Don’t you think that it is about time you quit smoking? Or have you already quit several times? The purpose of this website is to assist you in quitting forever, without the urge to start up again. In just one week after starting to quit smoking, you can be free from tobacco forever.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BECOME SMOKE FREE

If you are about to quit, do you know what to do to fight off that urge to smoke another cigarette?

Do you know the reasons that cause you to light up that cigarette? If you are still smoking, you need to ask yourself, “Am I ready to quit the smoking habit”?

Can I do it successfully?

There are two factors that will determine your success:

1.You must have the desire to give up your habit.
2.You must have the confidence to know that you can do it.

YOU CAN AND WE CAN SHOW YOU HOW. CLICK HERE.

Electronic Smokeless Cigarette

How would you like to smoke without any of the traditional problems of smoking. No more coughing, wheezing and health risks. Enjoy the pleasure of smoking at a fraction of the cost of real smokes.

Cigarette smoking is one of the most difficult habits to break. There are many elements to smoking making it one of the hardest addictions to kick. Many people in the United States attempt to quit each year with little or no success.

One of the newest products on the market offering people hope is the electronic cigarette. There are many benefits to using this handy little piece of modern technology and it may help decrease fatalities caused by smoking. If you have had trouble kicking your smoking habit, the e-cigarette may be a great alternative solution.

What is an E-Cigarette?

The electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, is an alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes that still gives a smoker the same feel and sensation of smoking. It looks like an real cigarette, but is an electronic piece of equipment designed to look, feel and taste like a cigarette. It is powered by microchip technology and allows a smoker to enjoy all the pleasures that smoking gives them without the health risks. The smoker still gets nicotine into their system, but there is no tobacco products which alleviates the health risks associated with tobacco use.

One of the biggest benefits of using the e-cigarette is the absence of tar, arsenic, formaldehyde, acetone, ammonia and many other extremely poisonous, dangerous chemicals which are all in traditional cigarettes. Eliminating these harmful carcinogens from your body is enough reason alone to invest in the e-cigarette if you are a smoker.

What are the Benefits?

E-cigarettes are very similar to traditional, tobacco cigarettes. They look the same, they taste the same, and they even feel the same. However, with the e-cigarette, there is no flame. So, the danger of accidentally setting a fire is virtually eliminated. Also, since there is no smoke from an e-cigarette, there is no second hand smoke with which to contend. There is no need to ban e-cigarettes from restaurants or entire cities because no one else is affected by a person smoking an e-cigarette. There is no need for segregation because no one has to endure someone else’s second-hand smoke. There is no odor, there is no carcinogens, there is only the e-cigarette’s end lighting up as a person inhales the nicotine. So, going to the bar could soon be a completely new scene. With no smoke, there is no damage to clothing, furniture, walls, drapery, skin or air. It’s hard to imagine walking into an establishment that has allowed smoking inside and not have the stale scent of cigarette smoke filling your nostrils. With the advent of the e-cigarette, that may be an image that will soon fade into memory.

Can E-cigarettes Help Me?

Switching to the e-cigarette can be a great way to continue smoking without continuing to damage your body. The damage caused by years of smoking can be repaired over time and using the e-cigarette can help accomplish that goal. It’s important to realize that the e-cigarette still provides a person with their nicotine fix and does not alleviate their dependence on it. So, if you have tried to quit smoking but couldn’t and you want to stop the damage to your system, then the e-cigarette is a wonderful alternative. But, the nicotine addiction will still be a part of your life. The dependency on this harmful drug should be addressed, probably separately, at a later time. But the e-cigarette may be a great stepping off point if you are serious about kicking this debilitating habit for good.

-By Carlos Scarpero

About the author

Need some help? Visit us for help on quitting smoking? This article was found at WellWisher.

Electronic Cigarette

It has the same appearance, feel, and taste of a normal cigarette, but it is not a cigarette and does not include all the harmful side effects that smoking a tobacco cigarette does. The smoking habit is thousands of years old, but today there is a growing trend to find an alternative to quit the addiction. One method that is steadily growing in popularity around the world is the new electronic cigarette.

Cigarettes contain thousands of chemicals when they are burned, including argon, lead, mercury, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and many others. Of all of the chemicals a burning cigarette emits, at least 69 of them are known to the medical community to cause cancer in humans.

