It’s Time to Stop Smoking (quit smoking ways)

Quit smoking ways

There’s an abundance of evidence to prove that smoking cigarettes or using smokeless tobacco is a serious health hazard. It’s also expensive, since a one-pack-perday habit will cost you over $500 per year. Quitting may not be easy, but it can be done, as many ex-smokers have proven. You may be able to do it yourself or you may need some outside help. It isn’t important how you do it. What’s important is the fact that you’re quitting.

The Beginning
Probably the most important aspect to success is your readiness and determination to quit. Once you’ve made up your mind to stop, this hurdle is behind you. Then you can begin to investigate some of the methods of quitting and the variety of support available to you. At this point, it might be a good idea to start a smoking diary listing when you smoke during the day. This will help you analyze your smoking urges. Once you begin to understand when you smoke and what sort of feelings or emotions trigger your desire to light up, you’re on the track toward controlling your habit. Keep your diary for several days before you stop smoking.

Where to Go
Sometimes you need to go no further than yourself. Some people, by exerting their willpower and keeping their thoughts and actions under strict control, can stop smoking with no outside help. But even these people should try and get a basic knowledge of why they smoke and how they got addicted. Many books have been written on the subject. Go to your public library and select the ones you think might be most helpful. Organizations dedicated to the health of heart and lungs usually have a lot of free literature designed to assist in quitting.

Other Aids
Support groups are available in communities all over the country. Inquire among the same groups listed above or consult the yellow pages in your phone book. Hospitals, clinics, universities and other medical research organizations often have stop-smoking programs. Any health professional should be able to guide you toward the sources you feel would be most valuable to you. Nicotine gum, patches and nose sprays may also be helpful.

What They Do
Whether you decide to stop with the help of a book or whether you prefer the support of a group, you’ll find the techniques are similar. All good programs encourage behavior modification—changing your way of life so that cigarettes are no longer important in certain situations. Once you have decided to quit, you will find lots of material available to help you attain your goal.

Quit smoking ways

Reasons to quit smoking (Quit Smoking Ways)

Quit Smoking Ways

Have you thought about quitting smoking?
There are a lot of good reasons to quit.

Smoking kills
• One in two lifetime smokers will die from smoking.
• Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, chronic bronchitis, asthma and emphysema.

Your smoking affects others too
• Smoking around others can affect their health too.
• For non-smokers, other people’s smoke can cause lung cancer and heart disease. It can also irritate the nose, eyes and throat and lead to chronic coughing, phlegm production, shortness of breath and chest illness.
• Other people's smoke also increases the incidence of asthma attacks, especially in children.

Smoking may make it harder for you to have a family
• Men who smoke may suffer impotence and smoking can also affect sperm quality.
• Women who smoke take longer to fall pregnant and are more likely to miscarry.
• Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have low birthweight babies, and to give birth to babies who are premature, stillborn, or die shortly after birth.

Quitting sets a good example for your family
• It shows you care about your health and the health of your family.
• If you quit, your fitness will improve and you have a better chance of keeping up with your kids!
• And the money you used to spend on cigarettes will be there to spend on yourself and your family.

Quit and you’ll feel some of the benefits straight away
• After 24 hours, most carbon monoxide from smoking is out of your system. Lungs work better and you can do more before running short of breath.
• After two days, senses of taste and smell sharpen. Breath, hair, fingers and teeth are cleaner.
• Within a month of quitting, your blood pressure should return to its normal level.
• Within two months, blood flow to hands and feet improves, the toes and fingers stay warm and you will have more energy.
• After about three months, men and women become more fertile. The lungs may have regained the capacity to clean themselves properly.

Quit to live longer
• Quitting smoking reduces the risk of lung cancer, other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.
• Smokers who quit live longer than those who quit later in life. For example, a person who stops smoking before age 50 has half the risk of dying in the next 15 years compared with continuing smokers.
• On average, smoking reduces your life span by over 10 years.
• At about three months, most quitters have become established non smokers.

