Daily Help with Stopping Smoking Quit smoking advice

Health reasons are often the number one reason people give for wanting to quit smoking – and it is certainly the best reason.  In fact, smoking causes a wide variety of illnesses to basically every part of the body.  In addition, there are nearly 440,000 cigarette related deaths in the United States every year – more than car accidents, alcohol, AIDS, suicide, illegal drugs, and homicide combined.

Respiratory Diseases

Smoking actually causes many different types of lung diseases, such as lung cancer, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.  Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are often also experienced together and thus grouped under the term chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.  This disease is often diagnosed in both current and former smokers in their 60’s or 70’s.  COPD, which is a chronic illness, eventually results in death for anyone who suffers from it.

Separately, chronic bronchitis and emphysema are serious diseases, as well.  Chronic bronchitis is a disease that causes the airways to produce excess mucus.  This is what forces a smoker to cough more often.  Emphysema, on the other hand, slowly makes it impossible for the smoker to breath.  This is because oxygen must move across the lungs in order to reach the blood.  Tiny sacs within the lungs are responsible for making this happen.  With emphysema, these sacs break down and make it more difficult for oxygen to reach the blood.  Ultimately, the person with emphysema is unable to breathe and needs to breath with the assistance of oxygen.

More than 7 million smokers and former smokers have been diagnosed with COPD.  Those suffering from the disease have a miserable deterioration.  In the final stages, patients feel as if they are continuously gasping for breath, as if they were drowning.

Circulatory Diseases

Smoking takes its toll on the heart.  In facts, smokers are two times as likely to die from a heart attack as nonsmokers.  Frighteningly, smokers are also more likely to die within an hour after having a heart attack than a person who does not smoke.  In addition, smoking leads to peripheral vascular disease, which is the narrowing of the blood vessels responsible for carrying blood to the leg and arm muscles.  Smoking is also a risk factor for heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in both men and women in the United States.

Women who use oral contraceptives are at particular risk for circulatory diseases.  In fact, those who use oral contraceptives that are over 35 are in the high risk group for heart attack and blood clots in the legs.

Cancer

Smoking is accountable for at least 30% of deaths related to cancer.  The most common forms of cancer associated with smoking are cancers of the larynx (voice box), lungs, pharynx (throat), oral cavity, and esophagus.  In addition, smoking has been linked to the development of cancer in the pancreas, bladder, uterine cervix, liver, stomach, kidney, rectum, and colon.  It has also been connected to some forms of leukemia.  Cancer is responsible for about half of cigarette related deaths.

Stroke

Smoking is a risk factor for stroke, which often results in mild or severe disabilities, or even death.  In fact, 11% of deaths caused by stroke are from smoking cigarettes.  Those who quit smoking reduce their risk of strength significantly.  After 5 years of smoking cessation, the risks are the same as those of a nonsmoker.  Women who take oral contraceptives and smoke are at a particular high risk of having a stroke.  A study at Bringham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston also found that male smokers who smoke less than 20 cigarettes per day are 1.7 times more likely to have a stroke than a nonsmoker.  Those who have more than 20 cigarettes a day are 2.4 times more likely.

Skin Damage

Smoking also causes damage to the skin, which is more serious than just the way it looks.  In fact, smoking constricts blood vessels, which cuts off the blood supply to the top layer of the skim.  Researchers believe smoking also damages genetic material in skin cells and accelerates the aging process.  In addition, it causes skin to thin – perhaps by as much as 40% - and to become less porous.

Miscarriage and Pregnancy Complications

Research has shown that women who smoke are more likely to have a low birth weight baby and to have a miscarriage than women who don’t smoke.  Women who smoke are also more likely to have a premature delivery, or to have a stillbirth baby.

Sexual Function

Because cigarette smoking results in a decrease in blood flow, another side effect of smoking is impotence in men.  With the blood unable to properly flow to the penis, it is difficult to get it erect and to maintain an erection.

All in all, people who smoke cut years from their lifespan because of the resulting diseases.  In fact, the US Centers for Disease Control has stated male smokers lose an average of 13.2 years and female smokers lose an average of 14.5.

If you are thinking about quitting your smoking habit, you probably have a variety of good reasons.  You know that the nicotine is staining your fingernails and skins with an unhealthy yellow color that not even fingernail polish can successfully cover up.  You know that smoking causes fine lines around the mouth that may look quite unattractive with advancing age. You know that smoking will stain your teeth and also contribute to the development of gum disease.  Of course, you most certainly know about the cancer risks that smoking causes you as well as your loved ones around you.  Yet, did you also know that if you quit smoking you might get rich?

