Ten Ticos A Day Die From The Effects of Cigarette Smoking
In Costa Rica every hour there is one heart attack and ten die daily due to the effects of cigarette smoking. The Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) estimates that the cost to the health system is over ¢135 billion colones (us$259.615.384) a year.

The figure were released by the CCSS in anticipation of the "Word No Tobacco Day" on May 31.

Around the world, different health organization and medical institutions are dedicating their attention to the addiction for the day, in the hopes that can promote people to stop smoking.

World No Tobacco Day is celebrated around the world every year on May 31, created by the members states of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1987.

This year, the World Health Organization's theme for World No Tobacco Day raises awareness about the existence of a wide variety of deadly tobacco products and encourages countries to work towards strict regulations. Regulation should help people get accurate information, remove the disguise and unveil the truth behind tobacco products - traditional, new and future.

According to statistics by the Instituto sobre Alcoholismo y Farmacodependencia (IAFA) 700.000 Costa Ricans smoke between 11 and 20 cigarettes daily notwithstanding the diseases of smoking on themselves and those around them.

The IAFA says that many have made attempts to quit smoking, citing on average seven failed attempts.

The IAFA has planned activities for the entire week and on Thursday will hold a preventive rally where 92 children from the Escuela Franklin D. Roosevelt will be sending out the message of "no to second hand smoke".

Tobacco 101
Tobacco is a tall, leafy annual plant, originally grown in South and Central America, but now cultivated throughout the world, including southern Ontario, Canada. There are many species of tobacco; Nicotiana tabacum (or common tobacco) is used to produce cigarettes.

Nicotine, a powerful central nervous system stimulant found naturally in the tobacco leaf, is classified as a drug. Nicotine is one of the main ingredients in tobacco. In higher doses, nicotine is extremely poisonous. It is commonly used as an insecticide.

Tobacco leaves can be burned and inhaled (in the form of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smoke, etc.) or absorbed through the mouth (in the form of spit tobacco, chew, or snuff). The membranes in the nose, mouth and lungs act as nicotine delivery systems - transmitting nicotine into the blood and to the brain.

Smokers usually feel dizzy and sick when they first inhale the nicotine in tobacco, but gradually build up tolerance to its effects. Other symptoms new smokers experience includes coughing, a dry, irritated throat as well as nausea, weakness, abdominal cramps, headache, coughing or gagging. These symptoms subside as the user develops a tolerance to nicotine.

Nicotine is highly addictive. The addictive effect of nicotine is the main reason why tobacco is widely used. Many smokers continue to smoke in order to avoid the pain of withdrawal symptoms. Smokers also adjust their behaviour (inhaling more deeply, for example) to keep a certain level of nicotine in the body.

Smokers who usually smoke at least 15 cigarettes per day and/or smoke their first cigarette of the day within 30 minutes of waking are likely to experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms. They will likely find quitting uncomfortable.

Stopping can produce unpleasant withdrawal symptoms including depression, insomnia, irritability, difficulty concentrating, restlessness, anxiety, decreased heart rate, increased appetite, weight gain, and craving for nicotine.

Symptoms peak from 24 to 48 hours after stopping and can last from three days up to four weeks, although the craving for a cigarette can last for months.

Most smokers make an average of three or four quit attempts before becoming long-term non-smokers. Relapse is the rule rather than the exception and must be viewed as part of the process of quitting.

BE Aware and Beware
Second-hand smoke consists of mainstream smoke, the smoke inhaled and exhaled by the smoker, and side stream smoke, the smoke released directly from the end of a burning cigarette.

Smoke does a lot of damage – and not just to smokers. Anyone who’s near a lit cigarette, pipe or cigar is probably breathing second-hand smoke. Two-thirds of the smoke from a burning cigarette is not inhaled by the smoker but enters the surrounding environment. The contaminated air is inhaled by anyone in that area.

Prolonged and repeated exposure to second-hand smoke means that you, your family and friends are more likely to develop second-hand smoke diseases, some of which are fatal:

* Lung cancer
* Heart disease
* Asthma
* Reduced lung function
* Bronchitis
* Middle ear infections
* Pneumonia
* Croup
* Sore throats

Second-hand smoke is a combination of poisonous gases, liquids and breathable particles that are harmful to your health. A non-smoker breathing second-hand smoke can be exposed to 4,000 different chemicals, 50 of which are associated with or known to cause cancer.

Second-hand smoke has twice as much nicotine and tar as the smoke that smokers inhale. It also has five times the carbon monoxide which decreases the amount of oxygen in your blood.

Exposure to second-hand smoke for as little as 8 to 20 minutes can cause physical reactions linked to heart and stroke disease.

For example:
- the heart rate increases,
- the heart’s oxygen supply decreases, and
- blood vessels constrict which increases blood pressure and makes the heart work harder