feel good" chemicals that can make you feel calm and energized all at once. Smoking acts as a drug, inducing a feeling of well-being with each puff. But, it's a phony sense of well-being that never produces a permanent satisfying or fulfilling result. Smoking lures you into believing that you can escape some underlying truth or reality. However, smoking doesn't allow you to actually transform your day-to-day life and live connected to your deeper hopes and dreams. Instead, when you smoke, the carbon monoxide in the smoke bonds to your red blood cells, taking up the spaces where oxygen needs to bond. This makes you less able to take in the deep, oxygen-filled breath needed to bring you life, to active new energy, to allow health and healing, and bring creative insight into your problems and issues. 5. You Are In The Midst Of Transition If you previously quit smoking, and then resumed the habit once again, consider the idea that perhaps you are in the midst of some "growing pains." Perhaps you were feeling dissatisfied with some aspect of your life and contemplating making change. However, developing spiritually, emotionally, and physically brings with it the experience of discomfort. Old beliefs rise up, creating sensations of hurt, pain, sadness, anxiety, and uneasiness. You were feeling dissatisfied, restless, ready to change, but then felt the fear that change often ignites. Smoking provides an escape from those uncomfortable feelings. However, smoking also brings an abrupt halt to personal transformation and the evolution of self. Although painful, these feelings are necessary in your personal development. Learning to accept feelings in a new way can help lead you out of disempowering or limiting beliefs, and into a life filled with greater happiness, satisfaction, contentment, or purpose. When you stop smoking and start breathing - conscious, deep, smoke-free, oxygen-filled breaths - your evolution will start up once again

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Symptoms of smoking
Smoker's exhibit many symptoms of smoking and nicotine addiction. These include low oxygen levels in the blood, smoky smelling clothes and hair, and nicotine stained fingers and teeth, low tolerance for exercise, smoker's cough, cold hands and feet, fatigue, hypertension, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, and loss of taste and smell. When smokers attempt smoking cessation, they often experience symptoms of nicotine addiction and nicotine withdrawal. These include mood swings, dizziness, constipation, sleep disturbances, and headache. They can also include fatigue, irritability, anxiety, carvings for tobacco, hunger, tremors, and difficulty concentrating. The symptoms of nicotine withdrawal can be very intense and make it seem nearly impossible to quit. Physical symptoms - Change in sleeping pattern - Bloodshot eyes - Slurred or agitated speech - Sudden or dramatic weight loss or gain - Skin abrasions /bruises - Neglected appearance/poor hygiene - Sick more frequently Behavioural symptoms - Hiding ,covering and lying up - Loss of control or choise of use - Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities - Emotional instability - Hyperactive / hyperaggressive

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Effects of smoking
The effects of smoking on human health are serious and in many cases, deadly. There are approximately 4000 chemicals in cigarettes, hundreds of which are toxic. The ingredients in cigarettes affect everything from the internal functioning of organs to the efficiency of the body's immune system. The effects of cigarette smoking are destructive and widespread.

Effect on lungs The lungs are organs of respiration. They are designed to carry air that contains oxygen and pass this oxygen to the blood stream. Everybody has two lungs that are divided into lobes. When somebody starts smoking this causes irritation of the cells lining the air tubes within the lungs (the bronchi and bronchioles). One of the body's basic responses to this is to produce mucus. This mucus can reduce the diameter of the airtubes making it more difficult to breathe. Have you heard of a 'smoker's cough'? This is when a smoker coughs up this mucus.

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In a healthy person, there are cells lining the lungs and upper respiratory tract that have small hair-like projections called cilia present. These beat to move dust and debris out of the lungs. They are a bit like the lung's own broom sweeping team. Smoking kills these cells so that their cleaning function is no longer carried out. Dust and particles can then accumulate which is one of the reasons that smokers often complain of respiratory diseases. One of the gases in cigarette smoke is carbon monoxide. This gas interferes with the process of oxygenation of blood in the lungs. In fact if you inhale too much carbon monoxide you will suffocate and die. This gas is present in car exhaust fumes and is responsible for the deaths of many people each year using this as a form of suicide. Effect on brain The brain, the center for mood and conscious thoughts, makes thinking and feeling possible. It controls the voluntary movements and regulates digestion and breathing. So, the brain controls the conscious thoughts as well as the unconscious body processes Smoking blocks the carotid artery. So, blood supply to the brain cells are cut off. This results in stroke, called cerebral thrombosis. Smokers risk of having a stroke is 1.5 times more than non-smokers.Smoking also leads to thickening and clotting of the blood.Smoking causes oxidative stress Effects on youngsters Many adults who smoke become addicted to cigarettes as youngsters . The two major reasons teenagers and youngsters begin smoking are parental example and peer pressure. However, the effects of smoking on them include both short-term and long-term impact on the body's various systems.

