POWER OF CIGARETTES

Physical Addiction & Psychological Habit

No matter how smoking is affecting our everyday’s life, we will always find a series of nonnegotiable arguments to defend this addiction.
One can have all the reasons in the world to quit but all it takes is a strong will and one serious, courageous decision to make it happen.

FACTS
• The average cigarette contains about 9mg of nicotine. However, less than 1mg of nicotine enters the body.
• Every smoked cigarette cuts 11 minutes of life span expectancy.
• Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known cancer-causing (carcinogenic) compounds and 400 other toxins.
• Cigarette ingredients include nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, and DDT.
• Nicotine is highly addictive.
• Inhaled nicotine smoke reaches the brain in just six seconds.
• As a cigarette is smoked, the amount of tar inhaled into the lungs increases, and the last puff contains more than twice as much tar as the first puff.
• Carbon monoxide makes it harder for red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body.
• Tar is a mixture of substances that form a sticky mass in the lungs.
• Most of the chemicals inhaled in cigarette smoke stay in the lungs.

THE HARD PSYCHOLOGICAL PART
Cigarettes provide a temporary and addictive high. Eliminating that regular fix of nicotine will cause psychological reactions such as excessive anger, stress, anxiety and mostly lack of concentration.

Danger arises when nicotine is replaced by anti-depressive pills to compensate the “good feeling” and to face stress and emptiness.

The association of happy moments with cigarettes is the main issue to overcome. The brain reacts instantly to nicotine by producing endorphins and dopamine substances that make the smoker feel good.

A former smoker will no longer enjoy social mingle and will avoid friends.
This social retreat is one of the most dangerous reactions of quitting smoking and might lead to complete isolation and depression.

Besides the habit of holding a cigarette and everyday ritual that comes with it, a cigarette becomes part of the smoker identity and self image.
Quitting smoking typically sounds like losing one’s self image which might lead to frustration, anger and total refusal of this new image.

COPING WITH NICOTINE WITHDRAWAL

Once smoking is stopped, one will experience a number of physical symptoms as nicotine withdrawal from the body begins quickly, within thirty minutes to an hour of the last cigarette and peaking about two to three days later.
Withdrawal symptoms can last for a few days to several weeks and differ from person to person.

NICOTINE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS INCLUDE:

• Cigarette cravings
• Irritability, frustration, or anger
• Anxiety or nervousness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Restlessness
• Increased appetite
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Increased coughing
• Constipation or upset stomach
• Depression & Fatigue
• Decreased heart rate

These withdrawal symptoms are only temporary. They will get better in few weeks as the toxins are flushed from your body.

AVOID RELAPSE
Most people who begin smoking again do so within the first three months. You can help yourself make it through by preparing ahead for common challenges, such as nicotine withdrawal and cigarette cravings.

AVOID SMOKING TRIGGERS
• Alcohol. Many people have a habit of smoking when they drink.
• Other smokers. It is twice more difficult to quit when friends, and co-workers smoke around you,
• End of a meal. For some smokers, ending a meal means lighting up, and the prospect of giving that up may appear frightening.

“SLIPS”
Most “slips” occur within the first week of quitting smoking.
Having a puff, or one or two cigarettes after quitting, is not translated as a full-blown relapse although the risk is extremely high as many people do relapse after a slip.
It is important to remember not to “allow” yourself a slip because you think you can stop after one cigarette.

WHAT CAUSES WEIGHT GAIN AFTER QUITTING?
• Feeling hungry. This feeling usually goes away after several weeks.
• Having more snacks and alcoholic drinks after quitting smoking.
• Burning calories at normal rate again. Smoking cigarettes makes the body burn calories faster. After quitting smoking, the body’s normal rate of burning calories returns. When calories are burned more slowly again, weight gain may take place.