"I've given up on trying to quit smoking. You're wasting your words on me. I just can't do it."

We—many of us—have been there. We sympathize. And we want to help.

Wouldn't you like to quit smoking—for good? Or help someone else quit? Or help yourself or your children to never start smoking? Or just better understand a monumental problem that wreaks havoc with health, happiness, productivity and longevity?

You are about to read a perspective different from what you find in most articles on smoking, a perspective that should give you hope, an incentive and confidence.

A smoking habit is more than just a bad habit; it is a powerful chemical addiction as well as a psychological and social addiction. Tobacco contains an active ingredient—nicotine—that is a highly addictive drug.

Nicotine, in its pure form, is extremely toxic. A whole family of insecticides is made from it. Tobacco smoke also contains tars and other toxic chemicals, many of which have been proven to cause cancer. But tobacco can't be blamed for all of cigarettes' potential to damage smokers' health. Cigarette manufacturers add many chemicals to the tobacco, paper and filter for various reasons. The use of tobacco products is the single greatest avoidable cause of death in the Western world.

How dangerous is tobacco?
Some people, knowing or hearing of others who have smoked all their lives and were still going strong in their 70s or 80s, have convinced themselves that smoking isn't all that dangerous. Although it's true that some people have good genes and strong immune systems that can withstand the worst ravages of smoking, they also nonetheless will have bad breath, stained teeth and family and friends who don't like to visit much—not to mention seeing thousands of dollars go up in smoke.

But here is what is usually overlooked: Cases of smokers who live to a ripe old age are rare, and will likely become even more so. In the industrialized nations, the amount and variety of chemicals in the environment are proliferating exponentially. Each chemical that enters one's body places an additional strain on the body's ability to cleanse itself, function properly, heal and stay well. And, when two or more chemicals synthesize, they combine to form a new chemical that may be even more deadly.

Also, when two or more chemicals interact, they can create new deleterious effects that none of the chemicals would cause independently. Most people's bodies are under a severe strain from the chemicals they eat, drink, breathe and absorb through the skin, as well as other health problems. Using tobacco adds one of the most enormous burdens of all. Smoking is a highly risky behavior.

Nicotine addiction
Many tobacco addicts say smoking helps calm their nerves. What they may not realize is that this tranquilizing effect is the result of becoming addicted to nicotine. When a little time has passed since the last cigarette, the nervousness results from the start of withdrawal symptoms—the "nicotine fit." The body is simply craving another dose of nicotine, for which smoking another cigarette provides the "fix." However, after a person has been a nonsmoker for a few weeks, he is less nervous overall than when he was smoking.

Is there any way to avoid withdrawal symptoms? Modern medicine has made it much easier. When a person tapers off of cigarettes or has already stopped smoking, his symptoms of nervousness, anxiety and irritability can be greatly lessened with medications.

One type is nicotine-replacement therapies (NRT), including nicotine patches, gums, nasal sprays and inhalers. Another type is bupropion, marketed under the brand names Zyban and Wellbutrin. Both types usually can be used at the same time. Consult with your doctor about medications.

Taking the first steps
You probably already know smoking is bad for you. So why read more about it? Good question. One is much more likely to kick the habit if he understands why and how it is bad and how to effectively overcome it. Many sources of antismoking information are interesting, practical and valuable.

Reading isn't the only way to learn. Readily accessible are audiocassette recordings, videotapes, professional counselors and support groups. Most people who want to lose an addiction do better with support from others, including former smokers. Like an ad for a center offering help to those with a drinking problem says: "If you don't get help from us, please get help somewhere."

Perhaps the greatest value in educating yourself about the dangers of tobacco is that such education is motivational. A fresh reading of available materials brings you face to face with reality and your own mortality. We need to respect healthy fears that prod us to avoid and flee danger. Becoming more conscious of the need to forsake smoking strengthens the desire and commitment to do it. A smoker needs will, not just a wish.

