Half of long-term smokers will die from tobacco. Every cigarette smoked cuts at least five minutes of life on average – about the time taken to smoke it.
Smoking is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death. It is a prime factor in heart disease, stroke and chronic lung disease. It can cause cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth, and bladder, and contributes to cancer of the cervix, pancreas, and kidneys.
-quotes from the World Health Organization
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I won't lie to any of you. I smoke. I have smoked for almost 10 years, and I am only 22. I had my first cigarette on my 13th birthday, and I didn't like it too much. It made me sick to my stomach, but I kept'practicing' until it was perfect. Smoking was now my new habit.
After I turned 18, I found out that I had asthma, caused by the smoking I had done. I decided to switch to a'lighter' brand. Each year, I told myself I'd quit, and I did quit. For a few months here and there. Every time, I would re-start with a new'lighter than last' brand.
My problem is that I don't have the will power to stop smoking. I smoke the lightest possible cigarette, and I like it. Laugh if you will, I quit smoking a few months ago, and here I am again. Do not think me a hypocrite, but I have tips that genuinely will work if you sincerely want to quit smoking.
Cold turkey
I advise that you quit cold turkey, first of all. Cold turkey, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, means to quit without any help from nicotine patches or gum or anything like that. This is the best way, in my opinion, because you are trying to get un-addicted to nicotine, and with the patches, you are still putting it into your system via another route. This will work for anyone who hasn't been smoking five packs a day for 20 years. If that is the case, I suggest you see your doctor and he will suggest a way for you to quit smoking that is safe.
Get a reason
Why should you quit? What is the point, since you've been doing it for so long and you're still alive? Well, find a reason in the hundreds of reasons you should quit, and pick one, or a few!
First off, smoking will make you sick. Even if it doesn't give you cancer and kill you(for which you should thank GOD!), it will break down your immune system and make you susceptible to sicknesses. If you quit smoking, eventually your body will rid itself of the smoking side-effects and you will become healthier(with healthier habits, like walking), and you will save hundreds of dollars a year in prescription costs.
Secondly, it's so very expensive to smoke! In Canada, cigarettes cost upwards of$9.00 a pack. That is from$4.00 when I began smoking. If you smoke half a pack each day, that's$9 every other day, times fifteen(for half the month), and that's$135 you will spend on smoking per month, $1620 per year! That money could be better used for a vacation, a car, school, or whatever. You can save a lot of money by quitting smoking.
Smoking makes your breath stink, your teeth yellow, your skin yellow, your lungs black. It causes you to wheeze and cough(smokers cough), and it causes infections to settle in the throat and lungs and for really gross stuff to grow there as well.
And if the above doesn't gross you out and make you want to quit, more reasons are family, friends, general health, and the fact that it's illegal to smoke in many places.
Destroy the urge
My complete sympathies are with you in this terrible time of going through nicotine withdrawal. You will experience headaches, dizziness, shaking in the hands, clouded thoughts('Must get smoke!'), shortness of breath, coughing, and other things. These symptoms should go away within a few weeks and you will feel better, if not a little healthier!
The withdrawal symptoms are not what you have to fight to get through, however, it's the urges, the'nic-ing out'. So the following are tips to keep you from smoking.
Stay away from the'smoke pit'. Whether at work, at school, or at home, there will be an area to smoke in. Keep away from these areas, and ask other people to please not smoke around you since you have quit.
Enlist the help of a support group. Smokers will understand and maybe even help you to stay quit by not giving you cigarettes no matter how you pathetically beg. Family and friends will give you the emotional support you need, and encourage you to keep at it. Let everybody know that you might be a little moody going through these withdrawals and to give you a little leeway and patience.
Take up candy! This might be jumping from the pan into the fire, but I find that my problem is since I've been smoking for so long, I'm used to having something to suck on. So I replaced my cigarettes with candy suckers. Not only does it taste good, it doesn't make you smell bad, it doesn't make you taste bad, and you have an excuse to eat candy all the time! 'Nic-ing! Need the candy, sorry boss!' If you are a health nut, choose sugarless candy, or even gum. Gum is a good replacement because supposedly it is good for your teeth.
Think of the rewards. What are you going to get out of quitting smoking? You will be able to run without wheezing. Your boyfriend(or girlfriend or parents or sister or whatever) will be happy. Whatever the reason, whatever the reward, keep your eye focused on it and it will not be hard to keep on the track.
Now if you cannot quit cold turkey and would rather quit little by little, there are a few things you can do to effectively quit this way as well. First, watch how many you smoke. That might scare you enough to just quit. Next, if it's more than 5 in one day, cut down by one or two per day. Start replacing the times you smoke with activities. Go on a walk. Take a class. Spend time with your family in a friendly, non-smoking environment. Pretty soon, you will be down to one a day, and then none. I also recommend putting a picture of a loved one that you would like to quit for inside the plastic around the pack. Every time you go to take one, you will see this and be reminded of someone who loves you and wants you to quit. It's the guilt-trip, but it works just as good.
Good luck in your quest to quit smoking. It's a hard journey, but it will be worth it in the end. Now for my quest.
