The Nicotine Asylum

A new study conducted by researchers has revealed that even “light” smoking of just several cigarettes a day can be very dangerous for the heart and lung health.

According to the scientists, if you smoke from one to four cigarettes daily, and especially if you are a woman, you almost triple your chances of contracting lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The study has shown that the risk of getting lung cancer and heart attack is considerably higher not only in heavy smokers, but in light smokers as well. Smoking less will definitely NOT protect you from smoking-induced diseases, as many people believe.

Within the period of more than 30 years, the scientists were monitoring both the health status and death rates of 43,000 male and female participants aged from 35 to 49 years old, both smokers and non-smokers. At the beginning of the clinical trial, all subjects were screened for the presence of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Their smoking habits were closely monitored and documented during the entire study.

The results have revealed that, overtime, a large proportion of light smokers tend to increase the daily amount of smoked cigarettes to about nine a day. However, many light smokers also tend to quit their habit.

Assessing the risk factors associated with all levels of smoking, both light and heavy, the scientists have arrived to the conclusion that even smoking up to four cigarettes a day imposes a significant risk onto the smoker’s health. Compared to non-smokers, light smokers almost triple their chances of contracting lung cancer and coronary artery disease. In addition, they run an elevated risk of dying from heart attack and other diseases. In fact, light female smokers run almost a  FIVE-FOLD risk of dying from lung cancer than non-smoking women, while light male smokers are three times as likely to succumb to the disease than non-smoking men.

In addition, those who smoke just under four cigarettes a day are 1.5 times more likely to die from other causes than non-smokers. At that, the death risk is getting significantly elevated with an increase in the daily number of smoked cigarettes.

These new data should become a warning signal for every smoker, even those who think that they “don’t smoke much”. Your health is in your own hands.

Smoking-related diseases, and especially death rates among American women have been on a significant rise within the recent decades. In the US, more teenage girls smoke today than twenty years ago. This is also  directly linked to the rise in tobacco-related illnesses and mortality among the female population of the country.

Smoking-related deaths among American women, especially those due to lung diseases such as bronchitis, obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and lung cancer, as well as cardiovascular disease, have risen by more than 30 percent since the year 1960.

Why is smoking on the rise among women, particularly teenage girls? Experts link this tendency to numerous factors, some of which are: an allegedly “slimming” effect of cigarette smoking; peer pressure; and psychological difficulties and low self-esteem of many teenagers who apply to tobacco in an attempt to boost their confidence and gain an “adult image”. An especially strong motive for smoking among women seems to be the desire to remain slim, which is shamelessly exploited by tobacco corporations.

According to a recent study carried out by European researchers, female smoking is implicated with even more health hazards than was previously suspected. Norwegian scientists have revealed that smoking women have a higher incidence and earlier onset of heart disease in comparison with male smokers. The finding was published in the journal of the European Society of Cardiology.

Women actually suffer from cardiovascular disease less frequently than men, due to the heart-protective effect of the female hormone estrogen. However, due to the estrogen-inhibiting qualities of nicotine, smoking females tend to secrete less of this hormone during their reproductive years. As a result, they are also likely to have an early menopause. These factors contribute to a documented vulnerability of female smokers to heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems. In addition, smoking women are likely to develop myocardial infarction a decade earlier than their non-smoking peers. In comparison, male smokers usually develop heart problems approximately six years earlier than non-smoking males.

In the study, researchers led by Dr. Morten Grundtvig examined health histories of almost 2,000 heart attack patients hospitalized in Lillehammer, Norway. The records showed that, at the average, non-smoking women had their first myocardial infarction at the age of 81. However, with smoking patients the situation was quite different: smoking women tended to have their first heart attack as early as at the age of 66.

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Chemical analysis of cigarette smoke shows the presence of more than 4,000 chemical substances, 43 of which are powerful carcinogens, and over 400 toxins that otherwise would negatively affect human health.
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In addition to highly addictive nicotine, the most dangerous chemicals in tobacco smoke include

• tar
• formaldehyde (used to preserve corpses)
• carbon monoxide (known poison)
• DDT (insecticide that has been banned due to its highly poisonous qualities)
• arsenic (substance often used in rat poisons)
• ammonia (chemical toilet cleanser; damages the lungs)
• hydrogen cyanide (deadly poison)

Nicotine depresses the central nervous system and inhibits the nerve cell signals. In large doses, it is extremely poisonous to our hormones, blood vessels, circulation, heart, and the brain. Tar, the amount of which in cigarette smoke increases with every new puff, accumulates in the lungs and eventually causes dangerous lung diseases. Carbon monoxide slows down the transport of oxygen-carrying red blood cells to organs and tissues.

