Smoking Advice!

Are you a smoker and have you ever thought of the adverse effect smoking can do to you and people around you?  Have you thought of health benefits quitting smoking can bring to you?

Smoking is dangerous to health; it increases the risk of heart disease. Smoking can be responsible for one in five deaths in adult aged over 35 in the world, and half of all long-term smokers will die prematurely due to a smoking-related disease. There are many ingredients in tobacco smoke that can harm the body causing lung cancer, heart disease and stroke.

To form a habit takes time and breaking it does not happen instantly but you can build new habits. In any situation where you feel like smoking, try and do something to keep you busy as the smoking urge is just few minutes and after that you feel better.

Giving up smoking increases your chances of living a longer and healthier life, even if you've smoked for 40 years, you'll start to notice the benefits soon after quitting.

 How to break the habit of smoking

Knowing fully well that cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive below list some points to break the craving of smoking:

You will have to deprogram yourself using 3 strategies which are:

Delay:  Craving for smoke last for few minutes, every time you feel the urge, engage your mind with something else possibly something you enjoy, it will make the urge less frequently. 

Avoid: Try to eliminate a cigarette break by doing something to fill the gap, avoid been around smokers.

• Try to engage with an activity around a non-smoker.
• If you are a heavy daily smoker, start reducing your daily intake gradually. 
• Keep your pack of cigarettes, matches or lighter and ashtray out of your reach. 
• Eliminate the smell of cigarette smoke from your clothes, your home and anywhere around you.

Replace:  Since you have trained your brain and body to depend on cigarettes, this is the time to deprogram your system from it

• Replace cigarette by physical activities that you enjoy e.g. fitness training, skating, swimming, soccer, cycling etc. 
• Keep your hands busy with something.
• Keep your mouth busy, chew gum,  brush your teeth several times daily, eat carrot, celery or other fresh foods, drink plenty of water etc.
• Make a non-smoking kit by making some of the mouth busy fruits and treats mentioned above.
• Let someone you see daily know your situation and your efforts so that they can keep you busy while you are feeling the urge.

 Tips and advice

• Seek for smoking cessation advice from the healthcare professional wherever you live.
• Use the three main strategy mentioned in breaking the habit of smoking, which are Delay, Avoid and Replace.
• If you are a light or heavy smoker, seek for help to avoid long term disease that can lead to death.
• Take note of the urge time and do something different when you feel the urge.
• Always think of the benefits of quitting when you feel the urge or crave for smoking.
• If there are any alternative nicotine replacement products where you live such as patches, gum, inhalators, mouth and nasal sprays or stop smoking tablets can also help.

Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Once you have stopped smoking, you will start to see the benefits very quickly, which include:

• 20 minutes – Pulse will return to normal
•  8 hours – Nicotine is reduced by 90% and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by 75%. Circulation will also improve.
•  24 hours – Carbon Monoxide and Nicotine are almost eliminated from the body. Lungs will start to clean out mucus and other debris.
• 48 hours – Nicotine is no longer detectable in the body. Your ability to taste and smell is improved.
• 72 hours – Breathing becomes easier as the bronchial tubes relax and energy levels increase.
•  2-12 weeks – Circulation improves throughout the body, making walking easier.
• 1 month – Physical appearance improves – skin loses its grey pallor and becomes less wrinkled.
•  3-9 months – Breathing problems such as wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath improve. Overall, lung function is improved by 5-10%.
• 1 year – Risk of heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.
• 10 years – Risk of lung cancer falls reduces about half that of a smoker.
• 15 years – The risk of a heart attack falls to the same level as someone who has never smoked.

Other benefits include a better immune system, making it easier for you to fight off colds and flus; increased sense of smell and taste as you’re not dulling down your body with thousands of toxins anymore and also making it less likely to get gum disease and lose teeth prematurely.

These are just a few benefits, however it is evident that stopping smoking will not only add years but also improve your chance of a much healthier lifestyle. 

 Stop smoking, live longer!.

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