Through this page, your questions about smoking will be answered.
What is smoking?
Smoking is the practice of inhaling the smoke produced by burning certain substances wrapped in a “cigarette.” The smoke passes through the airway to the lungs, and through the bloodstream to the brain and other organs. It affects the brain, the appearance of the skin, the nails, and the function of tissues and organs, and the smoker’s DNA. The effects of smoking on the body begin the moment a cigarette is used for the first time.
What are the types of smoking?
Primary Smoking (Active Smoking): The process of smoking directly performed by a person, where they light a cigarette, hookah, or cigar and inhale the smoke themselves.
Passive Smoking (Secondhand Smoking): Exposure to tobacco smoke that is inhaled indirectly by breathing in smoke emitted from a lit cigarette or from the smoker’s own exhale.
What are the effects of smoking on health?
Smoking is usually only associated with causing lung cancer, but it can cause or increase the risk of many health conditions in almost every part of the body. These include:
- Many types of cancer, such as: acute myeloid leukemia, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, colon and rectal cancer, esophageal cancer, kidney cancer, laryngeal and other throat cancers, liver cancer, lung cancer, oral cancer, pancreatic cancer, and stomach cancer.
- Lung diseases, which include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and pulmonary fibrosis.
- Cardiovascular diseases, as smoking can lead to a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure.
- Eye diseases, including cataracts, macular degeneration, vision loss, and blindness.
- Birth conditions, including low birth weight and congenital malformations (birth defects) in babies born to people who smoke during pregnancy.
- Miscarriage.
- Type 2 diabetes.
- Rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.
- Erectile dysfunction.
- Fertility problems.
- Premature aging.
What are the misconceptions about smoking?
- "Light" or "social" smoking is safe. In reality, even smoking a small amount increases the risk of heart and lung diseases and can lead to addiction over time.
- Smoking helps with relaxation and stress reduction, but in reality, nicotine increases stress and anxiety levels over the long term due to addiction, which raises stress when the usual dose of nicotine is absent.
- E-smoking (e-cigarettes) is safe. They contain nicotine and many other chemicals that may affect the lungs and heart, and there is increasing evidence of their negative health effects.
- Quitting smoking after many years won't help. Even after many years of smoking, quitting can lead to significant health improvements, such as reducing the risk of heart diseases and improving lung functions.
What are the health benefits of quitting smoking?
The health benefits of quitting smoking are numerous and include:
- The return of the heart rate and blood pressure (which are abnormally high during smoking) to normal levels.
- Within a few hours, the level of carbon monoxide in the blood begins to drop (carbon monoxide reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen).
- Within a few weeks, circulation improves, and the level of phlegm, coughing, or wheezing decreases significantly.
- Within several months of quitting smoking, significant improvements in lung function can be expected.
- After a few years of quitting smoking, the risks of cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses are lower than if one had continued smoking.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the guidelines for quitting smoking?
There are many aids to help quit smoking, including these options:
- Quitting smoking all at once, “cold turkey”, without medication or nicotine replacements.
- Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). This includes nicotine pouches, gum, patches, or other products.
- The doctor may prescribe certain medications like "Bupropion or Varenicline" to help treat withdrawal symptoms and intense cravings.
- Lifestyle change and engaging in more physical exercise.
- Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
- Receiving support from one's partner, family, and friends, while maintaining patience towards the withdrawal symptoms and mood swings that may occur, through the belief that it is a stage that can be successfully overcome.
- Highlighting the benefits of quitting by keeping them in sight to strengthen persistence.
- Reward yourself after each little achievement.
- Having nuts and fruits, or holding a pen or chewing gum as a substitute for the behavioral hand movement of smoking.