It’s the truth! Follow along and be amazed!

A smoker may smoke one pack of cigarettes per day.  Let’s assume that the trip to the store (gas, etc.), the purchasing of a brand name package of cigarettes, as well as the applicable sales tax make this little excursion cost $5.

Let’s assume that the smoker will not increase her or his habit, but instead remain steady at one package of cigarettes per day for an entire year.  Therefore, let’s multiply $5 by 365 days.  The result is a staggering $1,825 per year. If you were to average this over a 12-month period, you will have a savings of about $152 per month.

If you were to invest this money in an investment savings account with a six percent annual return, and if you were to continue annually adding to this account $1,825, in thirty years your investment could total $66,621!

Still not convinced?  Imagine the savings of a heavy smoker with a two pack a day habit.  $10 per day for 365 days adds up to an amazing $3,650.  Invest this amount annually for thirty years in an interest bearing investment account with a six percent yield, and in thirty years you will have saved a staggering $133,241! Now there is a little nest egg we’d all like to enjoy!

What would you do with an extra $66,621 or $133,241?  You may be able to pay off your home, buy that sports car you always wanted, take an incredible cruise in the lap of luxury, or spend a year just bumming around the country or Europe, taking in the sights and sounds of states or countries you have never seen in person.  Of course, these figures to do nothing to speak of the enrichment you receive from better health, a longer life, and all the social and psychological factors that improve when you quit smoking for good.

If you are still not convinced, consider some of the costs of smoking that go beyond the $5 you spend on a pack of cigarettes.  For example, if you will purchase life insurance, as a smoker you will have to pay about $1,000 per year more than a non-smoker.  If you purchase your own health insurance as a smoker, you will quite possibly pay about $350 per year more on the premiums than a non-smoker in a similar state of health as you are.

Similarly, homeowners’ insurance carriers quite often not only ask if there is a big dog on the premises whose bites may result in suits against the policy, but they now also question if a smoker is occupying the premises.  Home fires caused by negligent smoking cost a small fortune, and the insurance rates for smokers are usually about $60 per year more on a policy. Add an additional annual $50 for your car insurance rate as well, since smokers tend to engage in behaviors while driving that may lead to accidents. Suddenly, our one-pack a day smoker is no longer just saving $1,825 per year, but an actual $3,285!  Invest this over a thirty year period at six percent a year and you are looking at $119,917!

Our heavy smoker with the $3,650 a year habit can accumulate an amazing $186,538. Who says that quitting smoking won’t make you rich?  Of course, all of these calculations have not even begun to factor in the savings of healthcare co-payments and medication expenses that are not being incurred simply because you have quit smoking. Similarly, you will not lose time at work due to smoking related illness, which also will not mean lost wages and lost social security payments that will later on affect your retirement benefits.  All things considered, quitting smoking is a fiscally sound decision all the way around.

There are several reasons to quit smoking, most importantly for your health.  But, if the damage you are doing to the inside or your body isn’t enough of a deterrent, perhaps you should consider what you are doing to the outside.  In addition to the bad breath, yellow teeth, and yellow fingers, smoking is slowly but surely destroying your skin and making your skin age much faster than nonsmokers.

The Effects of Smoking on the Appearance of Skin

Smoking causes the skin to wrinkle, appear gaunt, and develop an odd colored complexion.  Basically, the skin is much weaker and, therefore, less resilient.  When this is seen in the face, it is often referred to as “smoker’s face.”  In fact, smokers in their 40’s and 50’s often have wrinkles in their faces equivalent to those found in nonsmokers 20 years older.

These effects are sometimes reversible if the smoker quits early enough, but decades of smoking will mean it’s too late to reverse the effects.  The effects do not, however, always reverse themselves.  In fact, some studies have shown 40 and 50 year olds who only smoked in their teenage years and while in their 20’s had excessive wrinkling for their age.  Many of them regained the pink hue to their skin, but never lost the wrinkles.

How Smoking Causes Wrinkles

There are many ways smoking causes wrinkles.  One study found that smoking actually switches on a gene that destroys collagen, which is the protein that provides skin with its elasticity.  Without elasticity, skin is unable to “bounce back” to its original shape when it is stretched, ultimately leading to wrinkles.

