Folk wisdom gives habit a large role in a person’s life. “If you sow a habit, you will reap a character; if you sow a character, you will reap a destiny.” Habit is not a harmless weakness and a random trifle - it is the core of a person’s character. Its positive side consists of good skills: for example, always telling the truth, or getting things done to the end.

Bad habits and their impact on health has a negative connotation: they interfere with a person’s life, distort his relationships with others. Harmful addictions begin with individual actions, when a person wants to obtain some benefits for himself, knowing (or not knowing) about the harmful consequences. The apparent pleasantness of a dangerous act forces one to repeat it again and again - the action becomes automatic and is performed almost unconsciously. The inappropriateness and harm of a habitual action, its danger to health, the well-being of loved ones, and the whole society is gradually revealed. But it’s too late: the force of habit begins to control a person, subordinating his will. Addictions are a kind of life traps, breaking out of which takes a lot of work.

People tend to regard many bad habits as small weaknesses. They help some people concentrate and distract from unpleasant thoughts - for example, the habit of biting a pen or nails. Others, with the help of such actions, relax or exchange information relevant to the psyche: the custom is to eat in front of the TV, hang on the phone for a long time, and gossip. Still others cannot overcome the echoes of distant childhood and the flaws of parental upbringing: the custom of picking your nose, licking your fingers, creating a “creative mess” around yourself, hiding socks under the bed. Several years ago, the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion conducted a survey: what bad habits are there and how widespread they are in our country.

It turns out that the most common bad habit among Russians is smoking. In second place is the use of obscene language. Third place - drinking alcohol with and without reason. The list of dangerous skills that can destroy health includes: social status, the fate of a person, includes many “innocent” habits.

• “Indulgence” with drugs and toxic substances.
• Gluttony, the habit of eating stress, love for cakes and chocolates.
• Laziness, sedentary lifestyle.
• Taking medications without control or restrictions.
• Chronic lack of sleep, nocturnal lifestyle.
• Internet addiction, virtual communication.
• Habit of gambling and computer games.
• Frequent shopping, spending money on unnecessary things.

Each of these customs causes harm and has serious consequences. Of course, the most dangerous for people and society as a whole are the use of drugs, alcohol and smoking. Often the term “bad habits” refers to these addictions.

Expert opinion

Smirnov Viktor Petrovich
Dietitian, Samara

It has been proven that smoking and drinking large doses of alcohol increases the incidence of both overall mortality and mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and lung cancer. Alcohol leads to the development of liver cirrhosis in lovers of strong drinks, fatty hepatosis occurs, and chronic liver failure develops. Reduced criticism and self-criticism in people with chronic alcoholism lead sooner or later to the use of alcohol substitutes, which is fraught with serious poisoning and personality degradation. We can no longer talk about the dangers of using drugs, especially synthetic ones, as well as the so-called salts, which are widely synthesized and used nowadays among young people, even in prosperous families. Salt drugs cause the formation of mental and even physical dependence after just one use and extremely quickly destroy the nervous system and personality. Even ordinary beer, consumed in large quantities, leads to wear and tear of the cardiovascular system, the development of dilated and toxic cardiomyopathy, which is known as “Bavarian beer heart.” However, scientists have proven that even in the period of maturity, between the ages of 40 and 70, it is not too late to give up all bad habits and increase physical activity even if in youth a person led a sedentary lifestyle. This drastic change in your habits leads to an increase in life expectancy and a decrease in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and stroke.

What are the dangers of bad habits?

The danger of nicotine, alcohol and drugs is the formation of mental dependence, which a person cannot cope with even with the help of medicine.

• The harm of smoking is expressed in an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular, and pulmonary diseases. Incurable COPD and lung cancer are the inevitable outcome of the life of a heavy smoker. The passion for smoking is difficult to overcome: a person without a cigarette loses the ability to concentrate, and apathy takes over.
• Alcohol kills brain cells, primarily those responsible for memory. When drinking, a person disconnects from unpleasant information and falls into euphoria. With each drink, the number of dead cells increases, the brains of alcoholics are reduced in size and wrinkled, and they are characterized by memory loss and personality degradation.
• Personal degradation occurs even faster from drugs than from alcohol. Those who are introduced to drugs in their teens barely live past 30. Severe withdrawal symptoms in the absence of a dose often lead to suicide. Drug addicts are capable of committing any crime, become dangerous to society, and are an environment for the spread of HIV infection.
• The habit of overeating combined with a sedentary lifestyle leads to obesity, which poses a threat to the health of obese people. Having realized the harm of overeating, they are no longer able to stop the growth of their gigantic weight. It causes heart disease, diabetes, and destroys joints and the spine. A person at the stage of obesity has problems with social adaptation; it is difficult for him to get a job, start a family, or maintain friendships.
• Chronic lack of sleep, the habit of having fun until the morning has the most negative impact on human health: the brain does not receive the necessary rest and begins to fail: memory deteriorates, Creative skills. Decreased performance is complemented by being late for work, the eternal lack of time - all this affects career. Lack of sleep is an indirect cause of hypertension, gastritis, and diseases of the nervous system.

Prevention of harmful skills

The best prevention of bad habits is the example of adults: parents, relatives, teachers, people who are idols of youth. No amount of posters or beliefs will teach children good manners, if they are not supported by the actions of the educators themselves. A smoking dad will not convince his son that smoking is harmful. Frequent drinks and feasts in the family form the child’s confidence that fun and celebration are inextricably linked with alcohol. In families where every word alternates with obscenities, it is useless to lecture about the culture of speech.

And yet it is necessary to warn about the dangers of bad habits. And this is best done in adolescence, when the child critically perceives information and forms his own model of behavior. Visual promotion of a healthy lifestyle should not only inform, but also stimulate thought. Manuals that compare the brain and liver of an alcoholic, the lungs of a smoker with the organs of a healthy person, on a subconscious level create a sense of danger from harmful addictions. A convincing and understandable description of the processes in the body that occur under the influence of bad habits is of great importance. In discussing videos and films about the real destinies of people who have become victims of addictions, it is necessary to involve popular and respected personalities among teenagers - athletes, musicians, Orthodox figures.

A few rules for breaking habits

• Find motivation - clearly formulate why you need to free yourself from a harmful skill: how bad it was with it, and how good it will be without it.
• Make an action plan in case temptation arises: you need to replace it with another pleasant action. Example: “If I feel like smoking after lunch, I’ll eat a portion of ice cream.”
• Make a bet that you will be able to get rid of an unpleasant habit. You need to argue for something valuable that is very difficult to part with.
• Gradually reduce the size of harmful passion: if earlier I played until 2 am, now I will sit until 12.
• Find a new hobby, get a pet.
• Learn more and more about the harmful consequences of your addiction.
• Take actions that are the opposite of your habit: instead of smoking, eat sunflower seeds or lollipops; instead of a computer - a book, instead of shopping - a trip into the forest.
• Get rid of “provocateurs” - avoid friends and acquaintances who provoke a resumption of previous behavior.

Before a bad habit turns into an addiction, it needs to declare war and win the battle.

Abstract: Bad habits and their impact on health

Plan

Introduction

3. Drug addiction

conclusions

Introduction

Habits are forms of human behavior that arise in the process of learning and repeated repetition of various life situations, performed automatically. Once formed, the habit becomes an integral part of the lifestyle.

Among the many good habits, developed in the process of life, a person acquires many harmful, unfortunately, habits that cause irreparable harm to the health of not only modern, but also future generations.

Currently, bad habits include all types of substance abuse (from the Greek toxicon - poisonous, mania - insanity, insanity) - diseases that arise from the abuse of certain medicinal substances (narcotic, sleeping pills, sedatives, stimulants, etc.), as well as alcohol, tobacco and other toxic substances and complex compounds.

The medical and pedagogical community is increasingly concerned about children and adolescents becoming more involved in the most negative habits – smoking, alcohol, and drugs. The main factors in the formation and consolidation of bad habits among the younger generation include: poor organization of educational work; acceleration process in the absence of critical thinking; temporarily obtaining artificially created mental comfort and relieving tension after taking drugs and alcohol with the formation of a dominant; simplification of ways to satisfy various human needs by inhibiting the central nervous system.

1. Smoking and its effect on the human body

The effect of smoking on the nervous system

Smoking is not a harmless activity that can be quit without effort. This is a real drug addiction, and even more dangerous because many do not take it seriously.

Nicotine is one of the most dangerous poisons of plant origin.

Our nervous system controls the functioning of all organs and systems, ensures the functional unity of the human body and its interaction with the environment. As is known, the nervous system consists of a central (brain and spinal cord), peripheral (nerves emerging from the spinal cord and brain) and autonomic, regulating activity internal organs, glands and blood vessels. The autonomic nervous system is in turn divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic.

The work of the brain, all nervous activity, is determined by the processes of excitation and inhibition. During the process of excitation, the nerve cells of the brain increase their activity, and during the process of inhibition, they delay. The process of inhibition plays a role in the body's response to the appropriate environment and stimulus. In addition, inhibition performs a protective function, protecting nerve cells from overstrain.

Constant and correct balancing of the processes of excitation and inhibition determines the normal higher nervous activity of a person.

The more developed the nervous system is, the less resistant it is to nicotine. The effect of nicotine on the brain was studied by Soviet scientist A.E. Shcherbakov. He found that small doses of nicotine increase the excitability of the cerebral cortex for a very short time, and then inhibit and deplete the activity of nerve cells. When smoking, an electroencephalogram (recording of brain biocurrents) notes a decrease in bioelectrical activity, which indicates a weakening of normal brain activity. Some people's idea of ​​smoking as a performance stimulant is based on the fact that the smoker initially actually experiences short-term excitement. However, it quickly gives way to inhibition. The brain gets used to nicotine “handouts” and begins to demand them, otherwise anxiety and irritability appear.

