There was a time when smoking was seen as the “cool” thing to do. Many people smoked to fit in. Others claim it’s to hard to go to a bar and drink well not lighting up. Peer pressure, and stress also apparently contribute to people’s addiction. Back in the olden days I don’t think they were aware of how bad smoking was for you. It’s amazing that so many people still smoke even now that they know that cigarettes are filled with 100’s of chemicals. Many of the substances in cigarettes have been tested and approved to be used as additives in food, no testing has been done on what happens when they are burned . Burning a cigarette creates over 4000 chemical compounds. Unfortunately, not only are smokers poisoning themselves but they are poisoning the people around them with their second hand smoke.
Smoking is known to contribute to heart attacks and stroke, lung problems including lung cancer as well as other cancers, harm to children (SIDS, miscarriages), heart and blood vessel disease and many other deadly diseases. Smoking also causes bad breath, yellow teeth, smelly clothes, and wrinkling of the skin.
Some good self-help tips for gradually quitting smoking include;
-Changing to brands with less nicotine
-Keeping records of how many cigarettes you smoke and try to beat it the next day
-Brush your teeth and notice how fresh your mouth feels
-Start exercising
-Avoid trigger situations like going to bars.
-Get a check up before quitting
-Don’t worry about weight gain
-Use the money you save to treat yourself to something nice.
If you need help to quit smoking consider some joining a support group, call help lines, or quit with a friend. Here are some websites that will provide some good online support and information on quitting smoking.
In the end the important thing to remember is that only good can come from quitting smoking. You will have more time to spend with your family, you won’t put others at risk and you will look and feel healthier.
Comments
3 responses to “Smoking”
Much like Charles Heston (R.I.P.) and his gun – you can pry my cigarettes from my cold, dead (nicotine-stained) hands!
Smoking is one of the hardest habits for anyone to quit. I know a lot of people that can stop smoking when life is going well, but when things are not doing so well, people will go back to smoking as a way to deal with stress.
The most important reason to quit smoking is for your health. In addition to that however, you also free up quite a bit of money that you can use for much better things.