Smoking is a practice where a substance, most commonly tobacco, is burned and the smoke tasted or inhaled. This is primarily done as a form of recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them available for absorption through the lungs. It can also be done as a part of rituals, to induce trances and spiritual enlightenment. The most common method of smoking today is through cigarettes, primarily industrially manufactured but also hand-rolled from loose tobacco and rolling paper. Other smoking tools includes pipes, cigars, hookahs and bongs.
Smoking is one of the most common forms of recreational drug use. Tobacco smoking is today by far the most popular form of smoking and is practiced by over one billion people in the majority of all human societies. Less common drugs for smoking include cannabis and opium. Most drugs that are smoked are considered to be addictive. Some of the substances are classified as hard narcotics, like heroin and crack cocaine, but the use of these is very limited as they are often not commercially available.
The history of smoking can be dated to as early as 5000 BC, and has been recorded in many different cultures across the world. Early smoking evolved in association with religious ceremonies; as offerings to deities, in cleansing rituals or to allow shamans and priests to alter their minds for purposes of divination or spiritual enlightenment. After the European exploration and conquest of the Americas, the practice of smoking tobacco quickly spread to the rest of the world. In regions like India and Subsaharan Africa, it merged with existing practices of smoking (mostly of cannabis). In Europe, it introduced a new type of social activity and a form of drug intake which previously had been unknown.
Perception surrounding smoking has varied over time and from
source;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Why do People Smoke?
Smoking is one of the most difficult addictions to break. Scientists estimate that cigarettes are more addictive than cocaine, heroin, or alcohol. According to the World Health Organization, smoking kills more people than any disease in the world. With all this information readily available, why do people continue to smoke?
Most people who smoke do so because they can't stop. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance that makes people feel energized and alert. Smokers get a rush after a cigarette, and giving up produces withdrawal symptoms that include difficulty sleeping and cravings. Seventy percent of people who quit smoking eventually start again.
Tobacco advertising also has a big influence on why people smoke. For years, the industry has focused on making smoking glamorous through advertising in movies, television, and billboards. While cigarette advertising is now controlled, its influence can still be felt in the form of free samples, smoking cartoons, and the promise of cool merchandise that can be obtained in exchange for coupons printed on cigarette packs. Many people claim that smoking keeps them thin, but the truth is that smoking reduces the sense of taste, so many people who smoke simply eat less because they don't enjoy food as much.
Smoking also produces psychological dependency. Many people smoke because it helps them relax and cope with difficult situations, or because it gives them confidence. Others smoke when they feel bored. Smoking produces a feeling of satisfaction that's difficult to give up. Finally, people who smoke are usually in denial – they know that smoking is bad, but they convince themselves it's simply "not as terrible as they make it sound."
Smoking is a social activity as well. Many people who smoke do so as a way to start conversations and interact at parties or in crowded places. This is known as "social smoking," and it usually involves alcohol as a complement.
Many teenagers start smoking due to peer pressure. They may also smoke to feel more mature or as a form of rebellion against parental authority. It has been proved that children are also more likely to smoke if their parents do.
source;http://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-people-smoke.htm
Most people who smoke do so because they can't stop. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance that makes people feel energized and alert. Smokers get a rush after a cigarette, and giving up produces withdrawal symptoms that include difficulty sleeping and cravings. Seventy percent of people who quit smoking eventually start again.
Tobacco advertising also has a big influence on why people smoke. For years, the industry has focused on making smoking glamorous through advertising in movies, television, and billboards. While cigarette advertising is now controlled, its influence can still be felt in the form of free samples, smoking cartoons, and the promise of cool merchandise that can be obtained in exchange for coupons printed on cigarette packs. Many people claim that smoking keeps them thin, but the truth is that smoking reduces the sense of taste, so many people who smoke simply eat less because they don't enjoy food as much.
