Quitting smoking can add many healthier years to your life. There is no one way to quit smoking but there are a large amount of options out there toassist you stop smoking.
Quitting smoking can add many healthier years to your life. There is no correct way to quit but there are plenty of options out there to help you succeed.
Many former smokers swear the "cold turkey" way is by far the best way to quit smoking. For this method, all you need is will power. Many just get fed up, say that is enough and throw out their cigarettes, and that is it.
There are some prescription drugs that you may get from your doctor. They were not originally designed to be used to quit smoking. They were originally used as anti-depressants and doctors noticed that a side effect from the drugs was their patients were no longer smoking. When using a prescription, you do not quit immediately, you wait for the drug to build up in your system (usually about 2-4 weeks), and then you pick a day to quit.
Nicotine patches are also available. You place them on certain areas of your skin and you get a time-released dose of nicotine into your system. You will not smoke once you apply a patch.
Hypnosis to quit smoking has been used successfully. There are group sessions available or you can find a licensed practitioner to hold an individual session.
Kicking the habit is tough, but there are absolutely no good benefits from continuing to smoke. The diseases associated with smoking are devastating and usually are life altering at the least and most of the time fatal. Here are a few:
You have emphysema; this disease is hideous. As it worsens you will be unable to walk for any amount of time, and you won’t be able to catch your breath. You will be tied down with breathing treatments and machines.
Ninety percent of all lung cancer in the United States is attributed to smoking. Only 15% of all patients diagnosed with lung cancer will be alive five years later.
Children living in a home where there is a smoking adult are more likely to develop asthma and are more susceptible to catching colds and the flu. They are also more likely to grow up to be adults who smoke.
There are plenty of benefits to quit smoking. There are almost immediate results, and short and long term benefits:
· Immediate Results: These results will begin with in 20 minutes of your last smoke. Your pulse rate slows, blood pressure will drop and your hand and feet will increase in temperature. After eight hours the level of carbon monoxide in your blood is back to normal, which allows the oxygen level to increase to normal levels. Your chance of having a heart attack decreases at the 24-hour mark. Your ability to smell and taste will increase after 48hours.
· Short term: Depending on how good of shape you were in your lung function, and circulation will improve in as little a two weeks to three months. You will begin to have less coughing, fatigue, sinus congestion and shortness of breath during the first nine months. By one year you will have decreased your chances of heart disease by half that of a smoker.
· Long term Benefits: After ten years your chance of contracting lung cancer is half of those who continued to smoke. Your risk of many cancers is now decreased significantly, like cancer of the throat, bladder, or mouth. The best new is some where between year number 5 and 15 your chances of heart disease have dropped to the same risk as people who never smoked.
· Long term Benefits: After 10 years your chance ofgetting lung cancer is 1/2 of those who kept smoking. Your risk of many cancers is now decreased significantly, like cancer of the throat, bladder, or mouth. The best news is some where between year number 5 and 15 your chances of heart disease have dropped to the same risk as people who never smoked.