Tobacco smoke contains nearly 4,000 different chemicals, many of which are poisonous, and some that are known carcinogens. The three main components are:
Nicotine: This highly addictive chemical increases the heart rate and blood pressure, as well as affects mood and behavior. Believe it or not, nicotine is also used as an insecticide.
Tar: This component contains many substances known to cause cancer. Additionally, it is known to cause damage in the lungs.
Carbon monoxide: This gas takes the place of oxygen in the blood, which in turn makes the lungs less efficient. It also stops cells and tissues from getting the oxygen they need to work properly. This same poisonous gas is found in a car's exhaust fumes.
A few of the other harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke include: benzene, ethanol, ammonia, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. So when you inhale the smoke from a cigarette you may also be getting a dose of chemicals found in anti-freeze, embalming fluid, nail polish remover, rat poison or even a toilet cleaner.
It's not bad enough that the person actually doing the smoking is getting this concoction of harmful chemicals when they decide to light up. If you happen to be within range of their smoke, you are also breathing in this cockamamie cocktail of pollutants, and the consequences to your health can be significant.
A recent report claims that women exposed to secondhand smoke may have up to a 90 percent greater risk of developing breast cancer. The children of parents who smoke are more likely to suffer from pneumonia, bronchitis, ear infections, asthma and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). It is even felt that mothers who smoke and breastfeed may pass harmful chemicals from nicotine to their baby through their breast milk.
Strategy 1: Focus on Empowerment
For the next 15 minutes, promise to focus on you and your relationship with cigarettes. Chances are you've tried quitting cigarettes before. Maybe you've stopped smoking for a few weeks, even months. The fact that you did quit smoking before shows that you can do it again, and this time you can stop smoking for a lifetime. Findings show that each time a smoker tries to quit, they become stronger and learn more about what helps and what hurts their commitment to being smoke-free.
According to lung transplant pioneer Joel Cooper, MD, not only does quitting cigarettes bring health benefits, but smokers get psychological benefits as well.
"Most smokers regret their decision to start smoking," Cooper tells WebMD. "When they quit, they gain a sense of control, a sense of empowerment."
Strategy 2: Understand Reality - Why Cigarettes Control You
Ever wonder why you keep smoking even with all the dangerous health risks? Blame nicotine, the main drug in tobacco, for your smoking addiction. Nicotine acts on some of the same brain pathways as cocaine.
When you first start smoking, you might feel a big rush from just one cigarette. But the more cigarettes you smoke over time, the more you need to smoke to get that same feeling. This is called "tolerance," and it is the mechanism behind addiction.
Strategy 3:
Make a Stop-Smoking Plan
To succeed at stopping smoking, or anything in life, you need a firm plan. Try to plan your stop-smoking launch date when there's no added stress—a major roadblock in quitting cigarettes. You might select a three-day weekend or a time when the kids are spending a few days with friends. Mark this launch date on your calendar. Stay mentally and emotionally focused on this date as a time for new beginnings.
It's also important to clean up your smoking environment. On the evening before your quit day, throw away all cigarettes, matches, lighters and ashtrays. Don't buy cigarettes when you run to the store. Don't have others buy them for you. If you don't have cigarettes around, you won't smoke them.
Plan some special activities for your launch day to keep you busy, such as a long walk, a movie or an outing with a friend. Ask family members and friends not to offer you cigarettes or to smoke in front of you. Your goal is to get through that first important day smoke-free, which will help you succeed on Day 2, Day 3, and every day after that.
Strategy 4:
Get Strong Support
Know that the first few days of quitting cigarettes are the toughest. You may feel irritable, depressed, slow and tired. You will be hungry and may want to eat snacks all day long—anything to occupy your hands and mouth. If you can get past these first few days, you will begin to feel more in control, even with some cigarette cravings.
Stopping smoking is guaranteed to increase feelings of stress, anxiety and even depression, so ask your doctor, family, friends and co-workers for support. Tell seven people about your goal to quit smoking and ask them to help you be accountable to your commitment.
If you tend to get stressed easily, look into cognitive behavioral therapy before your launch date to learn some helpful coping skills ahead of time. A therapist can help you identify reasons why you reach for cigarettes, come up with ways to get through cigarette cravings, and provide emotional support when you need it most.
From The Oprah Magazine
