So you still smoke. Should you quit? It seems everyone is on your back to give it up, but maybe you aren’t convinced of the need. I mean, won’t you just get angry and put on weight?
Nicotine in tobacco smoke is addictive. Along with nicotine, smokers inhale about 7,000 other chemicals in cigarette smoke including 60 known cancer-causing chemicals. Many of these chemicals can trigger profound and damaging changes in the body. Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body.
Dangerous chemicals in tobacco smoke include: Tar, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, oxidizing chemicals, metals such as arsenic, cadmium and lead, and radioactive compounds.
Tobacco smoke irritates the trachea (windpipe) and larynx (voice box), reduces lung function and leads to breathlessness due to swelling and narrowing of the lung airways and excess mucus in the lung passages. It impairs the lungs ability to heal and repair itself. In the long term this leads to chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and finally death.
Smoking raises blood pressure and the heart rate, makes you more prone to clotting, and damages the lining of the blood vessels, leading to atherosclerosis (plaque build-up), also reducing blood flow to extremities (fingers and toes). This increases the risk of stroke and heart attack.
Smoking impairs the immune system, leading to greater risk of infections such as pneumonia and influenza and more severe and longer-lasting illnesses.
In males smoking may reduce your sperm count and sperm quality, with subsequently reduced fertility.
In females smoking also reduces fertility, and can cause menstrual cycle irregularities or absence of menstruation, earlier menopause, and increased risk of cervical cancer. Smokers over the age 35 on the oral contraceptive pill also have significantly increased risk of stroke and heart attack.
Other detrimental effects of smoking include cancer of the lung, mouth, nose, larynx, tongue, nasal sinus, oesophagus, throat, pancreas, bone marrow, kidney, ovary, ureter, liver, bladder, bowel and stomach.
So, that’s the bad news! What’s the good news? While quitting is hard, with the right plan and the right help, most smokers eventually succeed and reap the benefits of better lung function, better sleep, better energy, better taste and smell, and more money in the pocket. There are very useful medications and strategies to assist with the process. I suggest you visit your local GP and discuss your options, or call the Quitline on 13 78 48 for help.
Good luck!
This article has been written by Dr Tim Jansz
