AMOK:SMOKE

Smoking is passion for some and for some its fashion. But for everyone it’s amok.

I know most of you are tired of hearing "Don't smoke! Don't smoke!" but I've been trying to encourage people at a young age to never start and hopefully convince smokers to try to tone it down. To pursue great things in life, you need to be at optimal health, no? If you have the burden of having to smoke half a pack of cigs a day, knowing it's going to harm your lungs and knowing one day you'll end up in the hospital, are you at optimal physical health? No. Are you at optimal mental health? No.So, here are a few things you should keep in mind.

Effects of Smoking...Cigarettes:- Bronchitis- Emphysema- Lung Cancer- Heart Disease. 1 cigarette contains 4000 chemicals, 40 of which are cancer-causing chemicals and 3950 are poisons. Is it really worth it? Each puff of nicotine and tobacco temporarily increases heart rate and blood pressure, but your blood cells have less healthy oxygen! Smoking causes the blood to clot and causes heart and lung failure.

Pipe or Cigar:- Bronchitis- Cancer of the Mouth- Heart Disease--If you've already started or if you're just curious...

Tips on Quitting- Tell others about your plans.- Have friends support your decision.- Avoid places where other smokers may be.- Get rid of any smoking-related objects.- Set a quit date.- Communicate and coordinate with other non-smokers.- Forget about smoking and think of the benefits of quitting!!

Benefits of Quitting: Quit for ...20 minutes - Blood pressure, pulse rate, and body temperature of hands and feet should be at a normal level.24 hours - Chance of heart attack decreases.48 hours - Less sluggish, senses are sharper and body feels more refreshed.2 weeks to 3 weeks - Circulation improves, moving about is less difficult and lung function increases up to 30%.1 to 9 months - Body's overall energy level increases, lungs are functioning much better, coughing, fatigue or other minor effects should diminish. The cilia regrows in lungs.1 year - Risk of coronary heart disease is half of a non-smoker's risk.5 years - Overall health is about half that of a non-smoker's. Lung cancer death rate is decreased by 50%.10 years - Lung cancer death rate is very similar to a non-smoker and risk of mouth, esophogus, throat, bladder, kidney and pancreas cancer decreases.15 years - Risk of coronoary heart disease is that of a non-smoker.

SMOKERS..JUST REMEMBER- IF YOU QUIT SMOKING, YOU SAVE MONEY IN MANY WAYS!!

Interesting facts:- Every year, 390,000 to 400,000 Americans die from smoking and millions worldwide!- Cigarette smokers have a doubled risk of heart problems.- A pregnant smoker increases her baby's chance of birth defects, miscarriage, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).- About 87% of lung cancer victims suffer from it because of smoking. - Smokers are 10 to 15 times more likely to get cancer than non-smokers.- Smokers die an average of 10 years sooner than non-smokers.- With lung cancer, one has a 15.2% chance of survival.-

"It's easy to quit smoking! I've done it several times." - Mark Twain

Here are some of the replies I got from my friends.
Smokers:
1)One academically intelligent guy says that it gives him a very different feeling. He feels like that of a swing. And he has it for the next 10mins after the smoking episode. …
2)One well settled friend says that he smokes for fun.
3)Another says he smokes for no reason.
4)One interesting guy says that he smokes when he’s in great tension and after a puff he gets great relief.
5)Upcoming scientist says he smokes to remember whatever he studies and it increases his remembrance power.
6)One craziest guy says frankly that he smokes because his favorite hero smokes very stylishly and he wants to imitate the hero.…..
7)Craziest response is smoking in the name of youthful days…

Non-smokers:
1)One says he doesn’t smoke because none of his family members has that habit.
2)Another fellow doesn’t smoke because his girlfriend hates him if does.
3)One smokes not inspite of drawing inspiration from his favorite hero because he’s concerned about his health.
4)One girl bought a cig, but dint smoke, because she dint get a right occasion.
5)Many say that they don’t have intrest on smoking

ps:its not generalised.