Damage Done Over Years Of Long Term Smoking

Thanks to advertising and information campaigns, everyone is now aware of the state of your lungs after quitting smoking, and by association, your whole body. It does this to a greater extent, and more rapidly, the longer you’ve been smoking and the more you smoked. If you have been a smoker for a long time, you have to accept that it is you that did this, take responsibility for it, and then apply yourself to repairing as much of this damage as you can. You can't continue to avoid this critical information, or you'll just make it worse. As you read the following, remind yourself: 1. Why you quit (or need to quit)rn2. What you have to look forward to if you do go back (damn good motivation to stay clean)rn3. Why you need to work hard to improve your health! Examples of Damage Done Over Years of Smoking

• Tobacco smoke contains over 4000 chemicals including such nasties as Ammonia, Nicotine, Carbon, Arsenic, Hydrogen cyanide, and Benzene.
• Lung Cancer: your chances of getting lung cancer depend on your genes, the length of time you were a smoker, how much you smoked over that time and how quickly you detoxify your lungs.
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): a collective term for disease affecting the lungs due to smoking which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
• Emphysema: a disease caused by the destruction of the alveoli (small, sack-like structures at the lower lungs) where gas exchange occurs. As emphysema progresses, this maximal volume/min of gas exchange decreases, affecting your ability to exert yourself. Anyone who has smoked for more than a few months has at least some level of emphysema.
• (Chronic) Bronchitis: a disease caused by swelling of the lining of the bronchial tubes (the larger 'pipes' leading down to the alveoli). This inflammation stimulates production of mucus (sputum), which can cause further blockages of your airways.