Everybody knows smoking is bad for you. But I doubt every smoker knows what harmful effects cigarettes cause and what they’re actually putting inside their body.
Some don’t even care. Others care a great deal, so they switch to more natural, organic brands.
But are those cigarettes any better than the name brands? NO! All cigarettes of any kind are bad for you.
It is true that American Spirits cigarettes don’t have the added chemicals that all other ones have, but they still cause great damage to your lungs.
Remember, cancer is not the only disease you can get. There are many other diseases you can get as a result of smoking too much.
Plus, there are many other things that can happen to you, like increased anxiety and stress, or complete lack of energy.
If you’re a heavy smoker and have been for years, I’m sure you are well aware of the dangers.
Maybe things are getting so bad for you that you need help.
I’ve experienced some things firsthand.
I’ve been to the emergency room and back. I know exactly what it’s like. I’ve been up for 48 hours straight because I couldn’t breathe. I’ve avoided work and social events because I was gasping for air.
I thought I was going to die if I didn’t quit. I thought life was being unfair to me. I thought it would go away on its own, but it didn’t.
I needed help.
BRONCHITIS – This is an inflammation of the main air passages, your bronchial tubes, leading to the lungs.
I’ve had bronchitis before and it’s quite terrible, to say the least. It started out very slight, and gradually got worse.
I was in denial about it, too, because I thought it would just go away on it’s own. It didn’t, it kept getting worse.
Does that sound like fun?
It got so bad I couldn’t work (even though I had to), I couldn’t eat, and I could barely even comb my hair without getting winded.
Can you imagine that? I was only 27 years old!
Nothing helped, so I took myself to the emergency room and they put me on a respirator. It did the trick, and I got better, but I definitely paid the price.
Now I can breathe fine, for the most part. I think I do have some permanent damage, but hopefully that will go away, too.
I’ll never take breathing for granted ever again. It’s just not worth it.
ASTHMA – This is an inflammatory condition of the airways, causing sudden attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and non-stop coughing.
Sadly, I’ve developed this, too.
After I got bronchitis, I noticed at times I would get shortness of breath, mainly in cold temperatures.
If I was doing rigorous activity outside in the cold, I would feel some definite tightness in my chest. It caused me to wheeze, too, as if there was something in my lungs trying to come out.
I also seem to get wheezy if I overeat. For some reason, it’s as if my full stomach is pushing up against my lungs and causing me to wheeze. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true.
This usually happens on Day 1 of quitting smoking, so just beware and don’t overeat too much.
LUNG CANCER – This begins in the lungs, starting in your bronchial tubes, and spreading out from there.
I think cancer will always be a true reason to quit deep down for a lot of people. Everyone is scared of lung cancer, even me!
Who knows if I have it or not, hopefully I don’t. Hopefully I quit in time.
I think this is what scares smokers the most. Is it too late? It’s NEVER too late to stop smoking.
Sadly, smokers put the thought of getting cancer at the bottom of their list.
“I still have time, I’ll quit later. Only old people get it.”
I’m sure a lot of people think like this.
It’s too bad that cancer can strike anyone at any age. All it takes it the correct spark to light the fuse, and then it begins.
Both my grandfathers died of this disease, and they were both smokers. So, it runs in my family.
Is there a history of cancer in YOUR family? If so, you should greatly consider the effects of smoking before it’s too late. You may be at high risk and not even know it.
EMPHYSEMA – This is a condition in which you have chronic bronchitis, lung disease that destroys your air sacs, or both.
Think of this as bronchitis x 10!
I can’t even imagine it. I thought regular bronchitis was the worst experience of my life, I can’t fathom breathing through a tube for the rest of my life and gasping for every breath.
This is how powerful nicotine really is. It can be so addictive that it takes extreme conditions, like emphysema, for you to really consider quitting.
Why do people wait that long? It’s simple: they’re a slave to nicotine.
You’ll just buy an inhaler and use it when you need to. I’m guilty of that.
There was a time in my life when I would get wheezy, but I still wanted to smoke, so I used my inhaler to clear my lungs, and then I’d have one.
That is the stupidest thing in the world to do!
Yet, I did it many times. Why?
Nicotine is a powerful drug, and unless you TRULY want to quit, it will always win. It will always defeat you.
This is why people have breathing problems that lead to more serious conditions. They don’t want to quit. They feel the inhalers give them enough leverage to still smoke.
You can’t make someone stop. If they wish to smoke the rest of their life and die from it, that’s their choice.
Dying of emphysema is not the way to go, though. In fact, it’s probably one of the worst ways to die.
In the beginning, it is all fun and games, because cigarettes are cool and everyone is doing it.
But by the end, you may be gasping for every breath you take, holding on to life itself.
Is that what you signed up for? Is that what you envisioned yourself becoming as an adult?
Is this what you wish to happen to your friends, your enemies, your children, or anyone you know?
Make the right choice! Stop before it’s too late!
Quit before the effects catch up to you.
Don’t feel as if it might be too late, because it’s never too late to quit smoking.
Great Post! Thanks for sharing!
I am a ex-smoker I didn’t stop so now I have COPD. The oxygen in my brain needs help. I don’t get a lot of oxygen to my brain. I should have stopped smoking. I was told 3 times that I need to stop smoking and I didn’t. Please you still have time to stop.
Hi my name is Debra and I am a ex-smoker but it was too late for me. I have COPD. My lungs are not working right. I get pneumonia but it’s not too late for you. I have a new friend now her name is oxygen. She and I will be together forever. Where I go she goes so at night I go to sleep with a Cpap machine because smoking lowered the oxygen in my brain. So yes you got time to stop smoking.