Smoking and lung cancer are almost always considered synonymous with each other, and there is a lot of truth in that. In fact, tobacco’s increased risk of developing cancer in the lungs is one of the most basic harmful effects on health known.

How does smoking cause cancer?

Cigarette smoke is laden with chemicals that act as poisons for the body. Upon inhalation, these poisonous chemicals enter the blood stream, from where they lead to various diseases, including cancer. Lung, of course, remains the most easily affected organ. Tobacco smoke carries over 7000 chemicals, of which 250 are known to be poisonous. 69 chemicals out of those 250 have cancer-causing properties. Let’s take a look at the different ways smoking leads to cancer in the lungs:

• Damage to DNA – The chemicals in cigarette smoke like nitrosamines, benzene, benzo(a)pyrene, nickel and arsenic, and polonium-210 are known to have carcinogenic properties. These chemicals damage the DNA of genes that help protect against cancer by either attaching themselves to the DNA or by interfering in cellular processes that help repair damaged DNA.
• Weakening body’s defence system – There are various ways through which chemicals in smoke lower the body’s defence mechanism. For example, formaldehyde destroys the hair linings in the airways, which otherwise prevent foreign substances from reaching the lower respiratory tract. Smoke also suppresses the action of cells that prevent abnormal cell proliferation (or cancer). Cadmium in smoke inhibits the action of detoxifying proteins in the body.
• Long-term exposure – Smokers expose themselves to high levels of toxins over the years. Even though cancer takes years to develop, the high levels of toxic substances in a smoker’s body make it difficult to cope with their damaging effects. The damage to the lung’s cells and their DNA accumulate over the years to turn those cells into a cancerous state.
• Addictive nature of nicotine – Nicotine, the major component present in tobacco plants is actually addictive. When inhaled, it enters the lungs, transfers to the bloodstream, and reaches the brain within seconds. Nicotine in cigarettes and other products creates an addiction quite similar to drugs like cocaine. This makes it difficult for many habitual smokers to give up smoking even if s/he wants to. Habitual use over time increases the risk of cancer.

So, does quitting help – even for a long-term smoker?

The good news is, yes! Becoming smoke-free is the first step towards reducing the risk of cancer. It may not be easy and might require external help, but the health benefits far outweigh the damaging effects:

• Carbon monoxide levels in blood reach back to normal within 12 hours of quitting.
• Lung function and circulation begin to show improvement within 12 weeks of quitting.
• Staying smoke-free for 10 years reduces the risk of cancer in the lung by half of that of a smoker, along with reducing risk to others cancers as well.
• The life expectancy increases no matter what age a person stops smoking; however, the benefit is more if one quits earlier.

What about a person who already has a positive lung cancer diagnosis – will it help to quit now? The answer is yes, quitting smoking during treatment helps the body to respond to therapy and recover quicker, while also reducing the risk of other infections and respiratory failure. Cancer patients who quit smoking also reduce their risk of recurrent cancer or a second cancer at a later time. Better late than never!

Most of the fifth mile took place in The Labyrinth, a maze of stream passages. Surface water drains in from Screech Owl Cave and other holes east of the entrance to Pettyjohn Cave. I have been in Screech Owl Cave but not to the end. It is a very small and tight cave. We have also made attempts to dig out other deep holes in the area that possibly also drain into Pettyjohn.

Most of the Outer Limits are included in this mile. The Outer Limits is a fitting name for this far- flung section of the cave. After about three hours of hard caving, you reach the really tough stuff.

The Pulverizer Squeeze allows you to climb and squeeze down into the Sleazy Passage and Tobacco Road. Just before Tobacco Road you turn north toward the Outer Limits. At The Slit you have the choice of dropping down, if you have a rope, to the stream level or stay high for about three hundred feet. Three passages at the end trend north west to south east with the longest about 200 feet.

