Health Tips

Cigarettes are perhaps the most widely abused substance across the world. Its smoke contains more than 4000 different chemicals, some of which can cause cancer (e.g. tar) and others poisonous (e.g. carbon monoxide). We are not going to insult your intelligence by telling you that smoking is bad for health. We know that you know that. But why do smokers continue smoking despite knowing the risks? Social circumstances and stress relief might be possible reasons. But a significant part of why smokers are not successful at quitting is due to nicotine addiction. The active substance in cigarettes is nicotine. Nicotine boosts the effects of dopamine (also nicknamed the "Happy Hormone") and noradrenaline on the central nervous system, giving smokers a temporary improvement in mood and concentration. However, these effects decrease over time due to increased tolerance of our bodies. Smokers will then have to smoke more cigarette sticks to create the same effect. Any unassisted attempts to quit will cause an individual to feel anxious, depressed, and irritable. This usually pushes the person back to smoking to feel "normal", perpetuating the cycle of smoke-quit-smoke.

DID YOU KNOW? Low nicotine/tar cigarettes sound like the healthier option, but they are not! Smokers tend to compensate by smoking more deeply or more intensively to acquire their required nicotine dose. In the process, they are exposed to greater amounts of toxic substances in the smoke.

Of course, it is possible to rely solely on willpower to quit. But if you have failed thus far, you are not to blame. Nicotine cravings can be very strong, especially after years of smoking. Instead, it is strongly encouraged for you to seek professional assistance in successfully completing this journey. Such services can be found at your GP or a