You might compare a stop-smoking plan to baking a cake. The cake needs all the necessary ingredients, not just a huge amount of one or two ingredients. This article isn't an attempt to offer all the ingredients, although many will be touched on. Practical advice and other information concerning smoking are available in abundance on the Internet and in print, much of it free of charge. The point is that an effective stop-smoking plan needs to include all the ingredients—that is, implementing valuable tips, tools, techniques and approaches at the same time.

The all-important missing ingredient
Several ingredients may be missing in your stop-smoking plan, but one component is usually always missing, and it is the most important of all. Though many smokers may quit their habit without this ingredient, success is more likely with it.

The all-important ingredient is the spiritual dimension. Often people seeking spirituality or religion may look for guidance and power in the wrong directions. More specifically, the right direction—the necessary ingredient—is learning God's astounding purpose for mankind, seeking to conform to His ways and seeking His powerful help to liberate us from any addiction. The Creator of the human body and mind understands His creations perfectly. He knows how best to care for and repair them. He hasn't left us in the dark. The Bible is His Word, inspired and preserved by Him to serve as our instruction book for life.

Jesus Christ, during His earthly ministry, regularly demonstrated His love, mercy and concern for others by healing the sick. He taught that God always wants to help us, but we must first ask for help. "Ask, and it will be given to you," He says (Matthew 7:7). Although stopping smoking may seem impossible, He tells us that "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27). Are you a slave to an addiction? Jesus said, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).

Sadly, many people think that about all religion has done for them is to make them feel guilty and condemned. Smokers usually already carry a burden of guilt, and they don't want more piled on. But God's purpose for His Church is to be a source of great encouragement and help, like a mother to her children. Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). The Church of God (Acts 20:28) is not like an honorary society of overachievers but more like a spiritual hospital for people who see their need for encouragement and healing. We are broken in different ways, and we need the Great Physician, Jesus Christ (Matthew 9:12).

This doesn't mean God is satisfied for us to remain the same—to remain sick or continue living contrary to His instructions. We must seek to be made whole and actively strive to live the way He wants us to. God calls to be His disciples people who have all kinds of problems, including addictions—but, just as the original 12 apostles kept changing and growing, we must go forward. We cannot remain where we are. Inevitably, if we do not grow spiritually we will slip backwards.

We have no good excuse for staying in a rut. If we commit ourselves to pleasing God, He is committed to empowering us. If we set right goals, put forth an all-out effort and ask for God's help, He will give it (Matthew 7:11).

Scriptural principles against tobacco use
Smoking and tobacco use aren't mentioned in the Bible for the simple reason that both were unknown in biblical lands until explorers brought them back from North America, where the indigenous natives had long smoked tobacco. So can we be sure that God disapproves of smoking?

Absolutely. God objects to smoking just as He disapproves of any abuse or neglect of our bodies. Let's look at the biblical evidence.

God inspired the apostle John to write, "My dear friend, I pray that everything may go well with you and that you may be in good health—as I know you are well in spirit" (3 John 2, Today's English Version). God wants us to enjoy good health. Many of His laws recorded in the Old Testament are safeguards to health, with instructions covering safety, sanitation, hygiene, food, moderation, rest, negative attitudes, anxiety and more, as discussed in other articles in this issue.

These laws reflect the validity of the old maxim "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." It's clear that God is concerned about our health and wants us to be concerned too. In fact, He commands us to take care of ourselves. Tobacco purveyors want you to smoke because they make money from your habit. But God cares about you.

Being health-conscious is not necessarily self-centered. A healthy person can do more for others and for God (compare John 15:16). That's the way God wants us to look at the pursuit of wellness.

Our bodies and minds belong to God
In fact, we should not live as if we have the option to neglect our health. God has jurisdiction over what He has created. What He created He owns. He's the boss, and He wants His workers to be healthy. He commands us, in a sense: Stay healthy!

