Smoking please please help

[ElliotUK]

This is just a quick question..

When you have anxiety, worry about your heart etc , does smoking phisycally put you at risk? like I know it does in the long run but im only 18 and been smoking only 3 years but I sometimes think this may give me a heartattack when im young? I know it can effect you around 30 right and upwards, as silly as it sounds is this true? about the ''smoking can give you a heartattack or something serious at 18?'' Iv always been fine from them till i got anxiety im just a bit curious about them ..

please anyone? its really important

[cheekycharlie]

I don't smoke so I don't know the answer to your question but to be honest it sounds more like your anxiety playing tricks with your mind. But its not rocket science to know what smoking does to your health so its probably a good idea to stop smoking anyway. Be better for your body & mind in the long run & you should do it now whilst still young & not 60 & still puffing away.

Good luck with it. xx

[Mudskipper]

Difficult for anyone who isn't a health professional to advise you on this and I don't want to make you feel better or worse without solid medical evidence. To a layman, a three year habit doesn't sound very much and seems unlikely to have done you too much harm, but there are other factors involved, like your genetic make-up for instance, which may either protect you or make you more vulnerable. Your best bet really is to speak to your doctor. The one thing I can say for sure is that you should give up now while you're young. The benefits start to build up immediately and it'll only get harder as you get older!

Take care.

[PoppyC]

Hi!
I think it would be quite rare for an 18 year old to have an heart attack, but you are putting yourself at risk for future possible health problems such as heart disease, cancer, emphysema and other smoking related problems.
There is no set age for an heart attack but by smoking you are increasing your chances of possibly having smoking related health problems later in your life.
My dad when he was alive had emphysema caused by smoking and it was awful to watch.
Have you ever hought of giving up smoking or even just cutting down? There is a lot of help these days if you want to give up smoking.

[Captain America]

smoking raises your heart rate sometimes by as much as 20 beats per minute for a period while smoking. blood pressure goes up too. at your age, that's not going to cause a heart attack anymore than running up the stairs or something. the heart damage from smoking occurs over many years.

that's not to say that you couldn't do some other damage in that short of time, although it's unlikely. my advice? don't become me! quit now and you won't be asking these questions at 40.