And the person begins to smoke again, that is, he constantly “beats his brain,” weakening the inhibition process.

The balance of excitation and inhibition is disturbed due to overexcitation of nerve cells, which, gradually depleting, reduce the mental activity of the brain.

Disruption of the processes of excitation and inhibition causes symptoms characteristic of neurosis (with neuroses, the processes of excitation and inhibition are also disrupted under the influence of unfavorable external psychogenic factors).

Nicotine acts on the autonomic nervous system and primarily on its sympathetic department, speeding up the heart, constricting blood vessels, increasing blood pressure; The effect of nicotine negatively affects the functioning of the digestive organs and metabolism.

At first, when smoking, unpleasant sensations are observed: a bitter taste in the mouth, cough, dizziness, headache, increased heart rate, increased sweating. This is not only a protective reaction of the body, but also a phenomenon of intoxication. However, gradually the smoker’s body gets used to nicotine, the symptoms of intoxication disappear, and the need for it develops into a habit, that is, it turns into a conditioned reflex, and remains as long as the person smokes.

Under the influence of nicotine, peripheral vessels constrict, and blood flow in them decreases by 40-45%.

After each cigarette smoked, the narrowing of blood vessels lasts for about half an hour. Consequently, in a person who smokes one cigarette every 30-40 minutes, vasoconstriction continues almost continuously.

Due to the irritating effect of nicotine on the hypothalamic region of the brain, an antidiuretic hormone is released, which reduces the excretion of water from the body in urine. A decrease in diuresis is observed after smoking one cigarette. This action lasts 2-3 hours.

As a result of smoking, blood oxygen saturation gradually decreases and oxygen starvation develops, which affects the function of the nervous system, especially the brain.

Carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke also has an adverse effect on psychomotor function. Thus, under the influence of carbon monoxide, a person’s ability to perform delicate manual operations, evaluate the pitch of sound, the intensity of lighting, and the duration of time intervals decreases. This happens because carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin, and this prevents the body from absorbing oxygen.

Considering that 20% total number oxygen entering the body is absorbed by the brain (with the brain weighing 2% of body weight), then one can imagine what such artificial oxygen starvation leads to.

The nervous system also suffers from the fact that vitamin C, necessary for its functioning, is destroyed under the influence of nicotine, which in itself can lead to irritability, fatigue, decreased appetite, and sleep disturbances.

For example, it is estimated that one cigarette smoked neutralizes half the amount of vitamin C that the human body should receive per day.

In addition, under the influence of nicotine, the absorption of other vitamins is disrupted: a deficiency of vitamins A, B1, B6, B12 occurs in the smoker’s body.

With age, smokers have more cholesterol in their blood than non-smokers, and the permeability of the vascular walls increases. A substance has been found in tobacco smoke that promotes the gluing of blood cells (platelets) and the formation of blood clots. All this causes the development of cerebral atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis develops in smokers 10-15 years earlier than in non-smokers.

The consequences of smoking can be neuritis, polyneuritis, plexitis, radiculitis. Most often, the brachial, radial, sciatic, and femoral nerves are affected. In some cases, smokers experience impaired pain sensitivity in the extremities. It is interesting that people suffering from neuritis and polyneuritis, even if they do not smoke themselves, may feel pain in their arms and legs when in a smoky room.

Smoking can play a role in the occurrence of such a severe, progressive disease of the nervous system as multiple sclerosis, which leads to permanent disability and is characterized by impaired coordination of movements, the appearance of paresis and paralysis, mental disorders, damage to the optic nerve, etc. It should, however, be indicated that the etiology (cause of occurrence) of multiple sclerosis has not yet been definitively established.

Nicotine excites the sympathetic part of the nervous system and through it enhances the function of the endocrine glands. After smoking a cigarette, the amount of corticosteroids and adrenaline in the blood sharply increases. This leads to increased blood pressure. It is known that hypertension is observed in smokers 5 times more often than in non-smokers, it develops at a younger age, and is more severe.

Due to the high sensitivity of their nervous system to tobacco, adolescents who smoke are more likely to experience nervous and mental disorders than non-smokers. Such teenagers are often irritable, inattentive, sleep poorly, and get tired quickly. Their memory, attention, and performance are reduced.

Early smoking often leads to the development of so-called juvenile hypertension. If at first blood pressure rises periodically, for a short time, then after 4-6 years of smoking it already remains firmly at high levels.

The effect of tobacco on the cardiovascular system

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the important problems that modern medical science deals with. Smoking plays an important and far from harmless role in the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system. Among the products of tobacco smoke, nicotine and carbon monoxide are especially harmful to the cardiovascular system.

During the day, a smoker’s heart makes about 10-15 thousand extra contractions. What a huge additional load the heart performs in this case! It is also necessary to take into account that with systematic smoking, the blood vessels of the heart are sclerotic (narrowed) and the supply of oxygen to the heart muscle is reduced, which leads to chronic fatigue.

It has been proven that one cigarette smoked briefly increases blood pressure by about 10 mm. rt. Art. With systematic smoking, blood pressure increases by an average of 20-25%. Research conducted at the Research Institute of Hygiene for Children and Adolescents showed that young smokers have metabolic disorders in the heart muscle, which is a prerequisite for future heart disease.

Causing great harm to the heart and blood vessels, smoking is the cause of the development of many diseases. Thus, smokers experience symptoms of “cardiac neurosis.” After physical or mental stress, unpleasant sensations in the heart area, tightness in the chest, and increased heartbeat occur. With heavy smoking, cardiac arrhythmia may occur (disturbance in the rhythm of the heart and the sequence of contractions of its parts).

Currently, many suffer from coronary heart disease, which is associated with insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle. An early manifestation of coronary heart disease is angina.

An attack of angina is usually accompanied by chest pain, radiating to the left arm and shoulder blade, as well as to the neck and lower jaw. Often, along with pain, there is a feeling of anxiety, palpitations, sweating, and paleness.

The attack occurs during physical or emotional stress and quickly, within 2-3 minutes, passes after stopping the load (at rest) or taking nitroglycerin. Attacks of angina pectoris are observed in smokers 2 times more often than in non-smokers. When you abstain from smoking, the symptoms of angina decrease or disappear completely.

With coronary heart disease, myocardial (heart muscle) infarction may occur. It is a consequence of atherosclerosis of the heart vessels - the heart arteries and develops as a result of their thrombosis (blockage). A section of the heart muscle suddenly bleeds, which leads to its necrosis (death) and the further development of a scar at this site.

Myocardial infarction develops acutely. Typical manifestations are acute pain behind the sternum, spreading to the left arm, neck, and “in the pit of the stomach.” The attack is accompanied by fear. Unlike an attack of angina, the pain continues for up to several hours and does not stop or subside with rest, after taking nitroglycerin. Sometimes, having died down, they soon reappear. Modernly rendered health care can do a lot to alleviate the course of myocardial infarction, its consequences and prognosis.

Smoking significantly contributes to the development of myocardial infarction. As already mentioned, it is one of the causes of the development of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Nicotine keeps the blood vessels of the heart in a state of spasm, the heart is under increased stress (the frequency of its contractions increases), and blood pressure rises. Less oxygen reaches the heart due to the formation of carboxyhemoglobin and decreased respiratory activity of the lungs. Carboxyhemoglobin increases blood viscosity and promotes the development of thrombosis.

The combination of smoking and hypertension gives a sixfold risk of developing myocardial infarction.

With a favorable outcome of the disease, the heart can cope with its work. Quitting smoking after a myocardial infarction reduces the risk of its recurrence within 3-6 years. But if a person continues to smoke, the heart cannot withstand the additional load from the harmful factors of tobacco. A second heart attack develops, which often ends sadly. According to Dr. med. Sciences V.I. Metelitsa (1979), a year after a myocardial infarction, only 5% of smokers remain alive.

Smokers, due to atherosclerosis and high blood pressure, more often than non-smokers develop cerebrovascular disorders, in particular stroke (bleeding in the brain and thrombosis of cerebral vessels, causing paralysis of the face, arms and legs, and often speech disorder).

Many studies show that smoking activates blood clotting processes and weakens its anticoagulant system, especially in women, and leads to thrombosis in various vessels.

The development of atherosclerosis in the peripheral vessels of the legs leads to obliterating endarteritis, manifested in intermittent claudication. At the beginning of the disease, people complain of unpleasant sensations in their feet and legs: crawling, coldness, aching. When walking, these sensations intensify, pain appears, and the patient is forced to stop. Pulsation in the arteries of the foot is absent or weakened. As the disease progresses, gangrene (death) of the fingers may develop, and if they are not removed in time, blood poisoning may occur. It has been proven that the main cause of obliterating endarteritis is chronic nicotine disease. In most patients, the symptoms of this disease disappear just by stopping smoking and reappear when it resumes. In this regard, there is no more effective treatment how to help them quit smoking. And the most effective way to prevent the disease is not to start smoking.

According to medical observations, a year after quitting smoking, the function of the cardiovascular system improves. This is confirmed by an increase in the amount of work performed on a bicycle ergometer (a device for determining physical performance).

The effect of tobacco on the respiratory system

Harmful components of tobacco smoke enter the body through the respiratory system. Ammonia in smoke causes irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, larynx, trachea and bronchi. As a result, chronic inflammation of the airways develops. Irritation of the nasal mucosa by nicotine can lead to chronic catarrh, which, spreading to the passage connecting the nose and ear, can lead to hearing loss.

Chronic irritation of the vocal cords changes the timbre and color of spoken sounds, the voice loses clarity and sonority, becomes hoarse, which for singers, actors, teachers, and lecturers can result in professional unsuitability.

