Apr 28, 2001 09:16 PM
6430 Views
You know the facts as you reach for your cigarettes. Perhaps you contemplate them for a moment as you light up. Heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema
Still, you inhale deeply. All 401 poisons and 43 carcinogens. And you knowingly beckon the Grim Reaper closer. If you are a smoker, here are some good reasons to give up the habit. Smoking might not kill you, but it sure does not make you look pretty.
Facial wrinkles: Crows feet and wrinkled cheeks. Vertical lines around your mouth. That's the true picture.
Impotence: Smoking reduces peripheral vascular flow. In other words, the blood flow is necessary to attain an erection may become blocked.
You smell: Maybe your nasal passages are so damaged your nose doesn't work properly anyway. But ask a non-smoking friend for an honest answer about the way you, your car
Stained teeth, bad breath: Particles from cigarette smoke stain teeth brown and yellow, and cause odour-producing bacteria that become trapped in your mouth. Lips are made for kissing, right? But what if the mouth behind them is filled with stained teeth and bad breath?
Depression: The connection between smoking and depression has been well established. Smoking may make you appear more troubled than cool.
Crummy role model: Children emulate adults. Every time you light up, you tell kids around you that smoking is OK.
You look stupid: Given the prevalence of smoking education in our culture, it could be said that smokers must have a lack of oxygen to the brain. But no matter how a smoker justifies his or her addiction, this is the simple, indisputable truth: Just like the slogan says, smoking kills.
Quitting is difficult for two major reasons:
· physical addiction
· Psychological addiction or'habit'
Dependency on cigarettes is due to both of these factors. In fact they intertwine to make quitting much more difficult than just a bad habit or some other physical addictions. The combination of the two is what makes cigarettes one of the most addictive drugs used today. In order to quit smoking it is necessary to break both the'habit' and the nicotine addiction.
· Make a clean start. Throw away all your cigarettes, hide your ashtrays, clean the house, and clean the car if it smells like smoke - anything to help make a break from the past!
· Drink a lot of fluids - it helps flush the nicotine from your system and at the same time helps ward off some of the withdrawal symptoms.
· Drink very little coffee or tea. The caffeine in coffee becomes more potent when you stop smoking. This can lead to nervousness and the jitters.
· Keep mouth toys around, like carrot or cinnamon sticks, hard candy or straws. They can give you something to do when you really crave a cigarette.
· Try to exercise. Not only will it make controlling your weight easier, but it will also give you more energy and keep your mind off smoking. Walking, running, even swimming is all very helpful.
· Get support from your friends and family. Let them know that you are quitting and that you want their help. When you stop smoking, you will notice the recovery signs as
Headaches, dizziness, tingling in the hands and feet, Sore throat, coughing and hunger.
And the withdrawal symptoms as:
Craving
Difficulty Concentrating
Fatigue
And remember that if you fail first time it is not a lifestyle change or a national referendum on your willpower. Think about what happened and how to prevent it from ever happening again.
One cigarette does not make you a smoker again. One cigarette didn't make you a smoker in the first place, and one slip now does not mean you are not a non-smoker. Remember all your reasons for quitting and how far you have come. Remember not to smoke the next cigarette. You do not have to smoke another cigarette just because you had one.