Smoking has also been found the lack of oxygen to cause damage to skin cells and to disturb the flow of blood to the skin.  In fact, just smoking for 10 minutes decreases the oxygen supply to the skin for almost an hour.  The nicotine within the cigarette narrows blood vessels and prevents the blood from properly circulating to the capillaries, which are tiny blood vessels, as well as to the upper layers of the skin.  The capillaries are responsible for nourishing the skin.  When they are not capable of properly performing their job, more wrinkles, as well as deeper wrinkles result.

Smoking and Skin Color

People who smoke also lose the “healthy glow” found on the skin of those who don’t smoke.  They lose the pink color to their cheeks and, instead, take on a grayish hue.  Nutritional depletion combined with lack of oxygen flow may attribute to this phenomenon.

Smoking and Skin Healing

Because smoking restricts the flow of blood and oxygen to the skin, it also interferes with the healing process.  Wounds to the skin take longer to heal and often produce more scarring.  In addition, patients who smoke who are recovering from surgery often take longer to heal.

Smoking and Thinning Skin

There is also increasing evidence that smoking causes the skin to thin excessively.  In fact, researchers at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London performed an interesting study in which they compared 25 sets of identical twins.  In each of these sets, one twin was a smoker and the other was not.  With one particular set of twins in their 50’s, an ultrasound revealed that the smoking twin’s skin was 40% thinner than the other twins’ skin.  In addition, she had much deeper wrinkles and fewer pores.  In the remaining 24 sets of twins, similar results were found, though none had quite as significant of a difference.

Skin Cancer

Of course, skin cancer is also attributed to smoking.  In fact, research has shown that smokers are three times as likely to develop a specific type of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, than those who don’t smoke.  In addition, current smokers are more likely to develop the cancer than former smokers.  Skin cancer which leaves unattractive marks and results in ugly scarring is found to be responsible for 9,800 deaths in the United States every year, with 2,000 of those being from squamous cell carcinoma.

Reversing the Effects

Unfortunately for smokers, the only way to reverse the aging effects smoking has on skin is to stop smoking – the earlier the better.  No anti-aging creams or other medications will help.  Eating a health diet won’t even alter the effects smoking has on the skin.  Sadly, quitting may not even be enough, particularly after the damage has already occurred.  For those who started smoking when they were teenagers in order to look more “mature,” they will certainly get their wish when they are 40 years old and look 60!

One of the most difficult aspects of quitting smoking is overcoming triggers, which are certain events or situations that make you feel the desire to smoke.  Identifying these triggers, and figuring out how to overcome them, is one of the primary keys to smoking cessation success.

Drinking

One common smoking trigger is drinking, whether it is coffee, alcohol, or a soft drink.  To help break your self of associating drinking with smoking, try to change something about the situation.  Perhaps you always drink your coffee from a certain mug.  Try drinking with a different one.  Or, maybe you enjoy having a beer sitting outside on the porch.  Try having your drink somewhere else in order to change your surroundings.  Anything you can do to change the situation will help reduce the trigger effect of drinking and smoking.

You might even consider cutting back or quit drinking alcohol altogether while you are trying to quit smoking.  This is because your willpower is weakened when you drink, making it more likely you will slip up and have a cigarette.

Finishing a Meal

Many smokers get into the habit of having a cigarette after they get done eating.  This eventually becomes another smoking trigger.  As a result, every time you finish a meal, you feel the desire to have a cigarette.  Try forming a new after eating hobby, such as going for a walk, or even a chore, such as doing the dishes.  Anything to keep your mind and body occupied at that time will be a great help.  Ideally, you should find another pleasurable activity to do immediately after eating so it will form a new, less destructive habit.

In the Car

Riding or driving in a car has become a popular trigger for smokers, particularly since smoking has been banned in so many other places.  This has caused smokers to seek refuge, and a place to smoke, in their cars.  To help with this trigger, remove all ashtrays from your vehicle.  Or, fill it with something else, such as potpourri.  You might even write several reasons for quitting smoking on pieces of paper and fill your ashtray with them.  Try playing your favorite music and singing along instead of smoking while driving in the car.

Talking on the Phone

Several smokers get into the habit of having a cigarette while on the phone.  This then leads to the mind associating the two tasks together.  When talking on the phone, try going to a different room than usual.  If this isn’t a possibility, such as in the workplace, keep small objects nearby to squeeze or play with in order to keep your hands occupied.

