What’s sexy about bad breath, coughing, nicotine-stained fingers or yellow teeth? Smoking is injurious to health and wealth. I need not elaborate. It is common knowledge. Here are some surefire methods to kick the habit.
Smoking is driven by stimulus-response behaviour; for example, the smell of a cigarette or a cup of coffee automatically producing a strong urge to smoke. A lot of smoking is done automatically, without thinking about it
For the vast majority of smokers, quitting smoking is the single best thing they can do to improve the length and quality of their lives.
When you give up tobacco, your body starts to renew itself as early as the first day of quitting.
After 8 hours:
Carbon monoxide in your body drops
Oxygen level in your blood increases to normal
After 2 days:
You sense of smell and taste will improve. You will enjoy your food more. Your risk of heart attack begins to decrease.
After 3 – 4 days:
Bronchial tubes relax and your lung capacity will have increased, making breathing easier.
After 2 weeks:
Blood flow improves; nicotine has passed from your body
Within 2 weeks to 3 months:
Circulation will improve, making walking and running easier; lung functioning increases up to 30%
Within 6 to 9 months:
You’ll experience less coughing, sinus congestion, tiredness and shortness of breath
After 1 year:
Your risk of heart disease will be about half of what it would have been if you continued to smoke
After 5 years:
Your risk of stroke will be substantially reduced; within 5 to 15 years after quitting, it becomes about the same as a non-smokers.
After 10 years:
Your risk of dying from lung cancer will be about half of what it would have been if you had continued to smoke. Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas will also decrease.
Within 15 years:
Your risk of dying from a heart attack is equal to a person who never smoked.
There are many ways to quit smoking. Should you do it on your own? Would a group program or personal counselling be more effective? What about medications and alternate therapies ?. Quitting is a very individual journey.
Quitting smoking is different for everyone. Some people are able to stop "cold turkey" and then never go back. More frequently, it may take several quit attempts before quitting for good. In fact, most smokers make an average of three or four quit attempts before becoming long-term non-smokers.
Relapse or going back to smoking is the rule rather than the exception when you are trying to quit. It’s part of the process in working toward staying smoke free. Don't give up. Your body and your loved ones will thank you when you finally stay smoke free.
If you’ve quit within the past six months, you’re probably still developing this new "habit". After all, it took time to learn to smoke, so it will take some time to unlearn. Remind yourself how far you’ve come and how hard it was to get there – think about what it would be like to have to go through that again.
Remind yourself of your reasons for quitting and all that you would be giving up.
Remind yourself that this craving is temporary, and if you choose to wait it out, you can continue to enjoy the benefits of being a non-smoker.
Saying goodbye can be depressing. But feeling sad is a good sign. It means you are letting your feelings out and no longer using cigarettes to control your mood. Give tobacco a proper funeral.
If you’ve slipped up in your quitting process, there’s good news: you don’t need to start from scratch. If it happened recently (within the last 24 hours) it’s a small setback and nothing more. Don’t be too hard on yourself – you need to stay positive. Decide to get back on track now. Don’t let all of your efforts go to waste. Remember that you’ve already reduced your physical dependence on nicotine (particularly if you’ve gone a week or more without smoking) – the worst is over.
If it happened a while ago: Consider it part of the quitting process. Use this as an opportunity for learning. You’re in a better position to quit now then you were the last time you tried. Everyone who slips up can learn from it. Identify the triggers. Ask yourself. What made me smoke? How did it happen and why? Which situations will tempt you to start smoking? Feeling frustrated or stressed? Going for a drink?Offered a cigarette?
Just feeling bored? What can I do to deal with the situation next time? Come up with a plan.
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