Getting into the trachea and bronchi (the airways through which air enters the lungs), nicotine acts on their mucous membrane and on upper layer, which has oscillating cilia that clear the air of dust and small particles. Nicotine paralyzes the eyelashes, and tobacco smoke particles settle on the mucous membrane of the trachea and bronchi. Their tiny size allows them to penetrate deeply and settle in the lungs.

The mucous membranes of the larynx, trachea and bronchi become irritated and inflamed from frequent smoking. Therefore, chronic tracheitis and chronic bronchitis are common diseases for smokers. Numerous studies by Soviet and foreign scientists have revealed the detrimental role of smoking in the development of a chronic inflammatory process in the respiratory tract. Thus, among those who smoke one pack of cigarettes per day, chronic bronchitis occurs in approximately 50% of cases, up to two packs - in 80%, and in non-smokers - only in 3% of cases.

A typical sign of a smoker is a cough with the release of dark mucus from tobacco smoke particles, especially painful in the morning. Coughing is a natural protective reaction through which the trachea and bronchi are released from mucus, which is intensively produced by the glands of the bronchi under the influence of smoking and due to inflammatory swelling of the bronchial mucosa, as well as from settled solid particles of tobacco smoke. When lighting the first cigarette in the morning, the smoker irritates the upper respiratory tract and this causes a cough. No medications help in such cases. The only remedy is to stop smoking.

Cough causes emphysema (expansion) of the lungs, manifested in the form of shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. The severity of chronic bronchitis and emphysema depends on the duration of smoking, the number of cigarettes smoked, and also on the depth of puffing.

A smoker's lungs are less elastic, more polluted, their ventilation function is reduced, and they age earlier. Long-term chronic inflammation of the airways and lungs leads to a decrease in their resistance and the development of acute and chronic diseases, such as pneumonia, bronchial asthma, and increases the body's sensitivity to influenza.

Smoking contributes to the development of pulmonary tuberculosis. The French scientist Petit found that out of 100 people with tuberculosis, 95% smoked.

Smoking is the main cause of about a third of all respiratory diseases. Even in the absence of signs of disease, pulmonary function impairment may occur. U young man A person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day breathes about the same as a person 20 years older than him who does not smoke.

Numerous studies have confirmed that those who quit smoking had improved respiratory function within the first year.

The effect of tobacco on the digestive organs

Tobacco smoke, which has a high temperature, enters the oral cavity and begins its destructive work. The smoker’s breath smells unpleasant, the tongue is covered with a gray coating (one of the indicators of improper activity gastrointestinal tract). Under the influence of nicotine and tobacco smoke particles, teeth turn yellow and deteriorate. The temperature of tobacco smoke in the mouth is about 50-60 C, and the temperature of the air entering the mouth is much lower. A significant temperature difference affects the teeth. Enamel deteriorates early, gums loosen and bleed, caries develops (destruction of hard dental tissues with the formation of a cavity), figuratively speaking, opening the gates for infection.

There is an opinion that smoking reduces toothache. This is due to the toxic effect of tobacco smoke on the dental nerve and the mental factor of smoking as a distraction from pain. However, the effect is short-lived, and the pain often does not disappear.

By irritating the salivary glands, nicotine causes increased salivation. The smoker not only spits out excess saliva, but also swallows it, exacerbating the harmful effects of nicotine on the digestive system. Swallowed saliva containing nicotine not only irritates the gastric mucosa, but also causes infection. This can lead to the development of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach), the patient experiences heaviness and pain in the pancreas, heartburn, and nausea. Motor contractile activity of the stomach after 15 minutes. after smoking starts, smoking stops and food digestion is delayed for several minutes. But there are people who smoke before and during meals. Many people smoke after meals, making it difficult for the stomach to function.

Nicotine disrupts the secretion of gastric juice and its acidity. During smoking, the vessels of the stomach narrow, the mucous membrane becomes bleeding, the amount of gastric juice and its acidity are increased, and the nicotine swallowed with saliva irritates the stomach wall. All this leads to the development of peptic ulcer disease. The mechanism of development of duodenal ulcer is similar. Professor S.M. Nekrasov, during a mass examination of men to detect gastric ulcers, found that it is 12 times more common in smokers. Later, when examining 2,280 people, he discovered gastric and duodenal ulcers among smokers in 23% of men and 30% of women, and among non-smokers - only in 2% of men and 5% of women. If a person continues to smoke with a peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, the disease worsens, bleeding may occur, and surgery may be necessary. It should also be taken into account that stomach and duodenal ulcers can develop into cancer.

The intestines are also sensitive to nicotine. Smoking increases its peristalsis (contraction). Intestinal dysfunction is expressed by periodically alternating constipation and diarrhea. In addition, rectal spasms caused by the action of nicotine impede the outflow of blood and contribute to the formation of hemorrhoids. Bleeding from hemorrhoids is maintained and even intensified by smoking.

Special mention should be made of the effect of tobacco on the liver. The liver plays a protective, barrier role in neutralizing poisons entering our body. It converts hydrocyanic acid from tobacco smoke into a relatively harmless state - potassium thiocyanate, which is released in saliva for 5-6 days, and during these days it can be determined that a person has recently smoked. Smoking as a chronic poisoning, causing increased neutralization of the liver, contributes to the development of many diseases. In turn, in some liver diseases, smoking plays the role of an aggravating factor. In experiments, when rabbits were injected with nicotine, they developed cirrhosis (damage and cell death) of the liver. Smokers experience an increase in liver size.

Smoking to some extent satisfies the feeling of hunger due to an increase in blood sugar. This affects the function of the pancreas and its diseases develop.

Nicotine inhibits the activity of the glands of the digestive tract, reducing appetite. Many people are afraid that quitting smoking will make them gain weight. A slight increase in body weight (no more than 2 kg) is possible and is explained by the restoration of normal body functions, including the digestive organs, as well as more intensive nutrition due to increased appetite, and the desire to replace smoking with food.

In order not to gain weight due to quitting smoking, it is recommended to eat in small doses, engage in physical labor, physical education and sports.

Smoking interferes with the absorption of vitamin A and B vitamins, and reduces the content of vitamin C by almost one and a half times.

Smoking has the most adverse effect on the digestive system in young people.

It should be noted that smoking changes the nature of diseases of the digestive system, increases the frequency of exacerbations and complications, and lengthens the treatment period.

The effect of tobacco on the senses and endocrine system

Man perceives all the diversity of the world thanks to his senses. Smoking adversely affects them.

The eyes of a person who smokes a lot and for a long time often water, turn red, and the edges of the eyelids swell. Rapid fatigue when reading, flickering, and double vision may occur. Nicotine, acting on the optic nerve, can cause chronic inflammation, resulting in decreased visual acuity. Nicotine also affects the retina of the eye. When smoking, blood vessels narrow, the retina of the eye changes, which leads to degeneration in the central region and insensitivity to light stimuli.

The famous German ophthalmologist Utgoff, having examined 327 patients with decreased vision for various reasons, found that 41 people suffered as a result of smoking tobacco. Smokers often change their color perception, first to green, then to red and yellow, and lastly to blue.

It should be especially emphasized that nicotine increases intraocular pressure. In this regard, patients suffering from glaucoma (increased intraocular pressure) are strictly prohibited from smoking.

Smoking also has a harmful effect on the hearing organ. Most smokers have reduced hearing acuity. Under the influence of nicotine, the eardrum thickens and retracts inward, and the mobility of the auditory ossicles decreases. At the same time, the auditory nerve experiences the toxic effects of nicotine. After quitting smoking, hearing may be restored.

By acting on the taste buds of the tongue, tobacco smoke and nicotine reduce the severity of taste sensations. Smokers often have difficulty distinguishing the taste of bitter, sweet, salty, and sour. By constricting blood vessels, nicotine disrupts the sense of smell.

Nicotine negatively affects the endocrine glands (endocrine glands that produce hormones that affect metabolism in the body). These include the pituitary gland, thyroid and parathyroid glands, and adrenal glands.

When smoking, adrenal function is most affected. So, with chronic nicotine poisoning in rabbits for 6-9 months. the mass of the adrenal glands increased approximately 2.5 times.

Smoking 10-20 cigarettes a day enhances the function of the thyroid gland: metabolism increases, heart rate increases. In the future, nicotine can lead to suppression of thyroid function and even cessation of its activity.

It has been established that smoking tobacco has a detrimental effect on the activity of the gonads. In men, nicotine inhibits the sex centers located in the sacral part of the spinal cord. Suppression of the sexual centers and neurosis, which is constantly supported by smoking, lead to the fact that smokers develop sexual impotence (impotence). A smoking man, all other conditions being equal to non-smokers, shortens the time of normal sexual activity by an average of 3-7 years. There is evidence that in 11% of cases of impotence in men is associated with tobacco abuse. When treating impotence, regardless of the reasons that cause it, stopping smoking is a prerequisite.

Science has proven that smoking tobacco can cause infertility.

An interesting study in this direction was carried out by J. Pleskaciauskas. He found that smokers with 10-15 years of experience in 1 ml of seminal fluid contain less sperm, they are less motile than non-smokers. Moreover, if a man smokes 20-25 cigarettes per day, these changes are more pronounced. A decrease in the number of sperm and their motility is especially noticeable in individuals who started smoking before the age of 18, i.e., before the formation of sexual function is completed.

Numerous laboratory studies have established that smoking adversely affects the chromosomes (carriers of heredity) of germ cells in both men and women.

Thus, smoking tobacco can disrupt intimate life and cause deep personal tragedy.

Smoking and cancer

Cancer is called the disease of the twentieth century. Currently, new causes of the risk of developing malignant tumors have been identified, among which smoking has a special place.

