Get to know the cigarette

Radiography of our enemy

The first news of the snuff has a specific date: November 1942, when the sailors who accompanied Columbus witnessed a curious custom of the natives of the island of Cuba, which was to make a sort of reefer with herbs unknown turn on one end and “drink” the smoke on the other.

Initially, the soldiers paid no attention to this absurd habit, but then by belief that they relieved the suffering and even cure some diseases and mainly by imitation, began to inhale the smoke snuff and fell in the same way.

Then, the introduction to Europe was rapid and may bring some leaves Columbus and back from his first voyage. During the sixteenth century the most common form of use was ground into powder and sucked and European aristocracy had accepted without question the new fashion.

But noting that those who ate quickly were more prone to disease (as opposed to indigenous belief) is that King James I of England published in the year 1603 with recommendations against the use of snuff. Louis XIII of France was punished with fines and even the Catholic Church, Pope Urban VIII forbade such action in all the churches.

Despite these and other ordinances snuff consumption is increasingly stretched in society and, worse still trade had become a formidable business, regardless of course the lives of their consumers.
The trade never ceased since the eighteenth century to the present, and from there I have added different chemicals, and the World Health Organization says the cigarettes consumed in 4720 currently contain chemicals, among which we mention ammonia, arsenic, phosphorus, lead, nicotine, tar, gunpowder, paper, carbon monoxide, nitrosamines, aromatic, acetone, formaldehyde, naphthalene, a powerful radioactive polonium-210 with high power to dissociate the molecules into ions and cause severe lung damage … just to name a few. At least 80 of them are proven carcinogens.

The addiction to cigarette

The snuff is addictive, mainly because the active ingredient, nicotine, which acts on the central nervous system. The smoker suffers physical and psychological dependence produces a withdrawal syndrome, called smoking. Nicotine is addictive, but has antidepressant effects and symptomatic relief of anxiety.
It all started once there in the distance, and perhaps as a piece of cake, either because their parents smoked in front of them as something natural, because their older siblings did, because her friends urged them to try once or to appear to be higher, by imitation, curiosity, fashion, group membership, or some even to ward off mosquitoes.
Everyone remembers well the moment, situation or circumstance that tested their first cigarette, (also remember how unpleasant it was and organic rejection) which was sufficient for some to dismiss the possibility of smoking, but others, at the insistence , ended up adopting smoking as a game.
In principle, the cigarettes were obtained, removed from their parents or sharing with friends, then the body started to point out the lack of nicotine, primarily responsible for addiction, until finally the cigarette was an important place in their lives, both in economies and in their times, and that gradually addiction was dominating the life of your customer, determining time, place and people to share, of course the condition is always the same… smoking. And so it is generated by chemical addiction to nicotine mainly mechanical-oral addiction, ie the repetitive gesture of the hands and mouth, social and addiction, in which actions are inherent in associating smoking and all, or almost everything reminds her desire to smoke, ashtrays, free time, computer, reading, stress, depression, joy, any situation determines the urge to smoke, actually determining who is not the circumstance, but the same dependence to nicotine, the lack of nicotine, which depend on each patient in particular, but on average every 20 minutes requirement is independent of the action you are performing.

Myths about the cigarette

A myth is something attributed to him qualities or excellences do not have. In the case of snuff, a large number of myths and false beliefs have been injected into the collective consciousness. (50 myths of snuff and Encarna Samitier Rodrigo Córdoba).
Snuff myths are many, and people use to justify their dependence snuff, or lack of decision to quit, just mention some as:
“I smoke because I want”
“I smoke because I like”
“Smoking is a free choice and independent adult”
“I smoke to have something to do with your hands”
“I smoke because it calms me down”
“Smoking makes me feel safer”
“Smoking makes me winning against the opposite sex”
“I smoke to go to the bathroom”
“I smoke to be accompanied”
“One thing we must die”
“My grandfather smoked five labels per day and died of old age”
“Quitting smoking will make me appear disease that hides the cigarette”
“I have a friend who suffered from lung cancer and did not smoke”
“Smoking after meals is a pleasure”
“Smoking is the encouragement that I have to get up”
“Smoking increases the mental performance”
“I have enough willpower to quit”
“More traffic pollution”
“Quitting smoking fattening”
“If it is so bad why is not prohibited”
“Smoke-free environments will affect hotels and bars”
“I just want to reduce to 3 or 4 cigarettes a day”
“For one, nothing happens”
And many more myths, we mention them for the purpose of not exhausting the same, however we will be adding more myths and the meaning of each, in our BLOG.