Smoking

I spend so much time talking about the dangers of processed carbohydrate consumption, I have neglected to talk much about the elephant in the room, cigarette smoking. I think I just assumed that people understand the perils of smoking. Perhaps I was mistaken. Keep in mind that cigarette smoking is different from vaping. If you want more information on vaping, read my previous post here. But if you are a smoker, are you aware of how bad it is for your body? Your Mouth? Read on if you are curious.

The Bad

Sadly, around one billion people around the world smoke. Every year, smoking is estimated to kill six million of them on average ten years prematurely. Of course, many of them are not smokers at the time of their death, but much of the damage from smoking is irreversible especially cancers. Incidentally, published data support that smokers are 1.4 times more likely to have severe symptoms of COVID-19 and approximately 2.4 times more likely to be admitted to the ICU, need mechanical ventilation, or die compared to non-smokers. (1)

The Ugly

The conditions associated with smoking include cancers, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, fertility problems, blindness, deafness, back pain, osteoporosis, peripheral vascular disease, amputation, higher levels of pain, and disability. In addition, the dental issues associated with cigarette smoking include stained teeth, bad breath, loss of taste and smell, poor immune function, gum (periodontal) disease, tooth decay, abscessed teeth, tooth loss, inflammation of the mouth, ulcerations in the mouth, gum recession, and oral cancer. Children of smokers also have more missing teeth. Lastly, smoking negates good brushing and flossing habits. 

Nicotine and Other Harmful Chemicals

The causes of the health problems I listed above are harmful chemicals in the tobacco itself and the chemicals created from the smoke. Interestingly, nicotine is near the bottom of the toxic substances found in tobacco, but it is responsible for the addictive nature of cigarette smoking. The reason nicotine is so addicting is that it binds to receptors that secrete dopamine in the brain. The excess dopamine leads to a powerful reward signal leading to strong urges to do it again. Unfortunately, the dopamine falls below normal levels, leading to dysphoric feelings that only go away with more nicotine. Thus, a nicotine hunger or background craving builds over time. In addition, the desires are situationally specific, meaning that they get stronger when you are in places or situations that smoking frequently occurs. These are known as situational cravings.

The Lure Of Smoke

Smoking is more common with people having parents and friends who smoke, who have low social grades, a tendency to mental health problems, and impulsivity. Additionally, regular smokers are more inclined to having friends who smoke, have inferior education, have low parental support, receive pro-smoking influences, drink more alcohol, and are of low socioeconomic status. Believe it or not, up to fifty percent of habitual smoking may be due to genetics.

Cravings

Because smokers feel better after they satisfy their cravings, they mistakenly think the cigarettes benefit their mood. However, the opposite is true, as those who quit smoking report lower stress levels. We all know how difficult quitting smoking is. Tragically, only five percent of smokers who try to stop without support succeed, and only for six months on average.

Quitting

Believe it or not, going cold turkey is more successful than gradual withdrawal! Transdermal patches, chewing gum, nasal spray, mouth sprays, lozenges, inhalators, and dissolvable strips that contain nicotine are called nicotine replacement therapy and only increase success by 3-7 percent. Chantix is a prescription medication that can improve chances up to ten percent. However, the drug can cause sleep disturbances and nausea. 

What You Can Do Today

The CDC has tons of good material on quitting. Additionally, you can receive free counseling from them. Some of the ways they suggest include nicotine replacement therapy, clearing your environment of cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters, and washing anything that smells of smoke. They also suggest telling everyone you are quitting and asking them to help you by not creating situations conducive to smoking. In addition, they recommend you avoid places where people commonly smoke as an additional precaution. Lastly, it is good to find distractions like walking or listening to music when you have a craving and ride it out; it is likely to pass in less time than you think. Follow this link to the CDC site on quitting smoking for more information.

Source

West R. (2017). Tobacco smoking: Health impact, prevalence, correlates and interventions. Psychology & health, 32(8), 1018–1036. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2017.1325890