It is known that tobacco smoke contains tars, benzopyrene and other substances that have a carcinogenic effect. About 2 mg of benzpyrene is released from 1000 cigarettes.

Tobacco, as already mentioned, also contains radioactive isotopes, of which polonium-210 is the most dangerous. Its half-life is long. In a smoker, this isotope accumulates in the bronchi, lungs, liver and kidneys. Smoking a pack of cigarettes every day, a person receives a radiation dose of approximately 500 R per year (for comparison, with an X-ray of the stomach, the dose is 0.76 R), says Yugoslav doctor J. Jovanovic. A long-term smoker receives a dose of radiation sufficient to cause changes in the cells of the bronchi and lungs that can be considered precancerous. In those who quit smoking, their reverse development was observed, which indicates the reversibility of precancerous conditions.

Smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, a person introduces 700-800 g of tobacco tar into his body over the course of a year. Two-thirds of tobacco smoke enters the lungs and covers up to 1% of the lung surface. The effects of tobacco smoke on lung cells are 40 times stronger than on any other tissue. When smoking, carcinogenic substances are concentrated in greater quantities in the final third of a cigarette than in the initial part. Therefore, when you finish smoking a cigarette, the largest amount of harmful substances enters the body.

The famous surgeon, academician of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences B.V. Petrovsky believes that the risk of developing cancer is closely related not only to the number of cigarettes smoked daily, but also to the “experience” of the smoker and increases significantly for those who began smoking at a young age.

In the middle of this century, American scientists observed a large group of men aged 50-69 years, of whom 31,816 smoked and 32,392 were non-smokers. After 3.5 years, 4 people died from lung cancer among non-smokers, and 81 among smokers.

American researchers Hammond and Horn provide very convincing mortality rates from lung cancer per 100 thousand population: among non-smokers - 12.8; among cigarette smokers: half a pack a day – 95.2; from half a pack to 1 pack – 107.8; 1-2 packs – 229 and more than 2 packs – 264.2.

In countries where smoking is widespread, deaths from lung cancer continue to rise, including among women, as smoking rates have increased over the past few decades. Thus, in Mexico, where women smoke equally with men, the percentage of incidence and mortality from lung cancer in men and women, according to statistical data, is approximately the same.

It has been established that the development of lung cancer is associated with the number of cigarettes smoked, the smoking experience, as well as the method of smoking: frequent and deep puffs stimulate it. When you quit smoking, the relative risk of developing lung cancer gradually decreases and after 10 years becomes the same as for those who have never smoked. Observations conducted in the UK showed that over 15 years, overall cigarette consumption did not change, but during this period, mortality from lung cancer among men aged 35-64 years increased by 7%, and among male doctors of the same age who stopped smoking, the mortality rate increased by 7%. decreased by 38%.

Numerous studies have established a connection between smoking and the development of malignant tumors of the lip, oral cavity, larynx, and esophagus. This is explained by the fact that when smoking a cigarette or cigarette, 1/3 of the tobacco tar, and when smoking a pipe or cigar, 2/3 of it remains in the oral cavity. Along with this, the development of malignant tumors is influenced by thermal (hot smoke) and mechanical (holding a cigarette, pipe, cigar in the mouth) factors. So, under the supervision of Professor G.M. Smirnov there were 287 patients with laryngeal cancer, 95% of whom were smokers.

Tobacco soot particles swallowed with saliva and the nicotine they contain contribute to the development of stomach cancer.

A connection has been established between bladder cancer and smoking due to the fact that harmful substances from tobacco smoke are eliminated through the urinary tract. Bladder cancer is approximately 2.7 times more common in smokers compared to non-smokers.

Japanese scientist Tokuhata found that women who smoke are more likely to develop cancer of the genital organs. The widespread prevalence of smoking in Japan leads to the fact that year after year the first place is retained by cancer diseases, especially the lungs and stomach.

For several years, scientists observed 200 smoking and 200 non-smoking schoolchildren.

Now let's see what the comparative results turned out to be.

№ p/p

smokers

non-smokers

1.nervous

2.decreased hearing

3.bad memory

4.poor physical condition

5.poor mental state

6.unclean

7. bad grades

8.slow on the uptake

It also turned out that tobacco has a much stronger effect on the girl’s body: her skin withers and her voice becomes hoarse faster.

The effect of smoking tobacco on a woman’s body and her offspring

The harmful effects of tobacco on the body are universal, but smoking has a particularly destructive effect on the body functions of pregnant women.

Unfortunately, some women continue to smoke during pregnancy.

Gynecologists note that smoking before pregnancy also negatively affects the subsequent pregnancy. In pregnant women who smoke, the placenta is less well supplied with blood; low attachment of the placenta to the uterus is common, which leads to complications during childbirth. Women who smoke during pregnancy experience uterine bleeding 25-50% more often than non-smokers. The course of pregnancy is often complicated by toxicosis.

Electron microscope studies have shown significant vascular changes in the placenta of pregnant women who smoke, suggesting similar changes in the blood vessels of newborns.

It has been established that in pregnant women who are habitual smokers, the fetal heart rate increases. If a pregnant woman smoked for the first time in her life and did not inhale (this was asked to do for control), the number of fetal heartbeats did not increase. This suggests that nicotine crosses the placenta and has a toxic effect on the fetus.

When smoking, every minute 18% of the nicotine entering the pregnant woman’s body penetrates into the fetus, and only 10% is excreted. Nicotine is eliminated from the fetus' body much more slowly than from the mother's body. Thus, nicotine accumulates in the blood of the fetus and its content is higher than in the blood of the mother. Nicotine penetrates into the fetus through the amniotic fluid.

Even if you smoke 2-3 cigarettes a day, the amniotic fluid contains nicotine. In experiments on pregnant monkeys, it was found that after 10-20 minutes. after smoking, the nicotine content in the blood of the mother and fetus is approximately the same. But after 45-90 minutes. the concentration of nicotine in the blood of the fetus was higher than that of the monkey itself.

In animal experiments, it was found that nicotine causes increased contraction of the uterine muscles, which contributes to miscarriages, as well as high mortality of offspring (68.8%) and stillbirths (31.5%). In pregnant women who smoke, such tragic events (spontaneous abortions, premature births, stillbirths, various developmental anomalies) are observed 2 times more often than in non-smokers.

An analysis of the causes of death of 18 thousand newborns in the UK showed that in 1.5 thousand cases mortality was due to maternal smoking.

A natural increase in the risk of congenital deformities has been established with an increase in the number of cigarettes a woman smokes daily, especially during the 3rd month of pregnancy.

Swedish scientists revealed a significant predominance of smokers in a group of women who gave birth to children with cleft palate and cleft lip. It is appropriate to note at the same time that, according to the German scientist Knerr, heavy smoking of fathers also contributes to an increase in the incidence of various developmental defects in children.

It has been established that the body weight of children born to smoking mothers is 150-240 g less. Lack of body weight is directly related to the number of cigarettes smoked in the first half of pregnancy. This is caused by a decrease in appetite in a smoking woman, a deterioration in the supply of nutrients to the fetus due to vasoconstriction by nicotine, the toxic effects of tobacco smoke components and an increase in the concentration of carbon monoxide in the blood of the pregnant woman and the fetus. Hemoglobin contained in fetal blood binds more easily to carbon monoxide than hemoglobin in maternal blood. Each cigarette smoked increases the supply of carboxyhemoglobin to the fetus by 10%, reducing the delivery of oxygen. This leads to chronic oxygen deficiency and is one of the main causes of fetal growth retardation.

During the last 10 weeks. pregnancy, smoking even 2 cigarettes reduces the frequency of fetal respiratory movements by 30%.

Children born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy often have altered body reactivity and a weak and unstable nervous system. By one year, children of smoking mothers catch up in development and body weight of children of non-smoking mothers. However, there is evidence that such children lag behind their peers in growth and development by 7 years.

It should be noted that children of smoking parents are born with a predisposition to early atherosclerosis.

In this regard, obstetricians and gynecologists around the world strongly recommend that expectant mothers stop smoking.

The 3rd month of pregnancy is especially important for normal fetal maturation. At this time, the organs and systems of the unborn child’s body are formed. If a woman stops smoking in the first month of pregnancy, the child is born with a normal body weight, and complications caused by smoking disappear.

In addition, a woman who smokes loses her attractiveness, wrinkles appear, and her complexion becomes earthy or gray. The voice of young women becomes rough and hoarse. On the hand holding a cigarette, the nails and fingers turn yellow. The whole body ages before its time.

Women who smoke often experience headaches, weakness, and fatigue quickly sets in.

It has been established that nicotine has a stronger effect on the heart of a woman than a man. A heavy smoker has a 3 times higher risk of developing a myocardial infarction than a man who smokes the same amount.

The teeth of a woman who smokes become yellow and the enamel is damaged. According to the observations of the American dentist G. Daniell, about half of smoking women aged 50 needed prosthetics, and only a quarter of non-smokers.

According to world statistics, 30% of women who smoke suffer from hypertrophy of the thyroid gland. The frequency of this disease in non-smoking women does not exceed 5%. Women who smoke often experience symptoms reminiscent of Graves' disease: palpitations, irritability, sweating, etc., which is reflected in their appearance: bulging eyes, emaciation, etc.

Nicotine changes the regulation of complex physiological processes in the female reproductive system. Acting on the ovaries, it disrupts their metabolic function. This rarely leads to weight gain, more often to weight loss.

For fear of gaining weight, a woman may start smoking or continue smoking, unfortunately, forgetting about many other, much more harmful consequences.