August 22, 1970 – Richard Schreiber, Ted Wilson and Steve Wells went out to the end of Tobacco Road and picked up the survey at station W80A. After mapping about a hundred feet they went out to the Outer Limits and surveyed to the 4 Mile Mark. They surveyed up the stream almost to the end of the passage. The survey resulted in 589.87 feet T.H.C. Total survey now 21,450.15 feet.

September 12, 1970 – Richard Schreiber, John Eastburn and Allen Padgett made a surface survey from the entrance of Pettyjohn Cave to Screech Owl Cave some 325 feet to the east. Screech Owl Cave was probably first found during the spring of 1970, by Ed Renner of the Florida State Cave Club. On September 16, Screech Owl Cave was dug open and the survey begun by Marion O. Smith, Cricket Haygood, Jon Resager and Dan Dougherty Jr.

September 26, 1970 – Richard Schreiber and John Eastburn surveyed the north end of the Outer Limits. While Ted Wilson and Bill Steele surveyed The stream passage from station W112 of the May 14, 1970 survey. The combined surveys resulted in 1,497.29 feet T.H.C. Total survey now 22,947.47 feet.

October 10, 1970 – George Morris, Allen Padgett, Marion O. Smith and Doug Strait deepened Screech Owl Cave by digging and continued the survey. And on October 20, 1970, Richard Schreiber, Marion and Jim Young completed the survey of Screech Owl Cave at 325.9 feet long and 107.1 feet deep. Chuck Horton did the chimney but did not survey because of the lack of room!

October 20, 1970 – Richard Schreiber and Chuck Horton first mapped a short passage just above the stream level near the Chute or Luge. They then went down stream to the main stream and up to the Water Fall, where they mapped the Squirrel Room above the water fall. Returning to the junction of the two streams, they surveyed down stream to connect to station P135. Next they started a survey up the small stream passage in the direction of Screech Owl Cave. At the bottom of the 30-foot mud climb down they picked up station P77 and started mapping the upper-level stream passage. The survey resulted in 824.96 feet T.H.C. Total survey now 23,772.43 feet.

November 1, 1970 – Richard Schreiber and Allen Padgett resumed the survey in the upper-level stream passage and surveyed another 259.85 feet T.H.C. Total survey now 24,032.28 feet.

November 2, 1970 – Richard Schreiber, Allen Padgett, Don Hunter and Barry Prince resumed the survey in the JVC Room. On a rock in the middle of this room is a marker JVC 1964. I presume that is when this room was discovered. The lower stream passage (Porpoise Passage), was surveyed down stream toward the mud climb down. From the JVC mark they went down three feet under a ledge to enter The Labyrinth. This is a maze section that is south of and below Screech Owl Cave. The survey resulted in 872.72 feet T.H.C. Total survey now 24,905.00 feet.

June 21,1971 – After nine months of no surveying, Richard Schreiber, Rod Price, John Eastburn and David Teal returned to The Labyrinth for more surveying. The survey resulted in 675.03 feet T.H.C. Total survey now 25,580.03 feet.

December 7, 1973 – Two years later Richard Schreiber and Allen Padgett return again to The Labyrinth and mapped 803.77 feet T.H.C. Total survey now was 26,383.80 feet, only 12.89 feet short of the 5 Mile Mark.

February 22, 1974 – Two months later Richard Schreiber and Allen Padgett surveyed again in The Labyrinth and on the first survey shot of 32 feet they surpassed the 5 Mile Mark. However, they were not aware of it due to the calculation errors in the survey books.

Survey trips have really started to slow, with three more survey trips in 1974 for a total of only four. There was one more survey in 1981, then four more in 1983 and the last recorded survey by Richard Schreiber in 1985.

After 15 years of caving in Pettyjohn Cave I started re-mapping the parts that we had visited, unaware of the work done by Schreiber. In 1987 we made our first survey trip and began to record the previous survey station marks and would follow these with our own survey when possible.