This ownership concept is expressed in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "... Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit ..., and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit [your mind and attitude], which are God's."

The awesome purpose of our lives is to receive God's Spirit to transform our mind and nature and make them like His. We can see that we doubly belong to God. He not only created us, He paid for us with the sacrifice of His Son. Jesus Christ's sacrifice paid the penalty for our sins to rescue us from eternal death. Taking excellent care of our lives, for which Christ paid the dearest price, is one way to express our gratitude to God.

It's accurate to say that our Creator has entrusted the care of our bodies and minds to us. This illustrates the concept of stewardship, which means we are to care for and properly manage what belongs to God. Jesus related several parables illustrating that God holds each of us accountable to be a "faithful and wise steward" over our lives and opportunities (Luke 12:42). So, in principle, the Bible shows the smoking habit to be something contrary to our own best interests.

Throughout 1 Corinthians 6 we can see the physical and spiritual intertwined. Hence it is not surprising that the Bible emphasizes both physical and spiritual cleanliness. Many biblical laws concern cleanliness, sanitation and hygiene. Smoking clearly is a dirty habit. Most nonsmokers deplore the smell of stale tobacco smoke, the dirty ashtrays, smutty walls, stained teeth and yellowed fingers. Worse than that, think of the lining of lungs that have turned black.

Thanks to God's amazing design of the body, lungs often can, over time, return to a healthy pink after a smoker has quit lighting up. Our desire to be spiritually and physically clean in God's sight should add to our resolve not to smoke.

The Ten Commandments and smoking
The Ten Commandments show us how to love God and each other. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments," says 1 John 5:3. The Sixth Commandment says, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13) —and that includes ourselves as well as anyone else. By smoking we are, little by little, poisoning ourselves and perhaps others who also breathe our smoke.

God also says, "You shall not covet" (verse 17). Is the craving to smoke a violation of this commandment? The answer is not simple. "Covet" primarily means to desire. While the Tenth Commandment forbids coveting anything that belongs to someone else, other references to coveting in the Bible amplify the meaning of this commandment to include any lust for what is evil or wrong (see Romans 7:7-8; James 1:14-15; 4:1-2; Ephesians 2:3).

So what about smoking? God disallows self-destructive uses of anything. If, once we understand this, we continue to crave this "forbidden fruit," we are coveting.

The problem with coveting is that it is selfish and self-centered desire, the way of getting. God's love is outgoing in concern for others, the way of giving. If you're tempted to pollute the air that your neighbors must breathe, notice this: "Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10).

Furthermore, in Ephesians 5:5 and Colossians 3:5, Paul equates covetousness with idolatry. This means that if something we desire is wrong to have according to God, it is not only coveting but also idolatry to continue pursuing that desire—letting it take priority over God's will.

Submitting to a wrong desire rather than submitting to God's will is a form of idolatry. Rather than God ruling over us, the thing lusted for is ruling over us. For instance, God describes gluttons as those "whose god is their belly" (Philippians 3:19). Hence, covetousness becomes idolatry. However, it is usually not the smoker's intent to place cigarettes before God in importance. Addiction is a powerful force. But one must face the reality that the obsession to smoke has become stronger than any desire to obey and please God.

Every form of addiction must be broken. Jesus said, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve" (Matthew 4:10). Yet Paul explained, "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves to whom you obey ...?" (Romans 6:16).

If you have a smoking addiction, you have allowed yourself to become enslaved to tobacco—and God says you must break free. Of course, He is loving, patient and understanding—as His people are to be. Virtually everyone realizes that quitting can be difficult and rarely will happen overnight. But you must at least genuinely try to quit—and God is there to help you. Don't let the guilt of your past failure carry you farther away from God. Rather, "draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8). Remember that He wants you to succeed.

Conflicting desires
Think of it this way. We human beings commonly have two or more conflicting desires on almost any subject. Many smokers will say, year after year, "Oh, I want to quit this nasty habit!" Undoubtedly they do want to quit, but what they need to realize is that they also want to smoke.