Bad Breath and Dental Problems The Children's Hospital of Boston states that an immediate effect of smoking on teenagers is bad breath and other dental problems, such as stained teeth and increased risks for cavities. Body Odors
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One of the effects of smoking on youngsters is the lingering smell of stale cigarettes in the hair, on clothing, and even from the pores of the skin. Many smokers may not realize how strong their odor is because, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, smokers have s decreased sense of smell. Skin Conditions Skin problems are another effect of smoking on youngsters because smoking restricts blood vessels. Thus, oxygen is unable to adequately flow in the skin, leading to pale or yellow skin. A research study in Italy states that smokers increase their risks of suffering from psoriasis. Premature Aging The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health, a subsidiary of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says that the effects of smoking on youngsters include premature signs of aging like wrinkles, especially around the lips.

Smaller Lungs The American Academy of Pediatrics says that youngsters who smoke have smaller lungs and hearts than non-smoking teens, which can lead to shortness of breath and persistent coughing. Respiratory Ailments Youngsters smoking catch more respiratory enough collagen to repair muscles. ailments, such colds, the flu, bronchitis, and pneumonia, than nonsmokers and take longer to recover when they get sick. Smokers with asthma also have lower lung capacity than their non-smoking counterparts. Athletic Performance That one of the effects of smoking on youngsters is a reduction in physical fitness and an increased chance of injury. This occurs because of decreased circulation and the inability of the body to produce

Effect on women

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According to a recent survey, many women continue to smoke cigarette without

considering its negative effects. About 21 percent of women who smoke are between the ages of 18 and 44. As these young women age and continue smoking, they develop more smokingrelated complications and disabilities like the following: Smoking and Infertility Infertility is a major problem of women (Infertility problems). Delaying childbirth is the primary cause of infertility for both smoking and non-smoking women. However, delaying of childbirth among smoking women puts them at a significantly greater risk of infertility in future than non-smoking women. Studies show that the fertilization problem is increasing more and more among smoking women due to the decrease in ovulatory response, along with fertilization and implantation of a zygote. The chemicals in tobacco affect cervical fluid, making the fluid toxic to sperm and resulting in difficulty in falling pregnant. Smoking and Pregnancy Smoking during pregnancy not only affects the mother, but also the child. Chemicals in tobacco pass through pregnant mothers to the fetus via the bloodstream where it causes serious risks to the unborn baby. Cigarette smoking during pregnancy also results in low birth weight, pre-term delivery, miscarriage, placenta previa, premature rupture of membranes, and neonatal death. Smoking and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is a painful disease of uterus, fallopian tubes and other reproductive organs. The disease requires urgent medical support and is a major factor in ectopic pregnancy, pelvic adhesions and other fertility-related
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problems. The occurrence of pelvic inflammatory disease is about 33 percent more in women who smoke than in non-smoking women. Smoking and Menstruation Smoking increases the risk of early menopause. Smoking women often experience menopause symptoms 2-3 years earlier than women who do not smoke. Abnormal bleeding, vaginal discharges, vaginal infection, and amenorrhea are complications of menstruation that develop among women who smoke. The toxic effect of tobacco on the ovaries significantly lowers levels of estrogen and is the main cause of abnormalities in menstrual periods and premature menopause in women smokers. Smoking and Osteoporosis Osteoporosis (osteoporosis prevention) is very common for older women. Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones that leads to reduction in bone density, increased bone fragility, weakness and fractures. Women who smoke often develop osteoporosis and loss of bone density 5 to 10 percent earlier than nonsmoking women who reach menopause. Heart disease, hormone problems, breast cancer, cervical cancer and vulvar cancer are some of the other complications that develop in smoking women. Smoking Effects on the Human Body

Toxic ingredients in cigarette smoke travel throughout the body, causing damage in several different ways.

Nicotine reaches the brain within 10 seconds after smoke is inhaled. It has been found in every part of the body and in breast milk. Carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin in red blood cells, preventing affected cells from carrying a full load of oxygen. Cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) in tobacco smoke damage important genes that control the growth of cells, causing them to grow abnormally or to reproduce too rapidly. The carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene binds to cells in the airways and major organs of smokers. Smoking affects the function of the immune system and may increase the risk for respiratory and other infections. There are several likely ways that cigarette smoke does its damage. One is oxidative stress that mutates DNA, promotes atherosclerosis, and leads to chronic lung injury. Oxidative stress is thought to be the general

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mechanism behind the aging process, contributing to the development of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and COPD. The body produces antioxidants to help repair damaged cells. Smokers have lower levels of antioxidants in their blood than do nonsmokers. Smoking is associated with higher levels of chronic inflammation, another damaging process that may result in oxidative stress.

Effects on environment Smoking and the Environment: Smoking not only affects the smokers health, it also greatly influences the surrounding atmosphere. Smoke and cigarette butts affect the environment the most, resulting into air, water and land pollution. Even the production of cigarettes influences the environment a lot. All smokers think that by smoking they are only damaging their health. They are ignorant about the fact that their smoking is indirectly affecting others health. And they are one of the direct contributors to the environmental pollution.