The raw survey data for the fifth mile is available in PDF format on my caving web site.

Whenever you buy a pack of cigarettes, I am sure that you get to read the government warning label. Can’t remember what that is? The government warning label is the sentence that says, “Cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health.” So what are the dangers of smoking?

Cancer is a danger of smoking. Because of the known carcinogens and mutagens found in cigarettes and tobacco products, it is not a mystery how smoking causes cancer. Cancers of the oral cavity, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and lung cancer are just some examples. In the United States, 87% of lung cancer cases are linked to smoking. Lung cancer risk of secondhand smokers is increased by 20 to 30%.

Another danger of smoking is its effects on the heart. Because nicotine causes narrowing of the blood vessels which leads to blockage, smokers are 5 times more at risk of suffering a heart attack. And nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke have increased risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30%. Other diseases include stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and atherosclerosis.

The immune system is also harmed by smoking. The risk of acquiring various infections like common colds, invasive pneumococcal disease, chronic bronchitis, and other pulmonary and respiratory infections is increased by smoking. If a smoker consumes 20 or more cigarettes a day, acquiring tuberculosis is increased by 2 to 4 times.

Another danger of smoking is the likelihood of a miscarriage. It is discouraged for pregnant women to smoke because it deprives oxygen for the fetus. Smoking while pregnant can cause the infant to be born with low birth weight and small for gestational age. These could lead to more infant diseases like jaundice and breathing difficulty. Sudden infant death syndrome has also been linked to smoking while pregnant.

Other dangers of smoking are the development of diseases such as chronic pulmonary disease, emphysema, asthma, allergies, and many others.

All these dangers of smoking cause death. A smoker’s life expectancy is reduced by 2.5 to 10 years. And for each consumed cigarette, a smoker loses 11 minutes of his life! These facts are what made smoking as the second major cause of death worldwide.

What are you waiting for? Quit smoking now! Quit before it is too late!

In February of 2019, the journal Acta Diabetology reported on the results of a study on smoking and various other factors on kidney disease in people who had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Researchers at the University of Leicester and the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom combined thirteen studies on the subject and analyzed the results as if they were one large study of 20,056 participants who had Type 2 diabetes.

When the kidneys lose their normal ability to filter blood, albumin a blood protein spills out into the urine. One way kidney disease is diagnosed is with a test for albumin in the urine. The risk of having albuminuria, or albumin in the urine, was more than twice as high for smokers as for nonsmokers.

• advanced age raised the risk 24 percent,
• duration of diabetes raised it 78 percent,
• systolic (upper number) blood pressure raised it more than six times, and diastolic (lower number) blood pressure raised it 85 percent.

The participants who continued to smoke raised their risk of albuminuria about 23 percent each year. After nine years, the smoking participants had increased their risk to 53 percent. After 16 years smokers raised their risk almost six times. From these results, the investigators concluded that smoking cessation should take place early in the disease.

About 25 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes have kidney disease. High levels of sugar in the blood damage the blood vessels which make up a large part of the kidneys. Tobacco smoke contains chemicals that also damage blood vessels, putting the individual at risk for atherosclerosis, a buildup of waxy substance on the inside of the vessels. The accumulation lowers the kidneys’ ability to filter waste out of the blood and make hormones necessary for good health.

Nicotine in tobacco is highly addictive, so it is not a good idea to not start to smoke. Fortunately, there is help for those already addicted. The World Health Organisation publishes “A Guide for Tobacco Users to Quit,” with…

• information on getting ready to quit,
• planning a program for quitting, and
• local sources for cessation support.

According to the National Institutes of Health in the United States, other factors that raise the risk of diabetic kidney disease are…

• not following a healthy eating plan,
• eating foods with high salt content,
• being inactive,
• being overweight or obese,
• having heart disease, and
• having a family history of kidney failure.

Knowledge is power. If you have Type 2 diabetes, it is wise to see a nephrologist at least once a year to get the very best care.

