Suicide Bomb
“Smokers
don’t grow old, they die young”. That is one of the most remarkable lines that
I have heard from the anti-smoking seminar held in our school (which is Asia
Pacific College) last term. The seminar was spearheaded by our former PHYLEC1 professor
MrMackie Dizon. Starting a campaign and conducting seminars is needed to lessen
the quantity of the smokers in our school. As we all know smoking is an
annoying thing for the non-smokers. An immediate action is needed to stop this
as soon as possible.
A stick of
cigar contains almost 600 ingredients in it. It creates another 7, 000 when burned.
And 69 of these chemicals are carcinogenic meaning they can cause cancer and
they are also poisonous.
Cigarrete smoke
contains toxin and chemicals which are found in some of consumer products. Examples
are: Arsenic that is used I rat poison, carbon monoxide which is an end product
of car fuels, formaldehyde or commonly known as formalin and used as an embalming
chemical, and nicotine the one that makes it addictive and it also used in
insecticides. Now that you already know the contents of cigarette, do you still
want to smoke?
If you’re
answer is yes, then this will be consequences of your disobedience. Smoking
greatly affects your respiratory system. You can have COPD (Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease) and yeah this disease is deadly, you can also get tuberculosis
from it. Cigarette smoking also affects your fertility (good luck to your next
generation) and eye health, smokers will be more likely to have cataracts and
develop AMD or age related macular degeneration (goodbye to your ability to
see). The risk of having a heart disease increases when you smoke. If you’re concerned
with your looks, I have a bad news for the belchers (that’s what I used to call
the smokers before) out there, smoking causes premature wrinkles, dry skin,
yellow teeth tooth decay and bad breath. And we are now down to everyone’s not
so favourite effect of smoking-cancer. I have mentioned earlier that cigar
(when burned) produces carcinogenic (cancer causing) chemicals. Cancers that
smoking brings includes cancer of the mouth, nasal cavity, throat, oesophagus,
stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder and cervix and also acute myeloid leukemia.
I guess it would have been a lot shorter if I just listed the cancer that
smoking won’t give you.
Smoking is
like poisoning yourself but it also damages the people around you. We have the term
first, second and third hand smoking. First hand smoking is when you directly
inhale the smoke from the cigar. For me it is the not the most dangerous
because some of the harmful material is filtered before it is consumed by the
smoker (you see cigars have filters). Second hand is when you inhale the smoke
from the cigar when you are near to a person who is smoking. Second-hand smoke
also affects the health of the people subjected to it (sometimes the effect of second-hand
smoke is worse than first hand). Last is the third hand smoking. This happens
when the particulates from the cigar smoke is attached to objects, including
the clothes of the smoker, the walls or even the chairs (sofa) and anything
that is exposed to cigar smoke. When someone touches those objects they will
acquire those particulates. Babies are more prone to diseases that third hand
smoking brings.
If you are now being haunted by your conscience for
putting the people around you in danger, this link the gives you the ways for
you to quit smoking:
http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/ss/slideshow-13-best-quit-smoking-tips-ever
Here they are:
1. Find Your Reason
To get
motivated, you need a powerful, personal reason to quit. It may be to protect
your family from secondhand smoke. Or lower your chance of getting lung
cancer, heart disease, or other conditions. Or to look and feel younger. Choose
a reason that is strong enough to outweigh the urge to light up.
2. Prepare
Before You Go “Cold Turkey”
There’s more to it than
just tossing your cigarettes out. Smoking is an addiction. The brain is hooked
on nicotine. Without it, you’ll go through withdrawal. Line up support in
advance. Ask your doctor about all the methods than will help, such as quit-smoking
classes and apps, counseling, medication, and hypnosis. You’ll be ready for the
day you choose to quit.
3. Consider Nicotine-Replacement Therapy
When you
stop smoking, nicotine withdrawal may give you headaches, affect your mood, or
sap your energy. The craving for “just one drag” is tough.
Nicotine-replacement therapy can curb these urges. Studies show that nicotine
gum, lozenges, and patches improve your chances of success when you’re also in
a quit-smoking program.
4. Learn About Prescription Pills
Medicines
can curb cravings and may also make smoking less satisfying if you do pick up a
cigarette. Other drugs can ease withdrawal symptoms, such as depression or
problems with concentration.
