Myths and Facts about Smoking (link)
- My other healthy habits make up for my smoking
- Switching to 'light' cigarettes will cut my risk
- I've smoked for so long; the damage is already done
- Trying to quit smoking will stress me out - and that's unhealthy
- The weight gain that comes with quitting is just as unhealthy as smoking
- Quitting 'cold turkey' is the only way to go
- Nicotine products are just as unhealthful as smoking
- Cutting back on smoking is good enough
- I'm the only one who is hurt by my smoking
- I tried quitting once and failed, so it's no use trying again
So you want the truth (link)
A cool online book full of myths people use to not quit smoking and further information into why they are wrong.
Smoking Myths (link)
Smoking looks sexy
Or at least, that's what the tobacco industry would like you to think. Well, it may look glamorous now, but just wait. Smoking causes deep wrinkles, and yellow teeth are a by-product of years of smoking. Smoking also contributes to osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones, which can cause stooped posture and broken bones — not a pretty picture. In fact, women who smoke reach menopause at a younger age than non-smokers. And, as non-smokers can tell you, kissing someone who smokes is not tasty, let alone sexy.
I'll gain weight
You might, but there are a lot less destructive ways to lose the weight. Most people gain no more than 10 pounds. Planning a healthy diet and increasing your activity level will help keep off the pounds. Some of the medications used to help quit smoking can also assist in delaying weight gain.
I'll quit when I'm pregnant
It may be harder to get pregnant if you smoke, because smoking is a major cause of infertility. Women who smoke have an increased chance of miscarriage and complications during pregnancy. Also, it might take you a couple of attempts to actually stop smoking, so your chances of success with quitting are better the earlier you start.
One cigarette won't hurt
Yes, it will. Every cigarette you smoke takes minutes off your life, and keeps you in a nicotine-addicted state. And, if you smoke around other people, you're hurting them, especially if they have asthma, heart disease, allergies, or are very young.
I'm young—I'll quit in the next few years
Nearly all adult women who smoke started as teenagers. Most teenagers who smoke daily don't expect to continue smoking, but most are still smoking five years later.
I smoke light cigarettes, so it's not so bad
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these so-called "light" cigarettes have the same ingredients as regular cigarettes, including lead, ammonia, benzene, DDT, butane gas, carbon monoxide, arsenic, and polonium 210.
Breast cancer is the number one cancer killer of women
Nope, it's lung cancer. The increasing number of deaths due to lung cancer is directly linked to increased rates of smoking in women. Also, the number one killer of women is heart disease and a major risk factor for heart disease is smoking.
10 Smoking Myths That Can Keep You Addicted (link)
Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things that most former smokers have ever done. Common fears and misconceptions about quitting smoking can make things even more difficult for potential quitters. For example, many smokers fear that quitting smoking will result in weight gain; creative types may be afraid that they’ll lose their “edge” once they stop smoking. Luckily, most of these fears are untrue or greatly exaggerated. To prove it, we debunk the top 10 myths about quitting smoking.
It Causes Weight Gain
Unfortunately, the side effects of quitting smoking may include weight gain, but it’s relatively easy to fight off the pounds by eating healthier foods and exercising more with that fresh set of lungs you now have. On average, people who quit smoking gain five to seven pounds. Keep in mind that this amount of weight is inconsequential healthwise compared to smoking — you’d have to gain about 100 pounds to equal the negative health consequences of being a pack-a-day smoker, according to Pat Folan, RN, the director of the North Shore-LIJ Center for Tobacco Control in Great Neck, N.Y.
It Prompts Mood Swings
It’s natural to feel a little edgy when you first quit smoking. The important thing to remember is that these side effects are usually short-lived. “The good news is that the body adjusts quickly to not getting nicotine blasted to the brain every 30 minutes, so withdrawal feelings are temporary and often go away in a week or two after stopping,” says K. Michael Cummings, PhD, MPH, chairman and professor of oncology at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. “Using nicotine medications helps take the edge off these withdrawal symptoms, which is why they help people stop smoking.”
You'll Get Depressed
Some people believe that short-term mood swings will lead to long-term depression. But in reality, depression over quitting smoking is most commonly an issue if depression is already a problem. “If a person has a history of depression and quits smoking, the depressive condition can worsen,” says Robert Gardner, PhD, the director of psychosocial oncology at the Touro Infirmary in New Orleans. Getting the right professional treatment can help you resolve both situations.
