FAQs

If I quit smoking, I'll gain weight. What can I do to stay slim?

You harm your body far more by smoking than by excess weight. You can control your weight by eating less, exercising more, reducing sweets, and by altering your lifestyle. Become more active. Not only will this keep you occupied, but you will also loose weight.

How many people actually die from smoking?

In America, an average of 400,000 people die from smoking related diseases every year.

What's the best way to quit?

There isn't a single method that can be applied to all people. Everyone's different, so, you must find the way to quit smoking that works for you. If every method or product worked for everybody, you probably would have quit by now. Some people quit through sheer determination and can quit cold-turkey. Other people need classes, drugs, therapy, various products, etc. Whatever works for you, as long as it's safe, you should consider and utilize. Let your doctor know you want to quit and ask for his or her assistance. This step alone can help improve you chances for quitting considerably. And don't worry about failing. Relapse is part of the quitting process. Many people try three or four times before they finally quit for good.

I know smoking causes cancer. Does it cause anything else?

Smoking is responsible for a whole host of illnesses. For example, it contributes to back pain, osteoporosis (thinning of the bones), and male impotence. It affects the circulation and "hardening of the arteries," and creates low-level carbon monoxide poisoning. Together, these decrease the delivery of oxygen to every part of the body, including the discs in the spine. Smokers have more back pain than non-smokers, and their injuries heal slower.

How dangerous is second-hand smoke?

It's very dangerous. For example, recent studies show that second-hand smoke causes a variety of illnesses in children, such as, ear infections, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, and SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Smoke in an infant's household quadruples the chances of a SIDS death. Each year in the United States, second-hand smoke causes an estimated 284 to 364 deaths in children from house fires and lung infections. Also, some 354,000 and 2.2 million cases of ear infections in children, 260,000 to 436,000 attacks of bronchitis, and 115,000 to 190,000 episodes of pneumonia. A non-smoking spouse of a regular smoker has a 20 percent increase in his chances of developing lung cancer, and a 30 percent increase in his chance of developing heart disease.

Are "light" cigarettes better than regular ones?

Cigarettes are cigarettes. There is no difference. Light cigarettes have tiny holes just where your fingers hold them. So, when you inhale, you get full-strength smoke. When just the end of the filter is inserted into a "smoking machine" to determine the tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide content, the smoke is diluted by air entering through those holes. Also, people tend to inhale more deeply and more frequently after switching from "regular" to "light" cigarettes, in order to keep the same average level of nicotine in their bloodstream.

What can I do get my teenaged children to quit?

Most young people start the habit early - the average teen smoker begins at age 14. Most adolescents just cannot understand the health risks involved with smoking. Remember, they are young, and with youth comes a certain feeling of immortality. However, you can discourage them from smoking - by making smoking less than "hip and cool." For example, stress tobacco's effect on personal attractiveness. Surveys show that teens, whether they smoke or not, are turned off by the bad breath, smelly clothes and hair, and yellow teeth of smokers. Also, you can steer teens toward peer groups that don't smoke. Teens need the approval of their friends. If their best friends aren't smoking, they are unlikely to take up the habit. Find extracurricular activities, such as sports, theatre groups, scouting and so forth, and offer to support your teen's participation with transportation and attendance at functions. You can also support education programs that feature older teens who have quit smoking because of the health hazards and other undesirable effects.

Is smokeless tobacco harmful?

Yes, and just as much as cigarettes. There's a widely held myth that smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco) is a safe alternative to cigarettes, when actually, it's just as dangerous as smoking. Since nicotine is a habit-forming drug, snuff and chewing tobacco users become just as chemically dependent as cigarette smokers. Smokeless products induce a higher blood-nicotine level, which is sustained for longer periods, since users tend to chew over a period of hours. As with cigarettes, snuff and chewing tobacco may cause heart disease and certain kinds of cancer. These products also have dangers of their own, including gum diseases, erosion of teeth and mouth lesions that can develop into cancer.

Does nicotine cause cancer?

In fact, nicotine does not cause cancer; it the addictive chemical in tobacco that keeps you puffing away, year after year. However, tobacco smoke has a grand total of 4,000 chemicals - out of which 43 are extremely cancer causing. Therefore, it is safe to chew nicotine gum or use a nicotine patch.

Will my body ever get back to normal after I quit?

Yes, it will. In fact, your body starts repairing the damage almost immediately. For example, within 30 minutes of quitting smoking, your pulse rate slows down and blood pressure drops toward normal. Within hours of stopping, the level of carbon monoxide in your blood drops, enabling the blood to carry more oxygen. Two days after quitting, nerve endings begin to recover and your sense of smell and taste begin to return. Within 72 hours of quitting, the bronchial tubes of your lungs expand and lung volume increases.