From the looks of it, the new quit-smoking patch Nicocure is another one of those cure-all wonder drugs, with a list of promises that may just be too good to be true. For some people who have tried it however, it seems to be the much-awaited answer for finally kicking their nicotine habit – for good.

So far, Nicocure reviews have been fairly positive. There are a lot of people standing by this all-natural patch. Before you decide to use it, however, you should weigh all sides and read this summary of select Nicocure reviews.

Nicocure: Is it really superior to other patches?

Before going into the Nicocure reviews, a little introduction might help. Nicocure is a stop smoking patch administered pretty much the same way as nicotine patches. The big difference is that Nicocure does not contain any nicotine; its main ingredient, Lobelia inflata, only gives the same effect as nicotine in terms of relaxing the nerves and in acting as a depressant. Its common name is “Indian Tobacco,” but ironically, it isn’t tobacco however. Tobacco comes from the genus “Nicotiana,” while Nicocure’s main ingredient comes from the genus Lobelia.

Pro-Nicocure Reviews:

Most Nicocure reviews explain exactly how the patch works. Aside from relaxing your nerves, it also makes the taste of cigarettes seem terrible – and that’s an effective way of keeping you away from the smoking habit. Experts who are pro-Nicocure often write Nicocure reviews that enumerate its benefits. These experts say that the patch can actually clear your lungs and system of the bad effects of nicotine. They also say that it aids your body in the healing and repairing process.

Is this true? Perhaps so. Native Americans have long been using Lobelia to treat respiratory and muscle disorders. Today, Lobelia is also used to treat Asthma and food poisoning. Out of all the claims about Nicocure, helping clear your lungs is probably the most supported, in history, and in most people’s Nicocure reviews.

Anti-Nicocure Reviews:

Some experts who are against Nicocure don’t see why an all-natural ingredient would be so attractive for quitting smoking. After all, tobacco is also processed from an all-natural ingredient. They are dried leaves, lest we forget. Nicotine high, in a sense, is “natural” high. These anti-Nicocure experts also say that while the patch has all-natural ingredients, it still has the ability to be addictive if used incorrectly. This would cause more harm than good in the long run.

The curious thing about Nicocure is that it seems to work as a substitute for cigarettes or Tobacco. It’s not called the “Indian Tobacco” for nothing. Some experts worry that once you get into this patch, you’ll hate the taste of cigarettes or Nicotine, but love Lobelia and its effects so much that you will want to continue the patch even if you don’t need it anymore. Obviously, consumers will have to use discretion and common sense when on any sort of “quit smoking” patch.

In closing, it’s only fair to point out that as with all products, experiences will vary from person to person. Because of this reason, the makers of Nicocure offer a money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied. Sometimes testing something for yourself (as long as it’s safe) is the only true way of determining what works, regardless of what you read in other Nicocure reviews.

We’ve all heard of “second hand smoke,” the result as smokers exhale and send carcinogens into the air around them. The harmful effects of second hand smoke are well established. Third hand smoke is less familiar.

The term was coined in 2009 by doctors out of Mass General Hospital for Children, and is used for the lingering gases and particles from tobacco smoke that cling to clothing, hair, skin, carpets, upholstery and even wallpaper.

We’ve all caught the odor of smoke after a smoker exits a confined space… this is a real world example of third hand smoke according to new research.

Science has long known that tobacco smoke is absorbed onto surfaces; until now no one had looked at what might happen when these residual molecules came into contact with common pollutants in the atmosphere.

Scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ran lab tests and found “substantial levels” of toxins on smoke exposed material. Such residue can react with a common indoor pollutant to generate dangerous chemicals known as tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). This residue can hang around for weeks or even months.

So smokers who may not indulge around their children, or crack the window in the car and smoke with their children in back, are unknowingly exposing them to heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials long after the smoke from the cigarette has cleared.