Smoking tobacco leads to a decrease in libido. Nicotine, by acting on the ovaries, can cause disruption menstrual cycle(lengthening or shortening), painful menstruation and even their cessation (early menopause). Under the influence of smoking (one pack of cigarettes per day), due to a decrease in immunological processes in women, the frequency of inflammatory diseases of the genital organs increases, which leads to infertility.

The German gynecologist P. Bernhard, having examined more than 5.5 thousand women, found that infertility was observed in smoking women in 41.5%, and in non-smoking women - only in 4.6% of cases. Professor R. Neuberg (GDR) writes about the consequences of female smoking: “Women will die prematurely, before they have lived their lives, before they have time to pass on to the next generation their experience in love and life. A young girl who starts smoking with 16 years old, reaches the age of danger for cancer by 46 years old, and at 50 years old he already dies from it.”

It should be noted that the female body, compared to the male one, can give up nicotine addiction, i.e., smoking, faster and easier.

Ultrasound diagnostics makes it possible to register fetal retardation, which is more often noted in pregnant women who smoke; insufficient fetal weight is 4 times more common in primiparous smokers, and 3 times more often in multiparous smokers than in non-smokers.

Changes in the blood condition of smoking pregnant women also affect the body weight of their newborns: with a hematocrit value of 31-40, the body weight of newborns was on average 166 grams. lower when compared with the body weight of newborns from non-smoking mothers; with hematocrit values ​​of 41-47, the difference in weight already reached 310 g.

Restriction of intrauterine fetal growth as a consequence of constant toxic exposure to tobacco smoke affected anthropometric indicators, namely: an increase in smoking intensity during pregnancy was accompanied by a decrease in body length and shoulder girdle circumference, regardless of the sex of newborns.

Systematizing the experience of domestic and foreign clinicians, as well as our data on experimental reproduction and modeling of passive smoking, we want to draw attention to the following dangerous consequences for the body of a smoking woman and her offspring:

1) disruption of a woman’s hormonal system (discomfort of the menstrual cycle, decreased libido, ovarian atrophy, loss of fertilization ability, infertility);

2) decreased maternal instinct;

3) death of embryos in the early stages of pregnancy, underdevelopment of the placenta, bleeding during pregnancy, increased frequency of spontaneous abortions and miscarriages, premature birth;

4) bleeding during childbirth, an increase in the number of stillbirths, a high percentage of early infant mortality;

5) sudden death syndrome of newborns and children;

6) an increase in the number of premature newborns, malnutrition, lag in body weight, anthropometric and physiological indicators in newborns;

7) children of mothers who smoke are semi-disabled, their resistance to disease is reduced, and they are susceptible to various diseases;

8) retardation in the physical and mental development of children;

9) an increase in the number of congenital deformities, deviations and developmental defects in children.

2. Alcoholism is one of the insidious human diseases

The effect of alcohol on the human body

Alcoholism is a progressive disease that is caused by systematic consumption alcoholic drinks and is characterized by a pathological attraction to them, leading to mental, physical disorders and social maladjustment.

Alcohol is foreign to the body, so a person’s biochemical mechanisms are naturally not “tuned” to absorb it, and a negative reaction to alcohol is more clearly manifested during the first drinking of alcoholic beverages - nausea, a feeling of lightheadedness, vomiting, etc. occur. Over time, after “meetings” With alcohol, a specific enzyme is formed in the liver - alcohol dehydrogenesis, which neutralizes alcohol, breaking it down into water and carbon dioxide. Interestingly, this function is not characteristic of the liver of children and adolescents. That is why at this age alcohol is especially toxic and causes irreversible changes in internal organs.

In persons who abuse alcohol, cirrhotic degeneration of the liver develops over time, in which the production of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenesis sharply decreases. This is associated with their rapid intoxication from small doses of alcohol.

It has been established that cirrhosis of the liver, which develops in people who abuse alcohol, is caused mainly by the effect of alcohol itself on liver cells, and not even moderate amounts of alcohol, if consumed regularly over many years, ultimately significantly increase the risk of cavity cancer mouth, esophagus, pharynx and larynx, as well as cirrhosis of the liver.

It is noted that in chronic alcoholism, in parallel with the main illness, persistent diseases of the internal organs are diagnosed, including disorders of the cardiovascular system - in 80% of patients, the digestive tract - in 15%, and the liver - in 67%.

Many doctors believe that alcohol is also one of the most common causative factors of chronic pancreatic inflammation.

Alcohol has a particularly harmful effect on nerve cells. Obviously, this is due to its easy solubility in fatty and fat-like substances, which form the basis of nervous tissue.

Therefore, even a small dose of alcohol instantly causes changes in a person’s mental activity.

General animation and talkativeness are not related to the tonic

the effect of alcohol on the nervous system, as drinkers usually think, but, on the contrary, with the inhibition of inhibitory processes.

Frequent intoxication leads to gross and irreversible changes in nerve cells, inhibiting and paralyzing their activity. Therefore, people who abuse alcoholic beverages have weakened memory and attention, and dulled moral qualities.

It is not uncommon to drink alcohol and drugs at the same time. As a result, serious disorders of the cardiovascular system and severe complications, including death, occur. Systematic consumption of alcoholic beverages ultimately leads to the development of neuropsychiatric disorders. The most common of these is chronic alcoholism.

Chronic alcoholism is a serious neuropsychiatric disease in which a person develops a painful craving for alcoholic beverages, which over time becomes obsessive in nature, and there is an urgent “need” to get drunk.

Alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, like other anesthetics. At 0.05% blood alcohol level, thinking, criticism and self-control are impaired and sometimes lost. At a concentration of 0.10%, voluntary motor acts are noticeably impaired. At 0.20%, the function of the motor areas of the brain can be significantly suppressed, and the areas of the brain that regulate emotional behavior can also be affected. At 0.30% the subject exhibits confusion and stupor; at 0.40-0.50%, coma begins. With more high levels The primitive brain centers that regulate breathing and heart rate are affected, and death occurs. Death is usually a secondary result of primary, direct respiratory suppression or aspiration of vomit. Alcohol suppresses rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and causes insomnia.

Alcoholism is the cause of many neuropsychiatric diseases

The role of trauma, infections, and mental illness is convincingly shown. However, the first place among the most harmful factors belongs to alcoholism.

According to statistics, approximately 30% of all mental illnesses are caused by alcoholism.

But that is not all. Frequent consumption of alcohol changes the reactivity and resistance of the body and thereby creates conditions in the body that in some cases lead to the development of alcoholic psychoses, in other cases provoking the occurrence of a number of severe mental illnesses, including epilepsy, schizophrenia, etc.

And this is not surprising. According to most researchers, the brain is the organ that is primarily affected by the effects of alcohol, even in small doses. Alcohol penetrates almost unhindered into the brain, where it is found in almost the same concentration as in the blood, which determines its direct effect on the central nervous system.

The effect of alcohol on metabolic processes in brain cells is beyond doubt among most scientists. At the same time, we note that data on metabolic disorders in the central nervous system that occur under the influence of alcohol are still at the stage of accumulating experimental material.

Alcohol negatively affects the ability of brain cells to synthesize protein and ribonucleic acid (RNA), which plays a large role in memory function and a person's ability to learn.

The most severe and most dangerous mental illness associated with chronic alcohol intoxication is delirium tremens. The patient sees various nightmares, monsters that threaten him. Then unmotivated fear and timidity appear, consciousness darkens, the person loses orientation, cannot determine where he is, and does not recognize his loved ones. All this is accompanied by an influx of false, painful perceptions - hallucinations (visual, sometimes auditory, etc.). Patients feel as if they are being attacked by rats, snakes, cats, monkeys, etc.

Patients with delirium tremens, as a rule, experience fear, often scream and call for help, try to escape, jump out of windows, attack imaginary enemies, which often ends in fatal injuries. After an attack of delirium tremens, they usually have no memory of their experiences.

If special treatment measures are not taken in a timely manner during delirium tremens, the patient may die as a result of a sudden disruption of the respiratory and cardiovascular system. There are cases when patients hear imaginary voices for many months and even years. The content of these auditory hallucinations is most often unpleasant, offensive or threatening. Wherever such a patient is, it seems to him that he is being scolded, mocked, and imitated. Suspicion and wariness appear, the mood becomes depressed and anxious. Such patients avoid society and have little interest in life.

Delusions of persecution and jealousy are very dangerous mental disorders in patients with chronic alcoholism. The patient, without reason, begins to suspect his wife of infidelity, follows her, and insults her. In this regard, French researchers called alcohol “the toxin of sexual jealousy.” Often in such cases, severe alcoholic psychosis develops - delirium of jealousy of alcoholics. Delirium is usually associated with the situation that has developed: divorce, dissatisfaction and cooling of the wife, who, naturally, cannot treat her alcoholic husband with love and warmth, as before. Life with such a husband is full of torment and danger.

A serious illness is Korsakoff psychosis, which is characterized by a severe memory disorder, primarily for current events, and loss of ability to work. The patient may greet the same person several times a day, not being able to remember with whom and what he just talked about, and forgetting what he recently read.

Along with rude mental disorders Such patients experience sensory disorders, paralysis of the arms and legs. Due to many years of systematic drunkenness, alcoholic dementia often develops, which cannot be treated.

Sometimes people who drink, regardless of whether they drink frequently or occasionally, develop severe, so-called pathological intoxication, after drinking alcohol. Suddenly a disorder of consciousness sets in, frightening hallucinations and delusional ideas appear. The actions of a sick person are characterized by extreme agitation and extreme aggressiveness. In this state, patients often commit serious, cruel crimes - murder, arson, violence, suicide, self-mutilation, etc.