If you are a smoker, your actions show which is your stronger desire. As long as your desire to smoke is stronger than your desire to quit, you will continue to smoke. When the desire to quit smoking continues to weigh more heavily and the balance scale tips, you will quit. That's why the issue of motivation is so fundamentally important. There is no shortage of information, tools and techniques that are helpful to break the tobacco habit. Usually the main lack is a strong enough motivation to bring the practice to a screeching halt!

Don't kid yourself that you already have plenty of motivation. If you did, you already would have stopped smoking. So what can you do to increase your motivation, confidence and determination to quit?

Let's start with your desire to smoke. Once you decide to quit smoking, you must find a way to stop constantly wanting to smoke, thinking about how much better you would feel if only you had a cigarette or cigar or pipe.

You must decide to keep your mind occupied with things that demand your full attention and force yourself not to give in. You must block the desire for nicotine from your thinking and quit entertaining your mind with fantasies of smoking. If you don't discipline your thoughts, you are almost certain to give in to your old desires and return to your old habits.

How you fight the battle in your mind is crucial. You may have to fight this battle for several months before you permanently win the war. But simply refuse to permit your mind to dwell on how good another smoke would be. Be determined to win.

Choose activities that require your full concentration. Put your heart into purposefully and consciously rejecting pulls on your mind that would break your concentration and turn your thinking again to relishing and savoring what you have chosen to give up.

In the end the battle will be won or lost in your mind. If you lose a skirmish, immediately get back into the fight. Don't give up. Don't lose the war. And never forget to ask God—over and over, again and again—for the strength and help you need to continue fighting until you do win.

Now let's consider how to bolster your motivation and determination to win this battle—in partnership with God.

hi all..i want to start out by saying that i was a smoker for 12 years..though there was a 10 month period in there where i had quit once before.
i just recently quit again..2 months and 1 week ago.
when you are a smoker(in my case anyway)people can give you all the advice or pamphlets that they want and you will turn a blind eye!
nobody can give up this addiction unless they truly want to and are sick of it!!or..unless God works a miracle.
it isn't just a habit.as many people think.it is a physical addiction as well..and i had to deal with people every single day getting on my case and telling me to just 'throw those cigarette's in the garbage'...which then stressed me out more and made me want to smoke more!
haha'
the thing that made me want to finally quit was my child.i have a 2 1/2 year old son and the thought that i could end up with lung cancer or some other smoking related disease and die...leaving him to be raised by someone other than myself...would bring me to tears!i also prayed every day that God would take away the desire and to help me get physically sick if i smoked again!(which did happen once )
i felt that to continue smoking would be selfish of me..and so i was determined!it takes determination..and nicorette..haha..
i tried that 'patch' which was useless to me..but the gum finally worked!
yes i still have cravings and probably off and on through the years i always will..but i keep thinking if i can go this long i can go forever!!for my child who needs me:)
and God is there to help.trust in HimGBU

I would say the scriptural principles put forward here to try to add weight to physical reasons to abstain from smoking are unquestionably "putting words in Gods mouth"

Act 15:28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:
That you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols,
and from blood,
and from what has been strangled,
and from sexual immorality.
If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
Farewell."

W ell, isn't it strange that you write this post.I want you to know I am one of the people for whom this post was written.I quit smoking on Nov. 18. I want you to know how much this post has helped me.I really believe I have a better chance of staying quit,Afer reading your post. Thank you & God bless & keep you !!!!!!!!!!

Praise the Lord .i am very happy to hear from you.May God bless you .and give you more strenght to quiet smoking.have good day.

The history of smoking [a practice where a substance, most commonly tobacco, is burned and the smoke tasted or inhale] can be dated to as early as 5000 BC, and has been recorded in many different cultures across the world.


