Smoking, tell it like it is!

It's a fact, smoking kills. They even tell you that on the packet! Yet people still choose to smoke.

As a smoker, you are more likely to have diseases of the mouth, throat, lungs, heart, stomach, kidneys, bladder, pancreas and other body organs.

Smoking hurts your health and the health of those around you - family, friends and colleagues.
The effect of passive smoking on a non-smoker's health is potentially dangerous too.

So what is in a cigarette that makes it dangerous?

There are approximately 4000 chemicals in tobacco smoke. Here are just a few:

• Tar = About 70% of the tar is left in smoker's lungs when they inhale cigarette smoke and this causes many serious lung diseases.
  
• Carbon Monoxide = Up to 15% of a smoker's blood may be carrying carbon monoxide instead of oxygen which means the heart has to work harder.
  
• Acetone = widely used as a solvent, for example in nail polish remover
  
• Ammonia = found in cleaning fluids
  
• Arsenic = a deadly poison used in insecticides
  
• Formaldehyde = used to preserve dead bodies
  
• Cadmium = highly poisonous metal used in batteries
  
• Nicotine = highly addictive drug

Would you consider putting any of these harmful substances in your body if they weren't disguised in a cigarette?
Smoking also hurts your pocket. Did you know you could save £1780 a year (based on 20 cigarettes a day @ £4.88 a packet)? Think of what else you could spend that money on!

Once you start, how do you stop?

Smoking is addictive and once you start it can be hard to stop. But it's not impossible! Most people need some help to stop smoking, but the first step is wanting to stop.

If you need help and advice on stopping smoking, there are several options open to you:

Call the Smoker's Helpline Freephone on 0800858585

Why not come along to one of our Smoking Cessation Groups in Lisnaskea and Roslea or

Contact Patricia or Oliver on 028 677 51913

or go to www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/ and click on the Health Encyclopaedia