Thinking about quitting smoking?

Are you tired of smoking cigarettes? The cough, the smell, the cost, standing out in the cold, the nagging of loved ones? Is it time to think about quitting?

For many people smoking is a part of their daily lives, but even if you're someone who's quit before and started again, don't lose hope!! It is rare that a smoker successfully quits the first time they try. On average, a person makes 30 quit attempts before they successfully quit for life. The good news is that with every quit attempt you learn something new about your strengths and about your areas for improvement. As you learn more about yourself and your smoking patterns, every subsequent quit attempt becomes easier and easier.

Why is it so hard to quit?

Cigarettes contain nicotine and nicotine is a very addictive drug. It only takes seven seconds for the nicotine to reach your brain after you inhale. Your brain and body quickly get used to the effects of nicotine and need more cigarettes more often to avoid withdrawal symptoms like tiredness, irritability, hunger etc. This makes you addicted to tobacco. The effect that you feel from smoking only lasts a few minutes, but the impact on your health can be forever.

Nicotine itself is a toxic substance and cigarettes contain 4000 chemicals, at least 40 of which are cancer causing. How smoking affects you depends on a number of factors including how long you've been smoking, how much you smoke, your age, and any medical conditions.

Why should I quit?

• Health Benefits: Did you know when you stop smoking your body will experience benefits within 20 minutes?
• Saving money: Have you ever stopped to think about how much it costs to smoke?
• Protecting people: Protecting the people around you from being exposed to second hand smoke.

Before you attempt to stop smoking...

Think about preparing. It is a bit like training for a race. The better trained you are, the higher the likelihood of success. Think about the reasons you have for quitting.

• Make a list of reasons, including personal reasons, medical effects, health benefits, financial advantages and obligations to others.
• Repeat one of these reasons to yourself several times each morning.
• Set a target date for quitting. Do not allow anything to change this date.
• Make a list of people who can support your intentions to quit, such as co-workers, family members and friends.
• Prepare yourself through knowledge of the withdrawal symptoms and ways to cope with them.
• Think about how you'll spend your extra money, how good you'll feel about yourself, how much better your clothes will smell, how much more energy you'll have and how much fresher your breath will be.

You may not want to quit now and that is ok.

Down the road you may think about it for a number of reasons. Quitting smoking is an individual experience and by simply thinking about wanting to quit means that you are on your way to making that change to become smoke-free.

Now that we thought about preparing to quit, are you ready to quit smoking?