And the long term benefits are just as remarkable - after quitting for 5 to 15 years, you cut your risk of suffering a stroke to that of people who have never smoked. At 10 years your chances of contracting a multitude of cancers decreases to levels similar in non-smokers. At 15 years your risk of developing coronary heart disease drops to non-smoker levels.
The variety of illnesses caused by smoking is amazing - throat and mouth cancer, lung cancer, bladder and liver cancer, brain tumors, macular degeneration (blindness), birth defects from stillborn infants to premature births, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), emphysema, heart disease and all it’s related complications - the list just goes on and on.
Next, change the environment in your home or office - wherever you (used to) smoke. Don’t let other people smoke in your house, or office - don’t hang out in places where smoking is almost mandatory - such as bars or nightclubs. Repaint the inside of your house, clean the carpets, wash the drapes - in short, make it obvious that a non-smoker lives here. After all that work of cleaning up, you won’t want to relapse and return to the habit of smoking.
Smoking is one of the most addictive habits on earth - it’s to your credit that you want to quit. Be aware that it may take several attempts before you can successfully kick the nicotine habit - but it’s also important to know that you can succeed.
Smoking has already been banned in federal offices, and many communities are copying that legislation with bans on local, city and state offices. Some communities are even attempting to pass laws that would forbid smoking in the privacy of one’s own home, although at present most of those laws are meeting with limited success.
Find a “hot line” that supports smoking cessation. The more contact you have with therapists or counselors experienced in therapy for those who are quitting, the more likely it is you’ll succeed. Sometimes the ability to talk to someone who’s been through what you’re going through during withdrawal is enough to overcome those momentary symptoms.
Reduce the amount of stress in your life. Many smokers say that “smoking helps calm them down” after they’ve had a stressful day or a troubling event. In reality, just the opposite is true; smoking stimulates the body in a number of ways. It’s the fiddling around with all the smoking paraphernalia that “calms” the smoker down - the cigarettes themselves, the ashtray, the lighter, tipping the ashes off the end of the cigarette, etc. All those patterns of behavior are what constitutes calming routine for the smoker.
Depending on your personality, you may want to consider quitting “cold turkey” - meaning you throw out all the cigarettes in your house, purse, car and anywhere else, and just stop smoking. The other method is to gradually reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke each day until you reach your goal of not smoking. The differing methods work according to your personal strengths and weaknesses.
Withdrawal symptoms from quitting smoking last a relatively short period of time during the quitting process, but can cause unpleasant levels of discomfort during that time. Symptoms of nicotine withdrawal can include mood swings (anxiety, irritableness, short-tempered or cranky), inability to sleep, extreme fatigue, difficulty concentrating, coughing, headaches, stomach upset and the like. The craving to smoke is perhaps one of the most difficult symptoms to deal with - because if you give into that craving, you’ve eliminated all the effort you’ve put into having a smoke-free day.
Usually these symptoms pass within 3 to 5 minutes, so if you can distract yourself until they pass, you’ll bypass the destructive effects of lighting up another cigarette. Instead of reaching for your lighter and cigarette case, take yourself for a short walk. Keep a book of inspirational poetry or motivational phrases within reach or involve yourself in some task.