Quitting Smoking

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Author:
Lauren Wastal

Most smokers have a love/hate relationship with cigarettes.

They love the taste, hate the smell. They love the act of smoking and think that there is something "cool" about it, even though they know it is bad for their health. They want to quit but don't want to because they love it.

And I was no different.

I had wanted to quit smoking for a long time and for all the obvious reasons: it would save money, better my health; I wouldn't stink so much, etc. Plus, my boyfriend wasn't crazy about kissing a smoker [and if you have, you know how gross it can be]. After, I had decided that I was going to quit [cold turkey, no less] I came across this article [http://www.hmnews.org/article2720.html] and was stunned. The first lines of the article are what really drew my attention,

"Smokers often say that smoking a cigarette helps them concentrate and feel more alert. But years of tobacco use may have the opposite effect, dimming the speed and accuracy of a person's thinking ability and bringing down their IQ, according to a new study led by University of Michigan researchers."

Because I, too, believed that smoking helped to think, concentrate, and be brilliant. Yet in actuality, my 6 years of smoking could be completely damaging my brain. Causing me to have a lower IQ. Smoking is just as bad as alcoholism can be to a person's brain. While the study isn't conclusive and solid, it still scared me enough to commit to really quit smoking. No cheating.

No smoking while drinking or socially. No smoking because I'm stressed out. No cheating.

With this article, I hope to inspire one other person to quit smoking or at least think about how much you are affecting every part of your body when you inhale.

Good luck.

Lauren Wastal is living in Seattle, Washington and a former smoker. To learn more about her and her life, check out her website: http://feisty.typepad.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 and Quitting - Health Benefits There's no doubt that smoking is bad for your health, but is it reason enough to give up smoking? The answer, according to a general consensus by health officials everywhere is a resounding "yes." Never smoking is one of the best things you can do for yourself, but stopping smoking (even after years of dependency) is next on the list. But how can you quit smoking cigarettes after the years of smoking? And is quitting smoking even worth the effort? First, you have to understand that the effects of smoking start from the first time you draw in the nicotine. The next important factor is that the damaging effects of cigarette smoking continue the rest of your life. You can't turn back the hands of time so that you never pick up a cigarette, but if you quit now, you can lessen the effects beginning at this moment. Maybe you think smoking cessation is simply too difficult and that you can't accomplish it on your own. You're probably right. Most people find the use of quit smoking products or stop smoking programs to be necessary While it is possible to simply "quit," there's no doubt that smoking is a strong addiction and there's nothing wrong with seeking some stop smoking help. Recognizing the damaging effects of smoking is probably one of the most compelling reasons to stop smoking. Some people cite the potentially harmful effects of second-hand smoke on family and friends as the reason to stop smoking. Both of these are certainly good reasons, but it has to be accompanied by a true desire to quit. Otherwise, even the most tried stop smoking aids are unlikely to work. So how do you find out how to stop smoking? Stop smoking hypnotherapy is option that has worked successfully for many people. As is the case with most...