5. Lean on
Your Loved Ones
Tell your friends,
family, and other people you’re close to that you’re trying to quit. They can
encourage you to keep going, especially when you’re tempted to light up. You
can also join a support group or talk to a counselor. “Behavioral therapy” is a
type of counseling that helps you identify and stick to quit-smoking
strategies. Even a few sessions may help.
6. Give Yourself a Break
One reason
people smoke is that the nicotine helps them relax. Once you quit, you’ll need
new ways to unwind. There are many options. You can exercise to blow off steam,
tune in to your favorite music, connect with friends, treat yourself to a
massage, or make time for a hobby. Try to avoid stressful situations during the
first few weeks after you stop smoking.
7. Avoid Alcohol and Other Triggers
When you
drink, it’s harder to stick to your no-smoking goal. So try to limit alcohol
when you first quit. Likewise, if you often smoke when you drink coffee, switch
to tea for a few weeks. If you usually smoke after meals, find something else
to do instead, like brushing your teeth, taking a walk, texting a friend, or
chewing gum.
8. Clean House
Once you’ve
smoked your last cigarette, toss all of your ashtrays and lighters. Wash any
clothes that smell like smoke, and clean your carpets, draperies, and upholstery.
Use air fresheners to get rid of that familiar scent. If you smoked in your
car, clean it out, too. You don’t want to see or smell anything that reminds
you of smoking.
9. Try and Try Again
Many people
try several times before giving up cigarettes for good. If you light up, don’t
get discouraged. Instead, think about what led to your relapse, such as your
emotions or the setting you were in. Use it as an opportunity to step up your
commitment to quitting. Once you’ve made the decision to try again, set a “quit
date” within the next month.
10. Get Moving
Being
active can curb nicotine cravings and ease some withdrawal symptoms. When you
want to reach for a cigarette, put on your inline skates or jogging shoes
instead. Even mild exercise helps, such as walking your dog or pulling weeds in
the garden. The calories you burn will also ward off weight gain as you quit
smoking.
11. Eat Fruits and Veggies
Don’t try
to diet while you give up cigarettes. Too much deprivation can easily backfire.
Instead, keep things simple and try to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole
grains, and lean protein. These are good for your whole body.
12. Choose Your Reward
In addition
to all the health benefits, one of the perks of giving up cigarettes is all the
money you will save. There are online calculators that figure out how much
richer you will be. Reward yourself by spending part of it on something fun.
13. Remember That Time Is on Your Side
As soon as
you quit, you start to get immediate health benefits. After only 20 minutes,
your heart rate goes back to normal. Within a day, your blood’s carbon
monoxide level also falls back into place. In just 2-3 weeks, you will start to
lower your odds of having a heart attack. In the long run, you will also lower
your chance of getting lung cancer and other cancers.
If you really
want to quit smoking don’t switch to e-cigarre. Please for God’s sake don’t do
it, you will just have a new addiction plus e-cigarres is not 100% safe. For
you to easily quit smoking. Try going to sauna 3 times a week, it will sweat
out the nicotine in your body. I have learned that from 9 gag.
Smoking is
like suicide bombing; you kill yourself as well as the others around you,
including your friends, best friend, and your family. From that I can surely
say that smoking is a selfish habit. I have friends who smoke but I don’t hate
them because they do not invite me to go smoking. They are better than
Some people I know, the truth is I love them
very much and I want them to quit smoking because I want to be with them a lot
longer. So for the smokers out there, I beg you to please quit smoking because
there are people who love you.
The title of
my blog is inspired by my editorial cartooning with the same title.
A treasure is something that has a great
value it can be a chest of filled with gold coins or even an artifact. But a
treasure could also a person, someone who is so talented in the field of
literature and uses it for the pride of the country, someone who cares and sympathize to his country men, someone like Francisco
Sionil Jose.
Francisco is a Filipino writer and a
National Artist; he was born in Rosales, Pangasinan on the year 1924 and
graduated in the University of Santo Tomas Manila. He received his title
Philippine’s National Artist for Literature in June 2001. Aside from the Philippine’s
National Artist for Literature award he also received the first prize for the
Palanca Memorial award for Novel in English another proof that he is so
talented. Some of his well known literary works are: 