According to the researchers, third-hand smoke is an unappreciated health hazard, adding fervor to the anti-smoking movement and the call for bans on smoking in homes, vehicles, hotels and other public places. Young children are especially susceptible because they are breathing in closer proximity to these surfaces, and are not hesitant about licking or sucking on them.

In the tests, contaminated surfaces were exposed to high but reasonable amounts of nitrous acid, a common enough thing in the air that can come from unvented gas appliances as well as most car engines and exhaust.

The exposure increased levels of newly formed TSNAs ten-fold. Traces of TSNAs were also seen on the inner surfaces of a truck that belonged to a heavy smoker.

Researcher Lara Gundel of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, concedes, “Smoking outside is better than smoking indoors but nicotine residues will stick to a smoker’s skin and clothing. Those residues follow a smoker back inside and get spread everywhere. Think about the lingering odor after a smoker comes back inside after a “smoke break”.

Of course smoking advocates are skeptical of the danger. Simon Clark, director of the UK smokers’ lobby group Forest said, “The dose makes the poison and there is no evidence that exposure to such minute levels is harmful. That doesn’t seem to matter, though. The aim, it seems, is to generate alarm in the hope that people will be stopped from smoking or will give up.”

Whatever you believe the new work suggests that making your home and vehicle smoke free is a smart choice, especially if you have small children about.

You can also limit exposure to third hand smoke and its after affects as much as possible – wash your hands, change clothes, brush your teeth after smoking and before holding or feeding babies and young children.

You’ve probably seen a hookah. Most children who grew up in the United States have almost certainly seen a hookah. But, like most people, you’ve likely forgotten what one looks like and what they’re used for. Think back. Recall the tale of a girl named Alice who seemingly stranded in a strange, imaginative world. In Lewis Carroll’s story, Alice in Wonderland, Alice stumbles upon an arrogant and inquisitive caterpillar. Perched atop a giant mushroom, and smoking what appears to be a strange musical instrument, the caterpillar asks Alice a quite memorable question– “Who are YOU?” The musical instrument is not really a musical instrument at all. It is, in fact, a hookah and this hookah-smoking caterpillar is how most children get their first glimpse of this curiously strange smoking device.

When Lewis Carroll wrote the story of Alice in 1865, hookahs had been in existence and in use for several centuries. Though never really popular in European countries, the hookah was and is still very popular in Eastern cultures like Egypt and India. So, how is it that this mysterious thing called hookah has never seen its day in Europe or, in more recent times, the United States? Perhaps the time is upon us!

In the past, cigars have been the ‘gourmet smoke’ for those wishing to break out of the conventional, cigarette-smoking mold. Crafted from higher-grade tobaccos and hand-rolled in exotic lands, cigars have become a true contender to the additive-infused cigarettes of modern day. Cigars have become so popular, in fact, that they have cropped up an entire industry that is based around their existence. Cigar and specialty tobacco shops are evidence of the profit to be made from selling tobacco in a different form factor than that of the cigarette. In addition to cigar shops, cigar bars have proven that smoking-tailored establishments can be both socially-acceptable and huge profit centers for their owners. It is society’s acceptance of the cigar bar that makes hookah bars and hookah cafes a possibility!

There is no doubt that the tobacco industry has seen better days and, from the aftermath of the Big Tobacco lawsuits, it’s a wonder that these companies are still around. Did you know that there are over 600 legally-allowed additives that tobacco companies can add to their cigarettes? That’s an amazing cocktail of chemicals that cigarette smokers are putting into their bodies every time they choose to light up! In comparison, today’s hookah tobacco, commonly referred to as shisha (pronounced: shee-shuh), is comprised only of a handful of natural ingredients. These ingredients are typically tobacco, all-natural glycerin or honey, sugar and natural flavorings. That’s 596 additives short of what could be in a normal, run-of-the-pack cigarette! It’s facts like these that bring most people to believe that hookah smoking is a less-harmful alternative to smoking cigarettes. Unfortunately, no major study has been performed to evaluate the health effects of smoking hookah. So, we’ll have to wait for a definitive answer to that question.