Smoking also produces psychological dependency. Many people smoke because it helps them relax and cope with difficult situations, or because it gives them confidence. Others smoke when they feel bored. Smoking produces a feeling of satisfaction that's difficult to give up. Finally, people who smoke are usually in denial – they know that smoking is bad, but they convince themselves it's simply "not as terrible as they make it sound."
Smoking is a social activity as well. Many people who smoke do so as a way to start conversations and interact at parties or in crowded places. This is known as "social smoking," and it usually involves alcohol as a complement.
Many teenagers start smoking due to peer pressure. They may also smoke to feel more mature or as a form of rebellion against parental authority. It has been proved that children are also more likely to smoke if their parents do.
source;http://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-people-smoke.htm
History
Early use
Aztec women are handed flowers and smoking tubes before eating at a banquet, Florentine Codex, 16th century.
The history of smoking dates back to as early as 5000 BC in shamanistic rituals.[1][2][page needed] Many ancient civilizations, such as the Babylonians, Indians and Chinese, burnt incense as a part of religious rituals, as did the Israelites and the later Catholic and Orthodox Christian churches. Smoking in the Americas probably had its origins in the incense-burning ceremonies of shamans but was later adopted for pleasure or as a social tool.[3] The smoking of tobacco and various other hallucinogenic drugs was used to achieve trances and to come into contact with the spirit world.
Eastern North American tribes would carry large amounts of tobacco in pouches as a readily accepted trade item and would often smoke it in pipes, either in defined ceremonies that were considered sacred, or to seal a bargain,[17] and they would smoke it at such occasions in all stages of life, even in childhood.[18][page needed] It was believed that tobacco was a gift from the Creator and that the exhaled tobacco smoke was capable of carrying one's thoughts and prayers to heaven.[19]
Apart from smoking, tobacco had a number of uses as medicine. As a pain killer it was used for earache and toothache and occasionally as a poultice. Smoking was said by the desert Indians to be a cure for colds, especially if the tobacco was mixed with the leaves of the small Desert Sage, Salvia Dorrii, or the root of Indian Balsam or Cough Root, Leptotaenia multifida, the addition of which was thought to be particularly good for asthma and tuberculosis.[20]
Aztec women are handed flowers and smoking tubes before eating at a banquet, Florentine Codex, 16th century.
The history of smoking dates back to as early as 5000 BC in shamanistic rituals.[1][2][page needed] Many ancient civilizations, such as the Babylonians, Indians and Chinese, burnt incense as a part of religious rituals, as did the Israelites and the later Catholic and Orthodox Christian churches. Smoking in the Americas probably had its origins in the incense-burning ceremonies of shamans but was later adopted for pleasure or as a social tool.[3] The smoking of tobacco and various other hallucinogenic drugs was used to achieve trances and to come into contact with the spirit world.
