Quit Your Smoking Habit
Quitting smoking may be the single most important thing you can do to improve your health and appearance.
Incredible as it may seem, you should begin to see and feel some health benefits of quitting within minutes. Others will kick in after a few short hours and the longer you stay off cigarettes, the better your prospects become. Eventually your health prospects may be the same as those of someone who has never smoked.
Your health may be your primary motivation to give up but there are other important reasons to quit such as considerations for your family or even your physical appearance. Also, the money you save by not smoking could lead to major improvements in your lifestyle.
To reinforce your determination to quit - let's look first at some startling facts about smoking and the benefits of quitting:
In Ireland, smoking causes approximately 7,000 deaths per year. In addition, around 30% of all cancer deaths in Ireland are attributed to smoking.
However, people who stop smoking before the age of 35 avoid 90% of the health risks attributable to tobacco and on average, smokers who stop before their 50th birthday halve their risk of dying in the next 15 years, compared to those who continue.
You probably associate second-hand smoke with minor conditions like eye irritations, headaches, cough, sore throat, dizziness or nausea, but it is estimated that a number of people die each year from passive smoking in Ireland.
Breathing in someone else's smoke has been implicated in all these health problems:
Heart disease
Reduced fertility
Asthma exacerbation
Stroke
Lung disease
Decreased lung function
HELPING A FAMILY MEMBER QUIT
You know that helping a member of your family to quit their smoking habit is the best way to improve their health and protect your future together. But did you know your help and support could mean the difference between success and failure?
The truth is that up to 97% of people who try to stop smoking without help don't make it.
The prime reason for failure is a lack of commitment.
There are a number of key areas where your influence can really make the difference between success and failure. Here's just a few of them:
Make a date with the doctor.
We can't emphasise enough just how important the doctor's help and advice could be. This time, persuade your loved one to see the doctor. There are many new ways to quit that are medically proven to help determined quitters succeed. Make a 'Quit Date' together.
Rather than simply stopping - persuade your partner to focus on a quit date at some point in the future. It's a simple step - but it can really help focus the mind. Clean out the house.
Before the quit date - help your partner remove every single trace of cigarettes and tobacco from the house. When it comes to quitting, out of sight means out of mind. Avoid temptations.
You can help your partner through the tricky times ahead by minimising the temptations to smoke in risky situations. Make sure your friends do not smoke in front of your partner, and be ready with those words of encouragement! Why not start planning ahead and make a list of all the things you can do to help? The human body has remarkable powers of recovery. No matter how many years you have smoked, or how many cigarettes you smoke each day, your health and appearance can benefit enormously from quitting. The great thing about quitting is that you can see how your health will benefit day after day, month after month, and year after year. Here are some of the body benefits you can look forward to - why not tick them off as you achieve them.
SEE HOW QUITTING WILL IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH
Here are some of the health benefits that you can expect to enjoy from the moment you give up.
20 Minutes:
Your blood pressure and pulse return to normal and circulation improves in your hands and feet.
12 Hours:
Nicotine and poisonous carbon monoxide levels in your blood reduce by half, your blood oxygen levels return to normal.
24 Hours:
Carbon monoxide is eliminated from your body. Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris.
Within 48 Hours:
There is no nicotine left in your body. Your sense of taste and smell are greatly improved.
Within 72 Hours:
Your breathing becomes easier. Your airways begin to relax and energy levels increase.
Within 1 Week:
Your heart is pumping more oxygen-rich blood around your body.
Within 2 Weeks:
You are putting less strain on your heart. The longer you go without smoking, the better your heart and blood vessels will be.
The Improvements Just Go On And On... And On!
Within 4 Weeks:
Smoking actually ages you by damaging your skin and giving you more wrinkles - by now the damage has stopped.
Within 6 Weeks:
Your heart, circulation, lungs, skin, teeth, sense of taste and smell have all improved.
Within 8 Weeks:
Your bones are getting stronger, more dense and less brittle. This reduces the risk of fractures.
Within 10 Weeks:
Your skin is getting smoother, your hair is healthier - you may even have a whiter smile.
Within 12 Weeks:
Your heart is more healthy, your airways are clearer - you're pumping more blood around your body.
Around 4 months:
Your cough, wheezing and breathing improves as your lung function has increased by up to 10%.
And During The Rest of Your Life...
1 YEAR
Your risk of a heart attack will have fallen to about half that of a smoker.
10 YEARS
Your risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker.
15 YEARS
Your risk of heart attack is now the same as someone who has never smoked.
