Nowadays smoking is the most common bad habit. But even before the end of the 15th century, people had no idea about tobacco. The first smokers were the Spanish conquerors of America. The companions of Christopher Columbus were struck by the custom of the local Indians to turn the leaves of an unknown plant into a tube, set fire to one end, inhale smoke through the mouth and release through the mouth. Why did the Indians smoke? Perhaps, by tobacco smoke, they drove away biting mosquitoes or repulsed the scent of wild beasts. Indians of Central and South America smoked tobacco leaves wrapped in leaves of palm or corn, and North American Indians stuffed the crumbled leaves into special tubes. There was even a smoking ritual of the "peace tube" when, after a bloody clash, former opponents from different tribes sat in a circle, the leader lit a pipe and passed it to the enemy sitting next to him in a sign of reconciliation. He paused and handed the receiver to the next one. So the world's pipe went in a circle. Some Spanish sailors began to imitate the Indians and became addicted to smoking. Can you imagine how surprised the inhabitants of Portugal, seeing the return of sailors, letting smoke from the nose and mouth. Seafarers brought from America many useful plants: potatoes, sunflower, but they with great difficulty caught on in Europe. And useless tobacco spread lightly across the Old World, although its breeding is a troublesome and expensive business. First of small seeds in greenhouses grow seedlings, then transplant it into the field. The grown leaves are severed by hand, stringed on cords and suspended for several days in dryers for longing. When the leaves turn yellow and acquire a characteristic odor, they are finally dried and ground.
People have found a worthy use of tobacco. In agriculture, tobacco dust is used in the fight against harmful insects. And the stems of tobacco without harm can be fed cattle.
The appearance of tobacco in Europe is associated with the name of the French ambassador in Portugal, Jean Niko. According to one version, it was he who brought the seeds of tobacco from America. Niko immortalized his name in the name of the poisonous substance released during smoking - nicotine. Nicotine is a very powerful poison. A pack of 20 cigarettes contains about 50 milligrams of nicotine. If such a quantity enters the body at once, the poisoning will be fatal. In addition to nicotine, tobacco smoke contains various gums, carbon monoxide and soot that cause lung cancer. This is why it is harmful for non-smokers to be in a smoke-filled room. It is especially dangerous to start smoking during adolescence. Smokers become tired more quickly, sleep badly at night, they often have a headache. At school, they are less intelligent, they are struggling to solve problems and learn new material. In physical education classes they are always lagging behind: they can not run through the cross, they immediately begin to choke. And there is no question of winning competitions!
The consequences of smoking are associated with a huge arsenal of dangerous diseases. This terrible habit causes heart attacks, strokes, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, various cancers, especially lung cancer. Among people aged 30-40 years who smoke, myocardial infarctions happen 5 times more often than among those who do not have this addiction. Women who smoke 10 times more often suffer from infertility, and men develop impotence.
To get rid of this habit is very difficult, even for those who want it badly. Basically, because nicotine causes a strong dependence on a person. But quitting smoking is sometimes even hard because it is also a behavioral habit.
Here are some recommendations for people who decided to quit smoking:
- Determine the day when you stop smoking. Call it the Day of Health. It is advisable that he be within two weeks of the decision.
- Ask relatives, friends, friends to support you in this endeavor.
- It would be good if you started smoking with someone from your friends so that you could share successes or failures and get timely advice.
- Ask your friends to flatly deny you a request to smoke.
- Gradually reduce the number of smoked cigarettes by one to three pieces.
- Try not to smoke a cigarette to the end, because in its last part contains the most harmful substances.
- Do not leave stubs in the room, throwing them away immediately.
- Each time increase the interval between smoking. Do not take deep puffs.
- Stop buying cigarettes, and each time ask them from someone from passers-by. Gradually will feel the embarrassment of this, and people will quickly podnadost.
- More time to spend in the fresh air.
- Be engaged in physical education, sign up for the sports section.
- If you want to smoke, deal with the case. It can be both homework and physical exercises.
- Replace the cigarette with chewing gum, not candy.
- Stop smoking once and for all!