Since tobacco companies were forced to reveal their formerly secret ingredients used in the production of cigarettes, the general public have become acquainted with a long list of poisonous substances that smokers inhale on a regular basis. A total of 600 ingredients other than tobacco have be added to cigarettes to “enhance” their flavor and lure customers to smoke more.

The list of ingredients used in the production of L&M cigarettes, for example, include:

• phenylacetic acid
• synthetic beeswax
• yeast
• high fructose corn syrup
• caffeine
• molasses
• sugar
• patchouli and cedarwood oils
• chocolate
• artificial licorice flavor
• modified milk ingredients

However, not all of the added ingredients sound as innocent. A more extensive list of cigarette additives used by the leading US brands shows the following ingredients:

• benzene (synthetic rubber used in dyes)
• methoprene (dangerous insecticide)
• naphthalene (mothball ingredient)
• ethyl furoate (lung-damaging chemical)
• methyl isocyanate (extremely poisonous substance that  killed hundreds of people in India in 1984)
• lead
• cadmium
• nickel
• polonium

All of those in the second list are known chemical poisons with cancer-provoking qualities. Many researchers say that these added ingredients are even more dangerous than nicotine-containing tobacco itself.

From Terry Martin’s article, “Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms’”, on About.com:

Physical withdrawal from nicotine is temporary, but it can be uncomfortable while it lasts. “Quitter’s flu” is a term used to describe this phase of smoking cessation because nicotine withdrawal symptoms often mimic a cold or a mild case of the flu. Understanding what to expect when you quit smoking and following the tips provided here for coping will help you move through this stage more easily.

The following list contains commonly reported symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Most people experience some of these, but rarely all of them. Each person goes through this phase of recovery from nicotine addiction a little differently. But for most people, these discomforts are short-lived. Check with your doctor if you’re concerned about a physical reaction you’re having to smoking cessation, or if nicotine withdrawal symptoms persist.

Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms

Cravings to smoke
Irritable, cranky
Insomnia
Fatigue
Inability to Concentrate
Headache
Cough
Sore throat
Constipation, gas, stomach pain
Dry mouth
Sore tongue and/or gums
Postnasal drip
Tightness in the chest

Ugh. That just sounds so…awful. And difficult. And annoying. It just seems like it’s an uphill battle before you’ve even begun.

So what can you do to battle these irritating obstacles? Martin continues on in her article:

Coping Skills for Nicotine Withdrawal

The Five D’s

Delay until the urge passes - usually within 3 to 5 minutes.
Distract yourself. Call a friend or go for a walk.
Drink water to fight off cravings.
Deep Breaths - Relax! Close your eyes and take 10 slow, deep breaths.
Discuss your feelings with someone close to you or on an online support forum.

Other Ways to Manage Nicotine Withdrawal Include:

Exercise. If you’re unaccustomed to exercising, start slowly. Take a 15-minute walk once or twice a day, and work up from there. Choose activities that appeal to you, so you’ll do them consistently. Exercise reduces cravings to smoke while helping you feel better in general.

Get More Rest. As smokers, our bodies were used to taking in not only nicotine, but all of the literally thousands of other chemicals in cigarette smoke. The stress of abruptly cutting off that supply, as unhealthy as it was, can leave us feeling tired and wilted. If you’re fatigued and can manage it during the day, take a nap. And go to bed a little earlier than usual if you need to. It will do you good.  On the other hand, if you’re at the opposite end of the spectrum and find yourself unable to sleep (which is common also), try taking a long walk several hours before bed.

Take a Multivitamin. Consider adding a good multivitamin to your daily regimen for the first few months after quitting tobacco. It will help offset nicotine withdrawal symptoms and replenish depleted nutrients.