The e-cigarette works by atomizing a mixture of mostly water, nicotine, propylene glycol as you inhale it through a cartridge that looks just like a cigarette filter. They started out being as big as a writing pen, but have since decreased in size to the point where most models look like a slightly fatter cigarette.

There are multiple brands of e-cigarettes currently on the market, but many of them come from China, where the first e-cigarette was invented in 2004. Models that look like traditional cigarettes which are white with an orange filter are available, as are brown cigarettes, cigars, and even pipes.

There are also multiple flavors of e-cigarette cartridges, including menthol, fruit flavors, and even tea. Additional flavors are currently being developed and some consumers are even learning to blend their own with products available from food flavoring companies.

The benefits of an e-cigarette include no second hand smoke for anyone you care about to inhale and no lingering odor that will make your clothing stink. There is also no mess associated with e-cigarettes, since you will not need an ash tray and you never have to worry about dropping ashes in the floor. E-cigarettes are also safer than traditional cigarettes because you don’t have to worry about accidentally burning yourself or anyone else.

Even though they are 10 times safer than normal cigarettes, they are currently being banned in multiple countries due to the concerns of government health organizations that say that they are unsafe, often without any substantial proof to support this claim.

While normal tobacco cigarettes (including all 4,000 chemicals they emit) remain legal in all of the countries that ban both the sale and possession of e-cigarettes, e-cigarettes just may provide a safer alternative as smokers continue to look for a healthier alternative to traditional smoking.

-by Aydan Corkern

About the author
Visit Aydan Corkern’s e-cigarette and electronic cigars sites for more information. This article was found at WellWisher.

2. After reading this list, sit down and write your own list, customized to your personality and way of doing things. Create you own plan for quitting.

3. Write down why you want to quit (the benefits of quitting): live longer, feel better, for your family, save money, smell better, find a mate more easily, etc. You know what’s bad about smoking and you know what you’ll get by quitting. Put it on paper and read it daily.

4. Ask your family and friends to support your decision to quit. Ask them to be completely supportive and non-judgmental. Let them know ahead of time that you will probably be irritable and even irrational while you withdraw from your smoking habit.

5. Set a quit date. Decide what day you will extinguish your cigarettes forever. Write it down. Plan for it. Prepare your mind for the “first day of the rest of your life”. You might even hold a small ceremony when you smoke you last cigarette, or on the morning of the quit date.

6. Talk with your doctor about quitting. Support and guidance from a physician is a proven way to better your chances to quit.

7. Begin an exercise program. Exercise is simply incompatible with smoking. Exercise relieves stress and helps your body recover from years of damage from cigarettes. If necessary, start slow, with a short walk once or twice per day. Build up to 30 to 40 minutes of rigorous activity, 3 or 4 times per week. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.

8. Do some deep breathing each day for 3 to 5 minutes. Breathe in through your nose very slowly, hold the breath for a few seconds, and exhale very slowly through your mouth. Try doing your breathing with your eyes closed and go to step 9.

9. Visualize your way to becoming a non-smoker. While doing your deep breathing in step 8, you can close your eyes and begin to imagine yourself as a non-smoker. See yourself enjoying your exercise in step 7. See yourself turning down a cigarette that someone offers you. See yourself throwing all your cigarettes away, and winning a gold medal for doing so. Develop your own creative visualizations. Visualization works.

10. Cut back on cigarettes gradually (if you cut back gradually, be sure to set a quit date on which you WILL quit). Ways to cut back gradually include: plan how many cigarettes you will smoke each day until your quit date, making the number you smoke smaller each day; buy only one pack at a time; change brands so you don’t enjoy smoking as much; give your cigarettes to someone else, so that you have to ask for them each time you want to smoke.

11. Quit smoking “cold turkey”. Many smokers find that the only way they can truly quit once and for all is to just quit abruptly without trying to slowly taper off. Find the method that works best for you: gradually quitting or cold turkey. If one way doesn’t work do the other.

Parents-Help Keep Your Kids Tobacco-Free. Know the Facts About Youth and Tobacco Use.

