Breathe Happy

Reasons to Give up Smoking

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Cigarette smoking is a deadly habit and should be the first thing that we should try to quit. But being an ex-smoker myself, I know we find reasons to delay giving up the habit thinking that we will give it up before we've done any damage, but in most cases long term damage is already done. Here are some of the top reasons to give up smoking and lead a healthier life.

Heart Disease or Stroke

Research has proven that smokers are four times more likely to develop heart disease than non smokers. In terms of stroke the numbers are also terrifying with smokers twice as likely to have a stroke than non smokers. These numbers should help you convince giving up smoking for good.

Lung cancer

The numbers for lung cancer are equally horrifying, the chances of smokers getting lung cancer are 23 times more for men and 13 times more for women than non smokers. Apart from lung cancer smokers are exposed to chronic obstructive lung disease 13 times more than non smokers.

Better Health

Leaving smoking has a great affect in your overall health, your lung capacity increases, you will have a stronger immune system which means that you will have less colds, coughs and ear infections. You will also have better energy and will be able to do your day to day functions with ease.

Better Outlook

Smoking causes damage to the skin and wrinkles so if the diseases don't scare you, do it for vanities sake. You will also have better smelling clothes and shinier teeth.

There are a million reasons to giving up smoking and its up to you to pick the reason and give up the habit for good.

Recent Study: Smoking Employees Cost More

With nerves frayed and a shaking yearning to get out of the constricted workspace, you wait until the clock strikes 12. 

You finger your pockets just to check whether your lighter or pack of Marlboro lights Gold is still there.  

“Just a few more seconds…” you mutter to yourself while watching the red hand of that clock in front of you make its arduous journey to the number 12. 

You automatically swallow and your fingers shake as you discover that the pack inside your pocket is actually empty. You loosen your tie a bit as you think about the nearest place you could buy cigarettes. Read more

Smoke Free Life Step Program Step 7

Smoking is not a habit and it does not exist. The real reason you continue to smoke is to feed the little nicotine monster inside your stomach. The nicotine in your body has to be fed regularly. You the smoker decide when to feed this monster. Normally when you smoke it is on four types of occasions or a combination of occasions. Read more

Second Hand Smoke

In 2012 there were an estimated 58.5 million U.S. residents that were smokers. Second hand smoke kills 53,800 non smokers annually. This makes it the third leading cause of preventable death in America.

Second hand smoke (SHS), contains over 4,000 chemical compounds, two hundred known poisons, and sixty carcinogens, some of which include: Lead, nickel, benzene, formaldehyde, chromium, cyanide, ethylene oxide, arsenic, polonium and carbon monoxide. These dangerous particles can linger in the air for hours, and smoke lowers the amount of oxygen in the blood. Residue left on a smoker's clothing can cause health problems, especially in children.

If a person spends more than two hours in a room with a an individual smoking, the non-smoker inhales the equivalent of four cigarettes. The immediate health effects of SHS are coughing, nausea, headache, eye irritation, sore throat, dizziness, and difficulty in breathing. For those already suffering from asthma or other respitory disorders, this can be dangerous.

In adults, second hand smoke can trigger asthma and bronchitis, and is a known risk factor for lung cancer. It increases the risk of heart attacks, and is also a known risk factor for various  other types of cancer.

Children who live with smokers are more apt to develop middle ear and sinus infections. SHS is associated with 413 SIDS deaths in the US annually.

Exposure to SHS as a child is associated with a increased risk of developing Atopic dermatitis which is a chronic nflammation of the skin. A higher risk of tooth decay has also been associated with passive tobacco smoking.  Children who grow up around smokers have smaller lungs and decreased lung function than that of a child living in a non-smoking home. Children who are consistently exposed to SHS tend to develop childhood asthma.

When children are forced to be in proximity of SHS, such diseases as cystic fibrosis, bronchitis, and even pneumonia are worsened. These conditions are very difficult for small children to tolerate.  Middle ear infections are common in children inhaling second hand smoke. The smoke irritates the Eustachian tube, which connects the back of the nose to the middle ear. This causes fluid retention and can be very painful for the child. If diagnosed right away, these infections can be easily cured, but if treatment is delayed, it can lead to permanent reduction in hearing.

The possibility of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) increases when a mother smokes. Lower birth weight, as well as conditions such as cleft lip and palate are seen in instances of maternal smoking.