There are few environmental issues, which every smoker should be aware of. Smoking affects your environment greatly. This article would be discussing the various effects of smoking on the environment.

How Smoking Causes Air Pollution? (smoking environment pollution) It is quite evident that smoking causes air pollution and to some extent also pollutes the ground. Approximately 4000 chemicals are present in cigarettes, which are breathed out and released in the atmosphere. Out of the total North American population 30% of them are smokers and the percentage of the smoking population in developing countries is much higher. This indicates that an enormous quantity of pollution is being released in the atmosphere every day.

How Smoking Causes Land and Water Pollution? (smoking environment damage) Pollution caused due to smoking is not confined only to the air or body but to some extent it is also responsible in polluting the land and the water. Every day millions of cigarette butts are left on the ground. Maximum of the cigarette butts
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finally end up in lakes and rivers. By mistake fishes and other water animals eat these butts resulting in death of these water bodies. The remaining butts left on the ground will approximately take 25-26 years to decompose. The various additives and chemicals are leached into the soil, polluting the soil as well as plants. During dry seasons cigarette butts can even cause major fire, which is even harmful for the environment.

How Cigarette Production Affects Environment? (effects of smoking environment) Effects of smoking environment: Major impact on the environment is due the production of the cigarettes. The land, which is used for the cultivation of tobacco plants, could be better used for producing food for the third world countries. Moreover as the tobacco plant is highly susceptible to pests and disease so to maintain their proper growth and health various chemicals and pesticides are being sprayed. For the production and packaging of the cigarette requires a lot of trees.

In an hour cigarette-manufacturing unit requires almost 4 miles of paper for rolling and packaging of the cigarettes. Just to produce 300 cigarettes one tree is being wasted. Energy and water is also being wasted for the production of the cigarettes as well as the chemical wastes from the manufacturing unit is also dumped into the soil. Hence it is clear the cigarettes are in total adding huge strain on the body and environment.

With the use of more advance technology tobacco industry can help in decreasing the strain from the environment. But just to save billions of dollar profit/year the industry is not willing to go for the advanced technology. The best and the easiest way to control this environmental destruction, is to stop buying this harmful
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product. It is tough to quit smoking but directly (your health) and indirectly (environment) it will be beneficial for you only

Effects on society Smoking effects society in the ways that it pollutes the air, makes room for new laws such as smoking zones, its a multi million dollar industry so it brings in high taxes which is why we can't make cigarettes illegal although marijuana is much less dangerous and is still forbidden by law, and of course theres the huge totals of death by smoking related illnesses such as lung cancer ect. smoking effects others in the surrounding non-smoking community, because second hand smoke can also contribute to illnesses in people who don't smoke regularly, and it can also put a strain on family members when they have a loved one battling a disease that is addicted to cigarettes.

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Disadvantages of smoking

Smoking is very dangerous for your health. There are only disadvantages of smoking. I can't find any single advantage of smoking. However if you ask smoker, "Why do you smoke? What you will get by smoking a cigarette?" Well, they will tell you lots of benefits of smoking. Some of them are smoking makes you relax, smoking reduces stress etc... Cigarettes are made using tobacco. Tobacco contains nicotine. Nicotine is very harmful drug for your health. When you smoke a cigarette, you are not taking only nicotine inside your body but you take thousands of other chemicals also. At the time of smoking, you are taking carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in to your lung through tobacco burning. This carbon dioxide will be mixed with your blood and slowly it will reduce your efficiency of doing work. I mean you will feel tired. You cannot run as fast as non smoker can run. Smoking will create breath problems. Another problem with smoking is that it may increase your blood pressure. Chances of heart attack will increase with smoking. Chances of being diabetic patient will be more. Chances of lung cancer will be more in smoker because of carbon monoxide and nicotine. Your immune system will also be affected. Smoker feel elder than non smoker of their age. Resistance power against diseases will be reduced. Another issue is that work capacity of your brain will be reduced. Study shows that smokers will start losing their memory at the age of 50. Stress problem is common in smokers. Sometimes it leads to minor depression. Smoking creates only problems.

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Advantages of smoking

If there are many disadvantages of smoking, there will always be an advantage in smoking. Here are 18 benefits of cigarette smoking. 1. Smoking improves human information processing Higher nicotine cigarettes produce greater improvements [in information processing] than low-nicotine cigarettes Nicotine can reverse the detrimental effects of scopolamine on performance Smoking effects are accompanied by increases in EEG arousal and decreases in the latency of the late positive component of the evoked potential Data from: 0574. University of Reading, Department of Psychology (England). Warburton., D.M.; Wesnes, K. The Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Human Information Processing and the role of Nicotine in These Effects 2. Smoking improves motor performance Data from: 0530. London University, Institute of Psychiatry. OConnor, K.P Individual Differences in Psychophysiology of Smoking and Smoking Behaviour 3. Smokers in general are thinner than nonsmokers, even when they ingest more calories Data from: Numerous studies, but only two are listed below: 0885. Kentucky State University. Lee. C.J.: Panemangalore. M. Obesity Among Selected Elderly Females In Central Kentucky. FUNDING: USDA 0942. University of Louisville. Belknap Campus School of Medicine. Satmford, B.A.; Matter, S.; Fell, R.D., et al. Cigarette Smoking, Exercise and High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol FUNDING: American Heart Association.