Alcoholism and sexual function

Alcohol abuse is known to negatively affect sexual function. The severity of these disorders depends on the stage of alcoholism and the individual characteristics of the body. Sooner or later, patients with alcoholism exhibit a pronounced decrease in sexual function, which is the result of the toxic effect of alcohol on the central nervous and endocrine systems of the body. Alcohol intoxication causes a sharp decrease in sperm production and even atrophy of the gonads. Patients with alcoholism experience premature aging organism with loss of sexual function.

American scientists have found that with the systematic consumption of alcohol, an enzyme is produced in the liver that blocks the production of the male sex hormone - testosterone.

Under the influence of alcohol intoxication, the sensitive component of sexual intercourse sharply weakens and then completely disappears. Therefore, sexual relations while intoxicated are always dull, devoid of sharpness, brightness and subtlety of sensations; they are often accompanied by rudeness, violence, and cruelty.

The range of sexual disorders in patients with alcoholism undergoes natural dynamics - from short-term, physiotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic methods of influence. Before starting treatment, the patient is warned about the need to completely stop drinking alcohol.

Women and alcoholism

All forms of alcoholism in women are characterized by a malignant course and rapid progression of the disease with the onset of severe biological and social consequences.

Women who abuse alcohol tend to start smoking. Alcohol intoxication leads to premature senility, menstrual irregularities and pathological changes in the endocrine system with the early development of menopause (35-40 years). There is a sharp decrease in fertility (that is, childbearing), a decrease in sexual interest, the instinct of motherhood, and emaciation. At the same time, many patients show signs of sexual promiscuity, which is explained not so much by hypersexuality as by a growing defect in the emotional sphere, the loss of subtle differentiated emotional reactions.

Pregnancy in women who abuse alcohol is often difficult, with severe symptoms of toxicosis. Many births end in miscarriage, premature birth or stillbirth. In a significant percentage of cases, children are born with various mental and somatic defects and growth disorders. A peculiar type of combination of physical abnormalities and mental retardation is described as “fetal alcohol syndrome.”

The destructive effect of alcohol on a developing organism is explained by the main property of this poison to act primarily on the nervous tissue of the brain. Nerve cells are among the most highly organized; they finish their growth and formation later than all other cells in the body.

Alcohol, even in minute quantities, paralyzes, disrupts metabolism in brain tissue, retards their growth, which, in turn, has a detrimental effect on the development of the brain and the functioning of the entire organism.

When a person is intoxicated, all the cells of his body are saturated with ethyl poison, including the germ cells. Germ cells damaged by alcohol cause the onset of degradation.

Even worse, if another (female) cell turns out to be alcoholized during fusion, then the embryo will experience an accumulation of degenerative properties, which has a particularly difficult impact on the development of the fetus and the fate of the child.

The risk of having a sick (inferior) child in women suffering from alcoholism is perhaps 35%. Although the exact mechanism of fetal damage is unknown, it can be assumed that it is the result of prenatal exposure to ethanol or its metabolites. Alcohol can also cause hormonal imbalances, which increases the risk of having defective children.

3. Drug addiction

Effects of drugs on health

Drug addiction is a serious illness of the psyche and the whole body, which without treatment leads to personality degradation, complete disability and premature death.

Drug use, in addition to mental and physical dependence, always leads to irreversible gross disruption of the body’s vital functions and social degradation of the drug addict. It is these consequences that pose the greatest danger to human health and life.

Chronic poisoning of the body with narcotic drugs leads to irreversible changes in the nervous system and personality disintegration. As a result, the addict loses some of his higher feelings and moral restraint. Arrogance and dishonesty appear, life aspirations and goals, interests and hopes fade away. A person loses family feelings, affection for people, and even some natural attractions. This is especially tragic when we are talking about young people, about individuals who are still forming and are the most valuable to society.

Drug addiction leads to extreme exhaustion of the body, significant loss of body weight and a noticeable loss of physical strength. The skin becomes pale and dry, the face acquires an earthy tint, and imbalance and coordination of movements also appear, which can be mistakenly taken as a manifestation of alcohol intoxication (usually drug addicts avoid alcohol, although this is not the rule).

Poisoning of the body causes disease of the internal organs, especially the liver and kidneys.

Additional complications occur from intravenous drug injections with dirty needles and syringes. Drug addicts often experience purulent skin lesions, thrombosis, inflammation of the veins, as well as infectious diseases such as hepatitis.

With morphine addiction, as well as addiction caused by other opium alkaloids, withdrawal syndrome develops 6-18 hours after the last use of the drug. There is general malaise, physical weakness, dilated pupils, palpitations, increased breathing, a slight increase in temperature, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, goose bumps, aching pain in the joints of the arms, legs, lower back, a feeling of muscle compression, cramps, sweating, salivation, lacrimation, yawning, sneezing, insomnia, low mood with irritability, hysterical reactions, explosiveness, anger, aggressiveness.

When smoking cannabis, symptoms are characterized by general malaise and lack of appetite. It should also be noted trembling of the limbs, sweating, fatigue, low mood, insomnia.

Withdrawal syndrome from stimulant abuse occurs with complaints of fatigue, low blood pressure, depression with ideas of self-blame and suicidal attempts.

With the abuse of sleeping pills, withdrawal syndrome is manifested by an increase in all types of reflexes, trembling of the limbs, eyelids, tongue, motor restlessness, headaches, palpitations, low blood pressure with a tendency to faint, and psychosis with abundant visual hallucinations often develops.

With opiate drug addiction, there is a narrowing of the circle of interests, the concentration of all thoughts on obtaining drugs, deceit, a tendency to crime, to theft in order to obtain drugs. On the part of the somato-neurological status, there is dryness and jaundice coloring of the skin, mucous sclera, constriction of the pupils, swelling of the face, slowing of the pulse, drop in blood pressure, as well as all types of reflexes, decrease and disappearance of sexual potency and menstruation, constipation, loss of appetite, fall weight to the point of exhaustion.

Drug abuse leads to the development of egocentrism, anger, attacks of low mood with aggressiveness, causes memory loss, slowness and rigidity of thinking, and dementia. Also noteworthy are loss of coordination of movements, neuritis, ulcers on the oral mucosa, and signs of anemia. Medical practice has identified a complex of mental and somatic abnormalities in children born to mothers who used drugs. The negative effects of drugs on offspring are most clearly manifested by drug abuse during pregnancy.

Drug addiction and pregnancy

Long-term drug use causes a variety of changes in people's physical and mental health.

Drug addicts usually suffer from digestive disorders, their liver is damaged, and the functioning of the cardiovascular system, and especially the heart, is impaired. The production of sex hormones and the ability to conceive quickly decreases.

And although sexual desire quickly fades during drug addiction, about 25% of drug addicts have children. And these children, as a rule, are burdened with serious illnesses.

Some drugs, mainly those that cause hallucinations (LSD), can have a detrimental effect already at the stage of gamete formation, leading to chromosome breaks. Chromosomal abnormalities always cause adverse consequences for the offspring. Most embryos with such disorders die and are aborted. But the living develop developmental defects - deformities. The toxic effect of drugs on the fetus can be direct (through damage to its cellular structures) and indirect (through disruption of hormone formation, changes in the uterine mucosa). Drugs have a low molecular weight and easily cross the placenta. Due to the immaturity of the fetal liver enzyme systems, drugs are slowly neutralized and circulate in the fetal body for a long time.

If drug poisoning in the first 3 months of pregnancy leads to various abnormalities of the musculoskeletal system, kidneys, heart and other organs of the child, then in later periods fetal growth retardation is observed. In 30-50% of drug-addicted mothers, infants have low body weight. When the mother uses drugs, the fetus may develop physical dependence on drugs. In this case, the child is born with withdrawal symptoms, which occurs due to the cessation of the regular flow of drugs into his body after birth. The child is excited, screams shrilly, often yawns, and sneezes. His temperature is elevated and his muscle tone is altered compared to normal. Due to prolonged intrauterine hypoxia, children of drug-addicted mothers are born with breathing problems, disorders of the central nervous system, and various developmental defects.

conclusions

1. Alcoholism, smoking, drug addiction are the most harmful habits for the human body.

2. These habits cause irreparable harm not only to the person himself, but also to his offspring, as well as to the family, team and society as a whole.

3. The main reasons for getting used to negative habits are: poor organization of educational work, insufficient awareness of adolescents about negative impact bad habits on their body.

4. Alcoholism, smoking and drug addiction negatively affect not just one human organ, but almost all organs and systems of the body.

5. One of the terrible consequences of these habits is their impact on their offspring. Children of these parents are often born weak and defective.

6. As a rule, people who long time abused alcohol for a long time smoked or used drugs, they shorten their lives by more than a dozen years or even die at a young age.

7. All these bad habits not only cause physical pain and lead to moral degradation, but also cause great damage to the individual and society.

8. It is necessary for government bodies, teaching and labor teams to significantly strengthen and intensify educational and explanatory work among children, adolescents and adults about the dangers of such bad habits as alcoholism, smoking and drug addiction.

List of used literature

1. Attention - Drug addiction - S. Gursky

2. Quit Smoking - Miriam Stoppard 1986

3. Tobacco smoking and the brain - L.K. Semenov 1973

4.Alcohol and children - E.V. Borisov, L.P. Vasilevskaya

The causes of bad habits are quite varied. These are psychological trauma or nerve disorder, laziness, our environment, financial problems or troubles at work and in the family. Do not forget about such reasons as disappointment with previous experiences, unfulfilled hopes, the fast pace of life and stressful situations.

Psychology of bad habits

Global causes of bad habits - economic development countries, mentality, climatic factors. Moreover, all the consequences of the emergence of harmful addictions are not an excuse for the addicted person. This speaks of his weakness, laziness, lack of desire to develop and move on. Having identified the source of this condition, it is important to choose the appropriate treatment.