When the Turkish invented the hookah centuries ago, they did so with one goal in mind. Up to that time, tobacco had been smoked in pipes that are reminiscent of American Indian peace pipes. When smoking from these pipes, the smoke was at a temperature very close to the burning tobacco itself. Someone came up with the idea of filtering the smoke through water to cool the smoke to an enjoyable temperature. The simplicity of the hookah made it an instant hit and has been a major reason why hookahs are still prevalent in so many Eastern cultures. Though not originally planned when the hookah was invented, the water that the smoke passes through actually acts as a natural filter that helps filter tar and other impurities created when tobacco is smoked. Many years after the hookah was invented, someone would accidentally drop their tobacco into some molasses, thus paving the way for modern hookah shisha. It was the addition of molasses, now substituted by all-natural glycerin, which slowed the rate at which the tobacco burned and actually made it possible to heat the tobacco rather than burning it. Heating tobacco results in greater flavor potential and lowers the amount of nicotine that is released while smoking.

The hookahs of today, while being modernized and updated, have remained true to their creator’s initial goal. Traditionally made of glass and brass, hookahs are now being produced of materials such as acrylic, crystal and steel. Also, the once hand-crafted art has transformed into a full-blown industry that is selling record numbers of hookahs. Hookah shisha has come of age, as well. Production of hookah shisha is at an all-time high and major manufacturers are creating more and more flavors to be consumed by customers worldwide. Flavors include everything from fruity apples and oranges to regional favorites like bubble gum and vanilla. In all, there are more than 50 different flavors to choose from and more are being added all the time. The precise mixture of ingredients has also yielded a tobacco with flavor that lasts longer. In fact, one person can smoke can smoke a bowl of tobacco for nearly an hour without having to change the tobacco.

A small number of entrepreneurs have recognized the potential of the hookah and have begun to open bars and cafes that are specifically-tailored toward the rental and sales of hookahs. In just a short period of time, they’ve proven that there is some serious money to be made in the hookah service industry for those willing to venture into seemingly unchartered territories. Most surprising is the low initial investment required to open a hookah establishment. For most locations, as little as 10 to 15 hookahs per 1,000 square feet of customer seating area is sufficient and will virtually guarantee that there are enough hookahs to go around. When purchased in larger lots, the cost of each hookah can run anywhere from $20 to $80 dollars and some wholesalers will even provide the hookahs for free if the bar or cafe agrees to purchase their hookah tobacco from the company. Rental fees for hookahs run anywhere from $10 in a hookah cafe to $25 in hookah bars! Of course, the rental plan is entirely up to the business owner and usually includes a single bowl of hookah shisha to smoke. Lower-priced refills of hookah tobacco encourage customers to stick around and socialize in the intimate environment. Most customers do not smoke by themselves, opting instead for groups of 3 to 4 people. This will reduce the longevity of each bowl of tobacco and increase the number of refills purchased by each group.

Before you can begin renting hookahs, you must first check with local, state and federal governments to ensure that you will not be breaking any laws or regulations. For most areas, a tobacco sales tax permit or license is all that is required to begin renting hookahs. Of course, this is supplemental to the typical state sales tax permit or license. You will also need to check local zoning requirements and determine the best location for your bar or cafe. There are a number of wholesalers available to get your cafe or bar up and running in the shortest amount of time possible. It is recommended that you opt for customer service and support over pennies saved, as it is often difficult to find companies that are in-tune with the American way of doing business.

