“I’ll have a pint of tar, please!” - said the smoker with cancer - help ASH fight the dangers of smoking

Thank you for taking interest in my blog! My name’s Meg and I strongly believe in stopping smokers and making them aware of the dangers. Did you know that 1 cigarette is estimated to shorten someone’s life by 11 minutes? Did you also know that cigarettes make you blood clot and have the constancy of strawberry jam (sorry for putting any one off of jam)? I didn’t until I researched the harms of smoking. Education is now making people more aware, but it isn’t enough. People need to know about the harms and addiction of cigarettes. Teenagers now-a-days feel like smoking is an easy way out of things of get pressured in to it by friends who think it is “cool” or “fun”, but they wouldn’t think this if they knew what’s in cigarettes.
 

If you smoke 20-a-day, in one month, there is enough tar and dangerous chemicals in your body to fill up a pint glass.  For an easier way of picturing this, imagine putting, Batteries, paint, vinegar, toilet cleaner and candle wax ( as well as all the other stuff) into a blender, blending it up, putting it in a pint glass and drinking it, once every month. Would you do it? Could you stomach it? No? Then why do other people choose to do it?

The simplest reason is because they are not aware of the dangers and “ingredients” in the cigarettes; if they were they wouldn’t start. And once you start it is so hard to stop. My mum didn’t realise this when she was younger, so she started smoking. She started smoking when she was very young and unaware, she didn’t realise the harm of smoking and why it’s bad.

This is where ASH comes in. ASH is a Charity that helps people like my mum stop smoking. But even though she has stopped, it is still going to affect her health in later life. They have kits advice and most importantly encouragement. ASH stands for “Action on Smoking and Health”, that’s what they do, they support smokers and take action on smoking to increase peoples health. ASH supplies loads of ways of helping smokers quit e.g. Electric cigarettes. The only reason people still smoke is because they are addicted to nicotine (something in cigarettes). Electric cigarettes have a lot less nicotine than normal cigarettes and a lot less of the poisons and chemicals.

Thank you so much for reading my blog! To find out more about ASH and what they do click the hyperlink: http://www.ash.org.uk/ ! Please can you leave a comment and answer these questions it would be much appreciated. If you do, please leave where you live .e.g. Home town or country (if not UK):

1. Have you heard of ASH before?
2. Do you feel more informed about ASH?
3. Do you feel more informed about the dangers of smoking?
4. Do you know anyone who quit smoking? Or anyone who still does? (Please specify which one).
5. Would you consider donating to ASH?

Thank you again!
Meg