Being Around Others Who Smoke

Being around other people who are smoking can make it especially difficult to stay away from cigarettes.  This is partly due to the nicotine addiction, but it is largely due to the trigger effect of the camaraderie of smoking with other smokers.  Try keeping away from designated smoking areas at work or from popular smoking gathering areas.  In fact, just taking breaks at work can often trigger a desire for a cigarette.  Try to spend time with people who don’t smoke at this time.

Parties and other social events with people who smoke can also make it difficult to quit smoking.  Of course, it is ludicrous to expect yourself to avoid these events.  But, you should avoid going outside with your friends when they have a cigarette.  If smoking is permitted inside, or if it is an outdoor party, try to keep some distance from people when they are smoking.

Other Reasons

Other common smoking triggers include:  stress, sex, boredom, end of the workday, crisis, a sense of accomplishment, playing cards, reading, waiting, watching television, and getting out of bed.  If any of these are triggers for you, do whatever you can to change the scenario in some way to lessen the trigger effect.  For example, instead of rewarding yourself with a cigarette, try rewarding yourself with a bubble bath or something else that is pleasurable to you.  When going through a stressful situation or a crisis, reach out to friends and family to provide emotional support rather than reaching out for a pack of cigarettes.  When watching television, keep your hands busy with something else or chew on something to satisfy your oral fixation.

Smokers trying to kick the habit are willing to try just about anything to beat the addiction.  Of the many options out there, the one most frequently sought is that of nicotine replacement therapy.  But understanding nicotine replacement therapy, its different forms, and how to use it properly is essential to its success.

Why is Nicotine Replacement Therapy?

Nicotine replacement therapy is the most commonly used medical approach in smoking cessation.  It is intended to help ease the withdrawal of nicotine by temporarily providing the drug by a means other than cigarettes.  As a result, nicotine replacement therapy helps reduce physical withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, sleep difficulty, restlessness, and headaches.

As a result of the assistance nicotine replacement therapy provides with coping with the physical symptoms, the smoker is better able to deal with the psychological symptoms of cigarette withdrawal, such as an oral fixation or breaking the “habit” of smoking in response to specific triggers.

Nicotine replacement therapy is considered to be a safe means for quitting smoking.  There are, however, certain side effects that some people experience, such as sinusitis, irritability, palpitations, and breathing problems.  In addition, pregnant women and those with endocrine, heart, or circulatory problems may experience other complications.  Any individuals falling within these categories should be carefully evaluated and tested by a doctor before beginning any form of nicotine replacement therapy.

Type of Nicotine Replacement Therapy

There are several forms of nicotine replacement therapy currently available.  Nicotine gum is the oldest type of nicotine replacement therapy and it can be purchased over the counter.  Nicotine inhalers, which are similar to the inhalers used by asthmatics, are another form of nicotine replacement therapy.  This form of therapy is available only through prescription.  The nicotine patch, which is available over the counter and by prescription, is placed on the skin to provide a constant flow of nicotine.  The easy to use nicotine nasal spray, which is only available by prescription, is another option for nicotine replacement therapy.

How to Use Nicotine Gum

When using nicotine gum, you need to periodically place the gum between you gums and your cheek in order to let the nicotine get into your bloodstream.  It is important to keep from swallowing the nicotine because it results in far less getting into your bloodstream and it can also cause gastrointestinal problems.

If you are a heavy smoker, which means you smoke more than 25 cigarettes per day, you should use the 4 mg strength.  A smaller 2 mg dose is recommended for lighter smokers.  Even if you do smoke less than 25 cigarettes, however, you might find it necessary to use the stronger dose at first in order to wean yourself down to the lower dosage.  When using nicotine gum, you should avoid acidic beverages such as tea, coffee, and fruit juice because they interfere with the nicotine absorption.

How to Use a Nicotine Inhaler

Nicotine inhalers provide a small amount of nicotine with every puff.  This makes it necessary to use the inhaler frequently.  For some people who are trying to smoke, this is an advantage because it gives them something to do with their hands.  The effectiveness of nicotine inhalers, however, decreases in temperatures of 50 degrees or less.  It is necessary to avoid acidic beverages in order to obtain the full effect.