Kids who use tobacco may:

* Cough and have asthma attacks more often and develop respiratory problems leading to more sick days, more doctor bills, and poorer athletic performance.
* Be more likely to use alcohol and other drugs such as cocaine and marijuana.
* Become addicted to tobacco and find it extremely hard to quit.
* Spit tobacco and cigars are not safe alternatives to cigarettes; low-tar and additive-free cigarettes are not safe either.
* Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States causing heart disease, cancers, and strokes.

Take a Stand at Home-Early and Often

** Despite the impact of movies, music, and TV, parents can be the GREATEST INFLUENCE in their kids’ lives.
** Talk directly to children about the risks of tobacco use; if friends or relatives died from tobacco-related illnesses, let your kids know.
** If you use tobacco, you can still make a difference. Your best move, of course, is to try to quit.

Meanwhile, don’t use tobacco in your child’s presence, don’t offer it to them, and don’t leave it where they can easily get it.

+ Start the dialog about tobacco use at age 5 or 6 and continue through their high school years. Many kids start using tobacco by age 11, and many are addicted by age 14.
+ Know if your kids’ friends use tobacco. Talk about ways to refuse tobacco.
+ Discuss with kids the false glamorization of tobacco on billboards, and other media, such as movies, TV, and magazines.

Make a Difference in Your Community

++ Vote with your pocketbook. Support businesses that don’t sell tobacco to kids. Frequent restaurants and other places that are tobacco-free.
++ Be sure your schools and all school events (i.e. parties, sporting events, etc.) are tobacco-free.
++ Partner with your local tobacco prevention programs. Call your local health department or your cancer, heart, or lung association to learn how you can get involved.

Here’s another quick fact sheet from the CDC that can help to influence kids:

What You(th) Should Know About Tobacco

The World Health Organization (WHO) has compiled worldwide smoking statistics for the year 2002. The smoking facts and stats presented are sobering.

GLOBAL SMOKING STATISTICS (28 May 2002)

* About a third of the male adult global population smokes.
* Smoking related-diseases kill one in 10 adults globally, or cause four million deaths. By 2030, if current trends continue, smoking will kill one in six people.
* Every eight seconds, someone dies from tobacco use.
* Smoking is on the rise in the developing world but falling in developed nations. Among Americans, smoking rates shrunk by nearly half in three decades (from the mid-1960s to mid-1990s), falling to 23% of adults by 1997. In the developing world, tobacco consumption is rising by 3.4% per year.
* About 15 billion cigarettes are sold daily - or 10 million every minute.
* About 12 times more British people have died from smoking than from World War II.
* Cigarettes cause more than one in five American deaths.
* Among WHO Regions, the Western Pacific Region - which covers East Asia and the Pacific - has the highest smoking rate, with nearly two-thirds of men smoking.
* About one in three cigarettes are consumed in the Western Pacific Region.
* The tobacco market is controlled by just a few corporations - namely American, British and Japanese multinational conglomerates.

Youth

* Among young teens (aged 13 to 15), about one in five smokes worldwide.
* Between 80,000 and 100,000 children worldwide start smoking every day - roughly half of whom live in Asia.
* Evidence shows that around 50% of those who start smoking in adolescent years go on to smoke for 15 to 20 years.
* Peer-reviewed studies show teenagers are heavily influenced by tobacco advertising.
* About a quarter of youth alive in the Western Pacific Region will die from smoking.

Health

* Half of long-term smokers will die from tobacco. Every cigarette smoked cuts at least five minutes of life on average - about the time taken to smoke it.
* Smoking is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death. It is a prime factor in heart disease, stroke and chronic lung disease. It can cause cancer of the lungs, larynx, oesophagus, mouth, and bladder, and contributes to cancer of the cervix, pancreas, and kidneys.
* More than 4,000 toxic or carcinogenic chemicals have been found in tobacco smoke.
* One British survey found that nearly 99% of women did not know of the link between smoking and cervical cancer.
* One survey found that 60% of Chinese adults did not know that smoking can cause lung cancer while 96% were unaware it can cause heart disease.
* At least a quarter of all deaths from heart diseases and about three-quarters of world’s chronic bronchitis are related to smoking.
* Smoking-related diseases cost the United States more than $150 billion a year.