Eastern North American tribes would carry large amounts of tobacco in pouches as a readily accepted trade item and would often smoke it in pipes, either in defined ceremonies that were considered sacred, or to seal a bargain,[17] and they would smoke it at such occasions in all stages of life, even in childhood.[18][page needed] It was believed that tobacco was a gift from the Creator and that the exhaled tobacco smoke was capable of carrying one's thoughts and prayers to heaven.[19]
Apart from smoking, tobacco had a number of uses as medicine. As a pain killer it was used for earache and toothache and occasionally as a poultice. Smoking was said by the desert Indians to be a cure for colds, especially if the tobacco was mixed with the leaves of the small Desert Sage, Salvia Dorrii, or the root of Indian Balsam or Cough Root, Leptotaenia multifida, the addition of which was thought to be particularly good for asthma and tuberculosis.[20]
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the vapors either tasted or inhaled. The practice dates to 5000 BC in shamanistic rituals.[1][2] Many civilizations burnt incense during religious rituals, which was later adopted for pleasure or as a social tool.[3] Tobacco was introduced to the old world in the late 1500s where it followed common trade routes. The substance was met with frequent criticism, but became popular nonetheless.[4] The industrialization of tobacco production compounded with increased health awareness during the late 1920s prompted a strong anti-smoking political agenda. This movement was centered in Nazi Germany. However, following the Second World War, the movement quickly became unfavorable.[5] It was not until the late 1950s that health authorities once again began suggest the relationship between smoking and cancer.[6] These suggestions were confirmed 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.[7] They however continue to climb in the developing world.[8]
Smoking is the most common method of consuming tobacco, and tobacco is the most common substance smoked. The argicultural product is often mixed with other additives[9] and then pyrolyzed. The resulting vapors are then inhaled and the active substances absorbed through the alveoli in the lungs.[10] The active substances trigger chemical reactions in nerve endings which hightens heart rate, memory, altertness,[11] and reaction time.[12] Dopamine and later endorphins are released, which are often assoicated with reward and pleasure.[13] As of 2000, smoking is practiced by some 1.22 billion people, and men are more likely to smoke than women
source;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_smoking
Smoking is the most common method of consuming tobacco, and tobacco is the most common substance smoked. The argicultural product is often mixed with other additives[9] and then pyrolyzed. The resulting vapors are then inhaled and the active substances absorbed through the alveoli in the lungs.[10] The active substances trigger chemical reactions in nerve endings which hightens heart rate, memory, altertness,[11] and reaction time.[12] Dopamine and later endorphins are released, which are often assoicated with reward and pleasure.[13] As of 2000, smoking is practiced by some 1.22 billion people, and men are more likely to smoke than women
source;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_smoking
What is
Zerosmoke is a new patented treatment that combines the advantages of valid systems that have already been used in auricolotherapy, but adds a technology that is giving excellent results (over 80%) in treatment to end smoking dependence.
It has been proved scientifically (for acupuncture, for auricolotherapy, for electro-stimulation) that stimulating certain points on the ear induce the neurotransmitters to produce endorphins.
The two Zerosmoke magnets, when positioned opposite one another on a determined part of the ear, are attracted to one another and exert prolonged, programmed, stimulating pressure that activates the neuro transmitters and removes the desire to smoke.
They are covered with gold, both because it is the best conductor found in nature and because, being a noble, precious metal, it does not cause any kind of allergy.
It has been proved scientifically (for acupuncture, for auricolotherapy, for electro-stimulation) that stimulating certain points on the ear induce the neurotransmitters to produce endorphins.
The two Zerosmoke magnets, when positioned opposite one another on a determined part of the ear, are attracted to one another and exert prolonged, programmed, stimulating pressure that activates the neuro transmitters and removes the desire to smoke.
They are covered with gold, both because it is the best conductor found in nature and because, being a noble, precious metal, it does not cause any kind of allergy.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Facts on smoking
The facts on smoking are disturbing and indicate that smoking has a devastating effect on the body. Despite scientific studies that show the traumatic effects smoking has on the mind and body, millions continue to smoke. This leaves many people asking, why people continue to smoke despite its known health risk?
Smoking is an addiction
The facts on smoking indicate that smoking is very much an addiction, similar to heroin and cocaine. The main ingredient in tobacco, nicotine, stimulates the portion of the brain that is connected with a pleasurable feeling. The neurotransmitter, dopamine, controls the desire to consume drugs. Nicotine has been shown to increase dopamine levels in the pleasurable portion of the brain. This feeling is quickly realized, within 10 seconds of the inhalation of nicotine and dissipates soon after the cessation of smoking. This causes cravings and the subsequent use of nicotine to calm the craving. This repetitive process; craving, satisfaction, craving; associated with symptoms of withdrawal is indicative of addiction. ]
Symptoms of withdrawalNicotine users can experience withdrawal symptoms within hours of their last cigarette. This negat ive experience causes many people to return to smoking soon after vowing to quit. These symptoms are rapid, and are relatively strong for the few days. They may last for weeks and some smokers who quit may experience these withdrawal symptoms for months. Those who decide to quit smoking may experience the following symptoms of withdrawal:
CravingsThe desire to have a cigarette intensifies with the absence of nicotine in the body. This desire can be overwhelming and drives many people to smoke within a few hours of quitting.
