What are the effects on your children?

If a pregnant mom smokes, her child is exposed to effects of smoking within 10 seconds of the first puff of smoke.  Where the mom smokes less than 20 cigarettes per day, the effect can last for about an hour.  For heavier smokers, the effect lasts around half an hour.  Studies done in Cape Town almost 30 years ago showed that the blood supply to the uterus reduced by around 50% within seconds of a puff.

ALSO READ : Turning the Tide on Lifestyle Diseases: Helping you overcome addiction

That reduced blood supply can result in increased risk of miscarriages, stillbirths, preterm labours, growth restriction which affects length of the baby, the abdominal circumference and can cause a smaller head size.  This all can result in lower IQ of the children.  For some unexplained reason the baby’s lung development is also affected, which can lead to greater risk of lung diseases later in life.

Once the baby is born to smoking parents, that child is again at greater risk of asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia; ear infections; bladder cancer and sudden infant death syndrome, (where children die in their sleep with no obvious health issues when they went to sleep).  Imagine the guilt and pain experienced by parents whose children suffer illness or even death as a result of their addiction.

Tobacco smoke is reported to contain over 7000 different chemical substances, of which 250 are known toxins, and around 70 are carcinogens (cancer producing).

For a detailed report with references see the accompanying position paper produced by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects/index.htm

So, stopping smoking is not only important for your own health, but for the health and well-being of your family. 

That is why it is important to get them on board, giving you affirmation as well as motivation and encouragement.  It is amazing how kids can, through their uninhibited honesty, be your best conscience and support, when you utilise their assistance.

Understanding Relapse

You may feel that you have finally conquered your addiction – having given up for a few days or weeks.  But it is important not to let your guard down.  Relapse is common in the first 3 months for a number of reasons.

Alcohol reduces your inhibitions and suppresses the will-power centre of your brain.  Often drinking alcohol is strongly associated with smoking, or social smoking with friends and you then are exposed to second-hand smoke which stimulates all the old cravings.

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Stress also suppresses your will-power centre.  Dr Susan Pearce-Thompson who did her PhD in Neuroscience, with particular emphasis on addictions, says constant decision making in stressful situations can fatigue the self-control centre of the brain and reduce your ability to make rational decisions.  See our previous blog on food addiction: https://www.citizen.co.za/south-coast-herald/277529/turning-tide-lifestyle-diseases-food-addiction-reality/.  Addictive behaviour is the same for smoking, “recreational drugs”, alcohol or even computer games or pornography.

Boredom.  My mother used to say to me “The devil finds work for idle hands”.  Although she used this in the context of children getting up to mischief when they were bored, it has relevance to the process of breaking free from smoking addiction.  That is why we emphasised the importance of  becoming active in hobbies, or recreational activities – walking, gardening, exercise, etc.

Negative feelings and negative self-talk.  Depression affects 70% of people at some stage in their lives.  This can be brought on by circumstances, poor diet or lack of exercise, but also may be due to genetic predisposition and so called “endogenous” depression.

ALSO READ : Turning the Tide on Lifestyle Diseases: How to kick the smoking habit

Unfortunately nicotine is quite a powerful antidepressant, and many people feel quite depressed when they say goodbye to their “friend”.  Sometimes it is necessary to treat the underlying depression with medications or even psychotherapy.  In fact one of the more effective pharmaceutical interventions in smoking cessation is the use of Zyban which is the antidepressant Bupropion, also sold as Wellbutrin.  Your doctor is the best person to put you onto this treatment as there can be side effects.

Many people fail because they lower their guard, minimising the power of nicotine addiction.  Be aware of the power of the drug that has held you under its control for so much of your life.  You don’t want to go back there!

Some people stop using coping strategies, that we have mentioned on each of the previous blogs in this series on smoking cessation.  We will remind you of a few of the most important again at the end.

Some people say “One cigarette won’t hurt”, only to be entangled once again by the tentacles of nicotine addiction.

Stressful life events – financial stress, family breakup, relationship issues may all contribute to loss of motivation and self-confidence, and lead one to reverting back to smoking.