Your Quit Smoking Calendar
In addition to ticking off the health benefits as you achieve them, why don't you also use a Quit Calendar? The big advantage of a Quit Calendar is that it is built around both your smoking habits and your lifestyle. It is a record of your life as it changes in the days and weeks ahead. You can use it as a record of your smoke-free days on your quit journey.
Every day come back to your Quit Calendar and tick off the days you have not smoked in blue. If you slip up and have a cigarette - mark that day off in red. Remember if you do have a red day - don't worry. Just concentrate on ticking off the rest of the calendar in blue.
Quitting smoking may be one of the most difficult tasks that you will undertake and it is normal that you will experience some ups and downs along the way.
Begin With A Single Step
Having a look at the days and months ahead now means you'll be much better prepared. You'll be able to plan ahead, identify the things that keep you going - and remind yourself of the reasons you're quitting in the first place.
Setting a Quit Date
First things first. It's a good idea to note the day you intend to stop smoking. That may be after you've involved your doctor to discuss the method of giving up that suits you best.
SIMPLE STEPS TO HELP YOU QUIT
ACTIVITY 1 Know Your Reasons for Quitting
People stop smoking more easily when they have firmly established their own good reasons for quitting. To help you get started, rate the reasons given here as either unimportant (0), mild (1) or strong (2) reasons for you to give up. Then place a tick next to your two strongest reasons.
I am scared about dying before my time
I am worried about my health
I'm fed up with being dependent on cigarettes
I'm fed up with my mouth, hair and clothes smelling of stale smoke
I want to spend more time with my family
I want to save money
Other reasons - add your own
Quitting, with a firm understanding of why you're quitting, can really put you one step closer to success.
ACTIVITY 2 Make Your Environment Smoke-Free
Even before you give up it will be very important to get your home and working environment ready for a cigarette free life. Make sure you take the time to do this task properly - it's the last thing you'll do before you quit. It's also one of the most important. Here's a simple, 'ready to quit' checklist:
Throw out all your cigarettes and empty packs
Check all your clothes for hidden or forgotten packs
Clean and put away ashtrays
Wash all your clothes, towels and other items that smell of smoke
Clean your home and car thoroughly
Open all the windows to clear the air
Remember, failing to prepare is preparing for failure. Start thinking now about the action you can take to help yourself quit, before you actually quit! Other tips to help you become smoke free include:
Seeking support from a healthcare professional or a local quitline
Thinking positively
Eating a healthy and balanced diet
Increasing physical exercise
Learning to deal with cravings
Tips for dealing with cravings includes the 4D's:
Delay at least 3 minutes and the urge will pass
Drink a glass of water or juice
Distract yourself. Move away from the situation
Deep breath. Breathe slowly and deeply, it will help you to relax
ACTIVITY 3 Walking Up Stairs
One of the amazing things about quitting is just how quickly your body starts to recover. One way you can prove this is to take the stair test. All you have to do is find a suitable staircase and walk up it.
My Stair Test Diffiulty Level Time
Day 3 (Week 1)
Day 10 (Week 2)
Day 18 (Week 3)
Day 25 (Week 4)
Day 31 (Week 5)
Day 39 (Week 6)
Day 59 (Week 9)
Once you have completed the test, rate how difficult you found it between 1 and 6 (1 = easy, 6 = really difficult) and record how long it took.
If you repeat this test every week of your quit attempt you'll soon notice how much fitter you are feeling. You should see (and feel) your health improving week by week - which is a great motivator.
NB. If your doctor has advised you against taking physical exercise for health or medical reasons, then you should consult him / her before attempting this activity.
ACTIVITY 4 Test Your Senses
Did you realise that every cigarette you smoke is helping to dull some of your senses? The smoke you inhale kills the ability of sensitive cells in your mouth and nose to detect smell and flavour.
Once you stop smoking, those cells begin to regenerate. Within a few short weeks, your sense of taste and smell should noticeably improve. One way to underline the positive change is to take a sense test.
You can actually prove if your sense of smell is improving by smelling some flowers - and your sense of taste by tasting something sweet. Simply note how strong the taste and smell appear on a scale of 1 - 6. Within a few short weeks you'll be amazed at just how much your senses have improved.
Think what that means - your senses will be sharper. You'll probably enjoy food a lot more.
A FINAL THOUGHT
Quitting smoking may be one of your greatest achievements.
The benefits of quitting smoking are enormous and quitting smoking is probably the best thing that you can do for your health. However, the most important factor in being successful is wanting to quit and being motivated to do so.
Remember, it is never too late to quit. Speak to your doctor today about new ways to quit.
This information has been reproduced with kind permission of Pfizer Healthcare Ireland. www.seriousquitters.ie
