How smoking and alcohol affect the body. The impact of tobacco and alcohol on human health. Causes of addiction to alcohol and nicotine

Smoking and alcohol are those addictions that are the most difficult to get rid of, because both cigarettes and substances that cause physical and psychological dependence. Despite the fact that a person spends huge amounts of money on his addiction, he still poisons his body. Smoking and drinking alcohol has only a negative impact on human health.

A little about the harmful substances in the composition of cigarettes and alcohol

Tobacco, nicotine and ammonia, which is part of cigarettes, have the greatest influence. While smoking under the influence high temperatures all harmful substances enter the body.

Tobacco smoke contains many toxic components, especially if you smoke unfiltered cigarettes. Such substances include ammonia, oils, nicotine, resins and others. Particularly dangerous influence hydrocyanic acid, formaldehyde and arsenic. About 30% of the total toxic effects on the body is nicotine.

The faster a person smokes, the less nicotine he inhales, and the less the effect of this substance on the body. Within 20 seconds after inhaling, nicotine in the blood is dispersed throughout the body.

Since one cigarette contains a non-lethal dose of nicotine for humans, this substance does not cause instant death, but develops a habit and develops addiction.

Important! A smoker in his entire life passes through his body about 200 kg of tobacco and 1 kg of nicotine. Despite the fact that the bird immediately dies if you bring a branch dipped in nicotine under its beak.

And what harmful substances are contained in alcohol? Any alcoholic drink contains ethanol, which is addictive. In the human body, it breaks down and releases acetaldehyde. This substance poisons all organs.

Vodka is the purest of all alcoholic beverages, unlike beer, which contains fusel oils and phytoestrogens (hormones).

Harm to health

Despite the enormous harm of smoking and alcohol for human health, many cannot imagine their lives without these two addictions. They do not understand how to relieve stress and relax.

Every day, smoking a cigarette or drinking 100 g of vodka, a person exposes his body to negative influences and forces him to fight harmful substances. Of course, the liver suffers first of all, which neutralizes the decay products of alcohol, as well as the lungs when smoking.

Alcohol and smoking are equally harmful to the human body, the difference is only in the organs that are affected.

Why is the number of alcohol addicts growing every year? Because people don't know how to drink. They are carried away by conversations in a pleasant company, they do not notice how they use too much.

A person because of alcoholism destroys his health. Alcohol, when ingested, instantly penetrates the bloodstream and affects the most important organs for life, such as the heart, liver, brain and stomach. The disruption of these organs is due to the fact that ethanol affects their cells and nerve endings.

Alcohol is high-calorie product, so it leads to speed dial weight and obesity of the heart.

In addition, alcohol, getting into the blood, negatively affects the circulatory process and the entire hematopoietic system. It contributes to the adhesion of red blood cells (blood cells), in which case they do not perform their direct functions in the body. There may be blockage of blood vessels, and even the formation of blood clots, which is very dangerous for human health.

Acetaldehyde, which is released after the oxidation of alcohol in the body, leads to poisoning of all organs, including the brain. Under its influence, liver cells die, and the functioning of this organ is disrupted.

Alcohol irritates the entire esophagus and gastric mucosa, resulting in various diseases gastrointestinal tract ( gastrointestinal tract), such as gastritis or ulcers.

But the brain suffers the most when drinking alcohol. Because the brain has the strongest circulation, large quantity ethanol enters this organ. There is a death of brain cells and its functioning is disrupted.

Both alcoholism and smoking adversely affect human health.

The first thing a smoker suffers from is the respiratory system. Smoke inhaled during puffing causes irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, larynx, bronchi and lungs, and with prolonged smoking, irritation turns into chronic inflammation.

Various diseases develop, such as:

Chronical bronchitis;
laryngitis;
tracheitis;
pneumonia;
damage to the vocal cords;
expansion of the lungs;
throat cancer or lung cancer.

Important! In a smoker, the volume of the lungs is reduced by half, because they are clogged with tobacco smoke.

With each puff of a cigarette, more than 200 harmful substances including nicotine. The less nicotine is in a cigarette, the more a person needs to smoke in order to saturate his body with this substance. It is nicotine that causes addiction and leads to relaxation and sedation. Due to the fact that nicotine enters the brain immediately after a puff, it helps to activate the work of this organ, after which the brain needs some time to recover.

At this point, the smoker again needs a new dose of nicotine. Over time, the intervals between smoking breaks are reduced, because the brain cannot function properly without nicotine recharge.

Smoking, like alcoholism, has the same effect on circulatory system and promotes agglutination of erythrocytes. Nicotine also provokes vasospasm, which makes the smoker's heart beat much faster. Thus, the heart wears out quickly, and the risk of developing coronary disease, angina pectoris and heart attack is growing every day.

Important! Heart disease is 12 times more common in a smoker than in a non-smoker. Numerous studies have shown that if a person smoked for a short time, after giving up tobacco, the work of the heart and lungs are restored within a year.

The influence of nicotine is also negative for the digestive organs; a smoker may develop a stomach and duodenal ulcer. Some components of tobacco destroy liver cells, as a result of which poisoning of all organs with tar and tobacco smoke occurs much faster.

Tobacco also leads to other health problems, such as:

teeth are destroyed;
irritation of the mucous membrane of the eyes occurs, the eyelids swell, and the eyes turn red and watery;
vision deteriorates;
increased intraocular pressure;
are changing taste qualities deteriorating sense of smell and hearing;
impotence appears.

Smoking affects reproductive system men and women, nicotine leads to pathological changes both in the sperm and in the egg. Smoking too many cigarettes at the same time can cause respiratory and cardiac arrest.

Influence on the human psyche

Alcohol and cigarettes have a negative effect on the human nervous system, causing various mental disorders. A person becomes distracted, forgetful, his mood changes dramatically, from fun to depression.

Irritability is the main indicator of a heavy smoker or alcoholic who has not taken a dose narcotic substance(nicotine or ethanol). Evil desire comes to the fore.

Due to the constant toxic effects on the brain, various mental disorders occur, especially with alcoholism. One example of such a disorder is delirium tremens.

The smoker and alcoholic feels inferior if he does not receive his dose of doping.

Influence on the psyche in the following:

memory worsens;
decreased performance and mental activity;
the perception of reality is distorted (specifically for alcoholics);
anxiety and restlessness or aggression and irritability when quitting a bad habit.