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4. Smokers have less plaque, gingival inflammation and tooth mobility than nonsmokers Data from: Veterans Administration, Outpatient Clinic (Boston). Chauncey. H.H,; Kapur, K.K.; Feldmar, R S. The Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Study of Oral Health: in Healthy Veterans (Dental Longitudinal Study) 5. Smokers have lower incidence of postoperative deep vein thrombosis than nonsmokers Data from: Guys Hospital Medical School (England). Jones, R.M. Influence of Smoking on Peri-Operative Morbidity. 6. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is less common among smokers Data from: 0146. Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. Chen, H.Z.; Pan, X.W.; Guo, G. et al. Relation Between Cigarette Smoking and Epidemiology of Hypertension. 7. Hypertension (high blood pressure) and postpartum hemorrhage are lower in smokers Data from: 0045. University of Tasmania (Australia). Correy, J.; Newman, N. Curran, J. An Assessment of Smoking in Pregnancy. 8. RBCs [red blood cells] from cigarette smokers contain more glutathione and catalase and protect lung endothelial cells against O2 [dioxide] metabolites better than RBCs from nonsmokers Data from: 0759. University of Colorado. Refine, J.E.; Berger, E.M.; Beehler, C.J. et al. Role of RBC Antioxidants in Cigarette Smoke Related Diseases. Jan 1980 continuing. 9. Smoking protects against Parkinsons disease Data from many studies. Among them: 1102. Carr, L.A.; Rowell, P.P. Attenuation of 1methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6tetrahydrophyridine- induced neurotoxicity by tobacco smoke. Published in Neuro-pharmacology 29(3):311-4, Mar 1990. 1190. Janson, A.M.; Fuxe, K.; Agnati, L.F. Jansson, A. et al. Protective effects of chronic nicotine treatment on lesioned nigrostriatal dopamine neurons in the
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male rat. Pub. in Progress in Brain Research 79:257-65, 1989. 4014. Decina, P.; Caracci, G.; Sandik, R.; Berman, W. et al. Cigarette smoking and neuroleptic-induced parkinsonism. In Biological Psychiatry 28(6):502-8, Sept. 15, 1990 10. There is a low prevalence of smoking in ulcerative colitis? And that the disease often starts or relapses after stopping smoking Data from: 4101. Prytz, H.; Benoni, C.; Tagesson, C. Does smoking tighten the gut? In Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology 24(9):1084-8, Nov. 1989. 11. Nonsmokers and especially ex-smokers of cigarettes have greater risk of UC [ulcerative colitis] Data from: 4134. Lorusso, D.; Leo, S.; Miscianga, G.; Guerra, V. Cigarette smoking and ulcerative colitis. A case control Study. Hepato-Gastroenterology 36(4): 202-4, Aug. 1989. 12. Hypertension and postpartum hemorrhage are lower in smokers Data from: 0045. University of Tasmania (Australia). Correy, J.; Newman, N. Curran, J. An Assessment of Smoking in Pregnancy. 13. Smoking has a protective effect on immunological abnormalities in asbestos workers Data from: 0429. Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy (Poland). Lange, A. Effect of Smoking on Immunological Abnormalities in Asbestos Workers. 14. The WHO, in order to prove the dangers of ETS, financed the second largest study in the world on secondhand smoke. But the study backfired and showed not only that there was no statistical risk of disease on passive smoking, but even a protective effect for those who are exposed to it. Not surprisingly, it is said that the WHO tried to hide the study from the media.

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15. That in an Australian study, 91.8% of those who never smoked reported a long term illenss, while those who smoked reported 89.0% When age was taken into consideration, more people who had never smoked than those who did smoke reported one or more long-term illnesses. When the number of years during which a person had been a smoker were taken into account, it was the ex-smokers who fared worse when it came to long term illnesses. Data From: Australian Bureau of Statistics January 1994 report entitled 198090 National Health Survey: Lifestyle and Health Australia. 16. That an Australian study sampling, among other things, individuals over 45 years of age, found that 6.0% of smokers suffered from heart disease, versus 6.7% never-smokers and 11.4% ex-smokers Data From: Australian Bureau of Statistics January 1994 report entitled 198090 National Health Survey: Lifestyle and Health Australia. 17. Australian study sampling, among other things, individuals over 45 years of age, found that 11.3% of smokers suffered from hypertension, versus 27.0% ex-smokers and 29.0% never-smokers Data From: Australian Bureau of Statistics January 1994 report entitled 198090 National Health Survey: Lifestyle and Health Australia. 18. Australian study sampling, among other things, individuals over 45 years of age, found that 38.9% of smokers were overweight, versus 49.5% exsmokers and 44.1% never-smokers Data From: Australian Bureau of Statistics January 1994 report entitled 198090 National Health Survey :Lifestyle and Health Australia