This smacks of Judaism. " An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is not scripture. Maxims do not make for sound doctrine. And the OT regulations has nothing to do with any man who is now "free in Christ"

Col 2:20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations--


Where did you find this statement in the Word of God?

Where did you find this commandment in the Word of God?

The above scripture reference that is talking explicitly about sexual immorality. [see context]

"Taking care of our lives is one way to express our gratitude to God" That sounds so praise worthy, but again where did you find this statement in the Word of God?

"So, in principle, the Bible shows the smoking habit to be something contrary to our own best interests."
Again, where is this "principle" in the Bible?

"The Bible emphasizes both physical and spiritual cleanliness." Where does the Bible emphasize physical cleanliness. other than in regards to sexual morality?

So Exodus 20:13 should read "You shall not smoke"

Verse 17 should also read "You shall not smoke"

Forbidden fruit? You amplify (add to) these commands to include smoking, so obviously you dont have a problem with adding to the Word.

I have to take pause here. Smoking is HATE for your neighbor now?

This is one of the worst manipulations of the Word of God I have ever read. It is a gross blend of human reasoning, and presuppositions. It is a classic example of trying to make the Scripture underscore a personal belief. If this can be called 'rightly dividing the Word of Truth' then there is no need for anyone to study the Word, because its fairly easy to just open the Bible, and lift out scriptures and make them mean what we want them to say, with just a little bit of word play.

This passage would apply to the topic nicely, if you believe smoking is a form of disobedience to God.

"God says you must break free"

What God REALLY says is this:

Col 2:20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations--
Col 2:21 "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch"
Col 2:22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)--according to human precepts and teachings?
Col 2:23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
I have to conclude, when it comes to the health of the physical man, the OP may have been a edifying (tho biased) message. When it comes to the Spiritual man, this subject has no value.

I had a brother die of Melanoma at age 37, he was a licensed preacher of the gospel, and never smoked a day in his life. Now tell me if this topic holds any weight in Heaven. It is appointed to man once to die, and after that the judgement, and God there wont be asking how well you preserved your body, because if He does, i`m sure we are all under the worst kind of curse. Change the title of this document to "Scriptural Principles for Not Eating Sugar" [ see Sugar: Just Love Your Children To Death] and it will be just as valueless Spiritually. Jesus Christ is going to judge you and I, by what comes out of our hearts, not by what we put into our bodies. Period. (now thats the WORD OF GOD)

I am glad if anyone is inspired by this article, and would not even have commented, if it didnt include "thus saith the Lord"

WELL HISTORY OF SMOKING IS.


It is thought that tobacco growing started in the region of Central America around 6000 BC.

It wasn't until 5000 years later, around 1000 BC that the Mayan civilisation began to chew and smoke the leaves of the tobacco plant, as well as mix the leaves together with herbs and plants and administer the mixture to the wounds of the sick.

As the Mayans dispersed and populated different areas, such as North and South America, they took with them their precious tobacco leaves and plants.

Hundreds of years later during the time of some of the world's greatest European explorers, tobacco was discovered and later brought back to the new world.

Columbus was probably the first European to see tobacco leaves although he did not smoke them himself.

A fellow explorer, Rodrigo de Jerez, shortly after, landed in Cuba and observed some of the inhabitants smoking the tobacco leaves. He then proceeded to partake in the smoking act himself.

On his return to Spain, laden with heaps of tobacco, Jerez startled his fellow countrymen by smoking in front of them. Never in their lives had they seen a man with smoke coming out of his mouth and nose. People thought that he was possessed by the devil and members of the Spanish Inquisition imprisoned him for several years. During his imprisonment, smoking actually became quite popular in Spain.

In the 1530's a number of Europeans saw the potential money making in tobacco and they decided to cash in and make their wealth from the cultivation of this popular plant. They began to colonize areas of the Caribbean and established large tobacco growing areas, from which they exported all the tobacco back to Europe.

