Information About Smoking A Guide For Teens !

                                                 Do you smoke?

          Have you ever stopped to  think about how smoking is  affecting your
          body & your life? Most teens are aware that people who have smoked
          for  awhile  can get  lung cancer  and  emphysema and  eventually  die,
          but many don't  know about all of the bad things that  smoking can do 
          them right now. If you smoke, you owe it to yourself to find out about
          the   effects of  smoking on  your life  now . Here , we've listed  some
          information about what smoking is doing to your body and some of the
          common reasons  why people keep smoking even  though they know it's
          bad for them. These are  important things to think  about to help you
          decide if you should continue smoking.

 Why is cigarette smoking bad for me?

       the parts of your body and cause harm.

What do all these chemicals do to my body?

        As you might imagine, even small amounts of the poisonous chemicals in
        cigarettes can do bad things to your body. Here are some facts about
        what smoking cigarettes does to you:

• Smoking makes you smell bad, gives you wrinkles, stains your teeth, and gives you bad breath.





• When smokers catch a cold, they are more likely than non-smokers to have a cough that lasts a long time. They are also more likely than non-smokers to get bronchitis and pneumonia.





• Teen smokers have smaller lungs and a weaker heart than teen non-smokers. They also get sick more often than teens who don't smoke.

 



• Smokers get 3 times more cavities than non-smokers.
  
  

• Smoking lowers your hormone levels.

What happens to my lungs when I smoke?

         Every time you inhale smoke from a cigarette, you  kill some of the air
         sacks in your lungs, called alveoli. These air sacks are where the oxygen
         that  you  breathe in is transferred into your  blood. The  alveoli don't
         grow back. So when you destroy them, you have permanently destroyed
         part of your lungs. This  means that you won't do  as well in  activities
         where breathing is important, like sports, dancing, or singing.

        Smoking paralyzes the cilia  that line your lungs. Cilia are little hairlike
        structures that move back and forth to sweep particles out of your lungs.
        When you smoke, the cilia can't move & can't do their job. So dust, pollen
        and other things that you inhale sit in your lungs and build up. Also, there
        are a lot of particles in smoke that get into your  lungs. Since your cilia
        are  paralyzed  because  of the  smoke and can not  clean  them out,  the
        particles sit in your lungs and form tar.

I know smoking is bad for me, but I really like it.

       Many teens like the feeling that smoking gives them. This good feeling is
       from the nicotine  in the cigarettes. Some  teens  think smoking will help
       them lose  weight or  stay thin. Many teens  also  feel like smoking gives
       them a sense of freedom and independence, and some smoke to feel more
       comfortable in social situations. If this sounds like you, you should stop
       and think  about whether the things  you like about smoking are  really
       worth the risks.

• Nicotine can make you feel good, but is feeling good (a feeling you can also get from healthy activities like playing sports) really worth all the bad things cigarettes do to you? If you smoke, you'll get sick more often. You also have the chance of getting lung cancer or emphysema, which will make you really sick for a long time before you die. If you are very sick, that good feeling from nicotine won't seem so important anymore.
  

• Smoking doesn't really help people lose weight. If that were true, every smoker would be thin.
  

• Do you think that smoking is a sign that you can do what you want? That you are in control of your life? Think about it this way: When you decide to start smoking, you are doing exactly what tobacco companies want you to do. They spend millions of dollars every year on advertising to try to get new people, especially teens, to smoke. Once they have you hooked, THEY are controlling YOU. You are forced to buy their products in order to support your addiction. Do you really want a big corporation controlling your life and telling you how to spend your money?

Why should I stop smoking if I'm not addicted?

           Many people don't realize they are addicted to smoking. They think
           they  can easily  quit any  time they want. But  when they try, they
           realise it is  extremely  difficult. Unfortunately, it is very easy to
           get addicted.
           Cigarettes are just as addictive as cocaine or heroin.
           Even if you only smoke one or two cigarettes a day and even if you
           have never bought a  pack of cigarettes  yourself, you are  at risk.
          Stressful  situations  or  hanging out with friends who smoke  might
          cause you to increase the number of cigarettes you smoke & become
          addicted. Try going a whole week without smoking at all. If you find
          this difficult, you are probably addicted to cigarettes.

If I quit smoking, won't I gain weight?

        Many people are afraid to quit smoking because they think they will gain
        weight. In reality, many do gain a little but not enough to change how they
        look. People don't gain weight because they stop smoking. They gain weight
        because  they start eating  more. Often, people  confuse  the feeling  of
        craving nicotine with hunger and eat to try to make this  uncomfortable
        feeling go away. Smokers are also used to having something in their hands
        and in their mouth, so they may pick up food to replace holding a cigarette.
        To keep from gaining weight, try these things:

I'll quit in a year or two, when I'm ready.

     A lot of people put off quitting smoking, thinking that they'll do it when the
     time  is right. Only 5% of teens think they will  still be smoking in 5 years.
     Actually, about 75% of them are still s moking more than five  years later.
     If you smoke, it will never seem like the right time to quit and quitting will
     never be easy. The longer you smoke, the  harder it will be to stop and  the
     more damage you will do to your body. Here are some reasons to quit sooner
     rather than later:

• Most teens would rather date a non-smoker.

• You'll save money if you quit smoking. A pack of cigarettes costs about .00. Even if you only smoke a couple packs a week, you're spending about per month and per year on smoking. Think of all the other things you could use that money for.

• You only have one pair of lungs. Any damage you do to them now will be with you for the rest of your life.

• The longer you smoke, the better your chances are of dying from it. One out of 3 smokers die from smoking and many more become very sick. Think about your friends who smoke. 1/3 of them will die from smoking if none of you quit.

Conclusion

     As you can see, smoking can have serious effects on your life. The longer
     you smoke, the more damage you do  to your body and your health. Most
     people who begin  smoking as  teens  say that they wish they  had  never
     started. The  decision to start or continue smoking is entirely up to you
     and no one  can make you stop, but you should think about whether it is
     really the best thing for your body and your life.

     Written by Gretchen Paranya, BA Hospital League's Resource Center.