Advertising

* US-based multinational Philip Morris - the world’s biggest cigarette company - was the world’s ninth largest advertiser in 1996, spending more than $3 billion.
* A survey a few years ago found that nearly 80% of American advertising executives from top agencies believed cigarette advertising does make smoking more appealing or socially acceptable to children. Through advertising, tobacco firms try to link smoking with athletic prowess, sexual attractiveness, success, adult sophistication, adventure and self-fulfilment.
* A survey in the UK found about half of smokers think that smoking “can’t really be all that dangerous, or the Government wouldn’t let cigarettes be advertised”.
* A 1998 survey found that tobacco companies were among the top 10 advertisers in 18 out of 66 countries surveyed.
* In Asia, tobacco companies are among the top 10 advertisers in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines.
* In Russia, according to press reports, foreign tobacco companies are the largest advertisers, accounting for as much as 40% of all TV and radio advertising.
* In 1997, the tobacco industry’s spending on advertising in the United States was about $15 million a day ($5.7 billion for the year).
* The tobacco industry has changed the way it advertises in the last 30 years. Now, only 10% of advertising expenditure goes to print and outdoor advertisements, while more than half goes to promotional allowances and items, such as t-shirts for young people or lighters and key rings.
* After the entry of foreign multinational tobacco firms into Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand, youth and female smoking rose significantly.

*The 37 countries and areas comprising the WHO Western Pacific Region are: American Samoa, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hong Kong (China), Japan, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Macao (China), Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, and Wallis and Futuna.

We all want this quit to be the quit. We’re looking for permanent freedom from nicotine addiction. This article takes a look at some of the things you should avoid when quitting tobacco. Build a strong quit program by educating yourself about the process!

Don’t be impatient. The natural tendency is to quit smoking and expect to be done with it within a month. Cessation just doesn’t work like that. When you quit smoking, you are letting go of a habit that you’ve had for many years, if not all of your adult life. It’s only fair to expect that breaking all of the old associations down will take some time. Sit back, relax, and put some time between you and that last smoke. Have patience with yourself, and with the process.

Don’t worry about forever. It can be overwhelming to think you’ll never smoke another cigarette.

Don’t do that to yourself. Train your mind to stay in the here and now of today. This is where your power is, and always will be. You can’t do a thing about yesterday or tomorrow, but you sure can control today. If you find your mind wandering in either direction, pull it back. Pay attention to your thoughts, and do your best to stay focused on the day you have in front of you.

Don’t be negative. It’s been said that the average person has approximately 66,000 thoughts in a given day, and two-thirds of them are negative. We can be so hard on ourselves! Don’t beat yourself up for things you can’t change, such as the years you spent smoking. Don’t look at past quit attempts as failures. Learn from the experiences you’ve had and move on. Think about all of the positive changes you’re creating in your life. Successful long-term cessation always starts in the mind. Focus on your purpose and develop an attitude of gratitude. We have a way of believing what we tell ourselves over and over. Don’t feed yourself negatives. Affirm the changes you are working to create in your life, and action will follow more easily.

Don’t neglect yourself. This is a time when you should be taking extra care to make sure all of your needs are getting met. Following these simple guidelines will help you weather withdrawal more comfortably:

Eat a well-balanced diet. Your body needs good quality fuel now more than ever as it works to flush the toxins out of your system.

Get more rest. You will need it, and chances are you’ll feel extra fatigue for a few weeks. Don’t fight it. Sleep more if you can.

Drink water. Water is a great quit aid. It helps you detox more quickly, works well as a craving-buster, and by keeping yourself hydrated, you’ll feel better overall. Drink as much of the stuff as you can manage.

Exercise daily. Walking is a wonderful way to get your exercise if you don’t already have a favorite physical activity. It’s a good, low impact aerobic workout, and it works well to keep cravings in check. Take a few 15 minute walks every day and see if it improves your spirits.

Take a daily multi-vitamin. Giving your body an extra boost this way isn’t a bad idea for the duration of the withdrawal process. Cigarettes deplete so many nutrients. It may help you regain your energy more quickly.

Withdrawal isn’t a pain-free experience, but it is survivable, and it is certainly short-lived. Always keep in mind the fact that withdrawal from nicotine is a temporary condition.

