It's a terrible addiction and a very bad habit. I'm taking a course in abnormal psychology and this week we are discussing addictions and eating disorders. A big chunk of the discussions and homework deals with nicotine addiction and all the effects and problems associated with smoking. I had to talk about my own experiences on this subject, if I smoked what got me started and have I tried to quit, etc, and if I don't smoke the reasons why I don't, and if I were to do some kind of stop smoking program what would it involve and what group would I target as my target audience. It made me think alot more on the subject and had me looking deeper and further for information.
I found a website that an ex-smoker has up. He gives lectures on the topic of smoking and the physiological effects on lung tissue, the tissue of the mouth, pharynx (throat), and that it even gets into the esophagus (part of the digestive tract). He has scary pictures of black smoker's lungs, and this blackening happens to ALL smokers...
...and he gives demonstrations why this happens with a Palmolive bottle.
He painted DILUTED (not concentrated, like most research studies would do) tars that he collects in his smoking machine....
and paints the diluted tars
onto lab rats every day....60% of these rats get cancer within the year.
The GOOD NEWS is that once a person quits smoking, all these bad things begin reversing almost immediately. The little hairs inside the lungs and trachea that are called cilia which were destroyed by smoking are restoring themselves within 3 days of stopping the filthy habit. However once there is a cancer, that is like a point of no return...
I found a website that an ex-smoker has up. He gives lectures on the topic of smoking and the physiological effects on lung tissue, the tissue of the mouth, pharynx (throat), and that it even gets into the esophagus (part of the digestive tract). He has scary pictures of black smoker's lungs, and this blackening happens to ALL smokers...
He painted DILUTED (not concentrated, like most research studies would do) tars that he collects in his smoking machine....
and paints the diluted tars
onto lab rats every day....60% of these rats get cancer within the year.
Picture of smoker's lung, the white portion is the cancerous part
The GOOD NEWS is that once a person quits smoking, all these bad things begin reversing almost immediately. The little hairs inside the lungs and trachea that are called cilia which were destroyed by smoking are restoring themselves within 3 days of stopping the filthy habit. However once there is a cancer, that is like a point of no return...
This is a picture of a city dweller's lung with the dark portions coming from carbons from air pollution
Check out the rest of the article and pictures here at Joel's Library
He makes a very good case for the evils of smoking and why it is a very good idea to quit. Yes, it is very hard to quit, but the Bible promises special blessings to overcomers! You CAN do it, with Jesus' help.
It IS hard to quit. I smoked for about ten years and quit once the kids started coming along. I would never want to start again (because of the addiction part...and it is)but I won't say that I don't "miss" it at times...I still enjoy the smell:)
ReplyDeleteIt makes me wonder why there are things that God made (tobacco to name one) that are somehow not to be used by us, or maybe it is just that we plain can't handle it.
Smokers will tell you there are benefits to smoking, and I think there are: relaxation, weight control, something to unwind a person at the end of a day. Surely God made all things for us to enjoy.
I see SIN as the problem here. If one could smoke in moderation...take one or leave one type of thing I don't think it would be so unhealthy. The same way that a Big Mac or double chocolate ice cream cake won't kill a person when done in moderation, but are treats, pleasures that we could partake in before the Lord and give thanks. The problem with cigarettes especially, though, is that it doesn't seem to be able to be done in moderation.
I have also heard that natural tobacco without who-knows-what put into it by the industry is not nearly so addictive...so it makes one wonder doesn't it?
I've also heard that the same (beast system) industry taints the processed and fast foods in such a way as to make it addictive, much like the cigarettes. I have noticed this first hand. When we do occasionally go out for fast food, we all eat more than we normally would here at home. There is something strange about it.
I like what Paul says:
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
Unfortunately, cigarettes is something that people find themselves brought under the power of.
Hi Ma,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to quit. My radiology instructor told me he was on Nicorette gum for 3 years before he was finally able to stop, and now he hates the smell of cigarettes.
I think they do add alot of chemicals, I heard there are pesticides too, probably from when they grew the plants, but you'd think they would remove that stuff. But I think it's a horrible thing to put smoke into your lungs anyway, I don't care what benefits you think you can get from it, I really don't think we are meant to breathe smoke.
Thanks for popping by :)