In addition to hookahs, you will need to choose between a bar or cafe concept. Cafes are generally easier to open and require a minimal amount of additional capital. The largest expenditure will be the espresso machine and this will run anywhere from $2,000 to $14,000 depending upon the brand, model and, if used, the age of the machine. If you plan the cafe route, it is recommended that you pick up a copy of “Start and Run a Coffee Bar” (Matzen & Harrison, Self Counsel Press 2002). Although not hookah-oriented, it’s filled with the ins-and-outs of running a cafe and what is required to operate all of the various cafe machines. If you want to open a hookah bar that serves alcoholic beverages, it is definitely recommended that you open near a college or university campus. This will give you a steady flow of new, fresh bodies that will save your bar from going stale with the locals. The hookah bar concept, when coupled with college towns, has proven to be the most successful and profitable hookah business ventures. There are, of course, caveats to opening a bar of any type. You will have to cut through significantly more ‘red tape’ but the payoff should definitely be worth the time and effort. Hookah bars are one of the fastest growing concepts for college towns and offer a fresh, new environment for 20-somethings to hang out.

As you can see, hookahs have edged their way into the European and American lifestyle. The cigar bars of yesteryear have paved the way for a unique opportunity for the entrepreneurs of today. Hookah cafes and hookah bars stand to make millions by providing the public with something that they’ve been looking for and haven’t been able to find in the countless other cafes and bars. Hookahs bring back the social, intimate gatherings of friends that have long been lost to the hustle and bustle of modern life. Oh, and who knows? Your hookah bar or cafe could be the next big thing!

A white stick barely three inches long, brown at one end and a menace to mankind. For years cigarette has been one of mankind’s deadliest foes. Millions lose their lives yearly across the globe owing to the ill-effects of cigarette smoking. Cigarette if defined technically, are small finely cut tobacco leaves rolled in thin paper. It is this tobacco in cigarette which causes ample harm not just to the active smoker but also to the passive smoker. Tobacco contains Germacrene, Anabasine and most importantly nicotine which is solely responsible for its addictive nature. When smoked nicotine, a psychoactive, drug enters the lungs and is quickly absorbed by the blood stream and travels to the brain causing addiction to it like that of drugs like heroin and cocaine. Moreover when smoked hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide and ammonia are one of the 7000 chemicals that are produced. Amongst these chemicals, 25069 are carcinogenic. The carcinogenic chemicals in tobacco smoke include arsenic, benzene, beryllium, 1-3 butadiene, cadmium etc.

The World Health organisation (WHO) has put up an estimate that tobacco smoking alone caused 5.4 million deaths around the globe in 2004 and 100 million deaths over the course of the 20th century. A direct connection has been established between tobacco smoking and cancer in human beings. And smoking induced cancers are not just confined to the lungs. Smoking affects each and every part of the human body and has the power to induce cancer in any part of the human body. There are many types of cancers which can be caused by tobacco smoking. Blood cancer, lung cancer, and pancreatic cancer are just to name a few. Apart from these smoking can accelerate the growth of liver cancer and skin cancer and is also being linked with breast cancer and prostate cancer. Moreover nearly 2/3 of the children who are born to women who smoked during their pregnancy are found to have genetic defects which adversely affect their normal growth and development during the later years of their life.

So, how does cigarette smoking kill?

Well, carcinogen laden cigarette smoke causes cell mutation and results in the breakdown of the normal human DNA sequence, which results in tumor formation which more often than not are malignant.

The target group for the most damage done by cigarette is the adolescent, the young adults group. Peer pressure, a strong attraction towards rebellion, an attempt to appear cool… all these factors add up to lead men into smoking at a young age. More often children who have parents who smoke take up smoking at a younger age than those who do not. Family and society have a collective influence on this practice of smoking.

If one has to reduce the number of deaths around the world resulting from the ill-effects of both active and passive smoking a strict ban needs to be imposed on the sale of all the tobacco products specially cigarette because how long will the customary picture of a damaged human lung on cigarette packets keep men from this deadly weapon of death?

Is there any adventure or fun in smoking? Absolutely not! Don’t be fooled by the fun packed advertisements of the cigarette making companies. There is no “taste”, no “fun” and no “adventure” in smoking cigarettes. These are just the slogans of the cigarette making companies which are multiplying their profits at the cost of the precious human lives.