Smoker vs. Non-Smoker Worker 6 Interesting Facts to Know


Lets not talk about the advantages and disadvantages of smoking. Its something that is common enough knowledge. Its not that smokers dont know or are unaware of the facts that smoking is bad for them, its just that they are unable to care. Here are six interesting fact about smokers vs. non-smokers that might make the prospect of not smoking interesting. There is a Distinct Difference in Health
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This is an oft-repeated fact, but true enough and cannot be hammered home, often enough. Forget about stained teeth and hair, the effect of smoking are much more than just changes to the appearance. One of the most tragic ailments affecting smokers is cancer. Cancer of the throat and various other parts of the body; all types of cancer are very painful. People who do not smoke are less susceptible to the adverse affects of smoking, which include amongst various other affects, breathing, heart action, intestinal problems etc. Heart disease is yet another bane of regular non-smokers. Air Pollution and Smoking Smoking could be a small subset of air pollution. However, if you look at it like a verb and something that one indulges in, then here is another interesting fact. Air pollution the scourge of the modern world affects a smoker more than a nonsmoker. Yes, all the auto exhausts, industrial pollutants etc affects smoker more than the non-smoker. This is because when one smokes regularly, the cilia that clean the lungs die gradually, while a non-smoker has the benefit of the lungcleaning cilia. In such a case a smoker is more prone to be affected by lung cancer than a non smoker. Another Illness Fact This one is not about a description of an illness but about recovery. The time take to recover from any specific illness, of any nature is usually more for a smoker, than for a non-smoker. This could be any illness and not just an affliction that is result of smoking. There have been many cases wherein, a non-smoker has lived to tell the tale, while a smoker hasnt pulled through. Spending Money on Cigarettes If a smoker calculates or keeps track of the amount of money spent on buying cigarettes, they will realize after a few years that they have actually spent a small fortune. Its not just the cigarettes, but consider the amount of money that a smoker will spend in buying matches, holders, and various other accessories that are a part of smoking. A non-smoker can make good use of this kind of money elsewhere. Dying Early A bit dramatic, but there it is! If you are a smoker then your life span is shorter than that of a non-smoker. This fact has been proven through various studies. The average non smoker has a tendency to live longer than an average smoker. Also, if this is the case then a smoker will lose quite a lot of money due to him, with respect to social security benefits and various other benefits. Work and Smoking
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You, if you are a smoker, would like to believe that you work as hard as the next man; and maybe you do. But on an average, a smoker misses more work days per year then a non-smoker. These misses are accompanied by a loss of pay and you have a very dissatisfied smoker. Once again various studies conducted have come out with this fact