How to Use a Nicotine Patch

Nicotine patches are available in both 16 hour and 24 hour dosages.  Most commonly, light smokers use the 16 hour version while heavy smokers use the 24 hour patch.  Those who have trouble sleeping when using the 24 hour patch also choose to use the 16 hour patch because it is not intended to provide nicotine during the night.  Some brands of nicotine patches offer varying strengths of nicotine, as well.  This allows you to taper off the amount of nicotine you use in your nicotine replacement therapy.

Some people experience skin irritation from the patch.  If this happens to you, you should look at using a lower strength or changing from the 24 hour patch to the 16 hour patch.  If this doesn’t help, you might also switch brands.  If you are unable to resolve the skin irritation and it is very problematic, you should look into one of the other forms of nicotine replacement therapy.

How to Use Nasal Spray

Nasal spray nicotine replacement therapy provides immediate relief from cravings.  Some individuals, however, experience side effects such as coughing, sneezing, and runny nose.

No matter which form of nicotine replacement therapy you choose, it is important to also participate in counseling or other methods for dealing with the psychological aspects of cigarette addiction.  Nicotine replacement therapy should not be considered the “cure all” for smoking cessation.

When you are addicted to smoking, there are several associations that are used in relation to having a cigarette.  One of the large associations is the environments that you created to support your smoking need.  When you decide to quit smoking, establishing smoke-free zones will help you to stop your habit.  Having the right environment to quit smoking is a way to give yourself the support that you need to stop smoking.

One of the zones that you can create to help with a smoke-free environment is in your kitchen.  When you decide to quit smoking, toxins and chemicals will begin to move outside of your body.  You will need to balance this with the right kinds of foods that will help to move the toxins outside of your body and allow vitamins and nutrients to become part of your diet.  Multi-vitamins and healthy snacks will help your body to get the fuels that it needs in order to begin changing your body.  Often times, smoking will cause your body to become sick, as the vitamins and other parts of your body are being normalized, which your body is not used to anymore.  Make sure that part of your environment is allowing yourself time to get extra rest and let your body rejuvenate.

If you have certain places that you associated with smoking, then these can be changed to help with breaking your habit.  One of the places where many smoke is in the car.  You can keep water, candies and gum in your car in order to get through withdrawal periods. You can put these in the same places where you kept your cigarettes to help change your associations.  If you know that part of your smoking habit was in relation to the physical sensation, then you can keep straws, lollipops and cinnamon sticks at your disposal to chew on and relieve the physical craving.  If you have other places in your home or outside of your home that you associate with smoking, you can place these other tools there to help you fight your cravings.

One of the things that will help you to remain smoke free is by continuing to educate yourself and make tools for yourself, such as a quit smoking journal.  If you constantly remind yourself why you are quitting through gaining knowledge and allowing yourself time to gain insights, it will help to establish and maintain a smoke-free zone.  Giving yourself time to read books about the effects of smoking, and doing things that will remind you why you decided to quit will help in the process of you not smoking.  Several will keep a list of why they decided to quit smoking and periodically look at it to remind them not to relapse.

Smoking is often related to calming down stressful or hard emotional situations.  If you are angry, sad, or stressed, your first reaction may be to get a cigarette.  Creating a smoke-free environment means placing substitutes around your home to replace the cigarette habit.  Having good music on hand, creating spaces for meditation and relaxation, finding stress relievers, and creating peaceful places in your environment to replace your emotions will all help you to keep being smoke-free.

If you are having anxiety and withdrawal symptoms, sometimes the best solution is to take yourself out of the environment.  An easy way to do this is to go for a walk outside of your home, allowing your energy to be used in a different way.  Another way of taking yourself out of the environment is to simply stop what you are doing in your environment, and simply concentrate on breathing deeply or on something that is peaceful to you.  This will help to calm the anxiety that you feel and bring you back to focusing on your life instead of the cigarette cravings.

Because cigarettes are a habit, the best way to fight them and create a smoke free environment is to find ways to substitute the habit.  Changing your habits with eating, and creating spaces around you to fight against the urge to smoke will all help your environment to be a way to support yourself when you decide to quit smoking.

Although smoking can cause many different physical ailments, one of the most serious diseases associated with tobacco use is lung cancer. Smoking causes 87 percent of all cases of lung cancer. The leading cause of cancer deaths in America, lung cancer costs more people their lives than prostate, colon, lymph, and breast cancer combined.

