Devry University Professor Emily Gorman-Fancy April 06,2011 Quit Smoking Today| The Dangers of Smoking Cigarettes| Katie Coomes| Quit smoking today! I tell myself that every day and every day it gets harder. Are you a smoker? Do you know someone who does smoke? If so maybe this is what you need to read on reducing your chances of Heart Disease, Emphysema and Cancer the moment you quit smoking. No matter your gender or age smoking is the leading cause of death for men and women across the country. Statistics show that the negative health effects of smoking result in more deaths in the U.

S. than murder, drug abuse, alcohol, vehicle crashes, suicide and even AIDS together. (CDC,2011) The majority of smokers are likely to die from emphysema, cancers of the throat and lungs. Cigarette smoke is not only bad for your own health as it is just unhealthy for those around you. Second hand smoke is more dangerous since it is not passed through a filter, it is then direct inhalation. Cigarette smoke contains very harmful substances, such as asbestos, and smokers know this but continue to smoke. Why do you continue to endanger your health when knowing what is in cigarettes?

I will tell you why, from being a smoker myself, most believe it is a stress relief or helps maintain your weight(especially female smokers). Quitting is probably the most difficult addiction to do and is very hard to accomplish, but the benefits are much greater to you and your loved ones. When you decide to quit smoking the symptoms may be far worse in the beginning from chest pains, coughing, and breathlessness. These symptoms will dissipate after a few weeks even. If choosing to quit smoking cigarettes keep in mind you will have to quit other things as well to be successful at this process of elimination. Windale,2001) If you like to endure in an alcoholic beverage once and a while that will be the first thing you will want to quit as well. When drinking alcohol a smoker tends to smoke more cigarettes while drinking than any other time; which can make a smoker relapse into starting back up again. People that you normal hang out with, that are also smokers, is another one you will have to change in your daily routine. Nicotine is what makes smoking very addictive. It is colorless and odorless and is very addicting mentally as well as physically.

When nicotine is inhaled into the lungs it is attached to the tar that is found in cigarette smoke which gives it easy access to your bloodstream; then in seconds it goes directly to your brain. Your brain then triggers the sensors that you are smoking and makes your body feel less tense and stressed. This process will make your heart beat faster and increase your blood pressure, funny how that is the process of anxiety as well but yet as a smoker you feel more relaxed. Once that nicotine starts to leave your system it starts all over again by grabbing for another cigarette to keep that feeling of stress down.

This is what addiction is and why it is the worst habit to start and the hardest to quit. (American Cancer Society,2009-2010) Tobacco is what the cigarette is made of and is another reason cigarettes are bad for your health. It leaves a tar residue that builds up in your lungs over time. That tar that is being built up in your lungs attaches itself to little hairs in your lungs, called cilia(which are tiny hair like fingers), that is your natural defense to illness is being destroyed. (Jorgensen,2010) This tar that is filling your lungs makes it very hard to breath.

Having bad lungs holds you back from doing activities that keep you healthy, like running, swimming, hiking and such. Choosing to smoke a cigarette and cutting your life shorter over walking to become healthier and living longer, still think there’s a benefit to smoking? I think not. It is quite natural to be anxious about what will happen when you quit smoking. After all, it is a drug addiction and a huge part of your everyday life. Smokers tend to have a love/hate relationship with their habit. They love to smoke but hate the health problems, cost and the way it smells even.

Let me just warn you that once you do quit smoking, you can NEVER just smoke one. Once you do, you are right back to smoking again. So don’t do it. The first night you quit smoking it won’t be as hard as you may think but the next day will be a whole different story. From personal experience quitting before the best advice I can give you is to stay busy. If you are bored or just sitting around you will want to smoke a cigarette; so plan ahead before you quit. Line up activities, take some classes, go out with friends (hopefully non-smokers).

When you quit smoking you can expect to gain a big appetite. I think it is a combination of emotional eating and a hand to mouth gesture. Heavy smokers burn around 200 calories a day. Don’t let a little weight gain get in the way of holding you back from a healthier life. (Martin, T. 2008) Most people and I was one of them, replace cigarettes with food. You want to munch all the time. Sleep deprivation is another big one when quitting smoking, for about 2 weeks. When I would go to bed I would listen to relaxation or meditation music to help me relax and fall asleep. Quitting is hard be you can do it!

Tobacco companies and advertisements give us the warnings of the dangers of smoking cigarettes all we need to do is listen. “Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy. ” (Surgeon General’s Warning located on each pack of cigarettes) This is what is printed on every single pack of cigarettes giving each smoker a clear warning and smokers still decide to light up. Even medical professionals are declining smokers certain coverage or charge them ten times more on their health insurance because why should they treat a smoker if they are willingly killing themselves slowly.

Not only are you burning a hole in your health but your pocket as well. There are many ways to help you quit smoking, patches, gum, prescriptions and most of these can be bought over the counter at your nearest pharmacy. Cigarettes being the number one cause of death makes you think, “am I next? ” So do you want to light up another cigarette after reading what I have told you? Probably not. Have you thought twice about smoking, I know I have. Quit today and live a healthier life for yourself and for your loved ones. References Windale, R. (2011, May 1) The Harmful Effects of Smoking And Why You Should

Quit, Retrieved on March 26, 2011. From,http://www. healthzine. org/Quit-smoking/effects-of-smoking1 Jorgensen, A. (2010, Jan. 1) Dangers of Smoking Cigarettes, Retrieved on March 26,2011. From,http://www. ehow. com/about_5382168_dangers-smoking-cigarettes. html Martin, Terry(Sept. 24, 2008)Quitting Smoking and Weight Gain, Retrieved on April16,2011. From http://quitsmoking. about. com/od/weightgain/a/weightgainquit. htm American Cancer Society American Cancer Society (2009, Feb. 1) Retrieved on March 25,2011. from,http://www. cancer. org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002974-pdf. df American Cancer Society (2010, Sept. 1) Retrieved on March25,2011. From,http://www. cancer. org/Cancer/CancerCauses/TobaccoCancer/QuestionsaboutSmokingTobaccoandHealth/index American Lung Association American Lung Association (2011, March 1) How to Quit Smoking, Retrieved on March 26, 2011. From,http://www. lungusa. org/stop-smoking American Lung Association (2011, March 1) Lung Cancer, Retrieved on March 26, 2011. From, http://www. lungusa. org/lung-disease American Lung Association (2011, March 1) Warning Signs of Lung Disease, Retrieved on March 26, 2011.

From,http://www. lungusa. org/your-lungs American Heart Association Ockene, Ira S. , MD(1997) Cigarette Smoking, Cardiovascular Disease, and Stroke,Retrieved on April 06,2011, http://circ. ahajournals. org/cgi/content/full/96/9/3243 AmericanHeartAssociation(2011)Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Diseases, Retrieved on April 06,2011,From. http://www. americanheart. org/presenter. jhtml? identifier=4545 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) (CDC) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011,March 21) Smoking and Tobacco Use, Retrieved