Relaxation and Rewards. Take time alone to read a good book. Indulge in a hot bath at the end of the day. Whatever pampers and relaxes you is a great choice. Don’t think of it as a luxury; think of it as a protective measure for your quit program. Cessation is hard work early on, and when we take the time to recharge our batteries and replenish our spirits, we put ourselves in the best possible position for continued success. Do this step religiously every single night, and you’ll find that you are better equipped to start the next day off on the right foot.

So, maybe it’s not that hard. Well, maybe it still is, depending on how addicted  you are/were. But you’re not alone, and there are ways around every problem.

The number one thing that you can do is keep yourself busy. If you’re not sitting around bored, you might not be inclined to light up. Keep your hands and your brain busy with a variety of tasks, both work and personal - and you’ll find that the time will pass quicker than you would think. In the off chance that you do crave nicotine, though…look through the tips above. They just might be what can do that trick.

The addiction to nicotine is powerful.

If you’ve tried to quit smoking and failed, you know how tough nicotine addiction is to overcome. Just thinking about quitting is enough to make most smokers edgy.

It has been said that the psychological, or mental side of nicotine addiction is more difficult to beat than cocaine or heroin because of how thorougly interwoven the habit of smoking is in our daily lives. If you’re in the position of wanting to quit and not being able to, I’m sure you can identify with that concept.

Quitting tobacco is very possible though, and thousands do it successfully every year.

How do other people do it? More importantly, how can you do it? What is the trick to finding the motivation to quit smoking and being able to stick with it no matter what? Does quitting just magically happen when a person is ‘ready’? Not usually. If you rely on being ‘ready’ before you quit smoking, you run the risk of never quitting.

It’s quite possible - in fact, likely you won’t be ready to quit when the time comes. You’ll probably feel some mixture of sadness, loss, anger and fear as you get ready to embark on your quit program. With some education, support and practice though, you’ll find cessation is a lot more manageable than you expected.

Change is hard for most people, but is a necessary part of life. Embrace the process and don’t look back! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Over the next few days we’ll post several ways to make your smoking cessation a little easier.

From About.Com:

Quitting tobacco is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight, but compared to the amount of time most of us spent smoking, recovery can be very quick, indeed.

Years of smoking taught us to react to literally everything by lighting a cigarette. When we were happy, we’d celebrate by lighting up. When we got angry, smoking would calm us down, or so we thought. Tired? Smoke a cigarette to stay awake. Hungry? Feed yourself a smoke. This list goes on. Between the physical addiction to nicotine, and the mental associations that tie what seems like all of our activities to cigarettes, it can feel as though we’re chained to the habit with links of steel.

Successful recovery from this addiction includes learning how to hear the message behind the urge to smoke and respond with more appropriate choices, such as a nap or a meal, for instance. Have patience with yourself! This new skill takes some time to hone, but you’ll get better at it. Eventually, cigarettes will fade as a trigger, and you’ll make choices based on what you really need without thinking twice about it.

Memorize the meaning of this acronym: H.A.L.T. (Hungry,Angry,Lonely,Tired), and you’ll have a powerful checklist to help you decode the urges you experience. Nine times out of ten, a craving can be traced to one of these four things:

Hungry

Have a snack or a meal. If you are hungry, food is the answer, not a cigarette! If you’re concerned about weight gain, try drinking water to help control between meal eating. Have healthy snacks on hand also. Celery sticks, raw baby carrots and frozen grapes make good low calorie snacks.

Normal weight gain due to quitting is 5-8 pounds. Metabolism does slow a bit, so getting some daily exercise is a good idea.

The bottom line is this: don’t be too hard on yourself. Try to eat in moderation, but until you get your quit program under solid control, don’t fret if you gain a few pounds. Quitting tobacco should be in the top slot of your priority list for as long as it takes. Weight can always be lost later.

Angry

This is a big trigger for most of us. Find healthy outlets for your feelings of frustration - if at all possible, try to deal with the situation that is bothering you head on, and be done with it. Talk to friends and family about your feelings or write in your journal. The important thing is not to let anger simmer and get the upper hand. Reaching for a cigarette can seem like a quick fix, but it’s always a false fix. Smoking will put you back to square one and you’ll be disappointed in yourself as well.