The risk of lung cancer increases the longer you smoke, and the more cigarettes you smoke regularly. However, if you quit smoking—even after many years—you can still greatly reduce your risk of lung cancer. Prevention of the disease is very important because lung cancer typically is not found until it has reached an advanced stage. The survival rate for lung cancer victims, although improving, is still below that of many other cancers.

The most common symptom of lung cancer is usually a cough. This cough is caused by a tumor blocking passage of air or irritating the airway lining. Other symptoms include coughing up blood, chest pain, a “smoker’s cough” that grows worse, repeated bouts of pneumonia or bronchitis, shortness of breath, fatigue, appetite and subsequent weight loss, or hoarseness lasting over two weeks. Sometimes, lung cancer spreads to other parts of the body (also called metastasizing), and may cause headaches or bone pain.

Background

Human lungs are paired organs that occupy the majority of the chest cavity, located on either side of the heart. The left lung has two lobes and the right lung has three. The pleura, a thin membrane, cover the lungs. Likewise, airway and windpipe linings have surface cells (columnar epithelium) and glands that produce mucus and other fluids.

Air travels from the nose or mouth through the trachea, which separates into two bronchi that enter either lung. Within the lungs, the bronchi continue dividing into smaller tubules, the smallest of which is called the alveoli. Alveoli are grouped in clusters, or lobules, which are then grouped into lobes. An alveolus is surrounded by capillaries. Capillaries are part of the pulmonary blood vessels that connect the lungs to the heart. Blood flows through the capillaries, carbon dioxide is delivered into the alveoli, and oxygen is diffused in the bloodstream.

The columnar epithelium (airways and windpipe lining) in healthy lungs divide in an orderly, controlled manner. When a person has lung cancer, these cells continue to reproduce past the point when new cells are needed. Lung cancer may take years to develop, but lung tissue may start to change immediately after being exposed to carcinogens in cigarette smoke. Continued smoking means more exposure to carcinogens; normal cells become more damaged and may become cancerous. Because of the great reach of the lung’s cells throughout the body, cancerous cells may spread throughout the body (metastasize) more easily.

Lung Cancer Causes and Types

As previously mentioned, cigarette smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. Exposure to secondhand smoke, asbestos and other industrial carcinogens, and high concentrations of radon are other potential causes of lung cancer. In particular, smokers who experience exposure to asbestos or radon are even more at risk for cancer than nonsmokers.

A cancer is named by the body part in which it originated. So even if a nonsmoker has cancer in the kidney that spreads (metastasizes) to the lungs, it is considered metastatic kidney cancer. Nonsmokers rarely get lung cancer, and smoking does not affect the spread of cancer from other body parts to the lungs.

Of cancers originating in the lungs, there are two main types: small cell and non-small cell. Small cell cancer afflicts smokers almost exclusively, and spreads early on during the course of the disease. This type of cancer is typically treated with chemotherapy and radiation, as surgery is generally not an option. However, the five-year survival rate is very low.

More than 75 percent of lung cancers are non-small cell. The four main types of non-small cell cancer are squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, large cell carcinoma, and bronchoaveolar carcinoma. If caught early in the course of the disease, non-small cell cancer can often be surgically removed. Adenocarcinoma is common for nonsmokers and people exposed to secondhand smoke. On the other hand, bronchoaveolar carcinoma tends to occur more often in smokers and in more than one location simultaneously.

Conclusion

Causing nearly 90 percent of lung cancer cases, smoking is by far the greatest risk factor for this disease. However a decade after quitting, your risk of lung cancer is reduced by one-third. Reducing the number of cigarettes smoked can also reduce the risk, although it is not nearly as effective as quitting entirely.

After one decides to quit smoking, there are several changes that will occur. One of the most obvious changes is that in your health. Beyond this, you will find that psychological and material changes that become a part of the switch after the smoking habit, disappears from your life. The benefits that occur after one decides to quit smoking occur on a physical and emotional level.

One of the ways in which things will begin to change with your body after you quit smoking is through the levels of chemicals that stop taking over your body. After only twenty minutes after your last cigarette, your blood pressure decreases, the pulse rate drops, and the body temperature of your hands and feet will increase. At first, this feeling will cause you to want to continue smoking, but if you allow the change to occur in your body, it will eventually relax you as your body is able to normalize in its functioning.