If alcoholism quickly and clearly leads to a disorder of the human psyche, then cigarettes do it slowly and veiled. People smoke or drink not only to get rid of stress, but also to regain their self-esteem. Especially with addictions, the psyche of adolescents is destroyed, which, due to age, is not yet strong.

As you can see, the influence of alcohol and tobacco is quite detrimental to the human body. It is better to get rid of the addiction at the initial stage.

Children of abusive and wine parents often suffer from excessive mobility and lack of concentration. Poor heredity contributes to slowing down their motor and mental development, mastering practical skills.

In adolescents who have begun to smoke and drink, it is primarily affected nervous system. To a much greater extent than in adults, children are overloaded with blood vessels. The intensively growing heart is abundantly supplied with blood poisoned by the toxins of tobacco and alcohol.

During puberty, bad habits affect the functioning of the endocrine glands and can lead to stop and wrong development the whole organism.

Expectorant herbs help cleanse the lungs and bronchi. These remedies include mother and stepmother, lime blossom. Their combination in the Monastery tea gives a double effect.

Digestive organs are subject to serious negative changes throughout life. Smokers and alcoholics look older than their years. They lose sight, hearing, potency. The overall impact of tobacco and alcohol on the human body is characterized by high morbidity, mortality, and injuries; damage to the cardiovascular, nervous and endocrine systems, immune exhaustion.

Influence on the course of pregnancy

At the time of conception and (especially in the first 3 months, when all organs are being laid), alcohol provokes severe defects. After all, the placenta is not a barrier for the fetus. In women alcoholics, the so-called. an alcoholic fetus (with incorrect sizes and proportions of body and head parts, with a wide bridge of the nose and spherical eyes, etc.).

women are at risk postpartum complications. Even small doses of alcohol in the body of the future father or mother affect heredity. Defective offspring may be born in subsequent generations. Families of drinkers have 5 times fewer healthy children.

Nicotine, entering the body of a pregnant woman, instantly penetrates the fetus, accumulates in its heart and liver, and contributes to acidosis. Benzidine attacks the central nervous system, unprotected by the immature brain barrier. As a result toxic substances penetrate the brain. thirty% smoking women suffer from hypertrophy thyroid gland, some have symptoms of Graves' disease. This adversely affects the fetus and pregnancy.

For smokers and drinking women toxicoses, miscarriages, fetal prematurity, little weight newborns. Heredity raises the question of the mental usefulness and viability of children.

General effect on the human body

Almost all heavy smokers are drinkers. The combined negative impact of smoking and alcohol on a person is enhanced by the fact that the drinker smokes 2-3 times more. The neighborhood of alcohol with tobacco becomes insidious in relation to human health. They stimulate, provoke and spur each other.

Two destructive forces affect the body at the same time. The heart "beats" with repeated overload. The kidneys, lungs, and liver work at a frantic pace. Is there enough health to resist such pressure?

Lungs

In the lungs of smokers there are cells completely filled with soot particles. Drinking smokers get sick 30-40 times more often. Even with the modern level of medicine, their mortality rate is 6 times higher.

From alcohol and nicotine, the cells lining the mucous membranes are poisoned. There are inflammatory chronic processes.

When smoking, adrenaline dilates the bronchi and stimulates breathing. With each puff, more and more smoke enters the body, and with it carbon monoxide, which replaces oxygen in hemoglobin and provokes oxygen starvation.

Carcinogens, getting into the blood, spread throughout the body. Lung cancer in various forms affects 25% of smokers.

The breakdown products of alcohol are excreted through the lungs. Toxic acetaldehyde damages lung tissue. Pathogenic microflora develops on damaged tissues and mucous membranes. The slightest cold can be an impetus for terrible diseases. In conditions of reduced immunity, Koch's wand, a provocateur of tuberculosis, is activated.

The cardiovascular system

Drinking smokers die from coronary heart disease 5 times more often. They have strokes, hypertension develops, and the number of cerebral hemorrhages increases 3-4 times. Average age who died of heart attacks is 48 years. Male smokers who take a drink often do not live past 65 years of age.

Smoking provokes a persistent decrease in the permeability of the vessels of the legs, which gives rise to severe suffering - threatening amputation of the limbs.

The combined effect of tobacco and alcohol on the human body is a failure of blood circulation, vascular tone and pressure.

Gastrointestinal tract

The combined effect of smoking, stress, overeating and alcohol on a person is dangerous with gastritis, ulcers and malignant tumors. It is not far from ordinary functional dyspepsia to oncology. Alcohol and tobacco are responsible for stomach cancer.

Alcohol is one of the substances that cause many intestinal disorders. In particular, Crohn's disease and colitis lead to diarrhea. most heavy load narcotic tobacco and alcohol poisons takes over the liver. Nausea and vomiting can serve as the first warning signs. The rapid development of cirrhosis leads to an early and almost inevitable death of the patient.

Vodka and cigarettes “feed” the cells of the body with alcohol and poisons. If the appetite disappears completely, the intestines can damage itself.

Potency

Alcohol and nicotine can affect the endocrine glands, including the sex glands. Alcohol acts on the liver in such a way that the production of male hormone testosterone. Tobacco smoke lowers vitamin E and sex hormone levels in young men and women. As a result - early infertility and impotence.

Drinking and smoking are accompanied by changes in the genital area - in a decrease in the functions of germ cells, and sometimes atrophy of the reproductive organs. The degree of sexual dysfunction is individual, depending on the amount of drugs and the duration of addictions.

A decrease in the number and motility of spermatozoa is observed in almost all drinkers, and sexual impotence in many heavy smokers. Surveys of men show that erectile dysfunction often has vascular character due to the excessive use of alcohol and tobacco.

Influence on the human psyche

Intoxication and intoxication for smokers and alcoholics are the best psychological states. Attractions cease to obey reasonable arguments to stop smoking and drinking. The influence of tobacco and alcohol on the human body acts like a drug, causing mental discomfort and physical need. Large doses lead to mental degradation and the development of common diseases.

The body goes from mood swings and depression to loss of intellectual abilities and dementia. Therefore, the sooner, the better to start a group or individual visit to a narcologist and psychotherapist.