We may not always be able to choose the events that happen around us, but we will always have the choice of how we let external situations affect us emotionally. This is important! If you’re mad, you have the power to change that negative feeling in an instant. Positive self-talk is another way to pull yourself out of the doldrums. Use affirmations to help you create the reality you want for yourself. We have a way of taking actions which are in line with our beliefs, so what you tell yourself matters - a lot. Make affirmations empowering and keep them in the here and now. Instead of saying: “I will be a healthy nonsmoker”, say it this way: “I AM a healthy nonsmoker.” Rather than saying “I have to quit smoking”, tell yourself, “I get to quit smoking”. Minor shifts in attitude can make a world of difference.

Education is also a powerful ally - the more you learn about the effects of tobacco, the less value cigarettes will have for you. Learn to hate the habit, and you’ll have leverage to help you become smoke free and stay that way for good.

Lonely

Another word to describe this could be bored. Early on in cessation, distraction is a useful tool. If you’re bored, try redirecting your attention, and see if it helps.

Depression also falls under this category, and can affect anyone. People quitting tobacco are especially susceptible, at least early on, because leaving cigarettes behind can feel like the loss of a friend. If you feel yourself slipping into a depressed state, take action. Change your environment and it will usually change your attitude.

Tired

Fatigue can be a huge trigger. Instead of lighting up, give yourself time to slow down and relax a little, or even go to bed early if you need to. Sounds so simple, yet people often push themselves too far with all of the demands of life these days. Be aware. Don’t let yourself get rundown. Protect your ‘quit’ by protecting your health, both physically, and mentally.

It may feel like you’ll never be free of cigarettes and thoughts of smoking will always plague you, but have some faith in yourself, and please be patient. We taught ourselves to smoke, and we can teach ourselves to forget it too. Give yourself time to retrain and get some practice at living your life smoke free. Soon enough, it will seem the most natural thing in the world. You’ll get to the point where you’ll wonder why you didn’t quit sooner, because life without cigarettes has become so easy for you. In the meantime, remember H.A.L.T.

Guest Blog Post by @BigButtNicole

So I guess here is my journey into becoming a smoker. My mother has smoked her whole life, and I have always been exposed to it. Both of my brothers smoked so it was only a matter of time before I did. We moved when I was 13 and I was in a new town, new kids, new high school etc… Everyone that I was becoming friends with, smoked. I decided it would be a good idea to get myself started on it when I was about 15 and I can still remember just how gross it tastes and horrible it makes you feel when you smoke that first cigarette. I really don’t know why anyone would want to continue after that but they do, I did.

I would often switch the brand that I smoked and it was easy for me because my mother had her own store so I got my cigarettes for free. I can think back to all the times I didn’t have cigarettes in the house and thanked god that my mother never really smoked a full cigarette so I was able to pick through the butts and smoke them. Smoked cigarette butts are so nasty but when I was addicted to nicotine it did not matter how I got my cravings met.

So around the time I turned 21-22 I was seeing someone who did not enjoy the taste or smell and I quit cold turkey one day. That lasted for a few years and then one day I started up again due to a high-stress job I was working at that time. Quickly I was back up to my two-pack a day habit and I loved the fact that I could just use the excuse that I needed a cigarette to get out of the office and goof off for 15-20 minutes.

Around that same time is when I was introduced to the internet and I got myself a computer and would spend hours online every night puffing away chain-smoking a full pack in a matter of hours. I was so engrossed in what I was doing that I never noticed just how much I would smoke. But I didn’t want to stop. So about time I turned 27 I found myself moving again and I wanted to get into shape. That meant working out in the gym and I wouldn’t be able to do cardio if I couldn’t breathe. All those years ago when I was smoke free I had been working out 5 days a week and I knew that there was no way I was going to be able to keep up with what I used to do if I was smoking my two packs a day. I tried doing the patch through to the full extent of the program which I believe is three months. I took Zyban for that same amount of time. By time I was done with it, I really didn’t want to smoke. I got through the three months and never looked back. It was easier than going cold turkey because there is so much temptation when you try to do it that way.

