Definition
Definition
“Smoking a cigarette relaxes you.”
"Light cigarettes are less dangerous than others."
"The filter reduces the toxicity of the cigarette."
Here are three clichés among others that tend to demystify smoking.
What is it in reality?
Generalities
“Smoking a cigarette relaxes you.”
La Nicotine is a stimulant : its action on the brain is therefore to put it in a state of alert and not relaxation.
So where does this feeling of relaxation felt by the smoker from the first puff come from?
Quite simply because it puts an end to the discomfort felt by the body when it is "lacking" nicotine. This is a flawed reasoning that creates the myth of the "cigarette that relaxes."
At the first contact with a cigarette, the body reacts naturally, by rejection, as it does with any poison, any toxic substance: the first cigarette makes you cough, gives you a headache or makes you want to vomit, but it does not relax you.
"Light cigarettes are less dangerous than others."
The term "light cigarette" or "light cigarette" was chosen to suggest that these cigarettes are less dangerous than others.
In fact, these cigarettes have a lower tar and nicotine content than others, among other things by a ventilation system which dilutes the smoke sucked in using porous paper and a filter pierced with microscopic holes.
However, these levels are measured by smoking machines: machines and humans do not inhale smoke in the same way, with humans blocking the filter with their lips or fingers.
On the other hand, studies prove that Every smoker needs their own dose of nicotine. If the light cigarette gives him less with each puff, he will unconsciously multiply the puffs and intensify the inhalation.
"The filter reduces the toxicity of the cigarette."
In direct contact with the mouth, the filter is supposed to limit the toxicity of the cigarette. This is not the case because:
- the filter itself is dangerous for health (inhalation of particles, asbestos, etc.)
- Filter-tipped cigarettes generally have higher nicotine levels
- the filter pushes to suck harder
- the smoker believes he is protected by the filter and is therefore less aware of the danger he is running
Read also:
Effects of tobacco on the body
Tobacco addiction: what are the causes?
Smoking and childhood leukemia
Photo credit: Young couple smoking – Pikselstock – Fotolia