How To Successfully Quit Smoking
Posted on November 9, 2009
Filed Under Fitness | Leave a Comment
Many people would like to quit smoking but it is not a simple task. It takes determination, commitment, and will power to be able to achieve it. Perhaps the biggest motivation is health. Smoking causes around four million fatalities every year, with smoking related diseases such as lung cancer and heart disease shortening the life of nearly 10 per cent of adults worldwide according to figures from the World Health Organisation.
The truth about the number of health problems that have been associated with smoking can really drive home the message on how it is such a destructive habit. But as the numbers of people that manage to quit keeps on rising, we can be pleased to know that it doesn’t have to be a lifetime habit.
Every single cigarette that is consumed contains not only addictive amounts of nicotine but numerous other toxic substances. The moment you light up a cigarette, nicotine is immediately absorbed into the bloodstream and reaches the brain in a matter of seconds. It may feel good as it causes an increase in the amount of dopamine that that is being circulated around the body. But this hormone will decrease when you do not smoke, causing feelings of anxiety and irritability.
Tar is another poison that is present in tobacco smoke. It can cause cancer as it contains carcinogenic chemicals. Another toxin that is present is carbon monoxide. This compound attaches itself to red blood cells which lower their capacity to carry oxygen around the body. There are many other toxic substances also present in cigarette smoke. These can cause thickening of the blood and clotting in the arteries.
Most smokers may be aware of the associated risks. It has been proven that those people that smoke the whole duration of their lives live on average ten years less than the rest of the population. There are a seemingly endless number of diseases that have been associated with smoking. Lung cancer is perhaps the most well-known, but others forms of cancer can also be caused such as that of the kidneys, bladder, throat, pancreas, stomach, as well as a form of leukemia.
Smoking is also known to cause damage to the lungs. Both pneumonia and COPD can occur in smokers. These are very painful and debilitating sicknesses caused by an inflammation to the respiratory system. Heart disease is also more common in smokers due to the damage caused to their arteries. Other illnesses that are linked to smoking are osteoporosis, angina, infertility, and impotence.
Quitting smoking can drastically improve you health and life expectancy. If you stop earlier enough, your body can make a complete recovery. Today there are many different treatments and methods open to smokers that want to stop.
Your first point of call should be your family doctor. They can offer you advice and medication that will lessen the withdrawal symptoms you are likely to experience. Possible treatments may include: nicotine replacement therapy (which comes in various forms), bupropion (a tablet), varenicline (also a tablet).
It is possible for any individual to give up smoking. Help exists from individuals and organisations that understand how you feel.
Stop smoking naturally using zero nicotine herbal smoking patches.
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