Vanity is but the wind, so why let your good looks go up in smoke? Let’s face it, along with everything else that smoking does to damage your health, the worst and most obvious thing that it causes premature aging and death. In other words, it will make an otherwise healthy, young person become wrinked and withered and winded. Read more
1 in 5 U.S. Deaths are smoking related. This includes second hand smoke and infant death due to smoking during pregnancy.
According to the center for Desease Control in an average year Americans lose 5.5 million years of expected life. This works out to more than 12 years per person.
Secondhand smoke kills approximately 600,000 people world wide each year.
In 2007 lung cancer killed 158, 683 people–88,243 men and 70,354 women. Smoking is responsible for 85% of Lung cancers in the U.S.
It takes 10 days for all the toxins to leave a persons body after quitting smoking. Only about 7% of smokers succeed at quitting smoking on their first try. And 3.5% of people quit smoking cold turkey. 50% of people intoxicated with alcohol will relapse into smoking. There is a 90% reducd rate of dying if a person smoking quits before age 30. There is a 50% reducd rate of dying if a person smoking quits before age 50.
Triggers are those things that make you crave a cigarette. It might be when you get in the car, on breaks at work, or after you eat. If you have been smoking awhile your day is probably filled with triggers. Learn to recognize these triggers. They can come at cetain places, certain times or even after eating certain foods.
For smokers a cigarette is the solution to any problem. You know that certain situations are likely to give you the urge to smoke. Doctors refer to this as HALT or Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. Even boredom works into this. So if you recognize that these times weaken us and make us vulnerable we are more able to change this behavior.
Keeping a log of when you find your worst cravings come can be alot of help in the process of quitting the habit. Keeping note of when, whats going on, where and how you feel.
Look back over your log after afew days(best to have atleast a week day and a week-end day)and see when your most extreme triggers occur.
The trick is to see these and then change your routine. Practice eating the meal without the cigarette at the end. Or if it is while you are driving practice not smoking during the drive.
If you associate certain things with smoking change those things. For instance if you smoke while watching a certain show on tv in the evening change and go for a walk instead. If you usually go outside to have the cigarette then go for the walk instead. Adding some exercise to your routine will help you feeling better as you are going through the quitting process.
With your committment to working on changing your routine you are ready to set a date for quitting this habit that has plagued you for so long.
We all know how bad smoking is for the health, but who knew that the average cigarette contains around 4000 chemicals? I thought I would find out about them and list them, in the hope that once smokers see this, it will shock them so much, that it will help them quit!
A cigarette is a made from dried and fermented tobacco tightly rolled in a bundle and covered in a paper case. They are also given many additives designed to make cigarettes taste nicer and keep smokers hooked.
First off, as everyone knows, cigarettes contain nicotine, a highly addictive drug, which occurs naturally in the tobacco. Nicotine of itself is not all that harmful, which is why quitting-smoking aids like nicotine patches can be safely used. Here is the rundown of just some of the other additives (brace yourselves!!):
Tar: a mixture of solid chemicals, which when inhaled, form a sticky brown carcinogenic residue which collects in the airways and lungs
Arsenic: used in wood preservatives and also a deadly poison!
Benzene: an industrial solvent, refined from crude oil
Cadmium: a metal used in batteries
Formaldehyde: used in paint manufacturing, in mortuaries (how appropriate!) and for preserving organic specimens
Polonium-210: a highly radioactive element
Chromium: a metal used in the manufacture of dyes, paints and alloys
1,3-Butadiene: used in rubber manufacturing
Acrolein: formerly used as a chemical weapon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: a dangerous group of chemicals which damage DNA
Nitrosamines – ditto
Hydrazine: a very toxic chemical used mainly in rocket fuel!
Carbon monoxide: a colourless and dangerous gas, found in car engines, which has a very adverse effect on the lungs
Hydrogen cyanide: used as an industrial pesticide
Ammonia: used to make fertilisers and explosives
Hydrogen cyanide: a poisonous gas
…….And a few thousand more!
