My wife just walked by and said, “What are you doing?”

I said, “I’m writing an article on smoking. I’m against it!”

Smoking is a habit that is hard to break. Some years ago I stood by with a man’s son and watched his father gasp for air as he passed on to the great beyond. He had quit smoking, but too late. His vital capacity was too far gone.

Vital Capacity is determined by measuring the amount of air you take in with each breath. In the test you take a deep breath and then blow it out into a device that tells your doctor the volume of air dispelled. The more you smoke, the lower your vital capacity. This limits your activity when your lungs no longer expand enough to take in sufficient vital oxygen from the air that has only about 19% to begin with. That’s why my friend’s father was breathing pure oxygen in the hospital. Still, he could not get enough oxygen to save his life. We had said our goodbyes to a good father and a good friend.

Cigarette smokers double their risk of heart attack. They are at even more risk from sudden cardiac death. Stroke kills more young smokers than nonsmokers.

The American Cancer Society said some years back that when you stop smoking:

Within 15 minutes: Blood pressure, pulse rate, and body temperature of hands and feet return to normal.

Within 8 hours: Carbon monoxide level drop to normal and oxygen level increase to normal. (Carbon monoxide is a deadly poison.)

Within 24 hours: Heart attack risk decreases. Now isn’t that good to know? You will be able to say, “I quit smoking yesterday and I’m probably not going to have a heart attack today.”

Within 48 hours: Nerve endings start regrowing and your ability to smell and taste increases. Did you know that cigarette smoking stops nerve growth? Neither did I.

Within 2 weeks to 3 months : Circulation improves, walking is easier and LUNG FUNCTION increases up to 30%. Now, that is a great benefit, isn’t it?

Within 1 to 9 months: Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease. Cilia regrow in the lungs with increased ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection. It takes a while if you’ve been smoking a long time, but the relief must be wonderful. My friends that have quit say it certainly is.

Within 1 year: Excess risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker. That’s good.

Within 5 years: Lung cancer death rate of a FORMER one-pack-a-day smoker decreases almost one-half. (Stoke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker after 5-15 years.) Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, and esophagus is half that of smokers. I’ve had friends that had to speak with a device or from thier stomach after cancer surgery on their throat and esophagus. It’s very sad to see that in light of that it could have been prevented. Some comunities have stopped chewing tobacco companies from giving chewing tobacco away at rodeos where it easily can get into the hands of children. Can you think of anything worse than mouth cancer?

Within 10 years: The lung cancer death rate is the same as nonsmokers. Precancerous cells are replaced. Risk of death from cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decrease. Did you get that? Precancerous cells are replaced. With good cells, I presume.

Within 15 years: Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker. So now you are back to normal.

The other night I saw a young woman on television who said that she stopped smoking for financial reasons.

Think about it.

If you put $600 dollars each year into a stock mutual fund, annuity, or other financial instrument that generates 5% annually, you will have over TWENTY GRAND after 20 years. That’s if you add it in one chunk each year. The $600 figure assumes that you are spending $50 each month on cigarettes. I know that many are spending a lot more.You will have more if you invest $50 monthly rather than saving until you get $600 at the end of the year.

Okay! I know human nature. You won’t save the money.

YOU WILL SAVE YOUR NECK!

I read on the internet that Phillip Morris® has licensed two Chinese companies to make their cigarette brands. The Third World Market is what the cigarette companies are after.

Don’t be taken in by the Phillip Morris® television ads that tell you to go to their site to learn how to quit smoking. Television ads are used for two purposes. They either sale product or they enhance brand name recognition. It is illegal for Phillip Morris® to sale product. So what are they doing with their ads? You guessed it!

(Okay, so go to the Phillip Morris® site. Maybe you will learn something. They have links to health organizations that will help you to quit. www.philipmorrisusa.com/en/health_issues/quitting_smoking.asp)

Well, it looks like I got sucked into the Phillip Morris® ad after all.

Stop Smoking! It takes guts.

It pays off big!

I suggest you go to: www.givingupsmoking.co.uk/ to STOP smoking now!

The End

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine, Jones is Executive Representative of International Wealth Success. He calls himself “Taylor Jones, the hack writer.”

More info: http://www.tjbooks.com

Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (IWS wealth-success books and kits and business newsletters / TopFlight flagpoles)

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With all the knowledge we have theses days, it can be very surprising to see people continue to indulge in habits that are detrimental to their health. In actual fact what this tells us is that addiction is powerful.

Our objective is to learn about smoking. How it affects you. The power of addiction and health implications involved in this habit. Currently it is estimated that over one billion people smoke around the world. Most smokers begin at an early age, generally in there teens. In the past smoking was a recreational function of the rich, but these days that is quite the contrary. Unfortunately the less educated seem to be smoking rather than the educated. The level of education, income and standard of living contribute greatly to the success of quitting smoking.

Here are some interesting statistics from the world health organization. 25.6 million people smoke in the United States.
Among whites 25.1% of men smoke and 21.7% of women smoke.
Among African Americans, 27.6% of men smoke and 18% of women smoke.
Among Hispanics 23.2% men smoke and 12.5% of women smoke.
Among Asians 21.3% men smoke and 6.9% of women.
One out of every five deaths is tobacco related. It is estimated that 400′000 Americans die each year from tobacco.

Smoking is highest among persons living below the poverty level. Education is extremely important in the fight against smoking. Education is not just telling people about smoking. What is needed is dialogue and interaction so that each individual can understand factually the implications.

I talked to a person one time who was very upset that the price of cigarettes is getting increasingly expensive. She felt she was been discriminated against. To her she is addicted and the majority are against her. She felt the fight against tobacco was an attack on her.

Firstly it is poor education that makes her feel this way. Secondly when smoking socially you also jeopardize the health of others. Thirdly the costs to the health system are enormous. Fourthly we as people take things personally. Addiction can bring pleasure temporarily but fatal consequences later. Her challenge was that she wanted to continue smoking and the majorities were making it difficult for her. So when you really get down to it she was concerned about her own pleasures above her health and the health of others.

The choices to continue smoking is yours, but understand that the costs are high for your health and the health of others. No one can deny the dangers of smoking. Quit today.

Learn about living a healthy life in the comfort of your own home with educational Health DVDs. Get some Tips On Stopping Smoking.

Paul Hegarty is the owner of learningfromdvds.com. A guide to educational DVDs with price comparisons, reviews, and free E-books. Read this month’s e-book on “How To Spot A fraudulent Email”. Grab your free copy today.

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