Question of the Month: 

Q:  Why do smoker's feel out of breath - huffing and puffing after a short walk or jog?

A:  Answer:  When you breathe in a lung-full of cigarette smoke, the carbon monoxide passes immediately into your blood, binding to the oxygen receptor sites and figuratively kicking the oxygen molecules out of your red blood cells. Hemoglobin that is bound to carbon monoxide is converted into carboxyhemoglobin, and is no longer able to transport oxygen.

This means that less oxygen reaches a smoker’s brain and other vital organs. Because of this added carbon monoxide load, a smoker’s red cells are also less effective in removing carbon dioxide—a waste product—from his or her body’s cells.

If you continue to smoke for several weeks, your number of red cells begins to increase, as your body responds to chronic oxygen deprivation. This condition, characterized by an abnormally high level of red blood cells, is known as smoker’s polycythemia. In addition, smoking makes your blood clot more easily. Both of these factors may increase your risk of heart attack or stroke.

Furthermore, a smoker’s blood carries less oxygen, the nicotine in tobacco smoke increases the heart rate, requiring more oxygen. This is why smokers become short of breath more easily than nonsmokers. The high concentration of carbon monoxide also reduces the level of oxygen that is carried to the brain. This can produce lethargy, confusion, and difficulty in thinking.

Featured quitting smoking advice:  submit your quitting smoking tip or story to:

info@smoking-cessation.org

Most smokers spend countless hours during their smoking careers trying to satisfactorily answer this most perplexing question. Typically, answers they come up with are that they smoke because they are unhappy, unsatisfied, nervous, bored, anxious, lonely, tired or just frustrated without their cigarettes. Other reasons often quoted are that cigarettes keep them thin, make them better able to think, or that they are more sociable while smoking. Some claim that they smoke to celebrate the joyful times of life. Food, drink, fun and games, and even sex all seem to lose their appeal without an accompanying cigarette. After hearing all of these wonderful qualities attributed to cigarette smoking, I find myself amazed that 33,000,000 Americans have successfully given up smoking. What in the world is wrong with these ex-smokers? I can understand people who never smoked. They never knew or believed all of these wonderful benefits derived from smoking. What you never had you’ll never miss. But these ex-smokers, having given up such a marvelous habit with so many benefits, must be crazy.

The fact is ex-smokers are not crazy. To the contrary, it was their ability to be rational which enabled them to successfully break free from cigarettes. They had the foresight to put themselves through the pain and agony encountered during the initial withdrawal from the nicotine addiction. It is both a powerful physical and psychological addiction which creates many irrational beliefs as defense mechanisms in order to perpetuate the smoking behaviour. Most of the reasons mentioned above of why smokers claim they smoke are such drug induced beliefs.

All ex-smokers should be applauded for their great accomplishment of overcoming the many obstacles created by their addiction. Encountering the initial quitting process creates a state of emotional insecurity and self doubt. Will they ever able to survive in our complicated world without their cigarettes? Once they became totally free of the grip which cigarettes exerted upon them, they were able to get a clear perspective of how many misconceptions they had about the benefits they thought they derived from smoking. Being drug free after years of enslavement brings a sense of relief and accomplishment they never anticipated. To their pleasant surprise, they discover the marvelous fact that there is life after smoking. It is a healthier, calmer and more pleasant life. They now have a choice as to whether or not they ever wish to smoke again. If they look honestly and objectively at the advantages and disadvantages, the logical choice is to remain ex-smokers.

Unfortunately, some don’t remember all of the consequences associated with their old habit, but only recall the infrequent good times they had with their cigarettes. They think that they could once again enjoy just a few cigarettes. What must be understood by all ex-smokers is that they only have two options. They could smoke nothing or they could smoke at their previous level of consumption. There is no in-between. They are wasting their time contemplating how nice it would be to be an occasional social smoker. They can never again have that luxury.

All ex-smokers must consider both options. Then if they choose to smoke, all they need do is take their first cigarette and again become trapped in the nicotine addiction. If they choose to remain free, all they need is to follow the simple practice: NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!

By Joel Spitzer