Quitting is not always easy…
• Every year about 1.7 million Australian smokers try to quit and 180,000 succeed permanently.
• One of the things that make it hard to quit is that smokers are addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes. There are medical products available to help you stop smoking and to deal with the symptoms of withdrawal.
• Each time you stop smoking you learn more about quitting and it is never too late to
try again.

Quit Smoking Ways

Why You Need to Quit (Quit Smoking Ways)

Quit Smoking Ways

Why do I need to stop smoking?
Cigarettes are the leading cause of preventable deaths in this country. Tobacco is toxic to your body. The nicotine in cigarettes increases your risk of heart disease. The tars and other toxic substances in tobacco can cause cancer of the lung and other organs. Tars also damage the lungs, leading to serious breathing problems. Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide and other chemicals, such as DDT, arsenic and formaldehyde. All of these chemicals are bad for your body. That’s why stopping smoking now is so important.

Why does it seem so hard to stop smoking?

It seems hard to stop smoking because smoking causes changes in your body and in the way you act. The changes in your body are caused by addiction to nicotine. The changes in the way you act have formed over time as you have bought cigarettes, lit them and smoked them. These changes have become your smoking habit. When you have a smoking habit, many things seem to go along with having a cigarette. These might include having a cup of coffee, being tense or worried, talking on the phone, driving, taking a break at work, having a drink, socializing with friends or just wanting something to do with your hands.

How do I get ready to stop smoking?

Set a stop date two to four weeks from now. Keep a diary of when and why you smoke to help you better understand your smoking habit. Using the diary, you and your family doctor can develop a plan to help you deal with the things that make you want to light a cigarette.

How can I stop smoking?

Most people have the best chance of stopping if they do these three things:
· Use nicotine replacement.
· Get support and encouragement.
· Learn how to handle stress and their urges to smoke.

What happens when I stop smoking?
How you feel when you stop depends on how much you smoked, how addicted you are to nicotine and how well you get ready to stop. You may crave a cigarette, and you may be hungrier than usual. You may feel edgy and have trouble concentrating. You also may cough more at first and you may have headaches. These symptoms happen because your body is used to nicotine. They are strongest during the first few days after stopping, but most are gone in a few weeks.

What is nicotine replacement?

Nicotine replacement products are ways to take in nicotine without smoking. These products
come in several forms: gum, patch, inhaler and nasal spray. (The nicotine gum and the nicotine can be bought without a prescription.) Nicotine replacement works by lessening your craving for nicotine and reducing the withdrawal symptoms. It allows you to focus on the changes you need to make in your habits and environment. Once you’re more comfortable being a nonsmoker, dealing with your nicotine addiction is easier. People with heart disease, however, may need to stop taking in nicotine altogether. Your family doctor will help you decide if the benefits of using nicotine replacement outweigh the risks. Do not buy nicotine replacement products unless your doctor tells you to do so. Then follow his or her directions carefully.

What about stress and my urges to smoke?

The first few days after stopping will be the hardest. Look back at your smoking diary and see what triggered you to smoke. Now, think of other things to do instead of lighting up at these times, such as walking or simply breathing deeply and slowly. Think of changes in your routine that will help you not smoke, such as drinking hot tea in the morning instead of coffee.

Will I gain weight when I stop smoking?

Most people gain a few pounds (usually less than 10) after they stop smoking. It’s important to know that any weight gain is a minor health risk compared to the risks of continuing to smoke. To limit your weight gain, try not to replace smoking with overeating. Make sure you have healthy, low-fat snacks on hand in case you do reach for food. And start exercising or exercise more. Exercise helps burn calories and has the added benefit of keeping you busy so you can’t smoke. Your doctor will help you find out how much exercise is right for you.

How do I get support and encouragement?

Tell your family and friends what kind of help you need. Some people like support from friends and family, while others don’t want people to comment. Your family doctor can also suggest stop-smoking programs. These programs are often held at a local hospital or health center. Support and encouragement don’t have to come from just your family and friends, though. Give yourself personal rewards for stopping smoking. Buy yourself something you’ve always wanted. Or treat yourself to an afternoon movie.

Quit Smoking Ways