It’s time to finally kick the habit.
Smoking, the leading cause of preventable deaths around the world.
With direct causes of lung cancer and other cancers, coronary heart disease, and stroke,
it’s not much of a surprise that smoking leads to upwards of 6 million deaths per year.
Secondhand smoking can affect your loved ones as well.
For children, second hand smoking can increase the chances of health issues ranging from
asthma and nasal irritation to lung cancer and sudden infant death syndrome.
Research also shows that non-smokers married to smokers have a 20% increased risk of lung
cancer and heart disease.
And when you dive into the ingredients of cigarettes, you can see why this dual-colored
stick is so dangerous.
When lit, over 7,000 different chemicals are released, 69 of which are linked directly
to cancer and many others considered poisonous.
Such chemicals include acetone, commonly found in nail polish remover, arsenic, generally
used in rat poison, and other dangerous compounds such as carbon monoxide, lead, and, of course,
the addictive stimulant we’re all familiar with, nicotine.
At a blazingly quick 10 seconds, nicotine reaches the brain and releases adrenaline,
creating an addictive buzz of pleasure and energy.
However, this buzz is rather short lived.
Worse yet, your body builds quite a quick tolerance to nicotine, inevitably requiring
you to smoke more and more to reach the same buzz effects.
And if you decide to suddenly stop, nicotine-associated withdrawal symptoms kick in, such as irritability,
anger, anxiety, restlessness, and weight gain.
With such a slew of health risks, it’s very clear that if you’re smoking regularly now,
quitting the cigs is one of the healthiest things you can do.
So, how can you quit?
Well, the first step is to strike up a conversation with yourself, family, friends, or a healthcare
provider.
Ask yourself, why is it difficult for you to quit smoking?
And, why have you failed if you’ve tried before?
Many challenges to quitting are related to nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
Identifying these symptoms will help you better manage it.
Understand that a bout of withdrawal last roughly 15 to 20 minutes and will fade over
time with the first week being the worst.
But of course, fighting the withdrawal symptoms is a battle itself.
One method is to keep your hands and mouth busy.
Doing something as simple as chewing gum while fiddling with a coin, or holding a straw and
breathing through it, can serve as replacement strategies mimicking that of smoking a cigarette.
You can also use other methods to relieve stress instead of smoking.
Try deep breathing meditation practices or even some quick exercises such as jogging
around the block or push-ups.
Besides, smoking does not truly relieve any stress.
Instead, it just blocks stress for a short amount of time.
Some people even found success in creating a list of tasks, such as chores or running
errands, to keep them busy whenever the cravings hit and serving as a cognitive distraction.
Managing smoking triggers, things you tend to do in tandem with smoking, is crucial as
well.
If you smoke after watching TV, then try avoid reaching for the remote.
Pair a cigarette with alcohol or coffee?
Either drink less alcohol or coffee or try a different beverage, such as water or tea.
And before setting a quit date, try avoid smoking in places you go to often, such as
your home and car.
Less smoking here means less of that cigarette smell, and ultimately less desire for lighting
a smoke.
And don’t ever forget the positive benefits of quitting, for you and your loved ones.
Remind yourself how bad you want to finally kick the bad habit by using words of commitment.
Plus the constant rise of cigarette costs, imagine all the money you can save to treat
yourself for your hard work and effort.
It’s also okay if you’re not successful the first time, or even maybe the second or
third.
For many, it takes several attempts to finally quit.
Be proud of how far you come and keep pushing to be that much closer to never picking up
a cigarette again.
Also, be open to look for support from others.
With only 3-6% of people being smoke-free for a year after going cold turkey with no
help versus over 30% for people that do seek help, it makes sense to talk to someone who
can assist in smoking cessation.
Ask your healthcare provider for strategies.
Contact quit-lines and online chats for help with creating a more personal plan or to help
when the withdrawals kick in.
You can even set up texts and apps that will encourage you to keep going and give you more
tips to reach your goal.
If the withdrawals are still too much, nicotine replacement therapies, such as lozenges, nicotine
gum, and patches, can help you better manage these symptoms.
Although some smokers worry that the addiction will remain while using nicotine replacements,
studies show that this rarely occurs.
For those of you wondering, e-cigarettes, or vapes, do eliminate many of the constituents
of tobacco-attributed diseases of cigarettes, such as tar and carbon monoxide.
Although vaping is probably less harmful than smoking cigarettes, there are not enough studies
to indicate that they are completely harmless.
And, yes, there are medication treatments as well.
Make sure to talk to your doctor or healthcare provider to see whether nicotine replacement
therapies or other medication can work for you.
Now, let’s not wait any longer and set that quit date.
Put some more money back in your pockets.
Take the lingering smell out of your clothes and your home.
And most importantly, protect not only your own health, but also the health of the ones
you love.
If you found this video useful, please share it with some of your friends or family members
that you think can benefit from this video as well.
And if you’ve been able to quit already, please kindly share some of the strategies
that worked for you in the comments.
More information and resources for quitting smoking are in the description.
Thank you for watching!