HARMFUL SMOKING EFFECTS
Everybody knows smoking is bad for you. But I doubt every tobacco user knows what harmful smoking effects cigarettes cause and what they're actually putting inside their body. Some don't even care. Others care a great deal, so they switch to natural brands.
But are those cigarettes any better than the name brands? NO! All cigarettes of any kind are bad for you. Even the effects of secondhand smoke are bad for you.
It is true that natural cigarettes don't have the added chemicals that all other ones have, but they STILL cause cancer, and they STILL can wreck havoc on your body. Remember, cancer is not the only disease you can get. There can be many other negative impacts on your life as a result of smoking too much.
Plus, there are many other things that can happen, like increased anxiety and stress, or complete lack of energy. If you're a heavy smoker and have been for years, I'm sure you are well aware of the dangers. You may be experiencing them right now. Perhaps this is why you've come to the Internet. Maybe things are getting so bad for you that you NEED help.
I've experienced some things firsthand. I've been to the emergency room and back. I know exactly what it's like. I've been up for 48 hours straight because I couldn't breathe. I've avoided work and social events because I was gasping for air. I thought I was going to die if I didn't quit. I thought life was being unfair to me. I thought it would go away on its own, but it didn't. I needed help.
BRONCHITIS - This is an inflammation of the main air passages, your bronchial tubes, leading to the lungs. I've had bronchitis before and it's quite terrible, to say the least. It started out very slight, and gradually got worse. I was in denial about it, too, because I thought it would just go away on it's own. It didn't, it kept getting worse.
Imagine breathing through a straw, and breathing like that all day long. Does that sound like fun? It got so bad I couldn't work (even though I had to), I couldn't eat, and I could barely even comb my hair without getting winded. Can you imagine that? I was only 27 years old!
Nothing helped, so I took myself to the emergency room and they put me on a respirator. It did the trick, and I got better, but I definitely paid the price.
Now I can breathe fine, for the most part. I think I do have some permanent damage, but hopefully that will go away, too. I'll never take breathing for granted ever again. It's just not worth it.
ASTHMA - This is an inflammatory condition of the airways, causing sudden attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and non-stop coughing. Sadly, I've developed this, too.
After I got bronchitis, I noticed at times I would get shortness of breath, mainly in cold temperatures. If I was doing rigorous activity outside in the cold, I would feel some definite tightness in my chest. It caused me to wheeze, too, as if there was something in my lungs trying to come out.
I also seem to get wheezy if I overeat. For some reason, it's as if my full stomach is pushing up against my lungs and causing me to wheeze. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. This usually happens on Day 1 of quitting.
LUNG CANCER - This begins in the lungs, starting in your bronchial tubes, and spreading out from there. I think cancer will always be a TRUE reason to quit deep down for a lot of people. Everyone is scared of lung cancer, even me! Who knows if I have it or not, hopefully I don't. Hopefully I quit in time. I think this is what scares smokers the most: is it too late? It's NEVER too late to stop smoking.
Sadly, smokers put the thought of getting cancer at the bottom of their list. "I still have time, I'll quit later. Only old people get it."
I'm sure a lot of people think like this.
It's too bad that cancer can strike anyone at any age. All it takes it the correct spark to light the fuse, and then it begins. Both my grandfathers died of this disease, and they were both smokers. So, it runs in my family. Is there a history of cancer in YOUR family? If so, you should greatly consider the effects of smoking before it's too late. You may be at high risk and not even know it.
EMPHYSEMA - This is a condition in which you have chronic bronchitis, lung disease that destroys your air sacs, or both. Think of this as bronchitis x 10! I can't even imagine it. I thought regular bronchitis was the worst experience of my life, I can't fathom breathing through a tube for the rest of my life and gasping for every breath.
This is how powerful nicotine really is. It can be so addictive that it takes EXTREME conditions, like emphysema, for you to really consider quitting. Why do people wait that long? It's simple: they're addicted.
The thing is, unless you TRULY want to quit smoking, you aren't, in reality, going to let bronchitis or asthma get in the way of getting your fix. You'll just buy an inhaler and use it when you need to. I'm guilty of that.
This is why people have breathing problems that lead to more serious conditions. They don't want to quit. They feel the inhalers give them enough leverage to still light-up. You can't make someone stop. If they wish to smoke the rest of their life and die from it, that's their choice. Dying of emphysema is not the way to go, though. In fact, it's probably one of the worst ways to die.
In the beginning, it is all fun and games, because cigarettes are cool and everyone is doing it. But by the end, you may be gasping for every breath you take, holding on to life itself. Is that what you signed up for? Is that what you envisioned yourself becoming as an adult? Is this what you wish to happen to your friends, your enemies, your children, or anyone you know?
Make the right choice! Stop before it's too late! Quit before the effects catch up to you. Don't feel as if it might be too late, because it's not!
