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You are here: Pandora’s Box - Health - Smoking 1 / 2 |
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Smoking (quitting) Introduction If you smoke, giving up is probably the greatest single step you can take to improve your health. In the UK, approximately 10 million adults (about a quarter of the population) smoke cigarettes. 25% of men in the UK are smokers compared with 23% of women. Smoking is one of the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK. Every year, around 114,000 smokers die from smoking-related diseases, such as heart disease and lung cancer. About 70% of smokers say that they want to stop smoking, but most believe they are unable to. However, around half of all smokers eventually manage to give up. Smoke free laws Since 1st July 2007, virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces in England have been smoke free. It is against the law to smoke inside pubs, bars, nightclubs, cafes and restaurants, lunch rooms, membership clubs and shopping centres. The smoke free law was introduced to protect employees and the public from the harmful effects of passive smoking (secondhand smoke). Under the smoke free law, you are unable to smoke inside, at work, including in smoking rooms. Public transport and work vehicles that are used by more than one person are also smoke free. No-smoking signs have to be displayed in all smoke free premises and vehicles. |
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Anyone who smokes in a smoke free place may face an on the spot fine of £50 (or up to £200 if the matter goes to court). Anyone in charge of smoke free premises, or vehicles, can face fines for two separate offences; failing to prevent smoking in a smoke free place, and failing to display no-smoking signs. How old do you have to be to purchase tobacco? Since October 2007, in England, Scotland and Wales, it is illegal to sell tobacco to anyone under the age of 18. The age limit was previously 16. This includes the sale of cigars, rolling tobacco, rolling papers, and cigarettes from vending machines. This change in the law brings the age restriction in line with the purchase of alcohol. The reason for the age change is to try and deter young people from starting smoking. The earlier you start smoking, the more likely you are to be addicted later on in life. For example, if you start smoking at 15, you are three times more likely to die of cancer than if you started smoking in your mid-20s. Facts Tobacco smoke contains nicotine which is highly addictive. However, there are many other harmful substances in tobacco smoke, including tar and carbon monoxide. Some of the poisonous substances that are found in tobacco smoke, and the ways in which they harm your body, are listed below. Poisons in tobacco smoke Nicotine When you smoke a cigarette, nicotine affects your brain within seconds of inhaling. It increases your heart rate and causes a surge in the hormones noradrenaline and dopamine in your brain, which creates a positive effect on your mood and ability to concentrate. In between cigarettes, the levels of these hormones drop, leaving you feeling irritable, anxious, and in need of another cigarette. Within 24 hours, withdrawal from nicotine can cause the following side effects:- depressed mood, difficulty sleeping, irritability, frustration, or anger, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, restlessness, decreased heart rate, dizziness, and increased appetite. As well as being addictive, nicotine can be dangerous if you have high blood pressure (hypertension). It increases the risk of accelerated hypertension, which is a sudden rise in already high blood pressure that can cause headaches, blurred vision, and vomiting. Nicotine also slows down your body's ability to heal itself by making your skin dehydrated (lacking in water). Tar Every breath of tobacco smoke taken deposits tar in your lungs. The tar in cigarette smoke contains chemicals called carcinogens, which encourages the development of cancer cells in your body. Carbon monoxide When it is inhaled, the poisonous gas carbon monoxide binds itself to the haemoglobin in your bloodstream and prevents it from carrying enough oxygen around your body. This is particularly dangerous for pregnant women because it causes a severe lack of oxygen in an unborn baby (known as foetal hypoxia). Foetal hypoxia is thought to be the main cause of the harmful effects that smoking can have on unborn babies. Oxidant gases Oxidant gases are gases which react with oxygen. They make your blood more likely to clot, which increases your risk of having a heart attack, or stroke. Other harmful substances In addition to the above, there are many other poisonous substances found in tobacco smoke. These substances can have harmful effects, such as thickening and fatty degeneration of your arteries, which causes heart disease. Tobacco smoke can also increase the acidity of your stomach acid, putting you at risk of peptic ulcers (ulcers in your stomach or small intestine). Risks Smoking is bad for your health and, if you smoke, you increase your risk of getting many serious, and often fatal, diseases. Some of the most harmful conditions that smoking can cause are detailed below. Premature death A medical study on smoking found that, on average, men who smoked throughout their lives died 10 years younger than those who had never smoked. Most of these men died from smoking-related illnesses, including:
Cancer As well as lung cancer, smoking can cause cancer of the throat, oesophagus (the tube between your mouth and stomach), bladder, kidney, stomach, and pancreas. Smoking can also cause myeloid leukaemia, which is a form of cancer that affects your white blood cells that help to fight infection. Pneumonia Smoking can cause pneumonia, a potentially fatal infection which causes inflammation of your lungs. Cerebrovascular disease The arteries that supply blood to your brain can be damaged by smoking. This is a condition which is known as cerebrovascular disease. This can lead to heart failure due to a lack of oxygen, or it can cause an aortic aneurysm (a dangerous swelling of the main artery leaving your heart). Buerger's disease Smoking causes Buerger's disease, which is a severe condition that affects your blood circulation, and causes your arteries and veins to close. Chronic (long-term) health problems Some of the conditions smoking can cause can be life-long, including:
Smoking can also worsen the symptoms of certain conditions, and make them more prolonged, including:
Risks of passive smoking When you smoke, it is not just your health that is put at risk, but the health of anyone who breathes in cigarette smoke (including those around you). The smoker only inhales about 15% of the smoke from a cigarette, with the other 85% being absorbed into the atmosphere, or inhaled by other people. Breathing in this secondary smoke is known as passive smoking, or secondary smoking. Those who are exposed to passive smoking also have an increased risk of smoking-related diseases, particularly lung cancer, and heart disease. Children are at particular risk from the effects of passive smoking because they have an increased risk of developing chest infections during their first five years. Babies who are exposed to cigarette smoke are also at a greater risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), which is also known as cot death. As well as making children more vulnerable to ear infections, such as otitis media, passive smoking makes children more likely to develop asthma. Why it should be done Giving up smoking increases your chances of living a longer and healthier life. It instantly reduces your risk of death or serious illness due to smoking-related diseases, such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart disease. Health benefits from the moment you stop When you stop smoking, the benefits to your health begin straight away. As your body starts to return to normal, you will start to feel healthier, and within a few weeks you will also start to notice the benefits. For example:
Research into smoking shows that people who quit smoking before the age of 35 have a life expectancy only slightly less than people who have never smoked. Those who quit before they are 50 years of age reduce their risk of dying from a smoking-related disease by 50%. As well as the immediate and long-term benefits to your health, there are many other good reasons to quit smoking, such as those outlined below.
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