It is said that Sir Francis Drake was the first man to bring back a consignment of tobacco into the UK in 1573, although Sir Walter Raleigh later went on to make tobacco smoking popular in the court of Queen Elizabeth I.

During the year 1586 Sir Walter Raleigh embarked on a trip to the Americas where he met Ralph Lane, who at the time was Governor of Virginia. Lane introduced Raleigh to the pleasures of smoking a clay pipe, which was popular there in that era.

A year later a number of colonists who had previously left England to settle in Virginia, returned to their homeland and introduced the fashion of smoking clay pipes into English society. Over the years many English families travelled to Virginia to settle in order to try and make a wealthy living from growing tobacco in the plantations there.

Pipe smoking was also gradually becoming extremely popular in several other European countries, including Spain and France.
At the beginning of the 17th Century, tobacco was just starting to be regularly imported into the UK, with amounts of 25,000 pounds being shipped from the Americas. By the turn of the century this amount had increased to a figure nearing 38 million pounds and the competitive marketing and tobacco production on a large scale began to get underway.

Pipe smoking and snuff had become popular in London during the 17th Century and later smoking cigars became the trend but it wasn't until the mid 1800's that the cigarette as we know it was manufactured.

With the introduction of cigarette making machines, which at the time produced about 200 cigarettes a minute, the tobacco industry began to grow and grow.

As cigarettes were now being mass-produced, they became more easily available and affordable to a wider range of people.

At first it was mainly the soldiers who were fighting in the wars who became hooked on smoking. Sometimes with long periods of inactivity, the soldiers became low in morale, so they were given cigarettes to smoke in order to keep up their spirits.

At the start of the Second World War, American president Roosevelt made tobacco a protected crop. There were shortages of tobacco in America and England, as packets and packets of cigarettes were sent to the troops fighting in the war.

This is the time, during both World Wars, that smoking cigarettes became immensely popular. After the war the soldiers went back home and introduced cigarettes to their families, therefore strengthening the trend.

Back then, medical research into the effects of smoking was in its infancy and it wasn't until the 1950's that the first warning signals were being sound, as links between smoking and lung cancer were suddenly being reported.
At that time tobacco companies had become multi million pound industries and they could not afford to have bad publicity.

In 1964, the US Surgeon General reported that smoking cigarettes caused lung cancer. Following this, advertising tobacco was banned from television and radio and tobacco companies were made to print health warnings on the packets of their cigarette brand.

In 1973, the first restrictions on smoking in public were put into place in the US. All airline companies were made to separate smoking areas from non-smoking areas on their planes and in 1987 all smoking was prohibited on flights of less than two hours duration.

In 1988 the US Surgeon General concluded after extensive research that nicotine is an addictive drug.

By 1990 there were more restrictions on smoking on public modes of transport and Vermont became the first state in the USA to ban smoking in all indoor public places.

Big tobacco bosses swore in Congress 1994 that nicotine wasn't addictive and that they did not in any way control the levels of nicotine found in cigarettes. However only three years later they reappeared before Congress to testify that nicotine was in fact addictive and that smoking could cause cancer.

More and more tobacco companies in the US were being prosecuted by individuals wanting compensation for the death of their relatives or for their own ill health, which they claimed had been caused by smoking. Claimants became more successful in winning their cases as time went on and an increasing number of tobacco companies were demanded to pay out huge amounts of money in damages.

Advertising cigarette brands in the media has now been banned in many countries in order to try and prevent more and more people taking up the habit and there are smoking restrictions in all indoor public places and all workplaces in several cities and countries including New York, California, Florida, Norway, England, Ireland and Spain.

well i whould like to share with you how dangerus is smoking for Womens and specially for pregnant womens

Introduction to smoking when pregnant
Nicotine is an extremely powerful and addictive drug.

Bearing this in mind, female smokers who immediately give up smoking as soon as they find out that they are pregnant should be strongly commended for doing so, as they aim to protect the health of their unborn child.