What are bad habits?

When you mention the phrase types of bad habits, smoking, alcoholism and drug addiction immediately come to mind. These are the most common and at the same time terrible diseases. No matter what types we list, any of them can negatively affect the health and quality of life of a person and his family. Someone biting their nails or a pen, using foul language or not picking up trash after themselves - all this is a weakness.

Listing the types of harmful addictions, we can highlight bondage to the computer and computer games, or, for example, to coffee or sweet food. Such addictions, unfortunately, are quite common in the modern world. The consequences from them can be no less dangerous than from alcohol or cigarettes, so it is extremely important to be aware of the possible results.

Bad habits - smoking

The influence of bad habits on the cardiovascular system is great, especially if it is smoking. Smoking constricts blood vessels, which can slow down metabolism and reduce oxygen levels in the blood. This can lead to blood clotting disorders and the formation of blood clots, causing myocardial infarction or coronary heart disease.

In order to completely eliminate bad habits and their impact on health, you need to give up cigarettes and replace smoking breaks with exercise or a walk. If cessation is not possible, you can try to reduce the risk of exposure by reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke. We must not forget that this is not a panacea, and in order to maintain healthy well-being, vigor, it is necessary to exclude dependence on any factors.

Bad habits - alcohol

Is alcoholism a disease or a bad habit? Many people, faced with this problem, ask this question. The causes of alcoholism are comparable to the causes of any other addiction - dissatisfaction with life, financial problems and lack of work, idleness or reluctance to learn and develop. It doesn’t matter at all what type of phenomenon this is, the consequences can still be dire.

It should be noted that human health is primarily affected, and the changes can sometimes be irreversible. A person who is on a drinking binge is sometimes insane and can pose a threat to society. In this case, it doesn’t matter whether alcoholism is a disease or a bad habit. A person dependent on alcoholic beverages requires immediate treatment.

Bad habits - drugs

The influence of bad habits on the human body is very significant. If we talk about drug addiction, then in this case it will be not just significant, but huge. When using drugs, a considerable dose of toxic substances enters the human body, which leaves its irreversible mark. In most cases, the result of such addiction can be fatal, so complete cessation of the source of addiction is required. Much attention should be paid to the prevention and prevention of drug addiction. Only in this case there is a place for a healthy society.

Bad habit - overeating

Overeating, as a bad habit, began to appear quite recently. This is due to an oversupply of food. That is why this problem is not relevant throughout the world, but only in developed countries with a sufficient level of economy. The causes of food addiction are most often psychological factors, stress, and nervous system disorders. Overeating has its consequences. The primary result is excess weight, therefore, the development of complexes. Eating too much food can lead to dangerous health problems. Hypertension, liver disease, hormonal disorders, and joint problems may appear, so this phenomenon requires mandatory treatment.

The bad habit of biting your nails

Under the nails there is dirt and bacteria that enter the human body and affect the human biological system. Chewed nails don't look aesthetically pleasing at all. Plus, this addiction can cause diseases of the nervous system. It is not always possible to explain the harmfulness of bad habits to a child, but this simply must be done, including if your child bites his nails, in order to avoid unpleasant consequences.

Bad habit - coffee addiction

The concepts of bad habits and human health are not compatible. Many people forget about this when they drink several cups of coffee a day. This invigorating drink affects the cardiovascular system, leaches beneficial substances from the body, and causes nervous system disorders. It is necessary to eliminate harmful addictions, and a person’s health will gradually be restored. This formula also works for coffee lovers. When treating this addiction, you can completely give up the drink, or you can reduce its consumption. Whether to agree with the prescribed treatment or not is everyone’s business.

Bad habit - gambling addiction

A person’s bad habits are very dangerous both for himself and for society, and gambling addiction is no exception. A dependent person is capable of developing mental and nervous system disorders, completely disconnecting from the outside world and living in virtual reality, is able to transfer the actions of the game into his life. Computer games often contain elements of violence or cruelty. Therefore, the patient has to be isolated from society during treatment. It's even worse when it comes to gambling.

Bad habits - internet addiction

With the advent of the Internet, bad habits and their consequences have become increasingly common. We cannot imagine our life without news in in social networks. Books used to be looked for in libraries, but now on popular websites. The spelling and meaning of words is no longer looked for in dictionaries, but searched for on the Internet. All this leads to population degradation.

The presence of gadgets and Internet addiction have replaced children's football fields, hockey rinks, theaters, dance clubs, and games on playgrounds. Unfortunately, this problem has no age limits. By traveling, playing sports, and being creative, such bad habits can be eradicated, and their impact on health will be negligible for us.

What are the consequences of bad habits?

The influence of bad habits on the human body is so great that even modern medicine is not always able to find a way out of this situation. Psychological dependence on any factors cannot be controlled surgical intervention or medications. We need the work of a competent psychologist who can distract a person from his problem.

Harmful weakness can be direct - for example, when alcohol or coffee enters the human body. Or the impact will be indirect, when a person develops a mental disorder due to Internet addiction. The patient cannot live for a minute without a mobile device and reacts to any extraneous noise, similar to vibration or a ringing phone.

Without timely medical intervention, the consequences of any addiction can be dire:

• sleep disturbance;
• appetite;
• slowing down of mental activity;
• lack of adaptation in society;
• problems in the family and at work;
• irreversible changes in the human body.

Bad habits and how to combat them

Methods of dealing with bad habits are quite radical: complete rejection of psychological dependence. This requires the willpower of a person and the professional approach of a doctor. As a rule, loved ones play a big role in giving up addictions. They know the patient and can provide alternative activities and interests. Methods for dealing with addiction will vary depending on the problem and its severity.

Some measures need to be implemented immediately, while others need to be introduced gradually into the patient's regimen. The most popular methods are psychological training, changing the field of activity, place of residence or environment, or, in extreme cases, medical intervention. You need to eliminate bad habits from your life, and their impact on health will be reduced to zero.

Man is a great miracle of nature. The rationality and perfection of his anatomy and physiology, his functionality, strength and endurance are amazing. Evolution has provided the human body with inexhaustible reserves of strength and reliability, which are determined by the redundancy of the elements of all its systems, their interchangeability, interaction, ability to adapt and compensate. The total information capacity of the human brain is extremely large. It consists of 30 billion nerve cells. The “pantry” of human memory is designed to store a huge amount of information. Scientists have calculated that if a person could fully use his memory, he would be able to remember the contents of 100 thousand articles of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, in addition, master the programs of three institutes and be fluent in six foreign languages. However, according to psychologists, a person uses only 30-40% of his memory during his life.

Nature created man for a long and happy life. Academician N. M. Amosov claims that the safety margin of a person’s “structure” has a coefficient of about 10, that is, his organs and systems can carry loads and withstand stress approximately 10 times greater than those that a person has to face in life. normal everyday life.

The realization of the potential inherent in a person depends on the lifestyle, on everyday behavior, on the habits that he acquires, on the ability to wisely manage potential health opportunities for the benefit of himself, his family and the state in which he lives.

However, it should be noted that a number of habits that a person can begin to acquire during his school years and which he then cannot get rid of throughout his life seriously harm his health. They contribute to the rapid consumption of a person’s full potential, premature aging and the acquisition of persistent diseases. Such habits primarily include smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs. Smokers become heavy smokers on average 3–5 years after the first puff, become alcoholics after 1–2 years of regular drinking, and a person of any age becomes a drug addict within a few weeks. Some drugs (heroin) can become addictive within a few days (Table 5.1).

Table 5.1

Life expectancy with dangerous habits

2.1 Alcohol and its effects on the human body

Alcohol, or alcohol, is a narcotic poison; it acts primarily on brain cells, paralyzing them. A dose of 7-8 g of pure alcohol per 1 kg of body weight is lethal for humans. According to World Organization health care, alcoholism annually kills about 6 million people. human lives.

Alcohol has a deep and long-lasting weakening effect on the body. For example, only 80g of alcohol lasts for a whole day. Taking even small doses of alcohol reduces performance and leads to fatigue, absent-mindedness, and makes it difficult to correctly perceive events.

Some people consider alcohol to be a miracle drug that can cure almost all diseases. Meanwhile, research by specialists has shown that alcoholic drinks do not have any healing properties. Scientists have proven that no safe doses alcohol, already 100g of vodka destroys 7.5 thousand actively working brain cells.

Alcohol- an intracellular poison that has a destructive effect on all human systems and organs. As a result of systematic alcohol consumption, a painful addiction to it develops. The sense of proportion and control over the amount of alcohol consumed is lost.

Impairments in balance, attention, clarity of perception of the environment, and coordination of movements that occur during intoxication often become the cause of accidents. According to official data, 400 thousand injuries sustained while intoxicated are recorded annually in the United States. In Moscow, up to 30% of those admitted to hospitals with severe injuries are people who are intoxicated.

Alcoholism is the third leading cause of early mortality in the world.

Every year on the planet, 5–6 million people die from alcohol intoxication and poisoning. According to scientists' forecasts, by 2010. this figure will double.

Alcohol reduces life expectancy by an average of 10–12 years.

Among the factors that negatively affect demographics (normal birth, formation, development of the population), 90% are due to alcohol.

Alcohol, like any drug, has two phases development.

Phase 1. A few minutes after drinking an alcoholic drink, a person feels warmth, a surge of strength, and excitement. This is due to the expansion of blood vessels, increased blood circulation, and additional oxygen flow to the tissues. This state does not last long and is replaced by the second phase.

Phase 2. It is characterized by a narrowing of blood vessels, an increase in heart rate, and an increase in blood pressure. Alcohol depresses the activity of the central nervous system, including the centers regulating respiratory and cardiac activity. It slows down a person’s reaction speed, coordination of movements is impaired, the skin of the face turns red, and the face swells.