The load on the liver and gastrointestinal tract, neuronal damage, vascular tone disorder and other harmful consequences will affect, if not immediately, then in the future for sure.

This is stated in many scientific and practical works, abstracts and reports of researchers on the problem of alcoholism. The same can be said about smoking: how many examples do smokers give, boasting of their health and total absence problems, while doctors and scientists say otherwise.

It would seem a paradox? No, there is nothing unusual about this. The margin of safety of the human body is high, as well as the ability to recover. At the same time, there are also individual differences: from genetic to those related to the external environment. And someone "surrenders" earlier, the other remains strong to gray hair. But it is still impossible to predict how the body will behave even in the near future.

Harm to the nervous system, including the brain

Airways, upper divisions The gastrointestinal tract and the brain are the first to take the alcoholic and nicotine hit. And if the cells of the gastrointestinal tract, due to various factors, still cope with it (for the time being, however), then alcohol and cigarettes are merciless to neurons - brain cells. In addition to the neurotoxicity of ethanol and nicotine (as well as cigarette tar), vascular dysfunction is added, oxygen supply to brain cells is reduced, and they are very sensitive to hypoxia.

Nicotine and alcohol easily overcome the blood-brain barrier, and, getting into the brain, stimulate the release of adrenaline, dopamine, and have a psychostimulating effect. These effects could be classified as conditionally positive, however, against their background, dependence is formed over time: physical and psychological. From the point of view of physiology, jumps in blood pressure, changes in the frequency and rhythm of breathing and heartbeat are potentially dangerous.

Smoking and alcohol (nicotine) actively affect most of the centers located in the brain, which is the cause of various manifestations of intoxication and a smoked cigarette - from dizziness and euphoria to depression of consciousness and severe headache.

At the same time, alcohol and tobacco can have both stimulating and depressing effects on the receptors and mediator systems of the brain: depending on the dose, on what reaches the brain first - ethanol or nicotine. What is especially noteworthy is the unpredictability of such an effect - it strongly depends on the state of the body at the time of drinking and smoking, the dose and amount of nicotine, the type of alcohol, and even the time of day.

What happens when nicotine and ethanol enter the body at the same time? Ethanol expands blood vessels, nicotine narrows - this is at the beginning. Then the opposite, again antagonistic action begins. Vascular dysfunction does not have to wait long: the heart contracts painfully or aches, blood pressure rises, and the head begins to spin. But chronic smokers do not notice this: the body has adapted, the sensations have long become familiar. Adaptation is due to the use of strength resources.

Damage to the cardiovascular system

When it comes to the effects of smoking and alcohol on cardiovascular system, first of all, they recall the benefits of wine - for example, the so-called " mediterranean diet". However, alcohol for blood vessels can be useful only if many conditions are met: from the place of residence to the quality of alcohol, and certainly not in combination with nicotine.

And for the remaining majority of people who cannot afford to meet all the conditions of enotherapy, the combination "alcohol plus nicotine" is the "vascular enemy". At least, due to the fact that it introduces a serious disorder in the system of regulation of vascular tone: it literally confuses them, relaxing the walls of the vessels (that is, their tone decreases), but at the same time increasing the heart rate, which causes an increase in tone. With an increase in the dose, alcohol works already in the direction of increasing the tone. vascular wall aggravating the effect of nicotine.

This, together with other factors, causes the development of various vascular pathologies, so typical for drinking smokers: atherosclerosis, hypertension, coronary heart disease, early heart attacks, ischemic stroke.

Negative impact on the reproductive system

O negative impact alcohol and nicotine genital area remembered in the last place - and completely in vain. So, a popular method of overcoming shyness in contacts with the opposite sex - drinking before flirting or a date - most often ends in a "bed fiasco": an intoxicated brain plus a lot of emotions (and corresponding biochemical reactions in the brain) - and control is lost both over physiology and for psychological components.

The influence of another cigarette and alcohol leads to a violation of the blood supply to the genital organs, an imbalance in the production of mediators and endocrine glands, and then to hormonal disorders. All together, plus the toxic tar of cigarettes cause chronic intoxication that affects attraction, and in a separate perspective - infertility in women (often of a hormonal nature), problems with gestation and heredity in the fetus, erectile dysfunction in men and decreased libido (also having a hormonal background).

Alcoholic beverages and cigarettes have a particularly strong effect on the course of pregnancy. And the impact is catastrophic!

Harm to the respiratory system

It is rather difficult to isolate specific alcoholic lung damage in chronic alcoholics: both because it requires a high diagnostic skill of the doctor, and because almost all drinkers smoke, that is, smoking as a factor lung pathology becomes the leader. However, smokers suffering from alcoholism develop typical lung lesions, confirming the fact of the combined harm of alcohol and smoking for the respiratory system.

First of all, it is chronic toxic, which develops due to a number of reasons. Leading among them is the damaging effect of alcohol and toxins on the lung tissue: the lung epithelium does not have the appropriate protective factors.

Reduced immunity in drinkers and smokers, as well as regular exposure to situations that are risk factors for the occurrence of bronchopulmonary pathology (hypothermia, being in wet clothes, a feeling of heat and a desire to undress when in a cold room or on the street, smoking on the background of SARS, etc.) leads to frequent development pneumonia (according to statistics, 4-5 times more often), which, as a rule, take longer and with complications, often fatal.

For the same reason, pulmonary tuberculosis is so common in drinking smokers: its frequency in this population, according to various sources, is 18-20 times higher than the average.

Chronic inflammatory processes due to the effects of alcohol, nicotine, on the tissues of the pharynx, pharynx, larynx, vocal cords lead to chronic pharyngitis and laryngitis, which is why it is formed - hoarse, with hoarseness and tremor.

... And this is only a small fraction of those negative consequences, which is the combination of smoking and drinking any kind of alcohol. The list of harm that these two factors cause to the body is wide and varied. Often this harm is also insidious: it does not appear immediately, but later for a long time when the possibilities of milking treatment or at least maintaining an acceptable state of health are finally missed ...

on "biology" on the topic:

"The impact of smoking and alcohol on human health"

Completed: student 9 "B" class

secondary school №22

Gioev Kazbek

Vladikavkaz 2004

Think before you smoke!

All vices are from idleness.

folk saying

Much has been said about the dangers of smoking. However, the concern of scientists and doctors caused by the spread of this addiction is growing, as a significant number of people still do not consider smoking unhealthy.

