Tobacco Smoking?

May 31 - Anti tobacco day

Effects
The effects of smoking will vary from person to person and depend on such things as:

• a person's susceptibility to chemicals in tobacco smoke;
• the number of cigarettes smoked per day;
• the age when the person began smoking; and
• the number of years of smoking.

Immediate effects

• Smoking one cigarette immediately raises a person's blood pressure and heart rate and decreases the blood flow to body extremities such as the fingers and toes.
• Brain and the nervous system activity is stimulated for a short time and then reduced.
• A smoker may also experience dizziness, nausea, watery eyes and acid in the stomach.
• Appetite, taste and smell are weakened.

Other effects of cigarette smoking

• Smokers typically experience shortness of breath, persistent coughs, reduced fitness, yellow stains on fingers and teeth and decreased sense of taste and smell.
• Smokers have more colds and flu than non-smokers and find it harder to recover from minor illnesses.
• Smoking can cause impotence in men, while women who smoke are less fertile than non-smokers.
• People who smoke tend to have facial wrinkles appearing much earlier and, in general, look older than non-smokers of the same age.

Smokers have an increased risk of developing:

• respiratory infections such as pneumonia and chronic bronchitis;
• emphysema (a progressive and potentially fatal lung disease);
• heart attack and coronary disease;
• cancer of the lung, throat, mouth, bladder, kidney, pancreas, cervix, stomach;
• stomach ulcers; and
• peripheral vascular disease due to decreased blood flow to the legs.

A person who is dependent on cigarettes may find that they experience withdrawal symptoms when they cut down or stop smoking cigarettes. These can include:

• increased nervousness and tension;
• agitation;
• loss of concentration;
• changes to sleep patterns;
• headaches;
• coughs;
• cravings.

Other dangers and important facts

• Smoking during pregnancy can affect the unborn child, and babies are more likely to be born underweight, premature or stillborn.
• Passive smoking, where a person is subject to breathing in the cigarette smoke of others, can cause lung damage, including cancer and heart disease.
• Fifty Australians die every day from smoking compared with 10 who die from alcohol-related conditions or 4 who die from road accidents.

10 ways to smoke & live a better life

1. Your butt looks smaller.
A fat wallet makes your butt look bigger. You spend most of your money on ciarettes, so your wallet is lighter.

2. You're footloose and fancy free.
Life's a party when your're single. As a smoker, you will always be single. Hey, who needs to date a chimmey?

3. You enjoy life more.
When you're about to die, every moment seems precious. Life is better because you enjoy the things you took for granted before.

4. You are popular.
Loners are mysterious cult figures. With passive smoking awareness catching on, you'll only have cigarette for company.

5. You'll go places.
You sneak out of no-smoking zones to catch up on a cigarette. You see many places others haven't seen. Basements, rooftops, cellars and staircases, for instance.

6. You are liberated and hip.
Skeletons always are. Advertising tells you that. They're used to advertising everything especially no smoking propaganda. Ever wonder why?

7. You have a satisfying sex life.
Most impotent men do. Impotence kills desire more that anything else. And when you can't get it up, you won't want to get it in.

8. You'll feel fit.
You can't climb stairs without panting. So you use the lift. You walk into places feeling fit.

9. You'll be your own master.
With every cigarette, you'll put an end to five minutes of your life. So you'll be a master of your own life. Or death.

10. You are respected and obeyed.
Everytime someone strikes up a conversation, you strike up a cigarette. No one likes to inhale carcinogenic smoke. They speak less to you. You could mistake it for awe. After all, you are smart enough to smoke?