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<< A-Z Index
Smoking
What’s in cigarette smoke?
There are over 4,000 chemicals in tobacco
smoke, many of which are poisonous, and cause cancer. These
chemicals include:
- Nicotine—the drug that causes addiction among smokers
- Tar—when a cigarette burns, tar is released. Tar is
the main cause of lung and
throat cancers in smokers.
- Carbon Monoxide—a colourless odourless and very toxic
gas. Together with nicotine it increases the risk of heart
disease, hardening of the arteries and other circulatory
problems.
What harm can smoking cause?
The effects of smoking will vary from person
to person and will depend on the person’s gender, health,
working environment and hereditary factors:
- smokers typically experience shortness of breath, persistent
coughs, reduced fitness, yellow stains on fingers and teeth
and decreased sense of taste and smell
- smokers have more
colds and flu than non-smokers and find it harder to recover
from minor illnesses
- smokers have an increased risk of developing:
- respiratory infections such as pneumonia
and chronic bronchitis
- emphysema – a progressive and potentially fatal lung disease
- heart attack and coronary disease
- cancer of the lung, throat, mouth, bladder, kidney, pancreas,
cervix, stomach
- stomach ulcers
- peripheral vascular disease due to decreased blood flow
to the legs
- smoking during pregnancy can affect the unborn child and
babies are more likely to be born underweight, premature
or stillborn
- passive smoking, breathing other people’s smoke, can cause
lung damage, including cancer and heart disease
- smoking can cause impotence in men, while women who smoke
are less fertile than non-smokers.
How can I quit?
Choose an approach that will work for you:
- go cold turkey—stop smoking suddenly and completely
OR
- cut down—set a quit date no more than two weeks away
and in that time cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke.
To prepare for quitting, work out when you are most likely
to want to smoke and work out what you will do instead of
smoking. If you feel tempted to have a cigarette, try one of
the five Ds instead:
- Delay
- Deep breathe
- Drink water
- Do something else
- Discuss how you feel
Where can I get information on quitting?
Talk to your general practitioner or contact the 24-hour QUIT Line for information and support on 131 848.
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