As if that list isn't enough to put you off, a lot of brands also contain pig's blood in the filters! Apparently the haemoglobin in the blood helps to trap a lot of the harmful substances before they are inhaled (only clearly, they don't trap enough of them, do they? Considering smoking causes so much illness and death!) They also contain other animal-derived products, like glycerine, so if you are a vegetarian or vegan, like me, that is another great reason to stop smoking!
Hope you got something out of reading this blog, and I appreciate your votes and comments.
Picture courtesy of www.biocaretherapy.com
Finding something to do with your hands takes creativity and added confidence for the new non-smoker. At first it is probably the second hardest thing to adjust to not smoking. With some creativity and keen observation of your own habits, your fingers will find many wonderful things to do other than light up a cigarette.
One activity I realized that I missed was the rythmic ritual of finding my smokes (perhaps by patting my shirt pocket or rummaging through my pack) and digging out a tar, a lighter or matches…packing the tobacco and relaxing with the first drag.
You could just relpace the cigarette box with a box of mints and miss out on seeing your progress on paper. Consider keeping a small note pad with a pen handy to log your thoughts and progress. if you're really hard up for handling something like a smoke- you could fill an empty package with small pencils, like the ones used at golf courses. Then when the urge hits you to light up, enjoy the routine of patting your pocket for the pad of papper and pen and jot your victory down in your journal.
Reward yourself with three deep cleansing breathes and maybe that fresh mint to savor.
I used to be a smoker. It was a long time ago, but I do remember it well.
I had no idea that I reeked so. I had no idea it was making me sick. I was clueless.
Sure, I tried to quit every year as a New Year's resolution and failed every year. I even tried a few times in the middle of a year to quit, but something would always happen to stress me out and I'd start back up. Somebody dies? Smoke. Getting divorced? Smoke. Lose a job. Gotta have a smoke, right? And there I'd go again. Smoking those stinking cancer sticks.
I didn't think of them that way then. I didn't really even think of them as a bad habit. I thought that I was an adult and I could smoke if I wanted to. I actually wasn't an adult when I started. I was fifteen and stole my first cigarette from my stepdad. It gave me bed spins. I should have stopped then.
But nooooo, not me! I have to learn things the hard way!
I smoked menthol cigarettes for ten years. I thought I was cool. What a waste of cool points that was!
I ended up with my cool butt getting very sick. I couldn't stop coughing. No, you don't understand. I mean I literally coughed for about 3 months straight, almost non-stop.
My co-workers kept saying, "Go to the doctor!" I kept telling them, "I am!"
The doctor gave me breathing treatments, inhalers, nasal sprays, and antibiotics – all to no avail. I could suck down enough NyQuil to put an elephant down and still cough like a Saint Bernard all night long. Sitting up didn't help. Lying down didn't help. Round after round of various treatments didn't help. That awful dry cough was out to kill me.
Finally, the doctor yelled at me. "You have to stop smoking if you want to get well!"
I listened. I quit… for a week… then smoked one pack of cigarettes over one week's time and I got it again — the dreaded Bronchial Spasm!
I literally couldn't breathe in air without coughing. It was so miserable. I actually bruised my ribs from coughing so much over those months. I would sit in the bed, doubled over in pain, feeling like I was dying. It's one of those illnesses I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
It was time to take action. I had to quit. But how? I tried every year and failed. What would work?
I dug down deep and pulled something out that I hadn't used much before. Well, what was this little item tucked away in my disposition?
It was willpower.
The doctor was right. I was making myself sick. I had to stop. Period. End of story. I never smoked again because not only did the doctor yell at me, but I told myself matter-of-factly, "You cannot smoke."
Did I still crave them? You bet! I craved cigarettes for about five years after I quit. But as my health and senses returned, I realized the benefits and it got easier and easier.
I realized that all the time I had smoked, I smelled like an ashtray! My clothes, my house, my car… all smelled like an ashtray. I couldn't believe I had smelled like that for ten whole years and didn't even know it!