Smoking is not a harmless activity that can be quit effortlessly. This is a real addiction, and all the more dangerous because many do not take it seriously.

Nicotine is one of the most dangerous poisons plant origin. Birds (sparrows, pigeons) die if only a glass rod dipped in nicotine is brought to their beak. A rabbit dies from ¼ drop of nicotine, a dog - from ½ drop. For humans, the lethal dose of nicotine is 50 to 100 mg, or 2 to 3 drops.

It is this dose that enters the blood daily after smoking 20-25 cigarettes (one cigarette contains approximately 6-8 mg of nicotine, of which 3-4 mg enter the bloodstream).

The smoker does not die because the dose is administered gradually, not in one go. In addition, some of the nicotine neutralizes formaldehyde, another poison found in tobacco. For 30 years, such a smoker smokes an average of 20,000 cigarettes, or about 160 kg of tobacco, absorbing an average of 800 g of nicotine. The systematic absorption of small, non-lethal doses of nicotine causes a habit, an addiction to smoking.

Nicotine is included in the metabolic processes that occur in the human body, and become necessary.

However, if non-smoker in one dose will receive a significant dose of nicotine, death may occur. Such cases have been observed in various countries. Russian prominent pharmacologist N. P. Kravkov described death young man after he smoked a big cigar for the first time in his life. In France, in Nice, as a result of the contest "Who smokes more?" two "winners" died after smoking 60 cigarettes, and the rest of the participants were hospitalized with severe poisoning.

In England, a case was recorded when a long-smoking 40-year-old man smoked 14 cigars and 40 cigarettes at night, during hard work. In the morning he became ill, and despite the medical assistance provided, he died.

Children living in smoky rooms are more likely to suffer from respiratory diseases. In children smoking parents during the first year of life, the frequency of bronchitis and pneumonia increases and the risk of serious diseases increases. Tobacco smoke traps the sun's ultraviolet rays, which are important for a growing child, affects metabolism, impairs the absorption of sugar and destroys vitamin C, necessary for the child during the growth period. At the age of 5 - 9 years, the child's lung function is impaired. As a result, there is a decrease in the ability to perform physical activities that require endurance and stress. Having examined over 2 thousand children living in 1820 families, Professor S. M. Gavalov revealed that in families where they smoke, children, especially in early age, frequent acute pneumonia and acute respiratory diseases are observed. In families where there were no smokers, the children were practically healthy.

Children, mothers who smoked during pregnancy, have a predisposition to seizures. They are much more likely to develop epilepsy.

Children born to smoking mothers lag behind their peers in mental development. So, scientists V. Gibal and H. Blumberg, when examining 17 thousand such children, revealed a lag in reading, writing, and also growth.

There has been a marked increase in the number allergic diseases. Russian and foreign scientists have established that nicotine and dry particles have an allergenic effect. tobacco smoke. They contribute to the development of many allergic diseases in children, and than less baby, topics more harm causes tobacco smoke to his body.

Smoking adolescents primarily affects the nervous and cardiovascular systems. At 12-15 years old, they already complain of shortness of breath during physical exertion. As a result of many years of observations, the French doctor Decalzne came to the conclusion 100 years ago that even slight smoking causes anemia and digestive disorders in children.

Smoking negatively affects student performance. The number of underachievers increases in those classes where there are more smokers.

Schoolchildren's smoking slows down their physical and mental development. The state of health, undermined by smoking, does not allow you to choose an occupation to your liking, to achieve success.

Smoking and a student are incompatible. School years are years of growth, both physical and mental. The body needs a lot of strength to cope with all the loads. As you know, the skills, habits acquired in school age, the most durable. This applies not only to good, but also to bad habits. The sooner young men get acquainted with smoking and start smoking, the sooner they will get used to it, and in the future it will be very difficult to quit smoking.

Alcohol and smoking

Man is often his own worst enemy.

Cicero

To bad habits, in addition to smoking, is even more harmful - the consumption of alcohol. Unfortunately, in life they are very often combined with each other. So, among the non-drinking population there are 40% smokers, among those who abuse alcohol already 98%.

Drinking "lights the green light" malignant neoplasms. The presence of carcinogens in alcoholic beverages is not excluded. Being a good solvent, alcohol helps their penetration into the body. Alcohol abusers, especially young age, the risk of developing oral cancer is 10 times higher, and if they also smoke, then 15 times higher compared to non-drinkers.

As already mentioned, alcohol has a detrimental effect on brain cells and on the reproductive centers located in spinal cord. At the same time, the activity of the mammary glands weakens, and in the future it may stop. Scientists have identified healthy gonads in only half of the chronically alcoholics they examined.

Foreign tobacco monopolies advertise cigarettes with less nicotine and tar as "harmless to the body." On this occasion CEO Dr. A. Upton (USA) of the National Cancer Institute noted that a non-toxic cigarette can be considered one that does not burn.

There is no harmless tobacco!

word to Columbus.

It is difficult to imagine the beneficial change that would take place in all human life if people stopped intoxicating and poisoning themselves with vodka, wine, tobacco and opium. L. N. Tolstoy.

“After landing on the shore, we went into the interior of the island. We were met by many almost naked people, very slender and strong, who walked from their villages with burning firebrands in their hands and grass, the smoke of which they drank. Others carried one large cigar and lit it at every stop. Then everyone made 3-4 puffs out of it, releasing smoke through the nostrils.

The natives treated travelers with tobacco, and at first they smoked themselves, then they passed the pipe to the guests. Refusal of the “peace pipe” was considered by the hosts as unfriendly actions. The Spaniards did not want to spoil relations with the natives. Probably, these Spaniards were the first Europeans who became addicted to smoking.

The sailors who returned to Spain were looked upon with suspicion: a person lets out smoke from his mouth and nose, which means that he is confused with evil spirits.

Smokers brought tobacco seeds and gradually began to cultivate it.

The spread of tobacco met with strong opposition in the countries. In Turkey, tobacco smoking was considered a violation of the laws of the Koran, and the guilty were impaled. Persian Shah Abbas ordered to burn a merchant who brought tobacco to a military camp. Pope Urban VII excommunicated those who smoked or sniffed tobacco, and once for smoking cigars the monks were walled up alive.

