2 posts tagged “cigarette smoking”

Smokers actually know that the cigarette ad tagline, Cigarette smoking is dangerous to you health, is true. But don’t know how to quit ‘em.
 

The ways to quit smoking are countless but yet don’t work for all smokers.  Every smoker who wants to quit has a unique way of diverting from a pack a day to virtually no stick at all.  You have cold turkey, gums and even herbal supplements.  But sadly, as I have observed from friends and relatives, the ultimate sign that smokers decide to quit is when the diseases kick in.

But riding on to the positive vibe, have come up with 4 steps to take to fully launch your campaign to quit smoking.  The STAR approach is an acronym for:

S – Set a date.  Pick an exact date when to stop.

T – Tell your friends and family.  Don’t keep it to yourself.  A support system will increase your chances of being consistent with avoiding smoking.

A – Anticipate the challenges.  It will be a very, very rough road and will not happen over night.

R – Remove any cigarette-related stuff from your home.

 
These four steps will help you to strengthen your determination to quit.  The key is take it slowly, but surely.  Don’t be disappointed with yourself if you feel helpless and if you feel the need to go back. It’s all natural. Just keep on going till you reach the goal.

Time is of the essence when it comes to stopping smoking. 

The health hazards of cigarette smoking have been emphasized so strongly stressed since time immemorial.  Initiatives and ways to make smokers quit nicotine consumption through cigarette smoking have been developed and but ironically, the number of cigarette smokers have increased over the years.

Fatal diseases have been traced to cigarette smoking.  In more ways than one, heart attacks, cancers, and birth deficiencies in newborns are linked to cigarette smoking. Even with all the startling numbers of deaths attributed to smoking,  smokers seem to just want more.

In Australia, the government, in a bold move, featured in a commercial former cigarette smokers who are inches away from death. Stories of health struggles and personal tragedies attributed to cigarette smoking were shown and their actual physical deterioration of their bodies were featured.  The results? The dropdown rate went down by almost 50%.

Taking cue from this move, my light bulb moment came and made me realize that people need to see the literal results in order to  make the drastic change of quitting cigarette smoking. 

Live longer in a minute’s withdrawal

Numbers are what people look for before making the decision to change. If you stop cigarette smoking, the benefits are instant in as fast as 1200 seconds.

Once you’ve decided to actually STOP puffing a smoke,

After  20 minutes – Blood pressure and pulse return to normal rates.

After 8 hours – Carbon monoxide levels in the blood are reduced by half, your oxygen levels in the blood return to normal as well.

After 24 hours – Carbon monoxide is eliminated is eliminated from the body and the lungs start to clear out the build up if tar.

After 48 hours – Your sense of taste and smell improve considerably.

After 72 hours – Your breathe easier because you bronchial tubes begin to relax, thus, energy levels will increase.

After 2 to 12 weeks – Blood circulation improves, making walking and running a lot easier.

After 3 to 9 months – Coughs, wheezing, and your breathing problems improve as the lungs have more room for up to 10%  more oxygen.

After 5 years – The risk of heart attack is cut in half.

After 10 years – The risk of cancer is reduced in half.

Easier said than done

I don’t smoke but I can relate that quitting from cigarette smoking is so way easier said than done.  Have seen that with a friend who stopped smoking. A year ago, before Christmas, he decided to quit smoking for a week, but fell ill after and then went back again after that and then quit again and even put on a patch and then went back again.  After 7 months of bouncing from smoking, he hasn’t smoke for almost 5 months now.

When it comes to addiction, in this case, cigarette smoking, I feel that we all know the hazards deep in the consciousness. Just don’t know how to stop or when to stop and how to stop permanently.  The decision is in your hands.  Maybe soon should be now.