The next thing that happens after you quit smoking is that the carbon monoxide level in your blood and the oxygen level in your blood will return to normal. This begins after about forty-eight hours from your last cigarette. Part of the addiction of smoking is that these two types of chemicals stay on a high through smoking cigarettes. Your body creates a need for these levels to stay higher. By stopping your addiction to cigarettes, it will allow your body to be more relaxed by allowing the extra chemicals to be removed from your blood stream.

One of the effects that smoking has on your body is that it allows nerve endings to break off because of the chemicals that are in the cigarettes. By quitting, the nerve endings will begin to re-grow. At first, it may seem that you have nicotine withdrawal symptoms, but it is allowing the nerves to build back in your system. As a result, your senses will improve in their sensitivity. You will find that your taste and smell will become stronger.

Over a longer period of time, you may begin to notice that not only does the state of your body begin to normalize, but the health risk factors will begin to decrease. Strokes, lung cancer, ulcer diseases, coronary heart disease, and a more substantial life are all diseases and health problems that will disappear after the chemicals from the smoke disappear from your body. By quitting smoking, it will allow a healing and clearing process to begin which will clear out your system from the diseases that you were more susceptible to when you were smoking.

Along with the health benefits that take place in your body, there are also several psychological benefits that occur from you quitting the habit of smoking. At first, several experience withdrawal symptoms, causing a craving for nicotine. However, if you can move past this, then there are benefits that will occur for you mentally. Feelings of freedom are one of the psychological benefits to stop smoking. A lowering of anxiety will also begin to occur. Many say that changes in their environment will occur, as well as a boost in self-esteem. Because of the addicting nature of cigarettes, it often causes one to feel powerless, lowering the self-esteem. When one quits smoking, there is a boost in power and control over their lives.

One of the things that are part of smoking is the environment, financial sacrifices, and time. By stopping smoking, all of these aspects will turn into beneficial changes and move into part of the feeling of freedom that happens by taking away the addiction. Changes in the environment such as smell will cause a change in your health as well as confidence. Being able to save money also allows a new psychological freedom. You will also not be subject to time, as you will not need to stop what you are doing for a cigarette break. This will help with your production time, and will allow you to think more clearly.

The changes in health and mental states are benefits to you for allowing yourself to quit smoking. While the beginning may cause some anxiety for the addiction, getting past this and allowing you to step into a new found freedom with many benefits that will surround you.

You have done it: you have quit smoking, you made a plan, marked the date on your calendar, threw away all of your smoking paraphernalia, toughed out the physiological cravings with the help of a nicotine replacements program perhaps, weathered the psychological cravings, and changed your habits. You have now been smoke free for a little while and you feel like you are on top of the world. This is when it hits you, a temptation so vicious that you could not fight it, and you gave in: you slipped up and lit up. Sadly, this is not the worst of it; you not only slipped once, but felt so disgusted and frustrated with yourself that you had a full-fledged relapse. Was all for naught?

No, it was not! As a matter of fact, a relapse, while most certainly a setback, may very well be the event you need to solidify your conviction on the subject of quitting your addiction, and a temporary relapse now may quite possibly save you from experiencing a permanent relapse later on. In order to learn from your relapse and move forward, consider these questions and suggestions of dealing with it:

Examine the time and location of your relapse and learn from that experience all you can glean. What prompted you to give in to temptation? Why did you give in on that day rather than on any other day? If, for example, the physical craving was suddenly too strong, perhaps this is the time to have a stash of nicotine patches easily accessible in your desk at work, in your car, purse, or where else you may be.

When you relapsed, what problem did you feel your smoking would solve? Consider what other options are available to you to deal with this issue if and when it comes up again in the future. This is a wonderful opportunity to fortify yourself with alternatives should this situation ever arise again.

If you found that you gave in to temptation out of sheer boredom, seek for an enjoyable hobby that will fill spare time. Perhaps you could become involved with a volunteer organization that will allow you to fill your spare time on your schedule. Or perhaps some recreational classes, such as cooking or art, will fit the bill. The old adage that idle hands are the devil’s playground may hold more wisdom than we give grandma credit for!

Understand that a lapse is just that: a temporary setback. While it is true that unlike a brief slip it is a more advanced regression, it is by no means a sentence of permanency. Yes, you will probably have slipped into some old behavior patterns that are leading you back down that road to smoking, but just as you stopped these patterns once, so you will be able to do it again.