One thing I do know for sure is that I know that I cannot ever have another cigarette again because it will start me all over again and I never want to be a smoker again. I like that I can breath with ease and that my lungs feel good. I like that I don’t smell of smoke, and there is no nicotine stained fabrics in my home and that my sense of smell has come back. This May will mark my eighth year being smoke free and that is something I am very proud of, I would never want to not be able to say that about myself.

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Guest post for The Nicotine Asylum by Nicole, @BigButtNicole

Nicole is a wonderful BBW adult internet model who has been in the adult industry since 2002. She can be found on the web at http://www.bigbuttnicole.com/ (NSFW)

From About.com:

When you quit smoking, the benefits begin within minutes of your last cigarette.

At 20 minutes after quitting:

• Blood pressure decreases

• Pulse rate drops

• Body temperature of hands and feet increases.

At 8 hours:

• Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal

• Oxygen level in blood increases to normal

At 24 hours:

• Chance of a heart attack decreases

At 48 hours:

• nerve endings begin regrowth

• ability to smell and taste improves

Deciding to Quit Smoking

It takes courage to put down that last cigarette and quit smoking. Most people feel an intense combination of fear and excitement leading up to their quit date. Feeling afraid to quit smoking is completely normal, and is a by-product of addiction. Don’t let that fear paralyze you, however, because the benefits you’ll experience once you quit are well worth the work it takes to achieve.

Breaking the Chains of Slavery

Years of associating literally everything we did in our lives to smoking created powerful links in the chain of psychological dependence we had on nicotine. We thought we enjoyed smoking. We convinced ourselves that smoking calmed our nerves and helped us think more clearly. We thought of cigarettes as a friend, a companion, a buddy. We thought smoking helped us have more fun and enjoy life more fully. Logically, we knew better, but addiction can make people rationalize and justify all kinds of crazy notions.

The truth of the matter is…

…smokers like the feeling they get when the nicotine level in their bloodstream is replenished. From the time a cigarette is stubbed out until the next one is lit, smokers are in a state of physical withdrawal from nicotine. The more time between cigarettes, the more severe the withdrawal, resulting in edginess, inability to concentrate, and even feelings of depression. It’s a vicious, neverending cycle.

And that is addiction, folks, not smoking enjoyment.

Please remember that quitting tobacco is a process. It takes time. Your courage to take that first step and throw the butts away will be a choice you’ll never regret making. Your life will improve a thousandfold when you have kicked tobacco out of your life, once and for all.

From About.com, written by Terry Martin

The benefits of smoking cessation are truly unlimited. We all expect our health to improve, but that is just the beginning of this wonderful journey. The positive results of smoking cessation listed below were collected from About.com members. They quickly learned that the return on their efforts to quit smoking was well worth the work it took to achieve it — and then some.

Settle in with a cup of tea and grab some inspiration from those who have made a success of smoking cessation.

Benefits of Smoking Cessation

• Every breath I take feels so clean and refreshing
• I’m not tired during the day…yet I sleep like a rock at night
• I have more stamina, endurance, and confidence
• More cash in my pocket
• My clothes don’t stink
• I’m not ashamed of smoking anymore
• My anxiety level has gone way, way down
• I can breathe!
• I’m working out like a champ
• I am in control of ME
• No more coughing
• I’m eating better–I used to substitute cigarettes for food a lot
• I can smell again
• My complexion is much better
• My heart feels relaxed…like it can do more work with less effort now
• Less heartburn and indigestion
• More respect for myself
• No need to worry about attending events where I can’t smoke
• My house smells good! My car smells good!
• No more fear of fire caused by smoking
• I spend money on my health now, like working out at a health club, instead of on cigs
• My sinus problems are gone!
• My allergies and asthma have improved
• I don’t feel like a hypocrite
• I can sing again!
• No more time wasted smoking
• Whiter teeth
• Fresh breath
• Sharper thinking
• Pride in myself
• No more guilt about exposing family and friends to secondhand smoke
• Confidence in my ability to achieve whatever goal I set for myself!

Smoking cessation is hard work at times, especially early on, but dig your feet in and give it all you’ve got. Remind yourself daily about why you want to quit smoking, and picture yourself as a contented ex-smoker, free of the need to light up every hour on the hour.

Smoking cessation is not out of reach, it’s doable, and you have the ability to make it happen, right now. Believe it and believe in yourself.