The Facts About Smoking - How And Why To Quit

Cigarette, cigar, and pipe-smoking are so debilitating that the immediate cessation of the habit is always the first step of any program to improve one's health - even more important than vitamins, diet, or exercise. International studies of millions of people by government, industry, universities, and private research institutions have determined that smoking can cause: 1. Stained teeth, fingers, and hair 2. Increased frequency of colds, particularly chest colds and bronchitis 3. Asthma 4. Neuralgia 5. Gastrointestinal difficulties, constipation, diarrhea, and colitis 6. Headaches 7. Nausea 8. Convulsions 9. Leukoflakia (smoker's patch) 10. Insomnia 11. Heart murmur 12. Buerger's disease (inflammation of blood vessel
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linings) 13. Shortness of breath 14. Arthritis 15. Smoker's hack 16. Nervousness 17. Wrinkles and premature aging 18. Tension 19. Gastric, duodenal, and peptic ulcers 20. Lung cancer 21. Cancer of the lip, tongue, pharynx, larynx, and bladder 22.Emphysema 23.High blood pressure 24. Heart disease 25. Artherosclerosis & arteriosclerosis (thickening and loss of elasticity of the blood vessels with lessened blood flow) 26. Inflammation of the sinus passages 27. Tobacco angina (nicotine angina pectoris) 28. Pneumonia 29. Influenza 30. Pulmonary tuberculosis 31. Tobacco amblyopia 32. impared hearing 33. Decreased sexual activity 34. Mental depression Blood flow to the extremities is decreased (cold hands and feet).One puff lowers the temperature in the fingertips 1F to 3F in 3 minutes. Nicotine affects the nerve-muscle junctions, causing tremors and shaking. Nicotine causes narrowing and constriction of the arteries, adding to the heart's load. Nicotine, through its ability to stimulate, causes excitement and anxiety. But the effect wears off, often a period of depression follows, whereupon another cigarette is taken. Nicotine, an insecticide, makes the blood more viscous and decreases the available oxygen. It also adversely affects the breathing, sweating, intestinal, and heart actions of our autonomic nervous system, probably due to hindering the blood flow to the nerve centers in the brain. Two to four cigarettes in a row increase blood fats 200 to 400%. The average smoker (30 cigerettes per day) has 4 to 6 times the chance of having heart disease if he's in the 45-54 year age group. If the mother smoked during pregnancy, her baby will average 6 ounces less and its pulse will be 30% faster than a non-smoker's baby, and there'll be withdrawal symptoms in the baby after birth. Premature birth has been related to smoking by the mother. There is a direct link between parents' smoking and children's respiratory disease.
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Smoking causes widespread permanent destruction of the tiny air sacs (alveoli) and narrowing of small blood vessels in the lungs, decreasing the oxygen supply, requiring a higher blood pressure, thus causing extensive circulatory problems and premature heart attacks. Smokers have difficulty running and exercising. The cilia are tiny, delicate, hairlike coverings on the thin membrane of the surface of the lungs and trachea that, by means of their whipping, beating action, produce an upward current of foreign material and mucus from the lungs which is then swallowed or expectorated. This is the way the body cleans the lungs. This delicate lung-cleaning mechanism, in a cigarette smoker, at first paralyzes, then deteriorates, and is eventually made inoperative, through the complete destruction of the cilia. The smoker then must resort to coughing as a lung-cleaning method. This isn't efficient, and more than a cupful of tars will have accumulated in his lungs by the time of his premature death. Air pollution (auto exhausts, industry wastes, etc.) increases the lung cancer rate of the smoker, but not of the non-smoker. Apparently, the lung-cleaning cilia are alive and working for the non-smoker. The time to recover from any specific ill, whether caused by smoking or not, is much longer for the smoker. Often, a non-smoker will survive a sickness from which he would have died had he smoked. The non-smoker has no need to spend money to buy cigarettes, matches, lighters, holders, ashtrays, or to spend a dime a mile for that special trip to the store. Just the cigarettes alone amount to an average of $250 per year, after taxes - wasted. Add another $250 if the spouse smokes. This is hard-earned, after-tax, money of yours, used to pay for the above smoking paraphernalia - plus tax! (Please note: these are 1971 figures.) By dying earlier, the smoker will lose many tens of thousands of dollars in social security and other benefits which will naturally end up in the pockets of the nonsmoker. The cigarette tax is more money from the smoker to the non-smoker. The smoker is sick more often, explaining why he misses an average of 7 work days per year, usually with a loss of pay, while the non-smoker will miss only 4 days. The smoker must spend valuable time looking for ashtrays, cigarettes, matches, retail stores, vending machines, or change for these machines. He experiences displeasure if they aren't immediately at hand. Just the process of deciding on "which brand" wastes vast amounts of mental, physical, and financial resources. The overall bad health of the smoker results, on average, in a decrease of 8.3 years in his life expectancy, or about 12 to 14 minutes per cigarette. Just in lost social security income alone, this amounts to about a 5 a cigarette. The actual
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cost of each cigarette when you include extra medical expenses, lost pay, etc., is of the order of 25 per cigarette (1971 figures). Just the extra medical expenses alone can be expected to eventually use up all of a smoker's hard-earned savings, already depleted by the high cost of smoking. By the time non-smokers get sick, Medicare will foot their medical bills. The smoker's body requires more sleep every night. This extra sleep must come from his spare time. Besides needing more sleep, smokers don't sleep as well. Smoking destroys vitamins, particularly vitamin C and the B's. If you smoke, it can be critical to supplement yourself with these vitamins. , sold exclusively by Wholesale Nutrition and considered to be the best form of vitamin C by Andrew Weil, MD. We also offer a wide variety of B vitamins, including our popular B Complex '50' Formula. You can also click here to view our B vitamins in full. Smoking has induced cancer in dogs. Insurance rates can be higher for smokers. Some 100,000 doctors stop smoking every year. Foods will taste much better to non-smokers. Many subtle flavors and aromas will be savored if your nasal and oral senses are freed of the effects of harsh chemicals, coal tars, and other combustion products. How long has it been since you've experienced the smell of fresh-cut grass or the delicate taste of lobster from Maine or Nova Scotia? Other disadvantages of smoking: You must always carry cigarettes and matches; your pockets bulge - or there's less space in your purse; smelly breath; smelly house; smelly clothes; messy rugs and furniture, often burned; cigarettes lying around for kids to smoke (and matches to light); you're a bad influence on kids; you're held in low esteem by your kids and your friends (even your smoking friends); the inside of your home and auto windows need cleaning more often; death or property loss due to smoking in bed. Some 120 persons have died in two airline crashes that have been attributed to ashtray and lighter-fluid fires. Cigarette smoke collects with lint and is known to gum up delicate mechanisms such as aircraft controls. Smokers get into more auto accidents due to being less alert, having slower reflexes, and also due to fussing around while driving (lighting up, etc.). In Czechoslovakia it's illegal to smoke while driving. Accident-proneness has been related to smoking. A non-smoker would have to put on an additional 150 pounds in order to increase his mortality rate to that of an average smoker.

