When you take a puff on that cigarette, you’re inhaling approximately 4,000 chemical compounds contained within the smoke. From tar to nicotine, several of these compounds are known carcinogens, meaning they’re cancer-causing. If you ask most people what are the most common diseases caused by smoking they’ll say lung cancer and emphysema - but surprisingly, heart disease is the biggest killer of smokers, at almost twice the rate of lung cancer and emphysema.
From minor inconveniences such as smell and staining of fingers, hair, clothing, furniture and draperies if you smoke inside your home to much more serious health effects such as strokes and a multitude of cancers - there is no doubt that smoking is harmful. And it’s not just harmful to the smoker - second-hand smoke also has the same harmful effects on those who live or work with smokers.
If you’re in a bad relationship, apply the same principals - make a decision about whether to end the relationship or improve it so you’re not dealing with that stress on a daily basis. If your kids are driving you crazy, don’t just complain about it - get into family counseling or find another avenue to resolve the situation. Simplify your life - get rid of as much stress as you possibly can.
Between 2 weeks and 3 months after that last puff, your circulation improves, walking becomes easier and your lung functions increase. After a year of being a non-smoker, you’ll lessen your chances of coronary heart disease by 50 percent, compared to smokers.
The bottom line? Smoking is bad for you. Is that a surprise to anyone? I don’t think so.
Another amazing fact is how swiftly the body begins recovery once you quit smoking. Although quitting smoking after you’ve developed lung cancer or heart disease is a little like closing the barn door after the horses have run away, in reality it’s never to late to quit. Within 20 minutes of your last cigarette, your blood pressure decreases, your pulse rate drops and the temperature in your extremities (hands and feet) returns to normal levels. (Within 20 minutes!)
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.
When you quit smoking, you need to change your daily routine that included cigarettes. For example, if you normally had a cup of coffee and a cigarette for breakfast, change that to a cup of tea and read the paper. Or check your email. Or have a healthy breakfast and a quick walk before you begin your daily tasks. Change the environment around you so that it doesn’t include time for smoking.
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.
Another key point in quitting smoking is to get a support system around you. Although the bulk of the effort at quitting smoking must come from you - no one else can do it for you - you can surround yourself with people that can help you achieve your goal. Studies have shown that those people who have a strong support system are far more likely to succeed at quitting than those who try to go it alone.
Join a yoga class or learn ways to meditate. When the craving for a cigarette arrives, replace it with a stretching exercise or a calming meditation session. Start a daily journal - when you feel the urge to light up, make an entry in the journal instead. There are innumerable ways you can distract yourself from that craving to smoke - find the ones that work best for you.