It'll Ruin Your Social Life
Neil Gussman, a strategic communications and media relations manager in Philadelphia and a smoker for 20 years, feared that his social life would be ruined when he first quit smoking. Instead, thanks to his stronger set of lungs, he found entirely new avenues of social interaction. “After quitting, I became a runner and a Masters bicycle racer,” says Gussman. “Quitting smoking makes life so different. I ride 7,000 to 10,000 miles per year and run more than 500 miles.” Now, you don’t have to go to Neil’s extremes — any activity will be more fun and less physically challenging once you stop smoking.
You'll Lose Your Smoking Friends
The other part of the social life equation that smokers fear is that they’ll lose all their friends who smoke. However, you may be quite surprised to find out how supportive your friends can be, especially if you explain why quitting smoking is important to you. In fact, your quitting attempt could be the catalyst for your friends to consider quitting smoking right along with you.
You Won't Be Creative Anymore
Another side effect of quitting smoking that Gussman feared as he began the process of not smoking was that he would no longer be able to write as creatively and effectively in his job. Fortunately, time and experience showed that this definitely was not the case. In fact, many creative people find that they are more creative once they quit smoking because they’re no longer preoccupied by when they’ll have that next cigarette and no longer have to stop work to go somewhere to smoke, says Folan. Any loss of focus should be temporary, just like any mood swings.
You'll Develop a Cough
Some people are hesitant to stop smoking because they believe cold-like symptoms or uncontrollable coughing might accompany their attempt. “I’ve heard some people express fear that quitting will make them sick. This is definitely not true,” stresses Marc L. Steinberg, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J. “Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. It is responsible for about 440,000 U.S. deaths each year.” The best thing you can do for your health is quitting smoking, he adds.
Quitting Is too Expensive
In this case, the numbers prove the myth wrong pretty quickly. Quitting smoking treatments cost between $3 and $7 a day. Compare that to what a pack-a-day tobacco user in New York state, for example, spends in a year: almost $4,000. What’s more, your health insurance plan might very well include coverage for the enrollment fees in smoking cessation programs, quitting smoking medications, or counseling sessions — ask your benefits manager or HR person.
You'll Fail to Quit
Failing at one quitting attempt is no reason to give up. Rather, it’s a reason to try quitting again. “Keep trying,” says Joy M. Schmitz, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Texas-Houston Medical School and co-director of the UT Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction. “Most smokers make numerous quit attempts before they achieve long-term, sustained abstinence. Failing a quitting-smoking attempt can be beneficial if you learn from the experience. If the quit attempt ‘failed,’ it is important to take a close look at what situations were particularly difficult.”
It's too Late to Quit
Cummings has heard the “damage is done” argument for not quitting smoking many times, and he’s still not buying it. “It’s not true that there is no benefit to quitting if you’ve smoked for a long time,” he says. “Many of the adverse effects of smoking are caused by the acute impact of smoking on the body, including cardiac strain that increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, and respiratory infections that lead to more serious problems like bronchitis and pneumonia. Also, your senses of smell and taste return quickly after quitting.”
Quit Because... (link)
Smoking Helps Reduce Stress
The stress relieved by smoking isn’t actually stress at all, it is nicotine withdrawal. Your brain is telling your body you need more nicotine. So when you have a cigarette, that craving is satisfied and you feel an artificial feeling of calm.
It's Easy To Quit Smoking
Nicotine hits your brain in just seven seconds and is as addictive as heroin. It can often take a number of attempts before you are able to quit‚ but each time is an important step to becoming smoke free. Smoking is a tough addiction‚ but with willpower you can make the change.
Smoking Is Cool
Smoking can give you smelly clothes‚ hair‚ and breath‚ and yellow stained fingers and teeth. It also makes you look older by drying out your skin and giving you wrinkles. Will you still feel cool in a few years time when you have more wrinkles than your friends and a hacking cough?
My Smoking Does Not Affect Anyone Else
Second-hand smoke (breathing in other people’s smoke) can cause damage including lung cancer and other smoking related diseases. The impact of other people’s smoke is considered to be so dangerous that in summer 2007‚ smoking was banned in all enclosed public spaces across the UK.
Only Old People Suffer From Smoking Related Diseases
It is true that the most of the diseases suffered by smokers occur after the age of 50. However‚ many people do suffer from illnesses before this age‚ including gangrene‚ ulcers and respiratory disease. The problem is‚ the earlier you start smoking the more likely you are to suffer from a smoking related disease when you are older. Is it worth the risk?
Fact or Myth (link)
Myth - I want to quit but smoking keeps me thin
Busted: Exercise and diet keep you thin, not smoking.
