Tobacco

Well I am probably being a little hypocrytical (as I am a smoker)  in writing this but nevertheless it has to be done.. maybe by doing this article I might get a clue and actually give up myself... Again I wanted to write about tobacco and teens as it is a drug and something we should know the damages it causes...

Tobacco is the leaves from the tobacco plant (Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana rustica) that contains Nicotine...Nicotine is a stimulant...It makes the central nervous system speed up the messages between the rbain and the body... The leaf of the plant is dried and aged then has other ingredients added to it to make a whole lot of different tobacco based products....These products are cigarettes, including some of the herbal ones, Cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco etc.....

Well this is the disgusting part did you know there is more than 4000 chemicals in tobacco smoke...At least 43 of these are carcinogenic (cause cancer) and many of the rest are even poisoness...Three of the major chemicals in tobacco smoke are Nicotine, Tar, Carbon Monoxide......

Nicotine is the actual chemical that smokers get depndant on and tar is relased when the cigarette is actually burning...Carbon Monoxide has no clour or smell and is a very toxic gas...Alot of smokers can have a high level of this in their blood....

When you inhale from your cigarette the tar from the smoke then coats the lungs...It leaves a yellowish colour stain on the teeth and fingers... carbon Monoxide robs the blood, brain and muscles of oxygen...making your heart work harder...After a time of smokung this can lead to the narrowing of the airways which leads to high blood pressure...This can lead to heart attack or stroke...High levels of Nicotine and carbon monoxide increase heart disease risk and circulatory problems...When a first time smoker has their first draw of a cigarette they feel dizzy and then sick...This is also the case after giving up for awhile and re starting...

There is no difference between Light or Low tar cigarettes... even if you smoke these you still have the risks of getting smoking related illnesses... The long term effects are more devastating... with lung cancer, throat and mouth cancer and heart disease being the most commonly known there are alot more that are linked to smoking... There is around 19 000 deaths a year  in Australia that can be linked to tobacco use alone...

When there is a smoker around in the home or car passive smoking then comes into this...Those dangerous chemicals a smoking is inhaling is also inhaled by the passive smoker doing damage to their lungs also...

When a person gives up smoking the can experience all sorts of withdrawel symptoms....cravings, irritability, agitation, depression and anxiety, insomnia and disturbed sleeping patterns, increased appetite and weight gain, restlessness and loss of concentration
headaches, coughing and sore throat...

To end this piece of advice most of us know all about smoking and the dangers it has...Once again smoking is a drug and is an addictive one...So many people struggle with giving it up some succeed and some do not...I dont think the feeling of  "I wouldn't mind a smoke right now" ever goes away... My mother gave up 13 years ago and she still gets it...Apart from the obvious tobacco products are also expensive...If we explain all of these things to our children then maybe they will not think its so cool to start in the first place...

Just my thoughts
Have a great day
Cheers
Angie