Quit smoking and win a plug!!!
OK, so you thought about it, and just haven't done it yet. :don't know why:
You know you need to quit smoking, paying $7/ a pack is cuttiing into your fishin money, and the gobs of phleghm you're hacking up in the morning is starting to get old. :upck:
For a limited time, any contributing members with 100 posts or more who can post up and tell me that you have quit smoking for 6 months, will win a plug.
As an incentive, if you can make it to a year without cigarettes, I'll send ya 2 more plugs on your anniversary quit date. :wow: :plastered: :lookhappy:
You don't have to prove it to me, we're on the honor system here. Just post up that you have quit for 6 months, and maybe tell us a little about how it is, if ya feel like it. ;)
It's like quitting alcohol or drugs. If you go to a meeting and tell people you are sober when you are still using, the only one you're foolin is yourself.
So give it a shot, ya got nothing to lose but cancer!! :D
We also have a thread here called the Cancer Thread, filled with new progress and articles about Cancer...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...-and-detection
Take a look when you get a chance.
The effects of cigarette smoking
I can't endorse this stopsmokingonline site because I don't know anything about the site, but I did find the info here. Ya gotta start somewhere, right? :D
I also know a few people who have had mild heart attacks, and they're all smokers. Guys in their 30's and 40's, some of them fishin buddies, and the common denominator is that they all smoke. Coincidence? :rolleyes:
stopsmokingonlinetoday.com/.../
Every year smoking kills more people then AIDS, traffic accidents, suicide, murder, fires and accidental poisoning combined. Considering all the harmful health effects of smoking, it’s hard to believe more people don’t try to stop.
What are the Short Term Effects?
Most people know the long term effects of smoking include lung cancer, emphysema, cardiovascular diseases and premature ageing. While these can be devastating many people don’t worry about them because they don’t seem like an immediate threat. It’s important to understand in the short term smoking cigarettes can be every bit as dangerous. The following are 6 of the most dangerous short term side effects of smoking:
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Narrowing of the arteries
- Reduced amount of oxygen the blood can carry
- Carbon monoxide levels in the blood rise
- Creates an imbalance in the demand for oxygen by the cells
What Are Long Term Effects?
Here is a list of harmful health effects smoking can have throughout one’s life:
- Cancers
- Lung diseases
- Heart disease
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Stroke
- Osteoporosis and weakened bones
- Circulatory problems
- Ulcers
- Premature aging
- Damage to the fetus
- Low sperm count and impotence
- Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage)
- Decreased lung function
- Bronchitis
- Infections
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Let’s look at a few of these more closely:
Cancers
Most people are aware of the dangers of lung cancer, and according to the Surgeon General 90% of cases of lung cancer deaths in men are caused by smoking, and about 80% in women. Smoking is also the cause of the vast majority of cancers of the mouth, larynx, esophagus and bladder. It also causes cancers of the kidney, cervix, stomach and pancreas. 30% of all cancer deaths in the USA are caused by smoking.
Lung Diseases
http://stopsmokingonlinetoday.com/wp...gs-300x237.jpg
Lung Damage Due To Smoking (healthy lung on left)
In addition to cancer, there are several other bad effects on the lungs. The Surgeon General has reported that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mainly Bronchitis, pneumonia and emphysema, resulted in up to 118,000 deaths annually in the USA, 90% of which were attributable to smoking. Smokers of either sex were at least 12 times more likely to die of a pulmonary disease than non smokers.
Cardiovascular Diseases
Almost 35% of smoking related deaths are due to diseases of the arteries and heart. A smoker has 2 - 4 times the chance of developing chronic heart disease than a non-smoker. In fact, as a smoker, you are more likely to die from heart disease than from cancer.
Smoking and the Fetus
Smoking during pregnancy can be disastrous to the unborn baby. The carbon monoxide in a two pack a day habit restricts the oxygen supply to the developing fetus by 60%. This results in stunted growth and lack of development, and can even cause premature births and stillborn children.
Smoking and Children
It was already stated that pregnant women shouldn’t smoke. However, it should also be avoided throughout the child’s life. Chemicals from the mother can be passed to young babies while breastfeeding. Nicotine levels in breastfed babies among mothers who smoked have been found to be 10 times higher than from non-smoking mothers. Also, 80% of all smokers started when they were teenagers. While many times this is due to psychological issues such as peer pressure and self esteem, often times they develop the habit from mom and dad.
Sperm Count and Impotence
Several bodies have reported that smoking can reduce the sperm count, and also render men impotent. A report by the BBC in the UK has stated that smokers are twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction than non-smokers, and this has been confirmed by many medical bodies. Smoking causes atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries feeding the penis, and the nicotine also constricts the smaller blood vessels leading to impotence.
Premature Aging
The New Scientist has reported that a study in Nagoya City University in Japan has found that smoking leads to an increase in an enzyme that breaks down skin, and also a reduction of up to 40% in the production of the collagen needed to renew skin. The result is people start showing premature physical signs of aging of the skin and the excessive formation of wrinkles. In addition to these, more of your brain cells die the longer you smoke, and brain function can be reduced. You can also suffer strokes due to constrictions in the blood vessels supplying the brain.
Conclusion
Needless to say the effects of smoking and tobacco are disastrous. According to the American Heart Association, non-smokers live on average about 14 years longer than smokers. If you are a smoker and you want to live a longer, healthier life; you should seriously consider quitting as soon as possible.
RECOMMENDED STOP SMOKING RESOURCES
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Pictures of Lung Cancer
With millions of people smoking cigarettes everyday in spite of all the side effects and health risks, it is apparent that it might take something more powerful to help deter them from smoking. Here are some very disturbing images that might make a person think twice before the next time they light up.
Quitting Smoking Improves The Health of Others
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Why Is It Harder For Teens To Quit Smoking?
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Quit smoking and win a plug! Re-visited for 2011
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DarkSkies
As an incentive, if you can make it to a year without cigarettes, I'll send ya a plug on your anniversary quit date. :wow: :plastered: :lookhappy:
You don't have to prove it to me, we're on the honor system here. Just post up that you have quit, and post here a year from now... and maybe tell us a little about how it is, if ya feel like it. ;)
It's like quitting alcohol or drugs. If you go to a meeting and tell people you are sober when you are still using, the only one you're foolin is yourself.
So give it a shot, ya got nothing to lose but cancer!! :D
Hey people, it has been a while since this promo was run. Technically it has expired, for I'm extending it for 2011. Quitting smoking is THAT important.
To collect a plug, members with 100 posts or more:
1. Post here that you have quit smoking for 2011.
2. Post one year from now that you are still celebrating life as a non-smoker.
3. I'll gladly send ya a plug!
This is not targeted towards any members in particular, but I'm reminding Speedy, Rip, and Cardoc that I would be happy to see them quit this year! ;) :HappyWave:
You guys are important to many people in your lives. It would be tragic to have any of ya's die of cancer. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...cons/icon9.png
Think about it please, you googans! :laugh:
And Jon, I can't remember if I ever sent ya those plugs, if not contact me and I'll get them down to ya!