The effect of alcohol on the liver is especially harmful; with prolonged use, chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver develop. Alcohol causes (including in young people) disturbances in the regulation of vascular tone, heart rate, metabolism in the tissues of the heart and brain, and irreversible changes in the cells of these tissues. Hypertension, coronary heart disease and other lesions of the cardiovascular system are twice as likely to lead to death in alcohol drinkers than in non-drinkers. Alcohol has a harmful effect on the endocrine glands and primarily on the sex glands; decreased sexual function is observed in 1/3 of people who abuse alcohol. Alcoholism significantly affects the structure of population mortality (Fig. 5.2).

Before you take a glass of alcohol, no matter who offers it, think: either you want to be healthy, cheerful, able to make your desires come true, or from this step you will begin to destroy yourself. Think and make the right decision.

Rice. 5.1 The effect of alcohol on the human body

Bad habits (smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs), which a person can begin to acquire during his school years and which he cannot get rid of throughout his life, seriously harm his health.

Man is a great miracle of nature. Evolution has provided the human body with inexhaustible reserves of strength and reliability, which are due to the redundancy of the elements of all its systems, their interchangeability, interaction, ability to adapt and compensate.

The total information capacity of the human brain is extremely large. It consists of 30 billion nerve cells. The human memory storeroom is designed to store a huge amount of information. Scientists have calculated that if a person could fully use his memory, he would be able to master the programs of three institutes and be fluent in six foreign languages. However, according to psychologists, a person uses only 30-40% of his memory during his life.

Academician N. M. Amosov (1913-2002) argued that the safety margin of a person’s “structure” has a coefficient of about 10, that is, his organs and systems can carry loads and withstand stress approximately 10 times greater than those with that a person has to face in normal everyday life.

The realization of the potential inherent in a person depends on the lifestyle, on everyday behavior, on the habits that he acquires, on the ability to wisely manage potential health opportunities for the benefit of himself, his family and the state in which he lives.

Bad habits contribute to the rapid consumption of a person’s full potential, premature aging and the acquisition of persistent diseases.

Alcohol

Alcohol, or ethyl alcohol, acts primarily on brain cells, paralyzing them. The narcotic effect of alcohol is manifested in the fact that the human body develops a painful addiction to alcohol. According to the World Health Organization, alcoholism claims about 6 million lives every year. According to the Federal State Statistics Service, in our country, as of January 1, 2012, the number of patients registered in medical institutions with a diagnosis of “alcoholism and alcoholic psychoses” amounted to over 2 million people. In general, the mortality rate from various causes in people who drink alcohol is 3-4 times higher than that for the entire population. They live on average 10-15 years less than non-drinkers.

Alcohol has a deep and long-lasting weakening effect on the body. For example, only 80 g of alcohol lasts for a whole day. Taking even small doses of alcohol reduces performance and leads to fatigue, absent-mindedness, and makes it difficult to correctly perceive events.

Alcohol is an intracellular poison that has a destructive effect on all human systems and organs.

Impairments in balance, attention, clarity of perception of the environment, and coordination of movements that occur during intoxication often become the cause of accidents. According to official data, 400 thousand injuries sustained while intoxicated are recorded annually in the United States. In Moscow, up to 30% of those admitted to hospitals with severe injuries are people in a state of intoxication.

The effect of alcohol on the liver is especially harmful: with prolonged use, chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver develop. Alcohol causes (including in young people) disturbances in the regulation of vascular tone, heart rate, metabolism in the tissues of the heart and brain, and irreversible changes in the cells of these tissues. Hypertension, coronary heart disease and other diseases of the cardiovascular system are twice as likely to lead to death in alcohol drinkers than in non-drinkers. Alcohol has a harmful effect on the endocrine glands, and primarily on the sex glands; decreased sexual function is observed in 1/3 of people who abuse alcohol. Alcoholism significantly affects the structure of population mortality.

Before you drink a glass of alcohol, no matter who offers it, think: either you want to be healthy, cheerful, able to make your desires come true, or from this step you will begin to destroy yourself. Think and make the right decision.

Smoking

Tobacco smoking (nicotinism) is a bad habit that involves inhaling smoke from smoldering tobacco. We can say that this is a form of substance abuse. Smoking has a negative impact on the health of smokers and those around them.

The active principle of tobacco smoke is nicotine, which almost instantly enters the bloodstream through the alveoli of the lungs.

In addition to nicotine, tobacco smoke contains a large number of combustion products of tobacco leaves and substances used during technological processing, they also have a harmful effect on the body.

According to pharmacologists, tobacco smoke, in addition to nicotine, contains carbon monoxide, pyridine bases, hydrocyanic acid, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, ammonia, essential oils and a concentrate of liquid and solid products of combustion and dry distillation of tobacco, called tobacco tar. The latter contains about a hundred chemical compounds of substances, including a radioactive isotope of potassium, arsenic and a number of aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons - carcinogens.

It has been noted that tobacco has a harmful effect on the body, and primarily on the nervous system, first stimulating and then depressing it. Memory and attention weaken, performance decreases.

The mouth and nasopharynx are the first to come into contact with tobacco smoke. The temperature of the smoke in the mouth is about 50-60 °C. To introduce smoke from the mouth and nasopharynx into the lungs, the smoker inhales a portion of air. The temperature of the air entering the mouth is approximately 40 °C lower than the temperature of the smoke. Temperature changes cause microscopic cracks in the enamel of teeth over time. Smokers' teeth begin to decay earlier than non-smokers' teeth.

Damage to tooth enamel contributes to the deposition of tobacco tar on the surface of the teeth, causing the teeth to become yellowish in color and the oral cavity to emit a specific odor.

Tobacco smoke irritates the salivary glands. The smoker swallows part of the saliva. Toxic substances in smoke, dissolving in saliva, act on the gastric mucosa, which can ultimately lead to gastric and duodenal ulcers.

Chronic smoking is usually accompanied by bronchitis (inflammation of the bronchi with primary damage to their mucous membrane). Chronic irritation of the vocal cords by tobacco smoke affects the timbre of the voice. It loses its sonority and purity, which is especially noticeable in girls and women.

As a result of smoke entering the lungs, the blood in the alveolar capillaries, instead of being enriched with oxygen, is saturated with carbon monoxide, which, combining with hemoglobin, excludes part of the hemoglobin from the process of normal breathing. Oxygen starvation sets in. Because of this, the heart muscle suffers first of all.

Hydrocyanic acid chronically poisons the nervous system. Ammonia irritates the mucous membranes, reducing the resistance of the lungs to various infectious diseases, in particular to tuberculosis.

But the main negative effect on the human body when smoking is nicotine.

Nicotine is a strong poison. The lethal dose of nicotine for humans is 1 mg per 1 kg of body weight. Death can occur if a teenager immediately smokes half a pack of cigarettes. According to the World Health Organization, 2.5 million people worldwide die from smoking-related diseases every year. People who smoke more than 25 cigarettes a day, with a long history of smoking, die on average 8 years earlier than non-smokers. Smokers in general are 5 times more likely than non-smokers to develop cancer of the lips, tongue, larynx, lungs, esophagus, stomach, and urinary tract. They are much more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases - they are 5-8 times more likely to experience sudden death from these diseases.

Let us note that, according to health experts, addiction to smoking tobacco is akin to drug addiction: people smoke not because they want to smoke, but because they cannot quit the habit.

Drugs

Drugs in Russia are considered to be substances and preparations included in the “List of Drugs”, which is compiled and annually adjusted by the Standing Committee for Drug Control (PCNC).

Addiction to smoking and drinking alcohol is considered a type of drug addiction, since the mechanisms of addiction and the consequences of their use are similar to the use of narcotic substances. Moreover, it is noted that alcohol and smoking act as catalysts (accelerators) in the formation of drug addiction.

What is drug addiction?

Attention!
Drug addiction is a disease that occurs as a result of the use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, which in certain doses cause intoxication or narcotic sleep.

Drug addiction is characterized by an irresistible attraction to taking drugs, a tendency to increase doses taken, and the formation of mental (psychological) and physical dependence on the drug. This is how drug addiction is formed.

Drug addiction is an irresistible human need to take a drug. A person can no longer stop using the drug or reduce its use for a long time. He becomes a slave to the drug, and therefore to the drug dealer.

If a person is addicted to smoking, drinking alcohol or drugs, has acquired so-called bad habits and can no longer give them up, then this is no longer a habit, but an addiction.

Habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol and beer are a type of drug addiction, and drug addiction is a disease that a person acquires voluntarily when he starts using drugs. This disease, according to experts, is difficult to cure, and a trial “once” most often turns out to be fatal.

conclusions

1. Smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs are considered bad habits, but this is a disease, an addiction.
2. Prevention of drug addiction is, first of all, the elimination of the first use of a narcotic substance. If the first test has taken place, then we need to think not about prevention, but about serious treatment.
3. For those who have realized that taking a drug is incompatible with human health, we repeat once again that the main danger of becoming a drug addict lies in the desire (out of stupid curiosity, for company or for another reason) to try a drug for the first time.

Questions

1. What are the harmful effects of smoking and drinking alcohol on human health?
2. Why shouldn’t using drugs, drinking alcohol, and smoking tobacco be considered “just bad habits”? Justify your answer.
3. What is drug addiction prevention for those who have never tried a drug?
4. What harm does passive smoking cause?

Tasks

1. If you have formed a strong and unambiguous desire not to become addicted to drugs, what changes would you make to your lifestyle? Formulate them, write them down in your safety diary and try to follow them.
2. Using the Additional Materials section and the media, prepare a message on the topic “Drug-Free Life.”