How You Can Plan to Quit Smoking
Millions of people smoke, and to many, particularly
those that have been smoking for some time, the prospect of quitting seems
daunting. An addiction to nicotine is a serious one, and is multifaceted: there
is a physical component, in that your body craves the nicotine the cigarettes
contain, and a psychological one, in that many habits and situations become
associated with cigarettes for the smoker. For these reasons it is important
that you come up with a plan of attack in order to quit smoking: although the
cold-turkey technique works for some people, the vast majority of smokers will
have success only with a more comprehensive plan.
When you first consider the prospect of quitting
smoking, it's probably going to seem far fetched, but keep in mind that
thousands of people - people that are no different from you - quit smoking
every year. If they can do it, there's no reason that you can't. Many smokers
also feel that after a certain age it is "too-late" to quit smoking. Simply
put, this isn't true, and should not be used as an excuse to avoid an attempt
to quit smoking: the health benefits of quitting smoking begin the very day you
stop.
Before you actually have your last cigarette, begin
to build up your willpower. Your willpower is going to be your most important
tool in quitting, and it's very unlikely that you will be successful without
it. Spend some time thinking of the reasons you want to quit smoking. Learn
about the health benefits of quitting, for both yourself and the people around
you. Do some math and come up with some figures for the amount of money you'll
save by not buying cigarettes, and think of something you'll use that money
for.
Once you've built up your willpower, it's time to
have your last cigarette. To keep your spirits up, understand that the human
body is incredibly resilient, and your health will improve as soon as you stop
smoking - literally. 8 hours after your last cigarette, carbon monoxide levels
and oxygen levels in your blood stream will return to normal. At 24 hours after
your last cigarette, you statistically reduce your chance of a heart attack.
Only 48 hours after your last cigarette, your sense of taste and smell will
improve as your nerve endings start growing.
As you continue to stay smoke free, think of the
longer-term benefits to quitting in order to keep your willpower up: even after
2 weeks your lung power will begin to increase, and continue to do so over
time. Other aspects of your health will continue to improve in various ways.
The ultimate motivator should be the knowledge that 15 years after quitting,
your risk of death is almost the same as someone who has never smoked - a
remarkable fact that illustrates our the human body's surprising ability to
restore itself.
By coming up with a concrete plan to quit smoking
you will greatly increase your chances of success. Crucial is understanding the
important role that your willpower will play in the process, and planning to
build up this willpower weeks before you attempt to quit. Once you've stopped
you have to keep the strength of this willpower up, and to do so, remind
yourself of the health benefits you will be privy to immediately after butting
out that last cigarette.