Tobacco, apparently, came to Russia at the end of the 16th century and was also not very friendly. A very serious punishment was supposed for smoking - from stick blows and whipping to cutting off the nose and ears and exile to Siberia. Tobacco dealers faced the death penalty.

But gradually the ban on smoking was lifted in one country after another.

Over the years, men, women, young people, teenagers and even children have joined the bad habit. There was a fashion for smoking: cigarettes, they say, give girls a special elegance, and boys - masculinity. Necessarily belonging to the body - and movie heroes became a cigarette.

How about the doctors? Didn't they fight against smoking? Certainly yes. But not very successful. And that's why. The fact that tobacco is harmful to health has long been known. We saw that smokers were tormented by a hacking cough, they knew that it was difficult to breathe in a smoky room, that tobacco interfered with mental work. Experiments have shown that animals die under the influence of nicotine. Then the phrase was born: "A drop of nicotine kills a horse." To be precise, a drop of pure nicotine can kill not one, but as many as three horses. But the smokers only laughed: apparently, I am stronger than a horse, how much nicotine I have consumed, but I am alive! They consoled themselves - tobacco tar remains on the filter.

Doctors also found that the increase in the number of smokers in parallel increases the number of dangerous diseases. Beginning in the early 1960s, the results began to be published in newspapers and magazines. scientific research. And people were horrified!

Turns out :

if a person smokes from 1 to 9 cigarettes a day, then he shortens his life (on average) by 4.6 years compared to non-smokers; if smokes from 10 to 19 cigarettes, then for 5.5 years; if smoked 20 to 39 cigarettes - for 6.2 years.

It was found that people who started smoking before the age of 15 die from lung cancer 5 times more often than those who started smoking after 25 years of age.

Long-term and heavy smokers are 13 times more likely to develop angina pectoris, 12 times more likely to have myocardial infarction, 10 times more likely to have stomach ulcers and 30 times more likely to get lung cancer.

There is no such organ that would not be affected by tobacco: kidneys and bladder, sex glands and blood vessels, brain and liver.

Scientists have found that smoking is TWO times more dangerous for a growing organism than for an adult. The lethal dose for an adult is contained in one pack of cigarettes if it is smoked immediately, and for teenagers half a pack. There were even cases of death of teenagers from two or three cigarettes smoked in a row due to a sharp poisoning of vital centers, as a result of which cardiac arrest occurred and breathing stopped.

A smoker's heart makes 15 thousand more contractions per day, and the body's nutrition with oxygen and other essential substances worse, because under the influence of tobacco, the blood vessels in a teenager are compressed.

That's why smokers have a weaker memory, that's why among them there are more often poor performers.

Scientists have found that tobacco contains a lot of toxic substances. Among them, nicotine is the most famous: in terms of its toxicity, it is equal to hydrocyanic acid.

Carbon monoxide(carbon monoxide) combines with hemoglobin, which is an oxygen carrier. When smoking, there is a sharp decrease in the oxygen content in the blood. And this is very hard on the brain of a teenager. Ammonia irritates the mucous membrane of the mouth, larynx, trachea, bronchi. That is why smokers often have friable gums, sores in the mouth, and the pharynx is often replenished, which leads to tonsillitis. From prolonged smoking, the glottis narrows, hoarseness appears.

In recent years, scientists have paid close attention to substances that cause cancer. These primarily include benzopyrene and the radioactive isotope polonium-210. If a smoker takes smoke into his mouth and then exhales it through a handkerchief, then a brown stain will remain on the white fabric. This is tobacco tar. It is especially high in cancer-causing substances. If the ear of a rabbit is smeared several times with tobacco tar, then a cancerous tumor forms in the animal.

It is difficult even to list the harmful substances contained in tobacco, because there are almost 1200 of them!

For several years, scientists have been monitoring 200 smokers and 200 non-smokers. Now let's see what the comparative results turned out to be.

It also turned out that tobacco has a much stronger effect on the girl’s body: “the skin fades”, her voice hoars faster.

Over the past decades, scientists have found that people who do not smoke have begun to show diseases inherent in smokers. Cause? Non-smokers were indoors with smokers for a long time. When smoking, 20-25% of toxic substances enter the human body, and 50%, together with exhaled smoke, enter the air. And they breathe around. It turns out that non-smokers “smoke”. There was even a special term - "passive" smoking.

Many countries have adopted laws prohibiting teenagers from smoking.

In our country, it is forbidden to smoke in Sports Palaces, swimming pools, gyms, educational and medical institutions, sanatoriums and resorts, and in transport.

So why do they still sell cigarettes in kiosks? Yes, because, unfortunately, categorical prohibitions do not always affect a heavy smoker. All sorts of homemade products, surrogates are much more harmful than tobacco prepared in factory conditions. It is probably not yet possible to simply ban people from smoking, but it is possible to convince people to quit smoking.

The harm of tobacco has been proven, many people have quit smoking, there is a fight against "passive" smoking ... Proponents of tobacco often refer to the fact that many prominent people, for example, Darwin, Newton, A. M. Gorky, the composer S. V. Rachmaninov and even the therapist S. P. Botkin - smoked. So smoking did not prevent them from achieving success? I would like to quote here some statements of well-known figures of culture and science. Writer A. Dumas Jr.: “... I put down my cigarette and swore that I would never smoke. This oath I firmly kept and I am quite convinced that tobacco harms the brain as definitely as alcohol. Leo Tolstoy, quitting smoking, said this: “I became a different person. I sit for five hours in a row at work, I get up completely fresh, and before, when I smoked, I felt tired, dizzy, nauseous, foggy in my head ... ". The great physician S.P. Botkin was a heavy smoker. Dying, still relatively young (57 years old), he said: "If I did not smoke, I would live 10-15 years." How much more he would have done for science, for saving people, but, alas, being unable to get rid of his addiction could not save himself.

And here is the opinion of the greatest chess player A. Alekhine: “...Nicotine has a debilitating effect on memory, destroys the nervous system and weakens willpower - an ability so necessary for a chess master. I can say that I myself gained confidence in winning the world championship match only when I weaned myself from the passion for tobacco.

This is how prominent people spoke about the dangers of smoking for the mental work of an adult. If we are talking about teenagers, then we need to state more categorically: MENTAL WORK AND SMOKING ARE INCOMPATIBLE!

