Quitting Smoking

Poll

	|   |

Author:
Dada Vedaprajinananda

If you are reading this article it means that you have already thought about stopping smoking. The first step in quitting a habit or in changing your life is to take a firm determination or a vow to yourself that you are going to do something. However, in order to take this first step you have to be convinced that it is the right thing to do. If you need some more reasons why it is time to do something about your smoking habit, here are five things to consider:

1. You can live longer if you stop smoking now

According to a study in the British Medical Journal, quitting smoking now could add 7-10 years to your life. No one can be sure that he or she will be alive tomorrow. Anything can happen, due to circumstances beyond our control. Despite this, we should do whatever we can that is within our control to live a long and happy life. You can’t prevent yourself from being injured in an earthquake, but you can prevent yourself from dying due to a smoking related illness.

2. Smoking is no longer "cool"

Many people begin smoking due to peer pressure or for other social reasons. At one time it was fashionable or “cool” to smoke, but that is no longer so. With study after study confirming the harmful effects of smoking, the tide has turned. It is becoming quite difficult to smoke in public areas and smoking is viewed as a nuisance by the society at large. If you began smoking to be “in”, take a look around and you will see that the times have changed. Keep up with these changes and quit smoking now.

3. Set a good example for your children or people who look up to you

If you know that becoming a smoker was a mistake, then you should make sure that your children or friends who look up to you do not follow in your footsteps. The best way to teach others is by example. If your children or family see that mom and dad or their older brother and older sister do not smoke, then they will be less likely to start smoking. So, think about the example you are setting, and do whatever you can to change your life style.

4. Improve your athletic performance

If you like to play sports then you already know that endurance is very important. Smoking interferes with your breathing and your body’s capacity to absorb oxygen. If you want to improve your athletic performance and increase your endurance, then it is time to put down your cigarettes.

5. Don’t pass on smoke and harm others around you

Even if you are the only one who smokes in your house, your smoke is harmful to your non-smoking loved ones. Second-hand smoke has been proven to be the cause of disease in non-smokers and that is the main reason why smoking is now being banned in public places. While the new non-smoking laws will help to protect the public at large, you can protect your closest family and friends by making a personal decision to stop smoking.

There are lots more reasons to quit smoking, but just think about these five reasons and make a decision that you are going to do whatever it takes to stop smoking. It could be a decision that will help you to live a long, healthy and happy life.

Dada Vedaprajinananda has been teaching and practicing yoga and meditation since 1970. He is the author of Start Meditation, Stop Smoking and is the editor of a directory with hundreds of articles on health, weight loss and self-improvement, http://www.lifeweightloss.com.

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... Smoking Facts and Figures A random list of statements, facts and figures relating to smoking. Hopefully this list will give you the final push to be committed to giving up smoking. When you have read it, visit target="_blank"> www.abouthowtoquitsmoking.com for further information, help and advice. If you smoke more than 25 cigarettes a day are 25 times more likely to die from cancer and almost twice as likely to die from heart disease. Each cigarette on average takes 11 minutes off your life. Fifty diseases are caused by smoking causes. Twenty of them are fatal. Seven out of ten smokers say that they want to give up. Nicotine stimulates the central nervous system, which increases the heart rate and blood pressure. If you carry on smoking you have a one in two chance of dying from it. Smoking is the number one avoidable cause of premature death in the UK. Smoking related diseases cost the UK National Health Service about £1.7 billion a year. If you want facial wrinkles at an early age just carry on smoking. £1,600 that’s how much you could save if you gave up your twenty a day habit. Nicotine is an insecticide. £800 is what the average smoker give to the UK government in tax each year. The risk from smoking pipes can be as great as smoking cigarettes. Cigarettes contain tar, a complex mixture of chemicals, many of which are known to cause cancer. As each year passes, your addiction will become greater and will increase the difficulty of quitting. Any children growing up in a house where tobacco is regularly used are more likely to get asthma, pneumonia, ear infections, bronchitis and become tobacco users themselves. The benefits start as soon as you stop. Stomach ulcers are made worse by smoking. In the UK, about Three Hundred people are...