Soon, it got to the point that I couldn't even remain in a smoke-filled bar for long without going out for fresh air. Wow. Fresh air! Without a cigarette in my hand. What would I do with myself? Well, I stood there and took in the beauty of life as a healthier person.
Finally, my cravings for cigarettes went away. I substituted for a while with chocolate, but broke that habit as well.
Today, you might catch me eating a chocolate truffle, but you sure as heck won't catch me with a cigarette in my hand.
Keep trying, keep strong, and know that you can be an ex-smoker too someday. I conquered the cancer sticks… so can you!
If you haven't read my first post post "What Motivated Me to Quit Smoking", please do. You can click here to find it. In a nutshell, I smoked for 36 years. It was a love-hate relationship. And, obviously, not a very healthy one! finally, I decided, ENOUGH! I want to emphasize that unless you have health issues or are pregnant and time is of the essence, you should wait until you reach that "enough" stage. It will go much easier for you. For me, the first step was convincing myself that I would be okay without my cigarettes. I'm not going to lie, that was pretty difficult and I'm not sure that I was fully convinced of that when I actually started! That being said, once I had made the decision, I decided to make a plan. These are my suggestions to get you started:
Some people like to pick a specific date because it has meaning to them. Others will pick an arbitrary date. I recommend picking a date that works with your schedule and activities. Quitting is challenge enough, you have the ability to ensure an easier path by setting the stage.
Picking a method is critical. There are so many different aids to quitting smoking from over-the-counter aids,prescription medications, hypnotists, cold turkey, etc. Before you quit, think about what will work best for you? Do some research. Talk to your doctor. Talk to others who have successfully quit. Visit a site like this one, Breathing Happy.
Some people prefer the buddy system. Others like to be in groups. Some people enjoy giving daily or weekly updates on their facebook status. And some people prefer to keep it to themselves. It's all a matter of preference. Every individual should choose what they think would work best for themselves.
When I decided to finally kick the habit, I did a bit of research. Because of health reasons, I did not want to use any oral medications or patches. It was my inclination to go cold turkey, but I was afraid of the weight gain and decided to go to a hypnotist that also did a weight loss session. It was easy to pick a date after that because it had to coincide when one of the sessions was being held. My decision for a support system was very simple. I didn't tell anyone except my daughter. And I only told her because she lived with me. I didn't want people asking me how I was doing. I didn't want to be reminded about it if I had forgotten and, most of all, I didn't want anyone to see me fail if I failed. I know, that's not very positive, but there was a part of me that felt like I was giving up a very dear friend or lover and even if it was an abusive one, I still didn't want to say Good Bye.
Stayetuned for the "gory details" and more tips and ideas to help you quit and stay smoke free!
PACKETS of conventional cigarettes don’t lie: “SMOKING KILLS”. The words scream out like no other public health warning but still millions risk their lives by continuing with their daily habit. It’s a harsh fact that smoking tobacco is one of the main causes of cancer, especially lung cancer Read more
For anyone who has decided to stop smoking for good, they have made one of the best choices for a healthier life. The first few days may seem to fly by. After this, time may be challenging to say the least. You may need someone around with postiive words of encouragement or just to help you through the times you think of lighting up.
It is important as well to make sure you keep your mind on positive things such as the money you will be saving, the fact that clothing and your home will be free of smoke, etc. Find a hobby that will make use of the time otherwise spent smoking, such as a favorite hobby, creating something, writing, whatever. Find what you can do to keep your mind and hands busy. When you complete a project, reward yourself with a compliment!
Another way to stay positive, is when you feel the urge to smoke, take a small amount of change such as a quarter or a dollar, and put it aside for a week or two. Add up the total once the time comes and see how much you have saved. This will give you such a lift that you will want to continue putting that money aside. Before you know it, you will be bragging to family and friends!
The more you can do to stay positive, the more you can keep a positive mindset by doing other things. You will find a lot of support and postives all around. Create & post signs or encouragement around your home. Keep a diary. Congratulate yourself when you reach another milestone day of not smoking. Pretty soon you will find it becomes easier and your life will be brighter each and every day!