Smoking
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,843
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
emmathestar,
Urine testing for a wide variety of drugs is quite easy to mask. All of the methamphetamine masking ingredients are conveniently available at your local 7-11. Blood test masking is extremely difficult, although that is often only used here if the police believe that they have a strong case already (it's quite expensive), with urine tests being the normal vehicle of testing for routine checking.
Regards,
Old Smokey
Urine testing for a wide variety of drugs is quite easy to mask. All of the methamphetamine masking ingredients are conveniently available at your local 7-11. Blood test masking is extremely difficult, although that is often only used here if the police believe that they have a strong case already (it's quite expensive), with urine tests being the normal vehicle of testing for routine checking.
Regards,
Old Smokey
Join Date: May 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sigarette Smoking
Ladies and Gentlemen Medical Professionals,
Just wanted to verify some facts about quitting smoking.
1. Is it true, that oxigen balance of the blood can be restored in as little as 20 minutes?
2. Is it true, that the body will test 100% nicotine free after as little as 72 hours of not smoking?
Also, are there specific tests designed to determine if a person used to be a smoker sometime in the past? (Assume an otherwise healthy individual without yellow on the fingers and a Hollywood smile, excellent phisical shape, normal blood pressure, no respiratory problems) Can a longs X-ray tell much in that respect?
Thank you in advance for sharing.
Spektor.
Just wanted to verify some facts about quitting smoking.
1. Is it true, that oxigen balance of the blood can be restored in as little as 20 minutes?
2. Is it true, that the body will test 100% nicotine free after as little as 72 hours of not smoking?
Also, are there specific tests designed to determine if a person used to be a smoker sometime in the past? (Assume an otherwise healthy individual without yellow on the fingers and a Hollywood smile, excellent phisical shape, normal blood pressure, no respiratory problems) Can a longs X-ray tell much in that respect?
Thank you in advance for sharing.
Spektor.
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Posts: 82
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In answer to your first question I assume you mean the 'blowing off' of carbon Monoxide (CO).
CO is a product of incomplete combustion of any flammable product, and is what kills you in gas/exhaust/fires.
CO is bound more strongly to haemoglobin (Hb) than oxygen, and displaces it from same. When the source of CO is removed, it takes some time for the CO to be removed, but a measurable effect on Hb-CO levels could theoretically be seen after 20 minutes (but unlikely). Once you are again exposed to CO, then you bind up your Hb, until it is able to unload it again.
It takes ~ 240 minutes for half of the CO bound to Hb to be eliminated, in room air.
Smokers can have up to 10% Hb bound to CO. Death usually occurs from ~>40% Hb binding.
As for your lungs, I can sometimes tell if someone once smoked by listening to their lungs, and the changes that occur on XRay are generally permanent.
About half of long-term smokers (and a significant proportion of social/2nd. hand smokers) will suffer from chronic changes of smoking (emphysema, cancer etc).
Once the damge is done to the lung, it is irreversible.
Some good news though - if you stop, then then damge need not progress, and from a heart point-of-view, your risk of heart attack and stoke rapidly decrreases.
Hope this helps. Try and keep off the evil weed.
RD.
CO is a product of incomplete combustion of any flammable product, and is what kills you in gas/exhaust/fires.
CO is bound more strongly to haemoglobin (Hb) than oxygen, and displaces it from same. When the source of CO is removed, it takes some time for the CO to be removed, but a measurable effect on Hb-CO levels could theoretically be seen after 20 minutes (but unlikely). Once you are again exposed to CO, then you bind up your Hb, until it is able to unload it again.
It takes ~ 240 minutes for half of the CO bound to Hb to be eliminated, in room air.
Smokers can have up to 10% Hb bound to CO. Death usually occurs from ~>40% Hb binding.
As for your lungs, I can sometimes tell if someone once smoked by listening to their lungs, and the changes that occur on XRay are generally permanent.
About half of long-term smokers (and a significant proportion of social/2nd. hand smokers) will suffer from chronic changes of smoking (emphysema, cancer etc).
Once the damge is done to the lung, it is irreversible.
Some good news though - if you stop, then then damge need not progress, and from a heart point-of-view, your risk of heart attack and stoke rapidly decrreases.
Hope this helps. Try and keep off the evil weed.
RD.
Join Date: May 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RabidDog,
Thank you for your reply - very interesting. What sort of changes do you see on ex-smokers' long X-Rays? Do they perhaps shrink in volume, turn black? And I suppose no amount of aerobic exercise can make that picture any better?
Thanks,
Spektor.
Thank you for your reply - very interesting. What sort of changes do you see on ex-smokers' long X-Rays? Do they perhaps shrink in volume, turn black? And I suppose no amount of aerobic exercise can make that picture any better?
Thanks,
Spektor.
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 2,410
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What sort of changes do you see on ex-smokers' long X-Rays?
Ref exercise. No.
The only thing that avoids smoking related damage is not smoking; or if you are a smoker: Stop now!
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Paradise
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Weed changes the shape of your brain if you smoke enough, even if it is 'moderated' amounts, Because the part of your brain that reacts to 'Endorphines' or the reward feeling that you get from having sex or eating chocolate or exercise begins to grow and you will want more and more of it. This is the start of the downward plunge. Most people develop cycotic illnesses because of this, schitzophrenia and hallucinations to name a few, so if you smoke cannabis even as a youth and stop for several years, you are at a great risk of becoming re-addicted to the drug. So drugs and alcohol don't mix well with aviation.
The Original Whirly
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
Posts: 4,326
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Almost all of the heavy 'serious' drug users that I see started with pot. That doesn't mean that a pot smoker will graduate to the hard stuff, but they're on the way there, even if they don't finish the journey.
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Few people get psychotic from breastmilk.
I feel bothered that someone is bothered about being drug tested, that is, unless of course he is just annoyed about the civil liberty and that sort of things... maybe, but still, the flying medical is not exactly a basic human right, so nothing is being invaded as such, unless you are annoyed about "having your integrity doubted", so to speak.
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Italy
Posts: 412
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am not bothered about being drug tested!
I did a drug screenings so many times here in Italy for class 1 renewal, and from the threads I understood they don't do that in UK, and it looks strange to me.
I do not use neither alcohol nor any kind of drugs, so they could check what they want... I don't mind!!
I did a drug screenings so many times here in Italy for class 1 renewal, and from the threads I understood they don't do that in UK, and it looks strange to me.
I do not use neither alcohol nor any kind of drugs, so they could check what they want... I don't mind!!