The greedy multi-national multi-billion dollar cigarette manufacturers are killing people quietly without being noticed by anyone. According to the WHO report, every 6.5 seconds a person in the world dies prematurely due to cancer, heart attack, respiratory or some other kind of tobacco related diseases. No doubt, the tobacco is the fourth most common risk factor for diseases worldwide.

If you are a smoker then think seriously for a moment and decide whether you are mentally OK. I very much doubt because you are spending money on the purchase of an item which is not only risking your life by unintentionally inviting numerous diseases to attack your body but also risking the lives of other people who are forced to inhale second hand smoke, which is more dangerous than smoking. If you smoke inside your house then you also risk the life of your spouse and children. Is it a wise decision to keep on smoking?

Say no to smoking, if you want to live a normal healthy life free from diseases. Why not take a bold decision NOW and quit smoking immediately! Are you prepared to do so?

Tobacco use is going to kill nearly 10 million people each year, mostly in their productive middle ages. It is estimated that 75% of these deaths will occur in the developing countries mainly due to the high number of smokers and lack of medical facilities available there.

Due to lack of knowledge and education, the number of smokers in the developing countries and poor households is increasing at an alarming rate. The warning written on the cigarette packets is mostly ignored by the illiterate smokers. It is sad that the average amount spent by poor households on tobacco is nearly the same as the amount spent on education. A recent study in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has proved that the more people are educated, the less they smoke.

Your health is your best asset. Protect your life from painful tobacco related diseases. Live a healthy and happy life and just say no to smoking.

Smoking cannabis may be robbing you of all the rewards and pleasures life can give you. The good news is that help is on its way. There is no reason why you should suffer like this anymore.

How to stop smoking weed

Once you have given up smoking weed for good you will find that opportunities will open up for you both personally and financially.

Your relationships will be more successful as you will be able to communicate with your loved ones more. And your memory and mental abilities will improve which will lead to more success at school, college or at work.

Are you addicted to nicotine as well as cannabis?

You may need to decide what to give up first. Do you smoke weed with tobacco or not? Are you addicted to nicotine as well as weed? Maybe you always smoke weed mixed with cigarette tobacco and are addicted to tobacco without knowing it. It’s perfectly possible.

Tobacco is a completely different drug than marijuana. It may be better for you to give up one or the other first rather than to try to give up both at the same time.

It’s possible that you have given up smoking joints and have relapsed due to nicotine addiction. If this is the case, you may find it better to give up weed first and smoke cigarettes for a while before starting to give up smoking.

Or some people will find ways of taking marijuana without smoking tobacco and they will be better off giving up cigarettes first and then giving up cannabis later.

Either way help is at hand.

How to give up smoking cannabis

There is only one way to give up smoking weed and that is to convince yourself that your life would be better without it. I’m sure you already thinking that your life will be better off without it in the future because you are reading this page. But what I need to convince you of is that your life will be better off without it NOW.

This is the problem with addictions. The people with damaging habits have to go through a period of suffering for weeks or months before they see any benefit. And as they are used to alleviating suffering and discomfort through the ingestion of drugs (weed or cigarettes) then relapse is most likely.

So the key to giving up marijuana is to take steps to alleviate suffering and discomfort as soon as you stop smoking it.

The way I did this was through meditation and self-hypnosis.

Open your mind

You need to delve deep into your subconscious and reverse a decision making process. At the moment your brain puts weed as an answer to suffering and discomfort. This is not an intellectual decision you’re making. It’s a subconscious decision – the same as wanting food when you’re hungry.

Through various means (self-hypnosis, meditation, etc.) you can reverse the subconscious habit. You will actually find it easier to persuade yourself that your life doesn’t include that much suffering and discomfort. You will also convince yourself that weed is not the answer to alleviate it.