| You may have noticed that you are not allowed to | | | | Through the centuries since Columbus, countless |
| smoke in public places, no matter where you live. In | | | | millions of smokers have tried to stop smoking. Some |
| fact, your local or city government probably passed a | | | | have succeeded, many others have failed. Among the |
| public smoking ban. Of course, this raised the ire of | | | | frequently noted consequences of cessation are |
| smokers, but for the non-smoker is was like a breath | | | | compulsive overeating, social discomfort, and |
| of fresh air. Many people feel the need and believe it is | | | | depersonalization. Common initial effects are craving |
| their right to be in a public place without having to | | | | for foods, sweating, tremors, and nervousness. It is the |
| breathe the dangerous cigarette smoke. | | | | nicotine in tobacco that produces that craving. |
| Just as there are supporters to the ban, there are | | | | It is not definitely known why, but it is likely that nicotine |
| supporters against it. Smokers have the right to light up | | | | affects the parts of the brain called pleasure centers. |
| when they get the urge. Non-smokers have a right to | | | | These are very small areas that are active during |
| breathe clean air. | | | | pleasant sensations. Smokers seem to give |
| Just why is smoking such a controversial subject? | | | | themselves pleasure by taking nicotine into the body |
| Why was the ban needed to begin with? A little | | | | where it is passed onto the brain's pleasure centers. |
| investigation into the reasons for smoking and why it is | | | | Unfortunately, the feeling of pleasure is very short lived. |
| dangerous can shed some light on the subject. | | | | After smoking, half of the nicotine taken in is gone |
| Dangers of smoking | | | | within half an hour. As the nicotine level drops, the |
| Smoking is dangerous for a number of reasons. | | | | smoker begins to feel worse and a new craving for |
| People who smoke contract heart disease, stroke, lung | | | | nicotine is initiated. The body also develops a tolerance |
| disease, impotence, etc. Why does smoking cause all | | | | to the nicotine. This requires more of it to reach the |
| these ailments? And why do people get hooked so | | | | same levels of satisfaction or pleasure. Herein starts |
| easily? The reason is what the cigarette is made of. | | | | the vicious cycle of need and craving known as |
| The leaves of the tobacco plant are picked, dried, | | | | addiction. |
| chopped up, and rolled into paper tubes. The tubes are | | | | Today there are more options to stop smoking while |
| then stuck into the mouth, lit, and the poison-laden | | | | slowly reducing the need or craving for the nicotine. |
| smoke is taken into the lungs. Each time a person | | | | Doctor's can now prescribe patches, gums, and a |
| smokes a cigarette, they take an average of five | | | | number of alternate therapies to slowly reduce the |
| minutes off his/her life. This is about the same time it | | | | dependence on the nicotine. It is still not an easy road |
| takes to smoke the cigarette. Smoking cigarettes | | | | but holds great potential for many. |
| causes hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. | | | | Causes of smoking |
| The biggest chemical that causes the tobacco habit is | | | | There are many diseases associated with smoking, |
| a highly addictive drug called Nicotine. Nicotine will act | | | | lung cancer being number one. Lung cancer is very |
| like a stimulant, depressant, or tranquilizer. It is what | | | | common. More than 300,000 people will be diagnosed |
| causes smokers to get into the habit of smoking. | | | | with lung cancer this year. It is the leading cause of |
| Tobacco is one of the most physiologically damaging | | | | cancer related deaths in the United States. It develops |
| substances used by man. | | | | most often in scarred or chronically diseased lungs. |
| Columbus and other early explorers who followed him | | | | Over 87% of the cases of lung cancer are attributed |
| were amazed to meet the Indians who carried rolls of | | | | to cigarette smoking. Other factors include exposure |
| dried leaves that they set on fire. They then "drank" | | | | to asbestos, coal products, iron oxide, ionizing radiation, |
| the smoke as it emerged from the rolls in the fire. | | | | mustard gas, petroleum, and vinyl chloride. |
| Other Indians carried pipes in which they burned the | | | | Lung cancer occurs when cells in the lung start to |
| same leaves and "drank" the smoke. | | | | grow rapidly in an uncontrolled manner. Lung cancer |
| Accordingly, when the sailors returned home they | | | | can start anywhere in the lungs and affect any part of |
| carried abundant supplies of tobacco and seeds with | | | | the respiratory system. It is the ... go to to read further. |
| them. They also carried leaves and seeds with them | | | | Harry Husted is a freelance writer and author. He |
| on their subsequent expeditions to other parts of the | | | | specializes in e-book creation and other ghostwriting. |
| globe. Within a few decades, the plant had been | | | | Harry is also an author of three books, Learn How to |
| effectively spread around the world. Settlers in the | | | | Repair Computers: Get Certified in 15 Weeks, Insider |
| Americas learned to smoke and tobacco smoking | | | | Secrets to Wealth and Prosperity, and How to Find |
| spread through England like wildfire. The demand often | | | | and Start a Legitimate Home Business. He can be |
| exceeded supply and prices rose accordingly. | | | | reached by sending email to or visit his site at |
| From those days until today, it is important to note that | | | | This article is copyright (c) 2002 - 2009, by Harry |
| no country that learned to use tobacco has given up | | | | Husted, and may be reprinted in it's entirety as long as |
| the practice. Even to this day, there has been no | | | | this byline and copyright statement is included. |
| substance able to replace tobacco. | | | | |