Breaking a Bad habit

Smoking is a bad habit that is very difficult to give up. It is not only dangerous to the smoker, himself, but to the people around him as well. Once a person becomes addicted, it becomes difficult for him to stop smoking. However, despite all the reminders regarding the bad effects of smoking to health, a lot of people are still drawn into the aroma of cigarette smoking.

People should not have started to smoke. Because as you all know, once you have become dependent on nicotine, it would be very difficult for you to eliminate it from your system. Advertisements have constantly reminded people that cigarette smoking is dangerous to health, yet it is as if they have not heard a single reminder. Well, people who do not admit that they are addicted to smoking have a really big problem.

Smokers who are trying to stop smoking can attest to the difficulty of the process of quitting. Determination and will power are needed in order for one to reach his goal of being a non-smoker.

Most people would say that a gradual cutting down of the cigarette smoking is a good method for quitting. Small steps are taken, one at a time to ensure that the process is going in the direction that is more beneficial to the smoker who plans on quitting.

Preparation Necessary to Stop Smoking

Preparation is necessary when you feel like stopping. Reflect on your reasons for smoking, and take note of when you usually smoke and how you typically go about it. You may want to deviate from your usual smoking habits, and try things that you son not usually do when smoking. For instance, you may want to try new things as a replacement for smoking, like when you are urged to smoke, you may just chew a gum or munch on healthy snacks. Or, if you really want to smoke, you may do so but not with the hand that you usually use when smoking. If you are used to holding the cigarette with your right hand, you may try your left hand instead. You need to learn these things so that you can make a good plan that you can follow as you cut down the sticks you smoke.



The Beginning of the Actual Renouncement

Get rid of all the things that may remind you of smoking. You may want to keep your ash trays way from your view, or you may also, for the time being, avoid people who smoke. This way, you are not constantly reminded of your tendencies to smoke. Think of ways activities that can keep your mind off the idea of smoking. Give yourself a reward when you have not smoked for the whole day, this way your act of not smoking will be reinforced. You may also want to visit your dentist so that you can get your teeth cleaned from all the nicotine that may have stained them.

Living a Smoke-free Life

There may be times when you feel irritated or depressed; these may just be the withdrawal symptoms. You should learn to avoid smoking despite these symptoms. It may be difficult at first but as time passes by, you would realize that it gets easier and better. Think of all the benefits that you may have if you stop smoking - financially, physically and socially.

Things to Know If You are to Stop Smoking

You should understand that the fight to stop smoking starts from the moment when you have finally decided to quit. However, it does not end there, because the hard part is when the withdrawal urges kick in and you find yourself on the verge of smoking again. These urges are just temporary in nature, and they too shall pass you just have to fight them when they manifest. So, as you stop smoking maybe you should know ten things that will help you with the cigarette renunciation.

1. Patience is the key to winning over the battle against smoking.
The truth is that this process is not easy, nor is it for a short period of time. Thus, you should be patient to deal with the rehabilitation for as long as it takes you.

2. Go through the process day by day.
Do not think of how long the process will really take, instead live through the rehabilitation each day. You will soon notice that as each day passes, your craving to smoke gets weaker, and your strength to defeat such craving gets stronger.

3. Do not let yourself be bothered by negative thoughts which may only make you wanting to smoke again. By being constantly reminded of your purpose and your goal, you will be more motivated to end your smoking life and replace it with a healthier lifestyle.

4. During your rehabilitation, you should not forget to satisfy your other needs, such as food and water. A good diet and sufficient hydration can help you flush away the toxins from your body that has accumulated because of smoking. You should also keep your body physically fit, so exercise regularly and then take enough rest daily.

5. Refrain from drinking alcohol, because it may just trigger your urge to smoke. Some people cannot detach smoking from drinking, because these two are very much related to each other.

6. Being stressed will not help you in your struggle to stop smoking. It may only tempt you into releasing your stress through smoking. Thus, you should not be stressed out, especially during your withdrawal phase.