Alcohol and tobacco go hand-in-hand…

Don’t drink. I probably don’t need to tell you that alcohol and tobacco go hand-in-hand. New quitters are tender. Putting yourself into a social setting where there is drinking too soon after quitting can be dangerous. Don’t rush it. The time will come when you can have a drink without it triggering the urge to smoke, but don’t expect that to be within the first month, or perhaps even the first few months. We’re all a little different in how we go through recovery, so defining a specific time frame isn’t realistic. Just be aware of your own situation. If you have an engagement coming up that involves drinking and you feel nervous about that, it may be best to postpone until you’re feeling stronger. If that’s not an option, have a plan in place for how you’ll manage the event smoke free.

-Terry Martin

Physical withdrawal from nicotine is a temporary condition, but it can cause a fair amount of discomfort while it lasts. The nickname of having “quitter’s flu” has been given to this phase of smoking cessation because nicotine withdrawal symptoms often mimic a cold or a mild case of the flu. Understanding what to expect and following the pointers for coping will help you move through this stage more easily.

The following list contains commonly reported symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Most people have some of these, but rarely all of them. While each person will go through this process a little differently, for most people, these discomforts are short-lived. It’s always a good idea to check in with your doctor if you’re concerned about a physical reaction you’re having to smoking cessation, or if nicotine withdrawal symptoms persist.

Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms

* Cravings to smoke
* Irritable, cranky
* Insomnia
* Fatigue
* Inability to Concentrate
* Headache
* Cough
* Sore throat
* Constipation, gas, stomach pain
* Dry mouth
* Sore tongue and/or gums
* postnasal drip
* Tightness in the chest

Coping Skills for Nicotine Withdrawal : The five D’s

* Delay until the urge passes - usually within 3-5 minutes
* Distract yourself. Call a friend or go for a walk.
* Drink water to fight off cravings
* Deep Breaths - Relax! Close your eyes and take 10 slow, deep breaths
* Discuss your feelings with someone close to you or at the support forum here at About.com Smoking Cessation.

Other Ways to Manage Nicotine Withdrawal Include:

* Exercise. Get a little every day. Even a 15 minute walk will work wonders to help you feel better and reduce cravings to smoke. Top 10 Reasons to Start Walking
* Get more rest. Sleep is a great tool when we first quit smoking. If you’re tired and can manage it, take a nap. On the other hand, if you’re experiencing insomnia, try taking a long walk several hours before bed.

Managing Insomnia When You Quit Smoking

* Relaxation. Time alone to read a good book. A hot bath at the end of the day. Whatever makes you feel pampered and relaxes you is a great choice.
* Reward yourself. Do something nice for yourself at the end of every single smoke free day you complete early on. Acknowledge the hard work you’re doing to quit smoking!

Don’t let nicotine withdrawal scare you!

Remember - nicotine withdrawal is a temporary phase of quitting. The fantastic feeling of freedom and control you’ll get when you successfully beat this addiction is worth every bit of effort you give to quitting, and then some.

You are worth it!

-Terry Martin

Thoughts of smoking can creep in and throw you off balance if you’re not prepared for them. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons people break down and light up that first cigarette is due to junkie thinking. How do you defeat those tempting thoughts to have just one?

Understanding how your mind tries to negotiate while withdrawing from nicotine addiction is an important first step. Most, if not all quitters experience those urges to give in and smoke, especially during the first few months. Addiction doesn’t let go without throwing some mental chatter and bargaining our way. As one of our forum members, Gaylene said so well:

“A good way to think of them(thoughts of smoking) is—ElNico is dying. These urges are him struggling to get you to feed him. The longer he goes without being fed the dimmer his voice will get. He will starve to death. As he gets weaker, the strength he is losing is being transferred to you. You are gaining strength each time you are successful at not smoking. If you were to light up, ElNico would smile his evil smile and say, ‘I tricked her into feeding me, so now I’m gonna be in charge again!’ Don’t let this happen.”

Knowing what to expect and seeing urges as a part of the healing which is taking place within you will keep you in control. The following list of common rationalizations and their responses may sound familiar. Chances are you’ll identify with some of these statements. Stay ahead of the game by arming yourself with knowledge, and preserve the freedom you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Common Rationalizations*

Rationalization: I’m under a lot of stress, and smoking relaxes me.

