Every time you light up a cigarette don’t you feel complete? You love to blow the smoke into the air. But, do you really love smoking or is it an addiction? Well, you can never predict when your addiction turns out to be a habit, which can be hazardous to the health. For some people, burning a cigarette is their life. They love almost everything about smoking. If you will compel a smoker to quit smoking, then it is almost an impossible task for them. It is something that they can never imagine in their whole life. So, the most important aspect that we need to focus in this article is how to quit smoking?
If you are addicted to something for a long time, then do you think is it easy to quit it in one go? Well, the answer is no. If smoking is your habit or addiction then it is almost impossible to leave it. The nicotine substance present in a cigarette constitutes a large percentage. It is extremely bad for our health. Well, here are some of the health issues that we may face due to smoking.
Health Risks of Smoking (Effects of Smoking on Health):
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- It weakens the eyesight and the sense of taste and smell.
- It damages lungs. The lungs lose the ability to filter the toxins from our body.
- It even decolorizes your skin.
- Formation of wrinkles and acne on the skin.
- Tooth decay.
- Premature aging.
- Restriction in the blood flow can affect the process of erection in the man.
- It may even cause heart diseases like heart stroke and attack.
- It also causes lung cancer.
Does Smoking Causes Addiction?
Yes, it does like any other drugs such as cocaine and heroin. The nicotine is a type of a drug that we find in the tobacco products like a cigarette. It can cause extreme addiction in a person. The impact and addiction of nicotine are almost similar to the addiction caused due to any type of the drugs.
Ways to Quit Smoking:
You will always find a warning note on the packets of cigarette which says “Smoking Kills”. But still you consume it. Even in the theaters when you go to watch a movie or at any public place you will always find a warning sign of “Smoking is Prohibited”. But, still you will adjust the time to find the smoking area in that place. You know the negative effects of smoking, but still you choose to smoke harder. Well, it is not easy to bring a huge change in oneself. But, you need to set up one target in your life and that is to quit smoking. Once you are done with this then stay committed to your plans. If you are ready to hit this habit, then here are few ways that will help you to quit smoking:
1.) Cold Turkey to Quit Smoking:
It is one of the most effective ways used to quit smoking. It includes the replacement of old habits with the new ones. It can be done without having any type of replacement medicines or anything. It includes the mental strategies made to get rid of cigarettes. But, you need to create a plan for yourself. Well, here are the steps that you need to follow:
- Set up a date that when you will quit smoking.
- Avoid the situations and the places where you prefer to smoke.
- Start building the new habits in your life.
- Indulge yourself in doing new activities by replacing the old ones.
- Change your daily routine.
- Make a good friend circle where you have someone to support your initiative of quitting smoking.
- Do something interesting on a regular basis that you usually like to do.
- Build your own interest and use your money for enhancing your skills.
2.) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:
It is basically a psychological intervention performed under the guidance of a counselor. It involves the plans and strategies that are used to quit smoking. New behavioral qualities ultimately get developed inside you, if you are following CBT. The counselor personalizes this therapy to understand your behavior and the problems in your life. They try to find out the triggers that develop this habit. Moreover, they focus on the ways to find out the proper solution for you. They build the plan according to the situations that compel you to smoke.
3.) Nicotine Replacement Therapy:
It is basically a therapy used to cut down your nicotine level. When you are addicted to nicotine, then it is harder to stop consuming it. Hence, this therapy is for the smokers who are addicted to smoking at extreme levels. In this therapy, you get the products that contain the low amount of nicotine in the absence of harmful toxins that are present in the cigarettes. This therapy is basically used for the smokers who consume 15 cigarettes in a day. In this therapy, you get nicotine without using the cigarettes and tobacco products. It works fine for you if you get support from family and friends.
Note: Consult a primary care doctor if you are younger than 18 before using this way of quitting smoking.
4.) Try to Avoid Triggers:
Avoid the situations and places that compel you to smoke vigorously. It includes going to parties, facing the old fellows who urge you to smoke, depressive situations, company of anxious people that don’t let you stay in peace. The only way out is to ignore such situations at any cost.
5.) Delay the Impulse:
Whenever you get the impulse to smoke just delay it for at least 10 minutes. Avoid this situation and try to divert your mind. After a period of time, you will realize that you don’t want to smoke. It is a good way to cut down your daily dosages. It is the best way to start your plan of quitting smoking.
6.) Keep Reminding the Health Benefits:
You need to keep in mind the health benefits you will get after quitting smoking. Though, the starting days will be so difficult for you. But, it is easy to fight with the problem of smoking. Don’t forget the bright days are coming into your life. So, remember the benefits and keep moving on.
7.) Build the Power to Face Challenges:
Weakness is what makes a smoker stand apart from others. Try to face the difficult situations of life on your own. Smokers usually plan to opt for the pleasures in life. Smoking is something that provides them pleasure. If you want to quit smoking then you need to understand the immense potential that is hidden in you. So, build the power to face different challenges of your life without the support of tobacco products.
8.) Indulge in Physical Activities:
If you are physically active then it is easy to treat your mental state. If you are physically fit then you are mentally as well. The vigorous physical activities like playing sports, dancing, jogging, swimming and many more keeps you busy. It diverts your mind and keeps you away from having the cigarettes.
9.) Go in the Company of Non-Smokers:
If you are surrounded by the fellows who smoke frequently, then it is the time to ignore such a company. Go in the company of non-smokers that can support you to quit smoking while influencing you positively. They will not manipulate you in a positive way. Moreover, they will tell you the different ways to quit smoking.
10.) Consult a Primary Care Doctor:
You need to take an advice of a primary care doctor. He will guide you about the medications that you must consume as a replacement. Moreover, he will also guide you how to deal with different situations that cause an impulse to have cigarettes.
Few Facts About Smoking:
Here are few interesting and less known facts about smoking. Read them to increase your curiosity.
- Smoking is considered to be a cause of death among 1 out of every 5 deaths in the U.S.
- Every cigarette a person smoke reduces his/her life span by 11 minutes.
- A cigarette contains more than 4,800 chemicals out which 69 chemicals are considered to cause cancer.
- It is estimated that about 69% of smokers want to quit smoking.
- It is very unfortunate to know that around 4000 teens smoke their first cigarette in the U.S. Out of them 1000 start smoking on a regular basis.
- It is legal in the U.S and Europe for minors to smoke. But, what they can’t do is to buy cigarettes.
- Around 15 billion cigarettes are burnt by the people of the world every day. And this is the only reason why tobacco industry is flourishing more and more.
- Hitler was the first one to start an anti-smoking campaign.
- You may prevent about 30% of cancer just by avoiding cigarettes, alcohol, and tobacco products.
- John Adams, who was the second president of the U.S. had started smoking at the age of eight.
- Approx. 8.6 million people in the U.S. suffer from serious illness caused by smoking.
You must have watched the film “Thank You for Smoking” where you must have seen both positive and negative consequences of smoking. It is very easy to develop an addiction in life. But, it took time and courage to quit something you had been doing for a long time. Remember smoking is not only depleting your health, but it is also affecting your life adversely. Smoking can turn into a dangerous addiction where you fall in love with every puff. So, before such situations come into your life, you must choose to quit smoking as soon as possible.
