Why Quit Smoking?

I have never been a smoker. I did try in my teenage years to be 'with the crowd' and smoked at parties or when with a group of smokers. I can't say I enjoyed it, so it was no effort at all to stop. It never became a habit and I've been forever grateful for that.

I was, however, surrounded by people who smoked. I'm going back a few years now but that was when there were no restrictions on smoking, nor did anyone realize the damage that was being done to their health. It was widely accepted that people smoked - it was the social thing to do.

Everywhere you went ... in pubs, clubs, offices, cars, buses, 'planes, restaurants ... you name it. You were in the minority if you didn't smoke. Temptation was everywhere you went, and was especially noticeable if you happened to be trying to break the habit.

Consequently the failure rate was very high. It was too easy to accept the offered smoke at the club, or at the restaurant after dinner, and once you relaxed your resolve to quit, you were back to square one.

There was little talk of the harmful effects of smoking until the 70's, but, when sensible people realized the harm they were doing to themselves, more and more quit the habit. Many very heavy smokers just gave up on the habit - among them my Dad, my Brother, and my Husband - and cold turkey was the only way to go in those days. One day they were smoking, the next they weren't. (At different times, I might add.)

Those who chose to go cold turkey and make a complete break overcame the desire to smoke more quickly and were soon enjoying the satisfaction, sense of well-being, good health and the financial benefits of being a non-smoker.

It must surely be easier to quit now when smokers are in the minority and smoking is banned in so many of the old places where it was once so popular.

Our body is made up of trillions of cells that fall into some 200 types - blood cells, brain cells, liver cells and skin cells to name a few. All day, every day, damaged and worn out cells are being replaced by properly functioning new cells. Some are replaced quickly others may take months for the new cells to take over.

Just as the food we eat effects the way we feel, everything we ingest has an effect on the way our body functions. Proper nutrition has a beneficial effect, smoking has a very detrimental effect. So.... very soon after we throw away that last cigarette, our body will begin to heal itself. Those damaged heart and lung cells will be replaced by properly functioning new cells.

You may experience 'withdrawal symptoms' when you first give up smoking ... feelings of hunger, short temper and restlessness are common as your body starts to repair itself. After a short period of discomfort while your body adjusts to the absence of cigarette toxins that it has become accustomed to, you will start to feel some of the real benefits of your decision to quit. You'll probably notice first an improvement in taste and smell. Next you'll more than likely notice that you have increased energy and a feeling of wellbeing. Improved circulation will mean that walking or exercising becomes noticeably easier. It's a good idea to become more active to help take your mind off the fact that you are no longer smoking.

An improvement in blood pressure and oxygen levels and clean lungs will give you the ability to resist infection, lessen fatigue and shortness of breath.... not to mention the improvement you'll see in your bank balance!

Don't waste your money on medications or patches or other 'miracle cures' - YOU are the only one who can make the decision to quit and until you make up your mind to do it, you never will.

To be successful, you MUST BE DETERMINED TO SUCCEED. Don't even think about how you THINK you are feeling right now when you really would like another cigarette. Instead, THINK AHEAD to how you WILL FEEL when you are no longer dependent on those nasty little cigarettes.

If you need some help and guidance with your "Will Power" and to keep you on the right track I can highly recommend this program - it maybe just what you are looking for:

Here are a few facts:

* One out of every two recreational users will become addicted.
* Smoking is more addictive than heroin, cocaine or alcohol.
* The majority of smokers begin smoking before the age of 19.
* Young people are twice as likely to smoke if their parents smoke.
* Symptoms of addiction, that is having a strong urge to smoke, feeling anxious or irritable, feeling depressed or trying unsuccessfully not to smoke, can appear within days of becoming an 'occasional' smoker.
* Almost half of all urban litter is tobacco-related.

You can download a free copy of "Just Quit It" by signing up for my 'Choose Wellness' Newsletter.
This book explains the origins and history of smoking, gives details of the harm caused to your body as well as outlining methods that you can use to quit the habit.

You'll find this book interesting as well as enlightening - and it well help you in your quest to 'kick the smoking habit'.

You might find it helpful also to read my eZine article How to Quit Smoking Once and For All and this webpage.

Cigarette or tobacco smoke is a complex mixture of more than 4000 chemical particles and gases. Every time you inhale cigarette smoke, dozens of harmful substances enter your lungs and spread through your body. Within 10 seconds of the first puff, these damaging substances can reach your brain heart and other organs.

• The main culprit is, of course, nicotine, an addictive drug and a toxin that narrows your veins and arteries thus raising your blood pressure and causing damage to your heart as it forces it to pump faster and work harder. Your blood flow slows which reduces oxygen to your feet and hands. Nicotine also affects your appetite.


• Carbon Monoxide is a gas that robs your heart of the oxygen it needs as fuel to pump blood around your body.


• Tar clogs your lungs and contains dangerous chemicals that can act with other chemicals to stimulate cancer growth


• Phenols are hazardous chemicals that paralyze and eventually kill the those hair-like cells that normally sweep clean the sensitive lining of your airways.


• Other Fine Particles can irritate your throat and lungs, and cause a most annoying "smoker's cough", damage lung tissue and make you produce more mucus.