The multiple champion of the country in skating I. Anikanov wrote: “I believe that my sporting achievements are to a large extent connected with the complete abstinence from smoking. My warm advice to everyone is to give up this bad habit.” Heed this advice .

At the first smoking, the throat tickles, the heart beats faster, a nasty taste appears in the mouth. All these unpleasant sensations associated with the first cigarette are not accidental. This is a protective reaction of the body, and we must use it - give up the next cigarette. Until the hour comes when it will not be so easy to do so.

If some people believe that the harm caused by smoking to health looms somewhere far away, and perhaps even bypasses them, they are mistaken. Look carefully at the smoking person, at the color of his face, skin, fingers, teeth, pay attention to his voice. You can notice external signs of tobacco intoxication.

Just one glass.

Alcoholism does more havoc than the three historical scourges put together: famine, plague, and war. W. Gladstone.

In ancient times, people got acquainted with the unusual amusing effect of certain drinks. The most ordinary milk, honey, fruit juices, standing in the sun, not only changed their appearance, taste, but acquired the ability to excite, instill a feeling of lightness, carelessness, well-being. People did not immediately notice that the next day the person paid with a headache, weakness, and a bad mood.

Of course, our distant ancestors could not even guess what a terrible enemy they had acquired. Unfortunately, the unfortunate consequences of drinking have received less attention than the mood improvements associated with drinking.

In myths, legends and fairy tales ancient world- wine, intoxication, revelry appear everywhere. Drunkenness flourished, and it was followed by its constant companions - debauchery, crimes, serious illnesses.

The main active beginning of intoxication of any drink was ethyl alcohol, or wine alcohol.

Taken orally, it is absorbed into the blood after 5-10 minutes and spread throughout the body.

Alcohol is a poison for any living cell. Having penetrated into the body, alcohol very soon upsets the work of tissues and organs. Burning quickly, it robs them of oxygen and water. Cells shrivel, their activity is hampered. With a significant and frequent ingress of alcohol into the body of the cell various organs in the end, they die under the influence of alcohol, almost all physiological processes in the body, which can lead to serious illnesses. The tissue of the liver, kidneys, heart, blood vessels, etc. is reborn.

The quickest and most destructive effect of alcohol is on brain cells, while, first of all, the higher parts of the brain suffer. Quickly delivered by the blood stream to the brain, alcohol penetrates the nerve cells, while being destroyed, resulting in the connection between various departments the brain gets upset.

Alcohol also affects the blood vessels that carry blood to the brain. First, they expand, and blood saturated with alcohol rapidly rushes to the brain, causing a sharp excitation of the nerve centers. This is where the overly cheerful mood and swagger of a drunk person comes from.

Scientists have found that under the influence of alcoholic beverages in the cortex of the cerebral hemispheres, after increasing excitation, there comes a sharp weakening of the processes of inhibition. The cortex ceases to control the work of the lower, so-called subcortical parts of the brain. That is why an intoxicated person, as it were, loses control over himself and a critical attitude towards his behavior, losing restraint and modesty, he says and does what he did not say and would not do in a sober state. Each new portion of alcohol paralyzes higher nerve centers, as if connecting them and not allowing them to interfere with the chaotic activity of the sharply excited parts of the brain.

The famous Russian psychiatrist S. S. Korsakov describes this condition as follows:

“The intoxicated one does not think about the consequences of his words and actions and treat them extremely lightly ... Passions and bad impulses appear without any cover and induce more or less wild actions.” But in a normal state, the same person can be well-mannered and modest, even shy. Everything in his personality that is held back by upbringing, decorum skills, seems to come out.

In a state of intoxication, a person can blurt out any secret; he loses his vigilance, ceases to be careful.

It is not for nothing that they say: "What a sober man has on his mind, then a drunkard has on his tongue."

What we in everyday life complacently call intoxication, in essence, is nothing more than acute alcohol poisoning, with all the ensuing consequences.

Well, if through certain time the body, freed from the poison, gradually returns to its normal state. And if drunkenness continues, and new portions of alcohol systematically enter the body? What then?

Scientists have found that alcohol introduced into the body is not immediately excreted from there, and a certain amount of this substance continues its harmful effect on the organs for 1-2 days, and in some cases even more.

Alcohol causes a pleasant, high mood, and this encourages repeated use of alcohol. At first, if you wish and firmness of character, you can still refuse wine. Otherwise, under the influence alcohol intoxication(and the persuasion of friends) the will weakens, and the person can no longer resist the craving for alcohol.

Under the influence of alcohol, instincts gain space, the will and self-control are weakened, and often people commit misconduct and mistakes that they repent of all their lives.

Alcohol is very dangerous for young people, because their body is more easily exposed to drugs during the growth period. From time immemorial, our ancestors considered water and milk to be the only suitable drinks for children. In ancient Greece and Rome, young men were generally forbidden to drink wine until a certain age.

Alcohol has a negative effect on offspring. This was known in ancient times. AT Greek mythology the goddess Juno gave birth to the lame Vulcan from the intoxicated Jupiter. The ruler of Sparta, Lycurgus, forbade the use of alcoholic beverages on the wedding day under the threat of severe punishment.

If drunkenness is the result of improper upbringing, weakness of will, licentiousness, imitation of bad habits, then alcoholism is serious illness requiring special treatment. Great efforts are needed to re-educate a person who abuses alcohol. Not infrequently these conditions are in vain. There is nothing worse than a drunkard husband who makes his wife and children suffer.

If a person is old enough, he should be able to choose friends. In his environment there should not be people who cannot imagine pleasure without a glass. Not to mention that the boy should avoid drinking alcohol. You need to find the courage to resist those who are trying to persuade you to drink alcohol. All these feasts with the obligatory “drink to the bottom”, “penalty” for latecomers are the lot of the townsfolk. Unfortunately, the force of inertia is great, drawing into the sphere of mandatory drinking.

An atmosphere of condemnation and intolerance must be created around every alcohol abuser. It is necessary to avoid parties that gather for the purpose of drinking, and people who cannot imagine fun without drinking.

Research by scientists has shown that in boys and girls, alcoholism, as a severe, difficult to treat disease, occurs and develops FOUR times faster than in adults. The destruction of personality also occurs much faster.