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The fact that the tobacco industry provides work, that wouldn't exist without it, is a myth. The money now wasted on tobacco, if diverted elsewhere, would create a wealth of new job openings in industries producing goods and services more useful to the society than cigarettes. Smoking makes a person irritable and argumentative, partially due to a subconscious knowledge of all of the above facts. Smoking has been related to brain damage and premature senility. A smoker needs much more food and sleep since nicotine makes his body work harder and less efficiently and his heart beat faster, thus using more fuel and energy. This, together with the fact that a smoker loses much of his appetite and his taste for food, explains why smokers have less trouble keeping their weight down. When one quits smoking, it's IMPERATIVE that the intake of food is drastically reduced in order to keep the body weight normal. Having to eat less is of course an additional saving of time and money. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone quit smoking? There'd be less general litter, no more butts, ashes, or wrappers in the streets, grass, urinals, etc.; no more smoke in restaurants, theaters, airplanes or buses; a more alert society, with more spare time to enjoy or improve their lot in life; fewer auto, plane, on-the-job, and household accidents; fewer forest fires; less air pollution; lower auto and life insurance rates; and fewer people coughing and spitting in public. By inflicting smoke on your non-smoking friends, it's been shown that even THEIR health and life expectancy are adversely affected. Notice how many of your friends have quit smoking in the last 5 years. They're the smart ones (and you know it). Lower intelligence has been related to smoking. In fact, smoking is both a cause and an effect of lower intelligence, just as smoking is both a cause and effect of lower income. The (smoking)-(lowerintelligence)-(lower-income)-(more smoking) vicious circle can unknowingly spiral a brainwashed young person down and down into the depths of poverty and despair. He'll not be as physically or mentally able to cope with life's challenges. Our successful capitalistic system is based on competition, and the physicallymentally handicapped smoker inevitably ends up at the bottom of the heap. So get smart, today, now, and join the happy, healthy ranks of the non-smokers

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Quitting the Filthy Habit


The smoker's body cells have become addicted to nicotine, and to quit smoking won't be easy, since withdrawal symptoms can be expected. Here are some helpful tips that might ease the quitting process: If you're a light smoker, you should quit immediately, only moderately shocking your system. The heavy smoker should allow two weeks for cutting down, then quit completely. An extended cutting-down period only prolongs the pain. Prepare for an agonizing month or two, though you might get off easily. The close family must give up, too, at least in your presence. It'd of course be best if the whole family quit at once. The pain and agony you'll suffer can be relieved completely in most persons by taking vitamin C to bowel tolerance. That means to take as little as one gram or as many as fifty grams (50,000 milligrams) every day until you reach the point of liquid diarrhea, then decrease the amount until your stools are normal. But "normal", for many smokers, means frequent constipation. Stools must always be soft, never, ever, necessitating any straining. Wholesale Nutrition specializes in vitamin C powder products, many of which were invented by us and are sold exclusively by our company. If anti-smoking drugs help (Nikoban, Bantron, Pronicotyl), good, but be prepared to find they won't. Vitamins C and B1 and tranquilizers often help to decrease irritability and other withdrawal symptoms.

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After eating don't sit down. Take a walk instead. Try to avoid situations that you associate with smoking, such as sitting in your favorite chair, particularly after dinner. Try to avoid situations that are conducive to smoking, such as bars, meetings, and boredom. Don't invite smoking friends over during the critical first few months. Never, anytime, let them smoke in your soon-to-be smell-free home. In fact, after you've quit for a few months, you'll notice how your clothes still have a strong residual smell of an ashtray. It may be necessary to clean or clear away every source of that smell, usually from carpets and clothes. Then get ready for a new life of clean lungs and great health. Your non-smoking friends won't avoid you anymore now that you no longer smell like an ashtray. When you get that urge to smoke (and you will), drink some water. If that doesn't work, suck a prune and keep the pit in your mouth for an hour. Try the buddy system: phone a friend who's also trying to quit. Think of the satisfaction of not having given in to that filthy urge. Think how bad you'll feel if you do give in. Think about how your cigarette money helps support those hypocritical tobacco companies whose income is derived at the expense of the health, wealth, happiness, efficiency, and resources of the addicted smoker. Keep this smoking facts sheet with you at all times, and re-read it when necessary, to refresh your memory of all the ugly disadvantages of smoking, and all the advantages of not smoking. Try to avoid calories, but if you find that substituting food for cigarettes helps you give up smoking, then by all means have an apple, gum, beef jerky, or a prune. If at all possible, exercise a bit every day, especially when you get the urge to smoke. It's a good substitute, and you'll find that exercising comes much easier as a non-smoker. After giving up, that filthy urge may remain for several years, so don't start again. Some people are lucky in that after a few months the thought of smoking makes them sick. But don't bank on being lucky. Cigarette displays, cigarette ads, cigarette machines, anything having to do with smoking, must be looked upon in your mind as existing only for those poor unfortunates who are addicted to that filthy habit. Life's too good and too short to waste on that filthy habit.