Seek positive reinforcement. Be open with friends and family about your relapse and explain how you feel about it. The odds are good that they will not only spur you on, but perhaps will help you to overcome tempting situations. This may also be a good time to consider enrollment in a smoking cessation program to have some help in case another relapse threatens.

Remind yourself of your reasons for quitting. Perhaps you have lost focus of your intentions.

Review the effects of smoking on your body, as well as on those around you. Evaluate your health as it is now, and strive to make that positive change a permanent one.

As you can see, a relapse does not have to be the end of the world. As a matter of fact, it does not mean that you are weak-willed, incapable of quitting the habit, or in any way inferior to any of the other ex-smokers out there. Plenty of them slip up or relapse, but they also get right back onto the non-smoking wagon after they fell off. It is not unusual to relapse and it is important that you not only learn from your experience but that you also forgive yourself for the mistake you made. Remember, you can quit and a relapse is simply a temporary setback!

One of the effects that smoking has on you is that it causes bad breath as well as other dental problems. There are several reasons why smoking causes problems with your breath and oral hygiene. While there may be some temporary fixes to banish bad breath, the easiest way to get rid of the bad oral hygiene is to quit smoking.

The main reason for bad breath when smoking is found to be caused by the chemicals found in cigarettes. These are then moved into your mouth, where they can build up. Tar and nicotine easily begin to build up on the mouth surfaces. They can stick to places like the teeth, gums, tongue and side of the cheeks. This causes smoker’s breath to form.

One of the major results of the chemicals in the cigarettes is that it allows bacteria to form in your mouth. The first way in which bacteria is able to stay in your mouth is from these chemicals. When they stay on your mouth’s surface, it allows the bacteria to stick to certain places, giving them a place to thrive.

Another reason why smoking causes bad breath, is because it dries out your mouth. In consequence, this stops the saliva from continuously flowing and cleansing out your mouth. This is what causes the growth of certain types of bacteria in your mouth, which then lead to a continuous odor on your breath. Because the saliva is not able to move as freely, it can’t clean out the bacteria that move through your mouth. These same parts of smoking also cause cavities and yellowing of teeth to form easier.

Another reason why smoking will cause bad breath is because it raises the temperature in your mouth. This causes oral tissue cells to be damaged and killed. These will then not be able to protect the mouth efficiently, causing the bacteria to be able to move into the mouth easier. This may eventually lead to more serious problems with your oral hygiene.

More serious problems with smoking and dental hygiene may include gum disease and oral cancer. This can cause long term effects by someone who smokes. The tobacco that moves into your system causes your immune system to limit how it can fight infection. It also stops the growing of blood vessels. Both of these contribute to one who smokes getting gum disease or oral cancer.

One of the ways that most smokers will get rid of bad breath is by using a certain type of smoke screen gum. This will neutralize the odor causing bacteria on your tongue after you smoke a cigarette. However, this type of gum is usually fairly expensive and does not eliminate the bad breath after you smoke another cigarette. The bacteria is still able to move inside your mouth, and the chemicals that stick to your teeth, gums, tongue and cheeks still remain in place. Most quick remedies that are there for smokers are used for shorter term fixes and are unable to eliminate the complex problems that form in your oral hygiene from smoking.

The easiest way to prevent dental problems and bad breath is by stopping smoking all together. This will begin to change several of the problems that have occurred with bad breath because of smoking. After you quit smoking, the saliva in your mouth is able to move more freely. This will naturally begin to get rid of the extra bacteria that were able to grow in your mouth. The next thing that will happen is the blood vessels and the tissue cells will begin to repair. Nutrients, such as Vitamin C, which were being killed by the bacteria before, will have a chance to repair and build back in your mouth. This is one of the main agents that will fight the bacteria.

Eventually, the chemicals, tar and nicotine that were beginning to stay in your mouth will also be washed away. This will leave no room for the bacteria to stay in your mouth and cause the bad breath. When you quit smoking, your mouth will begin to rebuild the damaged areas. These will not only help to prevent bad breath, but also things such as stained teeth, and more serious problems dealing with gum disease and oral cancer.

Deciding to quit smoking is a choice that will help with your health in many areas, including your oral hygiene. By deciding to quit smoking, your mouth will be able to function better and remain healthy. If you want to eliminate your bad breath or smokers’ breath then deciding to quit smoking is the best way to do it.