Response: Your body is used to nicotine, so you naturally feel more relaxed when you give your body a substance upon which it has grown dependent. But nicotine really is a stimulant; it raises your heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline level. Most ex-smokers feel much less nervous just a few weeks after quitting.

Rationalization: Smoking makes me more effective in my work.

Response: Trouble concentrating can be a short-term symptom of quitting, but smoking actually deprives your brain of oxygen.

Rationalization: I’ve already cut down to a safe level.

Response: Cutting down is a good first step, but there’s a big difference in the benefits to you between smoking a little and not smoking at all. Besides, smokers who cut back often inhale more often and more deeply to maintain their nicotine intake. Also, carbon monoxide intake often increases with a switch to low-tar cigarettes.

Rationalization: It’s too hard to quit. I don’t have the willpower.

Response: Quitting and staying away from cigarettes is hard, but it’s not impossible. More than 3 million Americans quit every year. It’s important for you to remember that many people have had to try more than once, and try more than one method, before they became ex-smokers, but they have done it, and so can you.

Rationalization: I’m worried about gaining weight.

Response: Most smokers who gain more than 5 - 10 pounds are eating more. Gaining weight isn’t inevitable. There are things you can do to help keep your weight stable.

Rationalization: I don’t know what to do with my hands.

Response: That’s a common complaint among ex-smokers.

You can keep your hands busy in other ways; it’s just a matter of getting used to the change of not holding a cigarette. Try holding something else, such as a pencil, paper clip, or marble. Practice simply keeping your hands clasped together. If you’re at home, think of all the things you wish you had time to do, make a list, and consult the list for alternatives to smoking whenever your hands feel restless. Take a look at this list of 101 Things to Do Instead of Smoking for more ideas.

Rationalization: Sometimes I have an almost irresistible urge to have a cigarette.

Response: This is a common feeling, especially within the first 1-3 weeks. The longer you’re off cigarettes, the more your urges probably will come at times when you smoked before, such as when you’re drinking coffee or alcohol or are at a cocktail party where other people are smoking. These are high-risk situations, and you can help yourself by avoiding them whenever possible. If you can’t avoid them, you can try to visualize in advance how you’ll handle the desire for a cigarette if it arises in those situations.

Rationalization: I blew it. I smoked a cigarette.

Response: Smoking one or a few cigarettes doesn’t mean you’ve “blown it.” It does mean that you have to strengthen your determination to quit and try again–harder. Don’t forget that you got through several days, perhaps even weeks or months, without a cigarette. This shows that you don’t need cigarettes and that you can be a successful quitter.

*Adapted from Clinical Opportunities for Smoking Intervention-A Guide for the Busy Physician. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. NIH Pub. No. 86-2178. August 1986

When a cigarette is smoked, about half of the smoke is inhaled / exhaled (mainstream smoke) by the smoker and the other half floats around in the air (sidestream smoke).

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) plays a part in more health problems than you might realize. The following facts point out why it is so important to have smoking bans in place. No one should be forced to breathe in air tainted with cigarette smoke.

Second Hand Smoke and Cancer

The U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has classified second hand smoke as a Group A carcinogen.

Cancers linked to passive smoking include:

* Lung cancer - 3000 nonsmokers die every year from lung cancer caused by ETS
* Nasal sinus cavity cancer
* Cervical Cancer
* Breast cancer
* Bladder cancer

Some chemical compounds found in smoke only become carcinogenic after they’ve come into contact with certain enzymes found in many of the tissues of the human body.

The Risks of Second Hand Smoke to a Child

* Low birthweight for gestational age
* Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)- children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy have an increased risk of SIDS.
* The EPA estimates that passive smoking is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 of these infections in children under 18 months annually
* Asthma - According to the EPA, between 200,000 and 1,000,000 kids with asthma have their condition worsened by second hand smoke every year. Also, passive smoking may also be responsible for thousands of new cases of asthma every year
* Chronic respiratory symptoms such as cough and wheezing may be attributed to second hand smoke.
* Children who breathe in second hand smoke are more likely to suffer from dental cavities, eye and nose irritation, and irritability
* Middle ear infections - exposure to ETS causes buildup of fluid in the middle ear, resulting in 700,000 to 1.6 million physician office visits yearly