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Tapering Off Method To Quit Smoking


When a person quits smoking by tapering off, he/she reduces the number of cigarettes smoked little by little over a period of time. Also, he/she may switch brands by gradually going from a brand that is high in nicotine to one that is lower and lower. One day he/she is not smoking anymore. Some people who taper off see a doctor. The doctor may prescribe either nicotine chewing gum or a patch. Both work the same way to decrease the amount of nicotine in the person's system. With nicotine gum, the smoker chews it whenever he/she feels the desire to smoke. Over time he/she chews fewer and fewer pieces of gum and feels less desire for a cigarette. The nicotine patch is placed on a smoker's skin by a doctor.

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It releases a continuous amount of nicotine through the skin into the bloodstream. Over a period of time, the doctor changes the patch to smaller and smaller ones. Eventually it is removed. If a smoker continues to smoke with either the nicotine patch or chewing gum, he/she could get very sick or even die from too much nicotine in the body. Whatever method a person chooses to quit, he/she will probably feel bad during the first week or two of quitting. The first 2 or 3 days are the worst. This is the time when the body is getting rid of the nicotine. People who quit can expect to have headaches, dry mouth, a cough, and trouble sleeping. They may feel nervous, irritable or in a bad mood, depressed, tired, and hungry. They need to drink a lot of water and fruit juices, especially during the first week of quitting. They should also eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, chew sugarless gum and toothpicks, and suck on cough drops and hard candies. They need to stay busy by exercising, getting new hobbies, and visiting nonsmoking friends and relatives. Above all, they should avoid foods and situations that remind them of smoking. For example, many people find it helpful not to drink alcohol or coffee or hang out in bars (See the list of nicotine withdrawal symptoms on the right.). It is natural to gain weight when quitting smoking. On the average, people gain five pounds. To prevent weight gain and help fight the desire to smoke, people must exercise and eat a low fat/low sugar diet. It does not mean dieting. (See preventing weight gain on the right) Walking just 30 minutes each day is something that almost everyone can do. People should see their doctor to make a safe exercise plan. Practicing deep breathing or meditation helps people to stay smoke free. It relaxes them. It can be done almost any where or any time. When they feel that strong desire for a cigarette, they sit in a comfortable position or lie down on their back. If it is possible, they should remove their shoes, eyeglasses, and any tight clothing. They then breathe in through the nose saying the word "calm" to themselves and slowly breathe out saying "relax." They should be breathing
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through their diaphragm. The diaphragm is located below the ribs and above the belly button. It fills with air when we inhale and moves outward. When we exhale, it releases air and moves inward. People begin meditation by practicing deep breathing for ten full breaths. To get more relaxed, they can increase the number of breaths and length of time they meditate. This should be done gradually or little by little. Within weeks of quitting, ex-smokers start to feel much better. Their senses of taste and smell return. Their cough goes away. They have more energy. They get rid of bad breath and the smoky smell on their clothes and in their hair. They have improved their chances of a longer, healthier life.

Questionnaire
Name:Age:Sex:Questions:- (tick mark appropriate choice) Do you smoke? Yes No FOR SMOKERS: How often do you smoke?
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Everyday Occasionally Seldomly How many cigarette do you smoke? _____in a day _____in a week _____ in a month What r the reasons for your smoking? Tension /Stress Peer pressure Just for fun Do you think that stars influence youngsters to smoke? Yes No Have you faced health problems because of smoking? Yes No

According to you has the number of smokers in recent time increased????? Yes No Do you think that government is taking a lenient approach towards the control on supply of cigarette? Yes No Should it take an aggressive step towards this?
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Yes No FOR NON-SMOKERS Have you ever tried smoking???? Yes No Have smokers increased? Yes No

Do you think that government is taking a lenient approach towards the control on supply of cigarette? Yes No

Should it take an aggressive step towards this? Yes No Does the smoke around you affect your health? Yes No Is it a serious issue or just a passing trend? Yes No Any Comment
________________________________________________________

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Survey
Do you smoke? Yes No

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FOR SMOKERS: How often do you smoke? Everyday Occasionally Seldomly

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How many cigarette do you smoke? _____in a day _____in a week _____ in a month

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What r the reasons for your smoking? Tension /Stress Peer pressure Just for fun

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Do you think that stars influence youngsters to smoke? Yes No

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Have you faced health problems because of smoking? Yes No

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According to you has the number of smokers in recent time increased????? Yes No

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Do you think that government is taking a lenient approach towards the control on supply of cigarette? Yes No

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Should it take an aggressive step towards this? Yes No

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FOR NON-SMOKERS Have you ever tried smoking???? Yes No

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Have smokers increased? Yes No

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Do you think that government is taking a lenient approach towards the control on supply of cigarette? Yes No

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Should it take an aggressive step towards this? Yes No

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Does the smoke around you affect your health? Yes No

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Is it a serious issue or just a passing trend? Yes No

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Conclusion

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BIBLOGRAPHY

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