TOBACCO SMOKING

<h1>TOBACCO SMOKING</h1>Author: <a title="Nix" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/nix/113399.htm">Nix</a> TOBACCO SMOKING The practice of burning tobacco and then inhaling the smoke into the lungs is believed to have begun as early as 5000 - 3000 BC. Many civilisations ritually burned incense and then burning the agricultural product tobacco and inhaling the smoke became a social convention. The inhalation of the smoke into the airsacs of the lungs (called alveoli) which are surrounded by blood vessels causes the chemicals in the tobacco smoke to move into the blood and to pass around the body. Research has shown that these active substances trigger chemical reactions in nerve endings and some of the effects have been increased reaction time, alertness and heart rate, amongst others. Feel-good chemicals have been shown to be released by the chemical reactions which give a heightened sense of pleasure. So smoking becomes a habit. Many countries e.g. Rhodesia, now called Zimbabwe, supported this habit by growing tobacco in huge quantities, so much that tobacco became the country’s biggest agricultural export. Smoking fell into disrepute as early as the 1920’s when its links with cancer became publicised. The first anti-smoking campaign was in the late 1920s. Yet tobacco is still a huge industry. World-wide there are millions of tobacco smokers. It is a worrying fact that smoking usually begins during the teenage years, or early adulthood. This is often started as a result of peer pressure and it often takes several attempts for the young person to become ‘hooked’ on smoking. This is because the body recognises poisons entering it and so tries to eliminate them, via coughing, vomiting etc. Unfortunately, most adolescent smokers pursue the habit and then, because the nicotine in tobacco is a drug, (some experts say it is as dangerous as heroin or cocaine) they become addicted. In the beginning of a smoker’s life it is the pleasurable sensation which is enjoyed and together with peer acceptance these serve as a positive reinforcement to continue smoking. However, after smoking for many years the key motivation for a smoker to continue smoking is the avoidance of withdrawal symptoms, so this is negative reinforcement. Smoking of tobacco is arguably the greatest danger, or one of the greatest dangers, to the overall health of the human species today. Those early civilisations and the traders who brought tobacco into the old world in the 1500s from where it spread world wide, have a lot to answer for!About the Author: The new healthier way of <a href="http://www.electroniccigarettesonline.co.za">smoking</a> has arrived.Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/tobacco-smoking-1434517.html" title="TOBACCO SMOKING">TOBACCO SMOKING</a>

TOBACCO SMOKING

The practice of burning tobacco and then inhaling the smoke into the lungs is believed to have begun as early as 5000 - 3000 BC.

Many civilisations ritually burned incense and then burning the agricultural product tobacco and inhaling the smoke became a social convention. The inhalation of the smoke into the airsacs of the lungs (called alveoli) which are surrounded by blood vessels causes the chemicals in the tobacco smoke to move into the blood and to pass around the body. Research has shown that these active substances trigger chemical reactions in nerve endings and some of the effects have been increased reaction time, alertness and heart rate, amongst others. Feel-good chemicals have been shown to be released by the chemical reactions which give a heightened sense of pleasure. So smoking becomes a habit.

Many countries e.g. Rhodesia, now called Zimbabwe, supported this habit by growing tobacco in huge quantities, so much that tobacco became the country’s biggest agricultural export.

Smoking fell into disrepute as early as the 1920’s when its links with cancer became publicised. The first anti-smoking campaign was in the late 1920s. Yet tobacco is still a huge industry. World-wide there are millions of tobacco smokers.

It is a worrying fact that smoking usually begins during the teenage years, or early adulthood. This is often started as a result of peer pressure and it often takes several attempts for the young person to become ‘hooked’ on smoking. This is because the body recognises poisons entering it and so tries to eliminate them, via coughing, vomiting etc. Unfortunately, most adolescent smokers pursue the habit and then, because the nicotine in tobacco is a drug, (some experts say it is as dangerous as heroin or cocaine) they become addicted. In the beginning of a smoker’s life it is the pleasurable sensation which is enjoyed and together with peer acceptance these serve as a positive reinforcement to continue smoking. However, after smoking for many years the key motivation for a smoker to continue smoking is the avoidance of withdrawal symptoms, so this is negative reinforcement.

Smoking of tobacco is arguably the greatest danger, or one of the greatest dangers, to the overall health of the human species today. Those early civilisations and the traders who brought tobacco into the old world in the 1500s from where it spread world wide, have a lot to answer for!

The new healthier way of smoking has arrived.

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