Obviously to a mother, her child is the most important and precious thing in the world. But for the child, isn't it also important for him or her to have a healthy mother, who will not die an early death through developing a preventable smoke-related illness?

In the majority of developed countries, around 20% of women smoke and although nowadays more and more people in general are quitting the habit, it is the women of childbearing age who are finding it the hardest to give up.

Statistics show that a third of women who are of childbearing age regularly smoke, or in other words are smokers.

Out of the 20% of women who do smoke, between 20 - 30% of them smoked throughout their pregnancy, with more than 50% of them smoking over half a packet of cigarettes a day.

Research suggests that if all pregnant women gave up smoking, the number of stillbirths and cot deaths could be reduced by around 10%.

Not only that, but the risks of numerous other smoke-related complications and illnesses before, during and after birth, would also be greatly reduced.

By smoking throughout pregnancy, the health of the mother and the child are at risk. Smoking could also be the cause health problems later on in life for both mother and child as well.

Despite the fact that generally the number of smokers has declined, the number of heavy smokers has practically doubled in the last 10 years, and more so in women than in men. This statistic is of particular interest because it has been proven that the more cigarettes a woman smokes throughout her pregnancy, the more the unborn child will be affected or harmed.

If a mother smokes whilst she is expecting, there is no doubt that the unborn child will be harmed in some way through exposure to tobacco smoke. How seriously depends on how many cigarettes the mother smokes.

Not only could the correct development of the baby's body be at risk, but so could the development of its brain and its health. These problems could have a lifetime impact on the child, possibly staying with him well into adulthood.

Smoking can also complicate the pregnancy, labour, birth and feeding of the child.

If a mother reduces the number of cigarettes she smokes to one or two a day, then the risk of any complications or harm to the baby are lessoned. However, even smoking those one or two cigarettes means that the baby is still being exposed to harmful chemicals, poisons and toxins.

After the birth of their child, around half of the mothers who gave up smoking during their pregnancy, took up the habit again within a few weeks, days or even hours of giving birth.

A child's health may also suffer from passive smoking in the home. Passive smoking can lead to respiratory problems such as asthma and also ear infections amongst other conditions (See section on passive smoking).
Maternal smoking and the health of your child
If you smoke throughout your pregnancy and continue to smoke after the baby has been born, your child will be exposed to secondhand smoke throughout its childhood. This will lead to adverse effects on its health.

Babies who have one or two parents who smoke are twice as likely to suffer from breathing disorders such as bronchitis or asthma, especially during the first two years of their life. They may suffer from more colds, coughs, wheezing and are still at risk of dying from SIDS.

Children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke will be more vulnerable to infections and illnesses and will visit the doctor more often than a child who has not been exposed.

More worryingly, the latest research has found that smoking whilst being pregnant, not only affects the health and growth of the child, but is also associated with hyperactivity, behaviour disorders and poor results at school.

As a child, there is an increased risk that the child will go through puberty at an earlier age and as an adult, the risks are higher for suffering a stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure or from developing a from of diabetes.
The benefits of giving up smoking
Becoming pregnant is an excellent reason to give up smoking for good.

There is more than enough evidence to prove that smoking whilst pregnant has adverse effects on your child's development; physically, emotionally and mentally.

The sooner you quit smoking the better, although it is never too late. Even if you are nearing the end of your pregnancy, your child's health and growth will benefit from no longer being exposed to the harmful substances that tobacco smoke contains.

If you really find it impossible to give up smoking, then, at least try to limit the number of cigarettes you smoke to less than 5 a day if possible.

If you give up smoking within the first few weeks of your pregnancy, you have every chance of giving birth to a completely normal and healthy baby.

If you need help to give up smoking, you should consult your doctor, midwife or health professional.

Ideally, it is best for pregnant women to quit without the use of any Nicotine Replacement Treatments (NRT's), such as patches or gum, as the baby will still be exposed to concentrations of nicotine, which will in turn adversely affect the developing foetus.