7. You would definitely feel the urge to smoke again, sometime in the middle of your rehabilitation. You may find yourself craving for the pleasure of smoking, but you should not give into the temptation. You should learn to repress this urge, and soon enough you will realize that you are no longer feeling the drive to smoke.

8. The fight against smoking is a difficult battle. It would help a lot if you are able to find someone close to you, or some other people who are going through the same process just like you. It would make your feel at ease and comfortable, and will give you a sense of security that you are not alone in this battle.

9. Do not think that smoking a single stick would not affect your rehabilitation. The moment you give in to this temptation, you will continue doing the same again and again; and all your previous efforts to quit will just be flushed down the drain. If it becomes really tough for you, you may ask for assistance from a counselor.

10. Hold on to your reasons for quitting. You should keep in mind that you are to stop smoking for a good reason, and this should be your motivation.

Bad Breath - another reason to quit smoking !

Everyone knows that smoking causes lung cancer, but do you know what else smoking does to your body? According to most medical experts smoking is responsible for
and connected with virtually every type of cancer a person can contract, including cancers of the bladder, anus, blood, larynx,esophagus, stomach, cervix, and virtually every other part of the body.

How is smoking related to these areas of the body? The nicotine from cigarettes gets absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly and easily and blood travels to every cell in the body, so potentially the nicotine from cigarettes travels to every cell as well. This means that when you smoke you're not just affecting your
respiratory system by what you're inhaling but you're affecting every cell in your body even to the furthest extremities.

Even apart from cancer smoking is connected to many diseases of the respiratory system, from emphysema to asthma and COPD. Most smokers have a hard time breathing in a normal and healthy manner,and of course we all know how important breathing is to our life and health overall!

But with all these reasons for why a person should stop smoking,it's also important to think about what smoking does to those around him or her. Secondhand smoke is proven to be almost as harmful as actual cigarette smoke, and many who live with heavy smokers report various health problems that can be associated with secondhand smoke.

And it may be the least of a smoker's concerns but of course what cigarette smoke does to one's breath is sometimes beyond repair. The smell of cigarette smoke on your breath is bad enough but another reason for why it makes the breath so bad is because of the damage that it does to the inside of one's mouth. Inhaling
cigarette smoke causes virtually all cells of the mouth to be damaged and this damage causes a foul odor.

You may have noticed that an open wound can have a bad smell because of the dead flesh around it, and cigarette smoke does much the same to your mouth and your throat as well. This dying and dead flesh has a very bad smell that travels out when a person expels air by breathing out.

So if your list of reasons to quit smoking wasn't already exhaustive, your bad breath can and should be added to it. You have absolutely no reasons to keep smoking, and a litany of reasons to quit!

Every cigarette is doing you damage..

Benefits of quitting smoking

An extract from Wikipedia for motivation :



Smoking cessation will almost always lead to a longer and healthier life. Stopping in early adulthood can add up to 10 years of healthy life and stopping in one's sixties can still add three years of healthy life (Doll et al, 2004). Stopping smoking is associated with better mental health and spending less of one's life with diseases of old age.

For health and well being, the sooner you decide to quit the better. Quitting offers a number of health benefits. Even if you are a heavy smoker, if you are committed to giving up, you can begin to enjoy the benefits of being smoke-free in a very short space of time. It's never too late to give up smoking! Quitting can prolong your life, no matter how old you are. Here’s what to expect:

* Within 20 minutes blood pressure returns to its normal level
* After 8 hours oxygen levels return to normal
* After 24 hours carbon monoxide levels in the lungs return to those of a non-smoker and the mucus begins to clear
* After 48 hours nicotine leaves the body and tastebuds are improved
* After 72 hours breathing becomes easier
* After 2-12 weeks, circulation improves
* After 5 years, the risk of heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker
* After 10 years, the chance of lung cancer is almost the same as a non-smoker.

The Secret to Stop Smoking

Daily Motivation