If you do relapse, this is the best time to start again.  You can easily assess what went wrong, and learn from the experience, then start again.

Failure is only failure if you fail to try again.  Review the process, by re-reading these blogs from the first one on smoking cessation, and implement the steps again.

Managing Stress

How do we define stress?  Stress is the body’s way of responding to any kind of demand.  This can be both good and bad experiences.  When people feel stressed by something going on around them, their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood.  For instance if you hear a loud bang, or get a fright, your body releases a surge of adrenalin, which helps your “fight or flight” reaction.  However this subsides as soon as the initiator dissipates.  But if you are constantly excreting adrenalin with chronic stress, this will result in damage to your system through things like high blood pressure, tense muscles, headaches, stomach ulcers, anxiety, sleeplessness, effects on appetite, skin rashes, and mood swings.  Each person reacts differently to stress.

Identify your particular symptoms of stress from the above partial list.  Perhaps you have other manifestations.  By identifying how stress is affecting you, you can become aware of the condition and set about to intervene appropriately by counteracting its effects on your body.

The next phase is to identify the causes of stress.  These may be fairly obvious like major illness, loss of a job, marital discord, financial crisis, etc.  But sometimes the stresses are undercurrent and may need a therapist or spiritual counsellor to uncover – things like guilt, lack of purpose in life, fear of the future uncertainties and fear of death.

Dealing with stress is a complex subject, way beyond the limitations of this short summary.  Perhaps we can have a special blog just on dealing with stress in the future.  But here are some guidelines.

Relaxation techniques – this may involve meditation and yoga.  I prefer to spend time in prayer, which I do out loud in a private place, to keep my mind focused.  Another helpful intervention is thoughtful meditation on the Scripture.  This can help to bring balance to our lives and help us realise we are not alone.  It gives a sense of purpose, and reassures us that we can receive guidance and that we are not alone, and that there is a higher power in charge of our lives.

Time management and budgeting.  So often we get into stressful situations because we fail to plan.  Whether this is rushing to meet an appointment, or running into financial crisis because we have not saved adequately and overstretched our budget trying to live beyond our means.

Effective communication can help us destress.  Sharing your concerns with your spouse in non-judgemental or non-condemnatory ways; seeking solutions rather than being critical; providing encouragement and affirmation and appreciation, are all ways that we can improve communication.

Assertive behaviour.  Sometimes it is important for us to firmly but kindly say No!.  There is a limit to what we can do.  There is a limit to the demands placed upon us that take us away from our family, without hurting that relationship.  We can be assertive when people keep blaming us or others for their failings.  We may need to give tough love.

Exercise, recreation, rest and a healthy diet can all bring our lives into balance.

Finally, humour is important.  Stop being so serious about life.  Have fun, and laugh at yourself and at jokes.  Play with the kids and experience their exuberance.  You will be helping them as well as yourself.

Remember

Remind yourself often why you are doing this.

Keep saying the mantra: “I choose not to smoke!”.

Keep eating a healthy diet.

Keep exercising regularly.

Plan ahead for what you will do in stressful situations.

Visualise yourself as a non-smoker.

Remember all the benefits you are already enjoying and will continue to enjoy.

To a successful week ahead in freedom.

Dave Glass

Dr David Glass graduated from UCT in 1975. He spent the next 12 years working at a mission hospital in Lesotho, where much of his work involved health education and interventions to improve health, aside from the normal busy clinical work of an under-resourced mission hospital.

He returned to UCT in 1990 to specialise in obstetrics/gynaecology and then moved to the South Coast where he had the privilege of, amongst other things, ushering 7000 babies into the world. He no longer delivers babies but is still very clinically active in gynaecology.

An old passion, preventive health care, has now replaced the obstetrics side of his work. He is eager to share insights he has gathered over the years on how to prevent and reverse so many of the modern scourges of lifestyle – obesity, diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, common cancers, etc.

He is a family man, with a supportive wife, and two grown children, and four beautiful grandchildren. His hobbies include walking, cycling, vegetable gardening, bird-watching, travelling and writing. He is active in community health outreach and deeply involved in church activities. He enjoys teaching and sharing information.

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