IrritabilityNicotine users can experience increased irritability when going through nicotine withdrawal.
Sleep disturbancesA person going through nicotine withdrawal can experience unpleasant sleep disturbances.
Increased appetiteAnother common withdrawal symptom of nicotine is an increased appetite. This causes many people, especially women, to resume smoking.
Attention deficitsMany people experience attention difficulties when going th rough nicotine withdrawal. In addition to the physical aspect of withdrawal, many nicotine users experience psychological symptoms as well. These may include desiring certain smoking rituals, smells, tastes and sights. A smoking cessation program can help a person effectively and permanently kick the habit.
Effects of smokingNumerous studies have evaluated the adverse health effects smoking has on the body and the economy. The most serious facts on smoking related health and economic risks are listed below.
Tobacco is the only product, that when used as intended, damages the body and causes numerous life threatening health ailments.
Smoking related diseases, such as chronic lung disease and coronary heart disease, result in the deaths of over 400,000 Americans every year.
Tobacco products contain close to 5,000 different chemicals, of those chemicals 69 are known to cause cancers.
Tobacco is the only product, that when used as intended, damages the body and causes numerous life threatening health ailments.
Smoking related diseases, such as chronic lung disease and coronary heart disease, result in the deaths of over 400,000 Americans every year.
Tobacco products contain close to 5,000 different chemicals, of those chemicals 69 are known to cause cancers.
90% of all lung cancer deaths can be directly contributed to smoking. In addi tion to that, smoking is responsible for 80 to 90% of all deaths related to chronic lung diseases.
Nearly 9 million Americans suffer from a serious smoking related health ailment. For perspective, nearly 20 Americans suffer from a serious smoking related illness for every 1 person that dies from smoking related health issues.
Aside from heart and lung issues, smoking also has a detrimental effect on the digestive systems. It can cause infertility, peptic ulcer disease and delayed healing in wounds.
Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to an array of neonatal and infant health issues.
10% of all infant deaths, 14% of preterm deliveries and 20 - 30% of low birth weight babies can be directly related to smoking during pregnancy. Additionally, seemingly healthy babies born to women who smoked during pregnancy were found to have narrow airways and decreased lung function.
Facts on smoking in public places have shown that a non smoker will inhale the equivalent of 4 cigarettes if they remain in a room with a smoker for over 2 hours. This dispels the myth that smoking only endangers the health of the smoker.
In the United States, nearly $170 billion is incurred for health care costs caused by smoking related health issues.
Neonatal care costs attributed to tobacco exposure during pregnancy is estimated at over $350 million a year.
Covering the costsMany families' who have lost loved ones due to smoking related illnesses are suing tobacco companies.
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They claim that their loved ones had been mislead by deceptive tobacco advertising and that critical warnings about smoking illnesses and nicotine addiction had been withheld from the public by tobacco companies.
In 1999, an Oregon jury awarded Mayola Williams $80 million in a lawsuit against Phillip Morris. William's husband, a long time smoker, died in 1997 as a result of smoking related health issues. The suit argued that Phillip Morris had engaged in an elaborate mar keting scheme designed to conceal the dangers of smoking.
Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to an array of neonatal and infant health issues.
10% of all infant deaths, 14% of preterm deliveries and 20 - 30% of low birth weight babies can be directly related to smoking during pregnancy. Additionally, seemingly healthy babies born to women who smoked during pregnancy were found to have narrow airways and decreased lung function.
Facts on smoking in public places have shown that a non smoker will inhale the equivalent of 4 cigarettes if they remain in a room with a smoker for over 2 hours. This dispels the myth that smoking only endangers the health of the smoker.
