Suffolk Stop Smoking Service - Information for all smokers

Suffolk Stop Smoking Service

Suffolk Stop Smoking Service
Information for All Smokers

What is in Tobacco Smoke?

Information for smoking Cigarette smoke contains over 4000 chemicals. As well as tar and nicotine, there is carbon monoxide, ammonia and arsenic. At least 50 of the chemicals are known to cause cancer of the throat, mouth, bladder and kidneys.

NICOTINE is a powerful drug, which acts as a stimulant and is responsible for your dependence on tobacco. Nicotine releases adrenaline, which raises your heart rate and blood pressure. Nicotine narrows your arteries, which is made worse by the build-up of fatty substances in the walls of your blood vessels increasing your chance of a heart attack.

CARBON MONOXIDE is a gas present in tobacco smoke, and it attaches itself to your oxygen carrying blood cells. The reduced oxygen in your body causes you to be breathless, and over time your airways will swell up allowing less air into your lungs.

TAR itself is not a single substance, but is the collective name for the many chemicals that form the thick sticky residue of tobacco smoke. The tar coats your lungs and increases your chances of lung cancer. Changing to a lower tar cigarette does not help because you will inhale the tobacco smoke more deeply into your lungs.

The Health Benefits of Giving Up

Giving up smoking has immediate and long-term benefits.

20 minutes	Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal. Circulation improves in hands and feet.
8 hours	Oxygen levels in blood return to normal and chance of a heart attack start to fall.
24 hours	Carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out the debris.
48 hours	Senses of taste and smell are greatly improved. The stale smell of smoke on your breath and clothes disappear.
3 months	The lung function increases so you can breathe more easily and the nagging cough disappears. The risk of further gum disease has reduced and tooth staining begins to disappear.
9 months	The risk of experiencing complications during pregnancy has reduced to the level of a non-smoker.
18 months	Your lungs have completed their task of clearing out the residual tars and poisons in your lungs.
5 years	The probability of contracting mouth, throat and oesophageal cancer has been reduced by 50%.
10 years	The risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker. The risk of a heart attack fall to about the same as someone who has never smoked.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE HELP TO STOP SMOKING YOU CAN CALL FOR ADVICE:

Local information:	0800 085 6037
NHS help line:	0800 169 0169
Pregnancy:	0800 1699169

IN THIS SECTION

Suffolk Stop Smoking Service

Information for all Smokers

Smoking and Pregnancy

Information for New Dads


West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust	Last Modified: December 2002