Cigar Smoking For Dummiesby Jefferson K.S. Delport Cigar smoking is one of the fastest growing smoking tobacco products as seen by the number of cigar beginners. The general misconception amongst these smoking beginners is that cigars are safer and less harmful than tobacco cigarettes. This is a deadly misconception in the minds of a growing number of teenage tobacco users. Cigar statistics speak for themself. Since the early 90s up until late 2007 there was a 124% growth in the use of cigars. In total 4.8 billion cigars were used in America in 2007. The truth of the matter is that smoking cigars is equally dangerous and harmful to the health of those who smoke as well as by-standers via second hand smoke and third hand smoke. A cigar consists of tobacco wrapped in leaf tobacco with on average as much tobacco as twenty tobacco cigarettes put together. For this reason a cigar being smoked can last up to 1 hour thereby producing stronger and long lasting environmental smoke or passive smoke. Most cigar users do not inhale the smoke because it irritates eyes, nose, throat and breathing passages. Cigar smoking health risks are equally a concern and as high as normal cigarettes. Perhaps this is were the misconception is; because cigar smokers do not inhale the smoke they have a lesser risk of contracting lung cancer than cigarette smokers. This however doesn't mean they cannot contract lung cancer or suffer from any cancers related to tobacco smoke. Cigar users who inhale the smoke will suffer from lung cancer. Most cigarette smokers who smoke cigars tend to inhale the smoke carring over from how cigarettes are smoked. Cigar smoking individuals expose themselves to gum disease which may be similar to gum recession as shown in these chewing tobacco pictures. Bad breath is their portion including teeth fall-out. Research has also associated erectile dysfunction in men with smoking cigars. Due to the fact that cigars contain the same toxins as those found in tobacco cigarettes, cigar users stand next in line for heart disease and other cardiovascular disease. They are at risk of the well known dangers of smokingassociated with cigarette smoking. Smoking cigars will cause oral cancer such as cancer of the lips, tongue, mouth and throat. Cancer of the voice box which is the larynx and esophagus The growth of cigar smoking beyond the traditional demographic groups of older men has been partly as a result of the lower cost of cigars in comparison to tobacco cigarettes. Generally speaking, there is less tobacco regulation or smoking laws controlling the use of cigars in the United States. This is roughly the picture across much of the world. Teenage smokers have found their way in cigar smoking also because of relaxed cigar advertising policies as well as the many flavored cigars that have been introduced specifically to entice the youth. These flavored cigars would include chocolate and strawberry flavors amongst others.
Just because a cigar tastes different and smells different does not make it safer than tobacco cigarettes. This difference simply lays in the length of fermentation applied to cigar tobacco but takes way nothing from the harmful effects of cigars. Smoking cigar health effects cannot be denied. Beginners continually fall into the trap. As there is no difference in the effect between tobacco cigarettes and cigars including the nicotine addiction effect; currently available tobacco quit smoking programs and stop smoking productscan be used to quit smoking cigars. Quitting cigar users may use nicotine replacement products such as nicotine patches and nicotine chewing gum. However, consulting one's doctor is essential to ensure the correct and most appropriate quit smoking aid. Have A Great Story About This Topic?Do you have something you would like to say about this? Share it! Return to Articles on Tobacco and Health from Cigar Smoking For Dummies
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