In the United States, nearly $170 billion is incurred for health care costs caused by smoking related health issues.
Neonatal care costs attributed to tobacco exposure during pregnancy is estimated at over $350 million a year.
Covering the costsMany families' who have lost loved ones due to smoking related illnesses are suing tobacco companies.
window.google_render_ad();
They claim that their loved ones had been mislead by deceptive tobacco advertising and that critical warnings about smoking illnesses and nicotine addiction had been withheld from the public by tobacco companies.
In 1999, an Oregon jury awarded Mayola Williams $80 million in a lawsuit against Phillip Morris. William's husband, a long time smoker, died in 1997 as a result of smoking related health issues. The suit argued that Phillip Morris had engaged in an elaborate mar keting scheme designed to conceal the dangers of smoking.
In 1994, $200 billion dollars was awarded in Florida as a result of the first class action lawsuit against big tobacco companies. The class was comprised of 500,000 smokers, their families and the heirs of smokers. This suit also revolved around the plot to cover up the facts on smoking and the deception of those who smoked.The facts on smoking are overwhelming clear and simple. Smoking causes debilitating and life threatening illnesses, these illnesses can be avoided by not smoking
sourcehttp://www.quitfags.com/quitfags-articles/facts-on-smoking.php
Sunday, May 10, 2009
What's in this article?
When your parents were young, people could buy cigarettes and smoke pretty much anywhere — even in hospitals! Ads for cigarettes were all over the place. Today we're more aware about how bad smoking is for our health. Smoking is restricted or banned in almost all public places and cigarette companies are no longer allowed to advertise on TV, radio, and in many magazines.
Almost everyone knows that smoking causes cancer, emphysema, and heart disease; that it can shorten your life by 10 years or more; and that the habit can cost a smoker thousands of dollars a year. So how come people are still lighting up? The answer, in a word, is addiction.
Almost everyone knows that smoking causes cancer, emphysema, and heart disease; that it can shorten your life by 10 years or more; and that the habit can cost a smoker thousands of dollars a year. So how come people are still lighting up? The answer, in a word, is addiction.
Once You Start, It's Hard to Stop
Smoking is a hard habit to break because tobacco contains nicotine, which is highly addictive. Like heroin or other tobacco , the body and mind quickly become so used to the nicotine in cigarettes that a person needs to have it just to feel normal.
People start smoking for a variety of different reasons. Some think it looks cool. Others start because their family members or friends smoke. Statistics show that about 9 out of 10 tobacco users start before they're 18 years old. Most adults who started smoking in their teens never expected to become addicted. That's why people say it's just so much easier to not start smoking at all.
Smoking is a hard habit to break because tobacco contains nicotine, which is highly addictive. Like heroin or other tobacco , the body and mind quickly become so used to the nicotine in cigarettes that a person needs to have it just to feel normal.
People start smoking for a variety of different reasons. Some think it looks cool. Others start because their family members or friends smoke. Statistics show that about 9 out of 10 tobacco users start before they're 18 years old. Most adults who started smoking in their teens never expected to become addicted. That's why people say it's just so much easier to not start smoking at all.
How Smoking Affects Your Health
There are no physical reasons to start smoking. The body doesn't need tobacco the way it needs food, water, sleep, and exercise. In fact, many of the chemicals in cigarettes, like nicotine and cyanide, are actually poisons that can kill in high enough doses.
The body is smart. It goes on the defense when it's being poisoned. For this reason, many people
find it takes several tries to get started smoking: First-time smokers often feel pain or burning in the throat and lungs, and some people feel sick or even throw up the first few times they try tobacco
There are no physical reasons to start smoking. The body doesn't need tobacco the way it needs food, water, sleep, and exercise. In fact, many of the chemicals in cigarettes, like nicotine and cyanide, are actually poisons that can kill in high enough doses.