FACT: Smoking can actually cause cellulite*. By constricting your capillaries and damaging the connective tissue, cigarettes weaken your skin which causes the dimpling effect of cellulite.
Some people believe that smoking keeps them slim because when they try to quit they replace cigarettes with unhealthy snacks and sit around the house like a couch potato. But if you plan for this in advance, you can develop a training program, concentrate on being active with friends and eating healthy snacks such as fruit, vegetables and low fat dairy products while you’re quitting.
Myth - Roll-your-own cigarettes are less harmful than factory made cigarettes
Busted: Some people mistakenly believe that Roll-your-own (RYO) cigarettes are less harmful than factory made cigarettes. This could be because they think that loose tobacco is more "natural". However, many of the 4000 chemicals in cigarette smoke come from burning the tobacco itself. These include tar that causes cancer.
Researchers believe that rollies are as harmful or even more harmful than smoking factory-made cigarettes! Studies show that RYO smokers tend to make cigarettes that contain high levels of tar and nicotine. They may also not use a filter. RYO smokers report inhaling smoke more deeply than factory-made cigarette smokers. There is also evidence that those who smoke rollies are more likely to develop cancers of the oesophagus and larynx than those who smoke factory made cigarettes.
There is no safe form of smoking. Any form of smoking harms nearly every organ in your body.
Myth - But I just can’t say no when my friends offer me a smoke
Busted: Yesiree, you can. Being smoke free is your choice. You don't have to justify your reason for not smoking to anyone. Your real friends will respect your right to make up your own mind.
Myth - I’m only a social smoker. I’m not addicted, I can quit whenever I want to
Busted: Ok, so prove it! Can you ignore those cravings? Do you feel anxious or moody when you can’t have a cigarette? These are symptoms of addiction and that’s why it’s so hard to quit. You can suffer from these symptoms after only a few cigarettes. In fact one in two recreational smokers will become addicted to nicotine.
Myth - Smoking makes me look mature
Busted: If by ‘mature’ you mean old and wrinkly like a foot that’s been in the bath too long, then you’re right, because people who smoke do age quicker than non-smokers – in particular they get those wrinkles around their eyes and mouths sooner.
But we think you probably mean ‘grown up’ or ‘sophisticated’, and that’s why it’s busted, because what’s grown up about smoking chemicals and spending money to support an addiction?
Myth - Smoking helps me relax
Busted: Cigarettes are about as relaxing as skydiving. Nicotine is actually a stimulant, like caffeine so it speeds up your bodily functions, especially your heart rate.
The reason why people think smoking relaxes them is because of the physical actions of smoking – the deep breaths and exhaling slowly – not the cigarette. There are much better ways to relax, like hanging out with your mates, listening to music, working out or watching a movie.
Myth - Smoking is cool
Busted:
Bad breath – not cool.
Hair loss - totally not cool.
Gum disease – gross.
Gasping for breath after walking up the stairs – unattractive.
Emphysema – about as uncool as you can get.
There really is nothing cool about the effects of smoking.
Myth - Smoking won’t do anything to me until I’m older
Busted: Ok, so yeah cancers and heart disease take a while to show up, but the earlier a person starts smoking, the sooner cigarettes start to rot their body. Some things that happen to even the youngest of smokers almost straight away include bad breath, yellow teeth, yellow fingers, smelly hair and clothes, shortness of breath, wheezing, reduced fitness and more coughs and colds.
Myth - Weaker tasting cigarettes in lighter coloured packets are safer to smoke than regular cigarettes
Busted: There is no such thing as the Easter Bunny or a safe cigarette. People who smoke weaker tasting cigarettes take in just as much nicotine and tar (which causes cancer) as smokers of regular cigarettes.
Here’s why: these so-called ‘milder’ cigarettes have holes in the filter that let in air to dilute the smoke so they taste less harsh. But smokers draw harder and more often to get the same amount of nicotine (and tar) that they are used to. Research shows that people who smoke weaker tasting cigarettes are just as likely to become ill and die from smoking-related diseases as smokers of regular cigarettes.
Myth - It’s not like I’m hurting anyone but myself by smoking
Busted: That’s like saying when you drive a car dangerously you’re only putting yourself in danger. When you smoke, yes, you are harming yourself, but you’re also harming others around you.
How’s that? Well, when people breathe in smoke (from the end of your cigarette or your exhaled breath) it is known as passive smoking or second hand smoke. By smoking around people you are exposing them to unfiltered smoke and thousands of harmful chemicals which could lead to asthma attacks, frequent coughs and respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchitis. Some non-smokers have developed lung cancer and died as a result of people smoking around them.
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