Strength and willpower together with counselling from a professional and support from family and friends will be the best way to give up smoking if you are expecting a child.
Smoking mothers and hyperactive children
Scientists have gradually become aware of an increase in the number of hyperactive children being born over the last thirty years, which seemed to coincide with an increase in smoking and above all, heavy smoking in women. This had led them to investigate further in order to find out whether there is a link between the two.

Investigations conducted by the Psychology Department of a Canadian University have uncovered a possible link between heavy maternal smoking and hyperactive (ADHD) children.

Although a very small number of children were observed, it was found that the mothers of these "hyperkinetic" children who were being treated with Ritalin, smoked on average 14 cigarettes a day whilst they were pregnant and increased this amount to 23 cigarettes a day after giving birth.

In comparison, mothers of "normal" children only smoked 6 cigarettes during pregnancy and 8 after giving birth.

The reason for the hyperactivity is found in the fact that high levels of carbon monoxide in the foetus, which were double the levels of the mother, were concentrating in the foetus, depriving it of necessary oxygen and consequently severely damaging and altering the unborn child's central nervous system
Maternal smoking and poor school results
Several studies were carried out in a number of different countries where thousands children were observed over time and subsequently tested on their reading, maths, language skills and ability to process and carry out auditory tasks and information.

Three different groups were studied:
a) children of active smoking mothers who smoked throughout pregnancy
b) children exposed to passive smoking at home
c) children whose parents didn't smoke at all
The childrens' abilities were evaluated when they reached the age of 11 and the results showed that the children belonging to mothers who smoked were on average shorter in height and several months behind the other two groups in their reading, maths and general schoolwork ability.

Likewise, performance in auditory processing tasks was also lower in the maternal smoking group.

Furthermore, findings also showed that the children in the passive smoking group performed better than the children whose mothers actively smoked, but not as well as the children in the smoke free group.
Child behaviour disorders linked to maternal smoking
Finally, researchers have discovered that women who smoke throughout pregnancy are significantly more likely to have children who possess severe behaviour disorders. These disorders such as anxiety, disobedience or anger problems become apparent as the child becomes older.

The children that displayed the greatest behaviour problems belonged to mothers who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day during their pregnancy.

Coconut ................

I have a scripture you forgot.........

1Co 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

Nice job of tearing apart sunilgill_87 post. Real smart use of scriptures there.

I found the post to be written in love and could see no wrong intention in the post but only that of trying to help a christian in bondage to smoking.

There may have been some places that may have taken some faith to make the scripture connections, but far better than the heavy handed approach you gave to the letter of the LAW!!!


Anything that we allow in our lives that we can not do with faith or clear conscience toward God is Sin. Rom 14:23......

We are told to lay aside every weight and sin. Heb 12:1

Smoking could very much be considered a weight (Bondage) and sin as most Christians that do smoke are in condemnation about it or at least know they should take measures to quit.

sunilgill_87 seemed to be well informed about what he was talking about, had good information on the science behind what smoking can cause. Gave consequences to the act of smoking but always assured us that God can help and did not attempt to condemn.

sunilgill_87 could have used different scriptures to make a point, but was not trying to add to God's Word or deceive anyone. He was simply trying to make the connections in scriptures to those that need help.

So, you have ruined this article Coconut by blasting away on how false sunilgill_87 post is. That put him on the defense to post more long pages of proof and it has taken away from the simple message that he gave at the start.

I can only conclude that you smoke a lot coconut and was offended at this post because of it, or your just plain ignorant of the love of God.

Jesus Is Lord.

Brother Mike

Why do most Christians think smoking is a sin and are under condemnation about it?

I think your statement proves my point.


I care not what you conclude. If the Holy Ghost Act 15:28 did not want to lay this burden of guilt on men, then we should not either.


Tit 1:14 Not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.