We have all heard of the risks associated with smoking cigarettes, but what are the risks of cigar smoking? Are the risks of smoking cigars just as dangerous, or more so? According to the National Cancer Instituted, regular cigar smoking can result in a major health threat. Scientific research has linked cigar smoking with cancers of the larynx, lungs, esophagus, and oral cavity. Newer research also indicates that cigar smoking may be strongly linked to the development of cancer in the pancreas. Doctors also caution that individuals who regularly inhale while enjoying a cigar are also at greater risk of developing lung disease and heart problems. The health threats of cigar smoking appear to increase dramatically in those individuals who smoke regularly and inhale while smoking. Someone who smokes three to four cigars each day will him or herself at eight times the risk of developing some kind of oral cancer than a nonsmoker. Unfortunately, we do not yet know the health risks of smoking the occasional cigar. It seems clear however that smoking cigars on a daily basis can pose serious health risks.  Many individuals wonder if cigars are as addictive as cigarettes. Many wonder why, for instance, so many people become addicted to cigarettes, and not cigars? The truth is that any tobacco product can become addictive because it contains nicotine. Witness the effects of smokeless tobacco products on individuals. These products, such as chewing tobacco, can become very addictive, simply because they contain tobacco, which in turn contains nicotine. Many cigar smokers do not inhale deeply, thus causing the nicotine to be inhaled superficially. Cigarette smokers tend to inhale, causing the nicotine to be absorbed faster and more readily by the lungs. Even though most cigar smokers inhale the nicotine more superficially, it is still possible to become addicted if the user smokes cigars on a regular basis.  If nicotine is so addictive, why don’t more cigar smokers smoke more often? It appears that more people avoid becoming ‘hooked’ on cigars for several reasons. The most obvious reason is that the nicotine is inhaled much more superficially than in regular cigarette smoking, causing less nicotine to be absorbed by the body. Also, cigars are not as readily accessible as cigarettes. They are viewed by most as a luxury item, saved for special occasions and used infrequently. However, when cigars are smoked on a regular basis, they can become addictive. The health risks of any kind of smoking increase dramatically as frequency of use increases.

By now, we all know that smoking is bad for us. Can there possibly be anyone left in the modern world that doesn’t know about this? The things people are finding more and more is that there are fewer places for them to smoke. There should be more places banned from the curse of smoking. Smoking not only causes cancer, it may also accelerate the growth of existing cancers. Nicotine in cigarette smoke could stimulate the production of a molecule which can make lung cancer cells more aggressive and encourages them to carve up and nurture. Smoking may boost the growth of existing tumors as well as triggering cancer.  It won’t be long before the government outlaws smoking in your own car, which is equivalent to that more people every year will be looking for easier ways to quit smoking, because anyone who has ever tried to quit, knows how hard it really is…  Smoking causes cancer. We’ve all heard that. Everyone knows that lung cancer is one of the most devastating side effects of smoking. However, what is less known is that it puts smokers at risk of many other types of cancers as well, for example, mouth cancer, cancer of the larynx (voice box), bladder, pancreas and cervix among several others. Smoking dramatically raises the risk of lung disease such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. These diseases are also known as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). They are progressive in nature and can eventually be life threatening. The likelihood of smokers dying from heart attacks is twice that of non-smokers. It causes peripheral vascular disease, where blood vessels that carry blood to the leg and arm muscles are constricted. If you are thirty and a chain smoker, then it should be no surprise that you have premature wrinkles. Moreover, smoking also makes your breath and clothes smell bad, and give you yellow fingernails. Women smokers are at a higher risk of having a miscarriage or a baby with lower birth weight. Women over 35, who take the ‘pill’ risk heart attack, stroke and blood clots in the legs. During the early stages of withdrawal, time seems to drag endlessly. The first few weeks are interminable. It is important not to let this overshadow the greater purpose and really keep going with a positive attitude. One may experience an unbearable craving to grab a cigarette. During such an episode, it helps to take a look at the clock and actually time the duration of the ‘attack’. It will likely last no longer that 3 minutes, although it may seem endless – this helps to gain perspective. Nicotine is a powerful stimulant. Our body needs time and a great deal of effort to learn to live without it. It is natural to feel tired, drained out and fatigued during the first few days. Normal sleep patterns get disrupted during withdrawal. One might find oneself sleeping comparatively less. It takes a couple of weeks for regular sleep patters to establish. Other common symptoms of physical withdrawal are tightness in the chest, slight sore throat, coughing with mucus, bad breath and headaches. Prostate cancer carried the most increased risk for metastatic disease, while head and neck, prostate and breast cancers were all more likely to be associated with regional disease among smokers.