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How to Quit Smoking
Reasons
to quit
By quitting smoking,
you will:
- Prolong your life
- Reduce your risk of disease
(including heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, lung
cancer, throat cancer, emphysema, ulcers, gum disease and other
conditions.)
- Feel healthier (After
quitting, you won't cough as much, have as many sore throats and you
will increase your stamina.)
- Look better (Quitting can
help you prevent face wrinkles, get rid of stained teeth and improve
your skin.)
- Improve your sense of taste
and smell
- Save money
How
to quit
- Pick a date to stop smoking.
- List your reasons for
quitting.
- Stop smoking in certain
situations (such as at your work break or after dinner) before actually
quitting.
- Keep busy doing things that
make it hard to smoke, like working in the yard, washing dishes and being
more active.
- Fight the urge by going
places where smoking isn't allowed and staying around people who don't
smoke.
- Avoid situations that tempt
you to smoke, like drinking coffee or alcohol.
- Find a substitute to reach
for instead of a cigarette. Try a sugar-free hard candy or chew
sugar-free gum.
- Remind yourself that you're
likely to feel better if you stop smoking.
- Tell family members and
friends that you need to quit smoking and could really use their
support. If your husband, wife, son or daughter smokes, ask them to quit
with you.
- Ask your health care provider
about using nicotine gum or patches. Some people find these aids
helpful.
- Join a smoking cessation
support group or program.
- Don't throw in the towel if
you smoke a cigarette. Just resolve not to let it happen again.
There's no
one way to quit that works for everyone. To quit smoking, you must be ready
emotionally and mentally. You must also want to quit smoking for yourself,
and not to please your friends or family. Plan ahead.
Craving
cigarettes after you quit is normal!
- Don't carry a lighter,
matches or cigarettes.
- Ask other smokers to not
smoke in your presence.
- Don't focus on what you are
missing. Think about the healthier way of life you are gaining.
- Keep yourself busy.
- Don't substitute food or
sugar-based products for cigarettes. Eat low-calorie, healthful foods
(such as carrot or celery sticks, sugar-free hard candies) or chew gum
when the urge to smoke strikes so you can avoid weight gain.
- It is best to drink plenty of
fluids, but to limit alcoholic and caffeinated beverages. They can
trigger urges to smoke.
- Work exercise into your daily
routine.
- Get support for quitting.
Tell others about your milestones with pride.
- Reward yourself for these
milestones. You deserve it!
Quitting
becomes easier after the first few days.
- Withdrawal symptoms, such as
feeling irritable, hungry, coughing often, getting headaches or having
difficulty concentrating occur because the body is used to nicotine, the
active addicting agent within cigarettes.
- These symptoms occur because
the body is adjusting to the lack of nicotine.
- The withdrawal symptoms are
only temporary. They are strongest when one is first quitting but will
go away within 10 to 14 days. It is good to remember that withdrawal symptoms
are easier to treat than the major diseases that smoking can cause.
Don't
be discouraged if you have a relapse. Keep trying!!
Seventy-five
percent of people who quit subsequently relapse. Most smokers quit three
times before they are successful.
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