I think that it is not difficult to draw a conclusion: never, under any circumstances, sip wine, even if it is suggested by close people - comrades and relatives.

It is worth repeating that when girls and boys drink wine, all organs are affected, but the central nervous system is especially vulnerable, memory drops sharply, the psyche is disturbed, control over one's actions decreases ...

It turns out that many of the juvenile delinquents good performance, they studied diligently, were fond of interesting things, read books, and brought them here, to the colony, wine, "only a glass," as they say. Vedas, crimes committed while intoxicated are aggravated, and are especially severely punished.

Some schoolchildren join a glass of older guys, girlfriends: it’s not convenient, they say, not to support the company.

Yes, in these circumstances, of course, courage, firmness of character and a sound mind are required.

The harmful effects of alcohol and smoking on human body you can talk almost endlessly. Despite this, many people underestimate the harm caused to their body by alcoholism and smoking. For most of them, such bad habits have already become an integral part of life, without them they simply cannot imagine their existence. Someone, knowing full well about the dangers of alcohol, regularly uses it as an antidepressant. Some people drink and smoke exclusively on holidays. Although even in such situations, alcoholic beverages and smoking cause very serious harm. So why do people drink and is it possible to drink alcohol in moderation without fear for your health? To answer this question, it is necessary to understand what harm cigarettes and alcohol cause to health and what changes occur in the body during drunkenness, drug addiction and in a smoking person.

The mechanism of action of alcohol

How do most people who do not neglect smoking and alcoholism spend their time? Most often these are evenings in a pleasant company of like-minded people over a glass of vodka, a cocktail or a glass of beer. During interesting conversations, a person may not notice how much he drank, often he begins to drink alcohol in excess of the norm. And, of course, the consequences of such harmful addictions are of little interest to him. However, already at this moment, very “interesting” things begin to happen with unpleasant consequences.

Alcohol enters the stomach. This body has a developed blood supply system, which allows ethanol (the main component of any alcoholic beverage) without special problems enter the circulatory system. Human blood contains a variety of cells. Some of them are called erythrocytes. The main function of these cells is to transport oxygen. They are covered with a special sheath, which is electrified against the walls of blood vessels, thus receiving a negative charge. Due to the fact that all cells have the same charge, in accordance with the laws of physics, they repel each other. But when alcohol enters the body, everything changes. And such consequences are not the most favorable, because. The harm from drinking alcohol can be very significant.

When released into the blood, ethanol destroys the membrane of red blood cells. The negative charge disappears and they begin to stick together. The consequences are very unfavorable, because. erythrocytes become unable to carry out their main function. In addition, in the human body there are vessels through which red blood cells can pass exclusively one at a time. In the presence of bad habits like drug addiction, smoking and alcoholism, red blood cells stick together, and their passage through the vessels becomes impossible. Vessels are simply clogged. The consequence is a violation of the blood supply to tissues in these areas. By the way, this is one of the reasons why it is forbidden to drink alcohol while playing sports.

How more people drinks, the more such clots become and the more harm he causes to his body. As a result, the work of almost all organs and systems is disrupted. And the effects of smoking, combined with the regular use of alcoholic beverages, only exacerbate the problem.

Further, in the body of a person who is not aware of all the harmful effects of smoking and alcoholism, even more serious consequences and severe harm. Alcohol enters the tissues and cells of the body. There, certain enzymes act on it, as a result of which it is oxidized. In the process of oxidation, the so-called. acetaldehyde. It is this substance that causes the most harm and causes the most serious consequences. It is much more toxic than ethanol. This process occurs in almost every organ.

So, for example, for the liver, the harm and consequences of exposure to acetaldehyde are especially strong. The substance destroys the liver cells, in place of which adipose and connective tissue appears after a while. The consequences and harm of such a replacement are easy to predict - the functioning of the liver is disrupted, which is dangerous for the whole organism.

The greatest harm from smoking and alcoholism is experienced by the human nervous system and brain. This is where the blood supply is most powerful. Because of this, the greatest amount of ethanol enters the brain. The human body is designed in such a way that there is no protection against alcohol in the brain, because. Initially, when a person appeared as such, alcohol simply did not exist. Entering the brain tissue, ethanol kills its cells, which causes irreparable harm to the body and threatens with very serious consequences.

A person perceives such an impact as a state of euphoria, freedom and relaxation. Every drink you drink increases the number of dead brain cells. They don't recover. Scars appear in their place. With especially extensive lesions, cysts may appear. These are formations with their own shell, filled with liquid. The presence of such formations can be confirmed by any pathologist. During the autopsy of alcoholics, they are visible to the naked eye.

How do cigarettes work?

The harm caused by cigarettes is underestimated by many smokers. To understand whether smoking really causes such great harm and what consequences await the smoker, it is necessary to consider the mechanism of action of cigarettes.

When puffed, the end temperature of the cigarette is in the order of 60°C. At this temperature, about 200 different harmful substances are released from a cigarette, including nicotine. Approximately a quarter of the amount indicated on the pack enters the body.

During the experiments, it was found that the less nicotine in a cigarette, the more puffs will make a person. That is, an experienced smoker needs to get a certain dose of this substance. Over time, the dose increases.

Many people try not to think about the dangers of smoking and alcoholism, citing the fact that they help them relax. Indeed, a person who has smoked a cigarette calms down, relaxes, sometimes feels a surge of strength. The secret of this effect is that when nicotine enters the brain for a certain time, the conduction of all impulses that arise in this organ improves.

This phenomenon does not last long. And the results are not the best. An exhausted brain needs rest, its speed slows down. And it is at such moments that the smoker wants to take another cigarette. The number of cigarettes increases, the intervals between their use are reduced, and the harm done to the body grows inexorably.

Toxic substances found in cigarettes cause severe inflammation. That is why smokers often suffer from pneumonia, bronchitis, tracheitis and other unpleasant diseases. Besides, toxic substances can trigger the development of cancerous processes.

Harm caused by smoking blood vessels, approximately the same as from alcohol, i.e. erythrocytes "stick together", etc.

All of the above is just a small part of the harm that a person receives as a result of complex impact nicotine and alcohol. The short-term pleasure obtained from smoking and alcoholism is definitely not worth poisoning your body day by day.

Children and adolescents are most harmed by alcohol and cigarettes.