300,000 cases of toddlers and infants with respiratory diseases are reported yearly. Much of this could be avoided if parents were to think about the affects of their smoking on children.

 

 

 

 

Revised and updated from original posting @ Knoji.com

Support to Help you Quit

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Decided to quite smoking? You've made it through a long way.

Think you can do it all alone? You are not quite right.

Smoking cessation is easier said than done and you need the support of the people around you. Do not feel scared of failure. You'll fail. Again and again. Then one day, you'll succeed.

1) Take support from family and friends: tell them you want to quit. They'll be more than happy to help you out.

2) Get support from therapists and counselors: there are plenty of counselors out there who are there especially to help you kick the habit.

3) Take your physician into confidence: There are ways to quite smoking. Some drugs may help. Or so may a chewing gum in place of the cigar. Your physician can definitely help you out.

There are many different types of support. Someone can help you through their positive words or encouragement. Or maybe through counseling or prescribing medication. But one thing's for sure. You can do it, but you can't do it alone.

Read This if You Hate Yourself

Have you ever walked barefoot on soft and slippery mud, and had the soles of your feet pierced by the wonderfully beautiful bougainvillea thorn?

Have you ever gritted your teeth in pain as a hundred or maybe even a thousand fire ants, crawled inside your clothes, biting you from within with no recourse for you but to lose your mind forcing yourself not to shout at what fate has brought you?

If not, then ladies and gentlemen, I’d like you to meet pain.  Read more

Making A List Will Be The Best Thing You Do

I’d like to share one of the most amazing messages I’ve heard. I’ll tell you why this message below is important. It touches on letting you know that ‘yes’ you do have a choice, even though your seeking help nobody is forcing you to change. That your parents aren’t using their parental power to shape your bad habits, but your decisions are your own hardships. Realizing that outside help won’t be the reason you change. Things like support groups, or counseling… Oh they will have crucial impact on your decision, influence, hope, strength; you get all of this from outside help. But what’s inside is stronger than anything imaginable, if you really consider the repercussions and make a conscious decision not to smoke then I believe you will quit sooner than you think. Once you really prioritize the repercussions, you’ve won the battle. We fight for what we stand for, if you are a family man, put family first. If you are an athlete put your body first. See where I am going? It starts by>>>>>>> “MAKING A LIST”

• Putting the people you love at the top

• Next put your legs

• Kidney

• Heart

Now cross of all the things you’re okay with losing because you’d rather smoke.

Wise wisdom from a man named Billy.

How Autosuggestion Can Help You Stop Smoking

There are many people out there who are addicted to smoking, and you could be one of them. If you know you have to quit for health reasons, you might want to explore autosuggestion as a technique for quitting smoking.

 

The first stage to quitting smoking is to analyze why you smoke in the first place. Do you smoke because you think it makes you look cool and sophisticated? Do you smoke because everyone else you know also smokes? Why do you continue to smoke even though you know it is bad for you? Do you really want to quit?

 

Now that you know why you smoke, you need to figure out why you want to quit. Have you been coming down with respiratory ailments frequently? Does the slightest physical exertion leave you out of breath easily? Maybe you want to quit because you don’t want your kids copying you. Or maybe you want to stop spending money on fags that you can use for other more necessary things. People have different reasons for wanting to stop smoking.

 

Now the autosuggestion part comes to fore. You should look at your reasons for wanting to quit and repeat them to yourself every day. You should set aside an hour daily just to read your reasons for quitting smoking. Keep doing this until you have memorized these autosuggestions. Repeat them to yourself throughout the day, and especially when you feel the urge to return to smoking.

 

Yes, quitting smoking can be a long road to travel by you. So get your friends and family in on it by telling them to stop you when you feel the urge to light a smoke. Your relatives and friends can also text you your autosuggestions throughout the day – this should help bolster your resolve to quit smoking altogether for good.

Smoking Babies

There's no denying it, smoking parents lead to smoking babies. Of course, secondhand smoke is directy harmful, but have you considered the longer-term impacts of smoking in front of your little ones?

Research shows that attitudes and behaviors towards smoking are learned early on. While still in the adolescent stage, children look upon their smoking parents favorably. Be it while chatting with friends, after a big meal, or sprawled out on the living room couch–smoking looks great! It's not until later that kids then realize, the more the merrier. 

Understanding the reasons and setting a good example can eliminate peer pressure as an influencing factor.