QUIT SMOKING

 

Why Quitting Difficult ?
Mark Twain said, "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times." Maybe you've tried to quit too. Why is quitting and staying quit hard for so many people? The answer is nicotine.

Nicotine is a highly addictive drug found naturally in tobacco. When you smoke, nicotine is carried deep into the lungs, where it is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and carried throughout the body. Nicotine produces pleasurable feelings that make the smoker want to smoke more. It also acts as a depressant by interfering with the flow of information between nerve cells. As the nervous system adapts to nicotine, smokers tend to increase the number of cigarettes they smoke, and hence the amount of nicotine in their blood. After a while, the smoker develops a tolerance to the drug, which leads to an increase in smoking over time. Over time, the body becomes physically and psychologically dependent on nicotine. It affects many parts of the body, including your heart and your brain. In general, a regular smoker will have nicotine or its by-products present in the body for about 3 to 4 days after stopping.


When smokers try to quit, the absence of nicotine leads to withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal is both physical and psychological. It may include depression, frustration, irritability, sleep disturbances, restlessness, headache etc. These uncomfortable symptoms lead the smoker to again start smoking cigarettes to boost blood levels of nicotine back to a level where there are no symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms can last for a few days to several weeks.

Why Quit?
Nearly everyone knows that smoking can cause lung cancer, but few people realize it is also a risk factor for many other kinds of cancer as well, including cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, kidney, liver, cervix, stomach and some leukemias. Smoking increases the risk of progressive lung diseases grouped under the term COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Smokers are twice as likely to die from heart attacks, as are nonsmokers. And smoking is a major risk factor for narrowing of the blood vessels that carry blood to the leg and arm muscles. Smoking also causes premature wrinkling of the skin, bad breath, bad smelling clothes and hair, and yellow fingernails. For women, there are unique risks. Women who smoke are more likely to have a miscarriage or a lower birth-weight baby.

How to Quit?
There are some key elements in quitting smoking successfully. The decision to quit tobacco use is one that only you can make. Others may want you to quit, but the real commitment must come from you.

Once you've made a decision to quit, you're ready to pick a quit date. Pick a specific day within the next month as your ‘Quit Day’. Circle the date on your calendar. Make a strong, personal commitment to quit on that day. Most tobacco users prefer to quit abruptly and totally i.e. they use tobacco until their Quit Day and then stop all at once. It is better to cut down tobacco use gradually for a week or 2 before the Quit Day. With this method, you gradually reduce the amount of nicotine in your body. Nicotine substitutes can help reduce withdrawal, but they are most effective when used as part of a stop tobacco use plan that addresses both the physical and psychological components of quitting.

Successful quitting is a matter of planning and commitment, not luck. Decide now on your own plan. Some possibilities include using the nicotine patch or gum, engaging in some other activities or using self-help materials such as books and pamphlets.

On your Quit Day, get rid of all cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays, and any other items related to smoking.

To tackle withdrawal symptoms; keep active - try walking, exercising, or doing other activities or hobbies. Drink lots of water and juices. Begin using nicotine replacement if that is your choice. Avoid situations where the urge to smoke is strong.

It is hard to stop smoking. But if you are a tobacco user you can quit You can use the same methods to stay quit as you did to help you through withdrawal. Reduce stress, and think positive.

Physical activity is a good stress-reducer. It can also help with the temporary sense of depression that some smokers experience when they quit.


LET US TALK ABOUT HEALTH

• Every day find new ways to move your body. Don’t let your laziness take the toll of your health. Use the stairs rather than an escalator or elevator. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time.
• Don't over eat the obvious fat in your diet such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats. Eat dairy products like cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts.
• Think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. Before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Avoid difficult people when possible.
• Stop Smoking. Health is a basic human right. Why do you want to harm others health also with your good money? And be a good model to the booming generation.
• Reduce your exposure to Pollution. Not everyone can live in a smoke free environment, but we can all avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Maintain a good garden in your yard.
• Statistics show that the wearing of seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes.
• Why do you want to harm your body at the expense of your hard earned money? Drinking alcohol or binge drinking on a night out, can cause other serious health problems such as liver and kidney disease.
• Don’t forget the basic health practices, which you consider silly. Take one minute extra to wash your hands properly and carefully (because you don’t usually care to wash between your fingers and nail beds where maximum number of germs are there).
• Remember that brushing teeth before you go to bed is more important than brushing in the morning.
• Maintain a Positive Mental Outlook. There's a definitive connection between living well and healthily and having a cheerful outlook on life. Yes, keep on smiling and laughing!
• There is something to be said for picking clothes you won't get sick of but that feel good.
• Take a shower with an energizing body scrub. Switch to cool water for the final rinse.
• Keep makeup minimal.
• Papaya is extremely good for your skin you could have it in your fruit salad in the evening or at lunch especially if your city has good salad bars or you can always buy it on your way back from home.
• After your office hours you could come home have fresh fruit juice. So instead of grabbing a beer or scotch you could try something more natural.