Their systems and organs are not yet fully formed, and therefore are most susceptible to the harmful effects of bad habits.

Drinking or leading a sober lifestyle, quitting smoking or going to the store for another pack - everyone decides for himself. You can get rid of addictions at absolutely any age, regardless of your experience. If you cannot do it yourself, you can contact the appropriate specialists.

The impact of alcohol and cigarettes on the psyche

Considering the harmful effects of smoking and alcoholism on the human body, it is necessary to study the problem in a comprehensive manner, taking into account the impact on the physical and mental condition. Worst of all, the effects of drinking and smoking appear rather slowly. Over time, a person begins to understand that he used to think faster, but now he cannot concentrate on solving elementary tasks, becomes more and more distracted, drives his turn, loses things, forgets important dates etc.

Over time, things that were once interesting and important cease to be so. A person no longer seeks to build a business, achieve success in sports, realize himself. Only the next bottle becomes important.

With smokers it is a little easier, but everything is also far from rosy. smoking man may be aware of their addiction, feel burdened by the need to regularly receive another dose of nicotine. He can feel his inferiority, because after a while almost every alcoholic or smoker realizes all the harm of alcohol and nicotine on his own health, but he cannot do anything about such addictions.

In such situations, people often turn to psychologists. In most cases, the treatment is very successful, but for this to be true, it is necessary that dependent person realized exactly what need he was trying to satisfy by picking up another cigarette or a glass of alcohol. It is from this that the difficult struggle with oneself begins.

Possible needs met by alcohol and cigarettes

The most common option is the use of cigarettes and alcohol as a means to get rid of unpleasant sensations and thoughts. If a person is drawn to a bottle when he has problems at work, in relationships and other areas of activity, then for him alcohol is a kind of medicine that temporarily dulls the pain. And while smoking, a person focuses his mind on a cigarette, which also allows you to briefly drown out obsessive thoughts.

Often people use cigarettes and alcohol to relax and relieve stress. To find out if you fall into this category, answer the following question. Do you feel the need for a cigarette or a dose of alcohol in situations where you have to speak in public, an important meeting or an important exam, after a hard and stressful day, etc. With a positive answer to these and other similar questions, we can conclude that with the help of bad habits, as a rule, you try to satisfy your need to get rid of stress and depression.

Cigarettes can be used as a means to attract attention. Most often, this is the reason teenagers start smoking. Boys think they look more mature and brutal, girls see themselves as sexy and elegant.

It is a well-known fact that under the influence of alcohol a person ceases to be shy, becomes more relaxed and courageous. The need to feel comfortable and free during the holidays can lead some people to drink alcohol.

Some smoke in order to take a break from unpleasant or difficult work. In reality, the cigarette does not relieve tension, but loads even more, reducing performance and quickly causing a feeling of fatigue.

Some members of the creative world have cravings for various mind-altering drugs. However, unusual experiences from intoxication, including alcohol, can turn into extremely unpleasant consequences.

This list is almost endless. Having established the cause, you can go on the path of getting rid of bad addictions.

How to get rid of nicotine and alcohol addiction?

Treatment of alcoholism is a very broad topic that can be discussed for quite some time. There are many methods of treatment. These are all kinds of codes. drug treatment, hypnosis, folk remedies etc. The most effective is complex therapy, in which an experienced narcologist and psychologist work with a person. It is important that the person himself is aware of the problem and wants to get rid of it.

With smoking, everything is somewhat easier. First of all, deciding to get rid of nicotine addiction Try to give up cigarettes once and for all. There is no need to try to replace cigarettes with a lighter brand, electronic modification and other means. Smoke your last cigarette and forget. If it becomes unbearable, eat a lollipop, a piece of cheese, etc. Pleasure, of course, is absolutely not the same, but it is much easier for the brain, blood vessels, heart and other organs and systems.

If you are not able to immediately completely abandon cigarettes, you can use the proven and effective recommendations from German experts:

do not buy more than 1 pack of cigarettes at a time;
taking another cigarette, immediately hide the pack;
do not smoke more than 1 cigarette in a row;
smoke only filter cigarettes;
regularly change the brand and strength of cigarettes;
keep the pack as far as possible from the workplace, resting place or from the place where you are at the moment;
do not smoke cigarettes offered by other people;
never ask for a cigarette;
do not carry a lighter with you;
after smoking a cigarette, immediately hide the ashtray;
extinguish the cigarette after the first puff;
smoke inhaling through time;
after a while, try to start smoking without a puff;
smoke the first cigarette only after breakfast;
gradually increase the time between the moment when you start wanting to smoke and smoking itself;
smoke no more than 1 cigarette in 1-2 hours;
calculate how much money you can save if you quit smoking.

But the most important thing is to realize all the harmful effects of nicotine and alcohol on the human body. If you are serious about getting rid of the bottle and pack of cigarettes, find something that will help replace them.

For example, if you drink and smoke to relax, start exercising or yoga. If smoking is an opportunity to relax while working, it is better to use this time to listen to a couple of musical compositions, take a short walk, watch the latest news, etc. Do not forget that your health is solely in your hands. Good luck and be healthy!

Thanks for the feedback

COMMENTS:

Megan92 () 2 weeks ago

Has anyone managed to save her husband from alcoholism? Mine drinks without drying up, I don’t know what to do ((I thought of getting a divorce, but I don’t want to leave the child without a father, and I feel sorry for my husband, he’s a great person when he doesn’t drink

Daria () 2 weeks ago

I have already tried so many things and only after reading this article, I managed to wean my husband from alcohol, now he doesn’t drink at all, even on holidays.

Megan92 () 13 days ago

Daria () 12 days ago

Megan92, so I wrote in my first comment) I will duplicate it just in case - link to article.

Sonya 10 days ago

Isn't this a divorce? Why sell online?

Yulek26 (Tver) 10 days ago

Sonya, what country do you live in? They sell on the Internet, because shops and pharmacies set their markup brutal. In addition, payment is only after receipt, that is, they first looked, checked and only then paid. And now everything is sold on the Internet - from clothes to TVs and furniture.

Editorial response 10 days ago

Sonya, hello. This drug for the treatment of alcohol dependence is not really realized through pharmacy chain and Retail Stores to avoid overpricing. Currently, you can only order official website. Be healthy!