Thursday 28 March 2013

SAD LIFE OF A SMOKER

ADDICTED SMOKER REACHING OUT FOR HELP


James met a friend in his youth. He made him feel more mature and seemed to help him fit in with his peers. When he was stressed, he could always turns to him for some relief. Indeed he has come to depend on him on many circumstances.

But in time he discovered his dark side. He demands to be with him all the time, even if this makes him unwelcome in some places. And while may have made him feel more mature, he did so at the cost of his health. To top it up, he has stolen a part of his wages. The name of the friend is CIGARETTE. In recent times, he tried to break off the relationship, but to no avail, as a result enslaving him to tobacco.

Many smokers have such relationship with cigarette. Many after deciding  so as to prevent chronic health diseases always  find themselves crawling under their houses looking for old cigarette butts that had fallen between the floorboards. James confessed finding himself on his hands and knees scratching through dirt for old butts. The reasons for this attitude are enormous. First, tobacco product can be as addictive as illicit drugs; in addition inhaled nicotine may reach the brain in just seven seconds. Finally, smoking is often woven into a person's life by its regular association with eating, drinking, conversing, the relief of stress and many more.

According to World Health Organization all forms of tobacco are lethal and the end result is DEATH. The following are the forms:                          
-Bidis,
-Cigars,
-Kreteks or Clove Cigarette,
-Pipes,
-Smokeless Tobacco,
-Water Pipes(Bongs,Hookahs,Narghiles,Shishas).

Every 6.5 seconds someone dies from Tobacco according to WHO. Researchers suggest that people who start smoking in their teens as more than 70% do continue for two decades or more will die 20 to 25 years earlier than those who never light up. It is not just Lung Cancer or Heart Disease that cause serious health problems and death.

Below are some of smoking's less publicized side effects from Head to Toe:


-Psoriasis(Skin Disease),
-Cataracts(Eye Lens Disease),
-Wrinkling(Skin Disease),
-Hearing Loss,
-Cancers(of lungs, nasal and paranasal  cavities, oral cavity, nasopharynx, oro- and hypopharynx, larynx, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas and kidney),
-Tooth Decay,
-Emphysema,
-Osteoporosis,
-Heart Diseases,
-Stomach Ulcers,
-Discoloured Fingers and Toes,
-Cervical Cancer and Miscarriage,
-Deformed Sperm leading to Infertility,
-Buerger's Disease(Thromboangitis Obliterans).





Are you a smoker? The time has come for you to be courageous and quit. The following steps should be taken:
-Set a date,
- A quit card(contain reason for quitting),
-Weaken the link proactively(begin to disrupt any habits link to smoking),
-Get set,
-Quit and never again.

In conclusion, quitting saves money, prevent chronic diseases as shown above, earn joy out of life , boost your self-confidence and benefit family and friends. A deep commitment to the process of quitting is the single most important characteristics of a smoker who successfully quit. Remember the manufacturers' warning that smokers are liable to die young.




ARTICLE BY OGBAJE CHUKS.
FINAL YEAR MEDICINE STUDENT FROM UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA ENUGU CAMPUS (UNEC).

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