11/2/20031 Reasons & Ways to Stop Smoking Kevin Casey

11/2/20032 Reasons To Stop Smoking Hurting Yourself: Smoking is an addiction and a major health hazard. Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, a drug that is addictive and can make it very hard, but not impossible, to quit. Some people claim that nicotine the drug is more powerful than heroine! More than 400,000 deaths in the U.S. each year are caused from smoking-related illnesses. Smoking greatly increases your risk for lung cancer and many other cancers. There is no denying that smoking is not good for your health. The health effects caused by smoking are staggering!

11/2/20033 Reasons To Stop Smoking Hurting Others: Smoking harms not just the smoker, but also family members, coworkers, and others who breathe the smoker's cigarette smoke, called secondhand smoke. Among infants to 18 months of age, secondhand smoke is associated with as many as 300,000 cases of bronchitis and pneumonia each year. Secondhand smoke from a parent's cigarette increases a child's chances for middle ear problems, causes coughing and wheezing, and worsens asthma conditions.

11/2/20034 Why Quit Smoking in the First Place? Quitting smoking makes a difference right away-you can taste and smell food better. Your breath smells better. Your cough goes away. This happens for men and women of all ages, even those who are older. It happens for healthy people as well as those who already have a disease or condition caused by smoking. Quitting smoking cuts the risk of lung cancer, many other cancers, heart disease, stroke, other lung diseases, and other respiratory illnesses. Ex-smokers have better health than current smokers. Ex- smokers have fewer days of illness, fewer health complaints, and less bronchitis and pneumonia than current smokers. Quitting smoking saves money. A pack-a-day smoker, who pays $2 per pack, can expect to save more than $700 per year. It appears that the price of cigarettes will continue to rise in coming years, as will the financial rewards of quitting.

11/2/20035 Tips On How to Stop Smoking List all the reasons you want to stop. Every night before going to bed, repeat one of the reasons 10 times. Decide positively that you want to stop. Try to avoid negative thoughts about how difficult it might be. Develop strong personal reasons to stop in addition to your health and obligations to others. For example, think of all the time you waste taking cigarette breaks, rushing out to buy a pack, hunting for a light etc., or of all the money you'll save. Begin to condition yourself physically: start a modest exercise program; drink more fluids; get plenty of rest; avoid fatigue. Have realistic expectations -- stopping isn't easy, but it's not impossible either. More than 3 million Americans stop smoking every year. Understand that withdrawal symptoms are temporary and are healthy signs that the body is repairing itself from its long exposure to nicotine. Within 24 hours of abrupt smoking cessation, withdrawal symptoms may appear as the body begins its healing process.

11/2/20036 Tips to Use Just Before Stopping Practice going without cigarettes. Think of stopping in terms of one day at a time. Stop carrying cigarettes. Don't empty your ashtrays. This will remind you of how many cigarettes you've smoked each day, and the sight and smell of stale butts will be very unpleasant. Collect all your cigarette butts in one large glass container as a visual reminder of the mess smoking represents.

11/2/20037 Tips For the Day You Stop Smoking Throw away all your cigarettes and matches. Hide lighters and ashtrays. Clean your clothes to rid them of the cigarette smell. Develop a clean, fresh, nonsmoking environment around yourself. Buy yourself flowers -- you may be surprised how much you can enjoy their scent now. Make a list of things you'd like to buy for yourself or someone else. Estimate the cost in terms of packs of cigarettes and put the money aside to buy these presents. Keep busy on the big day. Buy yourself a treat or do something special to celebrate. Stay away from other smokers if they could weaken your resolve. Remember that one cigarette could ruin a successful attempt. Remember that alcohol or other drugs will weaken willpower.

11/2/20038 Helping You Deal with the Urge First, remind yourself that you've stopped and you're a non-smoker. Then, look closely at your urge to smoke and ask yourself: Where was I when I got the urge? What was I doing at the time? Who was I with? What was I thinking? Think about why you've stopped. Repeat to yourself (aloud if you are alone) your three main reasons for stopping. Write down your three main reasons for stopping. Anticipate triggers and prepare to avoid them: Keep your hands busy -- doodle, knit, type a letter. Avoid people who smoke -- spend more time with non-smoking friends. Find activities that make smoking difficult (gardening, exercise, washing the car, taking a shower). Put something other than a cigarette into your mouth. Keep oral substitutes handy -- try carrots, sunflower seeds, apples, celery, raisins, or sugarless gum. Cut a drinking straw into cigarette-sized pieces. Inhale air.

11/2/20039 Ever wonder what happens to your body the moment you stop smoking? Within 20 minutes of smoking that last cigarette, the body begins a series of changes that continues for years. 20 MINUTES Blood pressure drops to normal. Pulse rate drops to normal. Body temperature of hands and feet increases to normal. 24 HOURS Chance of heart attack decreases. 48 HOURS Nerve endings start regrowing. 1 YEAR Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker. 5 YEARS Lung cancer death rate for average smoker (one pack a day) decreases by almost half. Stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5-15 years after quitting. 10 YEARS Lung cancer death rate similar to that of nonsmokers. Precancerous cells are replaced. Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decreases. 15 YEARS Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker.

11/2/ What Are Some Rewards of Quitting? Long-range Benefits It is important to understand that the long range after- effects of quitting are only temporary and signal the beginning of a healthier life. Now that you've quit, you've added a number of healthy productive days to each year of your life. Most important, you've greatly improved your chances for a longer life. You have significantly reduced your risk of death from heart disease, stroke, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and several kinds of cancer­p;not just lung cancer. (Cigarette smoking is responsible every year for approximately 130,000 deaths from cancer, 170,000 deaths from heart disease, and 50,000 deaths from lung disease.)