The body is smart. It goes on the defense when it's being poisoned. For this reason, many people
find it takes several tries to get started smoking: First-time smokers often feel pain or burning in the throat and lungs, and some people feel sick or even throw up the first few times they try tobaccoThe consequences of this poisoning happen gradually. Over the long term, smoking leads people to develop health problems like heart disease, stroke, emphysema (breakdown of lung tissue), and many types of cancer — including lung, throat, stomach, and bladder cancer. People who smoke also have an increased risk of infections like bronchitis and pneumonia.
These diseases limit a person's ability to be normally active, and they can be fatal. Each time a smoker lights up, that single cigarette takes about 5 to 20 minutes off the person's life.
Smokers not only develop wrinkles and yellow teeth, they also lose bone density, which increases their risk of osteoporosis (pronounced: ahs-tee-o-puh-row-sus), a condition that causes older people to become bent over and their bones to break more easily. Smokers also tend to be less active than nonsmokers because smoking affects lung power.
Smoking can also cause fertility problems and can impact sexual health in both men and women. Girls who are on the pill or other hormone-based methods of birth control (like the patch or the ring) increase their risk of serious health problems, such as heart attacks, if they smoke.
The consequences of smoking may seem very far off, but long-term health problems aren't the only hazard of smoking. Nicotine and the other toxins in cigarettes, cigars, and pipes can affect a person's body quickly, which means that teen smokers experience many of these problems:
Bad skin. Because smoking restricts blood vessels, it can prevent oxygen and nutrients from getting to the skin — which is why smokers often appear pale and unhealthy. An Italian study also linked smoking to an increased risk of getting a type of skin rash called psoriasis.
Bad breath. Cigarettes leave smokers with a condition called halitosis, or persistent bad breath.
Bad-smelling clothes and hair. The smell of stale smoke tends to linger — not just on people's clothing, but on their hair, furniture, and cars. And it's often hard to get the smell of smoke out.
Reduced athletic performance. People who smoke usually can't compete with nonsmoking peers because the physical effects of smoking (like rapid heartbeat, decreased circulation, and shortness of breath) impair sports performance.
Greater risk of injury and slower healing time. Smoking affects the body's ability to produce collagen, so common sports injuries, such as damage to tendons and ligaments, will heal more slowly in smokers than nonsmokers.
Increased risk of illness. Studies show that smokers get more colds, flu, bronchitis, and pneumonia than nonsmokers. And people with certain health conditions, like asthma, become more sick if they smoke (and often if they're just around people who smoke). Because teens who smoke as a way to manage weight often light up instead of eating, their bodies lack the nutrients they need to grow, develop, and fight off illness properly.
Kicking Butts and Staying Smoke Free
All forms of tobacco — cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco — are hazardous. It doesn't help to substitute products that seem like they're better for you than regular cigarettes, such as filtered or low-tar cigarettes.
The only thing that really helps a person avoid the problems associated with smoking is staying smoke free. This isn't always easy, especially if everyone around you is smoking and offering you cigarettes. It may help to have your reasons for not smoking ready for times you may feel the pressure, such as "I just don't like it" or "I want to stay in shape for soccer" (or football, basketball, or other sport).
The good news for people who don't smoke or who want to quit is that studies show that the number of teens who smoke has dropped dramatically. Today, about 23% of high school students smoke.
If you do smoke and want to quit, you have lots of information and support available. Different approaches to quitting work for different people. For some, quitting cold turkey is best. Others find that a slower approach is the way to go. Some people find that it helps to go to a support group especially for teens. These are sometimes sponsored by local hospitals or organizations like the American Cancer Society. The Internet offers a number of good resources to help people quit smoking.
When quitting, it can be helpful to realize that the first few days are the hardest. So don’t give up. Some people find they have a few relapses before they manage to quit for good.
Staying smoke free will give you a whole lot more of everything — more energy, better performance, better looks, more money in your pocket, and, in the long run, more life to live!
sourcehttp://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/tobacco/smoking.html
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