Quitting Smoking

Poll

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Author:
Jay Harris

Most smokers sincerely want to quit. They know cigarettes threaten their health, set a bad example for their children, annoy their acquaintances and cost an inordinate amount of money.

Nobody can force a smoker to quit. It's something each person has to decide for himself, and will require a personal commitment by the smoker. What kind of smoker are you? What do you get out of smoking? What does it do for you? It is important to identify what you use smoking for and what kind of satisfaction you feel that you are getting from smoking.

Many smokers use the cigarette as a kind of crutch in moments of stress or discomfort, and on occasion it may work; the cigarette is sometimes used as a tranquilizer. But the heavy smoker, the person who tries to handle severe personal problems by smoking heavily all day long, is apt to discover that cigarettes do not help him deal with his problems effectively.

When it comes to quitting, this kind of smoker may find it easy to stop when everything is going well, but may be tempted to start again in a time of crisis. Physical exertion, eating, drinking, or social activity in moderation may serve as useful substitutes for cigarettes, even in times of tension. The choice of a substitute depends on what will achieve the same effects without having any appreciable risk.

Once a smoker understands his own smoking behavior, he will be able to cope more successfully and select the best quitting approaches for himself and the type of life-style he leads.

Because smoking is a form of addiction, 80 percent of smoker who quit usually experience some withdrawal symptoms. These may include headache, light-headedness, nausea, diarrhea, and chest pains. Psychological symptoms, such as anxiety, short-term depression, and inability to concentrate, may also appear. The main psychological symptom is increased irritability. People become so irritable, in fact, that they say they feel "like killing somebody." Yet there is no evidence that quitting smoking leads to physical violence.

Some people seem to lose all their energy and drive, wanting only to sleep. Others react in exactly the opposite way, becoming so over energized they can't find enough activity to burn off their excess energy. For instance, one woman said she cleaned out all her closets completely and was ready to go next door to start on her neighbor's. Both these extremes, however, eventually level off. The symptoms may be intense for two or three days, but within 10 to 14 days after quitting, most subside. The truth is that after people quit smoking, they have more energy, they generally will need less sleep, and feel better about themselves.

Quitting smoking not only extends the ex-smoker's life, but adds new happiness and meaning to one's current life. Most smokers state that immediately after they quit smoking, they start noticing dramatic differences in their overall health and vitality.

Quitting is beneficial at any age, no matter how long a person has been smoking. The mortality ratio of ex-smoker decreases after quitting. If the patient quits before a serious disease has developed, his body may eventually be able to restore itself almost completely.

About the Author
Jay Harris of IMI Concepts. Visit his website http://www.imiconcepts.com/directory.html

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Smoking... A Need of Willpower to Quit Smoking Smokers do want to quit smoking and they are waiting for that auspicious day eagerly. But still quitting the smoking becomes impossible for them. They do try but again got caught in the same grip of an addiction. They want to get succeed but again find themselves standing on the same point from where they have started their journey for a good cause. This does not happen with one or two smoker. It is a case with every other smoker. They are trying hard to quit it but are not capable because of the love for nicotine. Nicotine is a deadly drug but its addiction is very powerful. The fortunate thing is that thousands of people are successfully trying to escape its grip and many have already succeeded. They are same people who once have thought that they would not be able to quit. Finally they won over evil and turned their dream into the reality. Their determination has worked for them. You can follow their footsteps too: You need to fulfill the commitment you have done with yourself and with your near and dear ones. The first step you need to do some alterations in your thinking. Be optimist and change way of living a little. The activities you have associated with habit of smoking needs to have some modifications. Just change the way of dealing with them and you will notice a great change in you. You need to associate a good reasoning behind cause of quitting and have to think about good consequences that follow. If you do not feel good about quitting, then you will never be able to quit smoking. You should be mentally as well as emotionally strong to escape this deadly danger. If you properly condition yourself mentally then you can certainly come onto the commitment you have done with yourself. People are generally...