The 1982 Surgeon General's Report states that "Cigarette smoking is the major sinlge cause of cancer
mortality in the Unite States."
The most unfortunate fact is smoking is the most preventable cause of premature
death in our society.
Every cigarette you smoke contains around 4,000 chemicals. the 2 biggest contributors to
heart disease are carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas) and nicotine (highly addictive).
The benefits of quitting smoking
are immediate: food will start to taste better, breathing will become easier; and even if you've smoked for 30 years,
your risk of heart disease is halved within a year of giving up. - 47 million
adults (25 million men and 22 million women) were current smokers in 1999.
- An estimated
430,700 US deaths per year (nearly one in five) were attributed to smoking from 1990-194.
Cigarettes kill more Americans
than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs.
- Cigarette
smoking is a major cause of cancers of the lung, larynx, oral cavity, pharynx and esophagus.
- About
87% of lung cancer deaths are attributed to smoking.
- Smoking is a major factor in heart
disease, bronchitis, emphysema, and stroke and contributes to the severity of colds, pneumonia and asthma.
- Maternal smoking is associated with increased risk of miscarriage pre-term delivery, stillbirth, and infant
death, and is cause of low birth weight in infants.
- Avoid alcohol, and coffee- These tend to stimulate the desire for
a cigarette.
- Snack on low calorie foods- like celery, apples and carrots
or sugar-free chewing gum when the urge to light up strikes you.
- Change your
normal routines associated with smoking.
- Ask for support-
Don't be afraid to ask for help from your doctor, friends and family members.
- Hide
all ashtrays and destroy all your cigarettes- Remove yourself from all temptations that may trigger cigarette cravings.
- People who quit, regardlees of age, live longer
than people who continue to smoke.
- Smokers who quit before age 50 have half the risk
of dying in the next 15 years compared with those who continue to smoke.
We tend to think of lung cancer as
being more of a problem for men. But since more and more women are smoking the number of women being diagnosed with lung cancer
is increasing rapidly. Lung cancer is hard to treat and cure rates are low. The more you smoke the greater the
risk, although just one or two cigarettes a day are more than enough to cause lung cancer. It's another good reason to
give up! If you smoke while taking the contraceptive pill, your risk of heart disease is 30 times that of a non-smoker. Chronic lung disease is very common among older smokers and can destroy a busy and active life. Smoking
effects your skin too. It ages more quickly in smokers with the early appearance of wrinkles and thinning of the skin. Before you stop...
- Don't be afraid to ask for help.
- Ask family and friends not to smoke
around you.
- Wash your clothes to get rid of the smell of smoke.
- Decide
you'll only smoke during odd or even hours of the day.
- Write down the reasons you want
to become a non-smoker.
- Each day, postpone the lighting of your first cigarette by one hour.
- Ask your partner or friend to stop with you - make a contract with each other.
- Keep busy on the day you plan to stop. Go to the cinema, take some exercise, tie up some loose ends in
your life!
- Make a date and stick to it. Write up a plan of action and consider methods available
to you.
- Smoke only under circumstances that aren't especially pleasurable for you. If
you like to smoke with others, smoke alone.
- Change to a brand that is low in tar and nicotine
a couple of weeks before your target date.
- Decide how many cigarettes you'll smoke during
the day. For each additional cigarette, give a pound to your favourite charity.
- Smoke only
those cigarettes you 'really want'. Catch yourself before you light up a cigarette out of pure habit.
- Don't empty your ashtrays. This will remind you of how many you DO smoke - the sight and smell of stale
cigarettes butts will be very unpleasant.
- Don't think of never smoking again. Think of
'stopping' in terms of one day at a time.
Positive steps
- Get more active: Walk instead of
driving or taking the bus. Use the stairs instead of the lift. Exercise helps you relax and boosts morale.
- Change
your routine and try to avoid danger areas - it's tough, but pubs and alcohol are real triggers.
- Find
activities that make smoking difficult (gardening, exercise, washing the car, taking a shower).
- Spend
as much free time as possible in places where smoking isn't allowed (libraries, museums, theatres, department stores,
and churches!)
- Change your surroundings when an urge hits; get up and move about, or do something
else.
- Avoid places where smoking is permitted.
- Put something
other than a cigarette into your mouth. Keep 'mouth candy' handy - try carrots, apples, celery, raisins, or sugarless
gum.
- Tell all your friends and family that you've already quit - you'll be embarrassed
if they catch you smoking.
- Stop carrying cigarettes with you at home, in your bag or at work.
Don't 'borrow' any, and make them difficult to get to.
- Throw away all your cigarettes
and matches. Hide (or trash!) your lighters and ashtrays.
- Visit the dentist and have your
teeth cleaned to get rid of tobacco stains. Use a teeth-whitening toothpaste and mouthwash - resolve to keep them that way.
- Enjoy having a clean mouth taste and maintain it by brushing your teeth frequently and using
a mouthwash.
- Avoid heavy drinking of alcohol, caffeine, or other stimulants or mood-altering
substances.
- If your partner smokes, try and encourage him or her to quit or at the very least
not to smoke around you.
- Think positively - withdrawal can be unpleasant, but it's a
sign your body is recovering from the effects of tobacco.
Deal
with mealtimes...
- Be careful what you eat - try not to snack on fatty or
salty foods.
- Assist the body in getting rid of nicotine. Drink plenty of water; eat fresh
fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fibre-rich foods.
- Change your eating habits to help
you cut down - for example, drink milk, which many people consider incompatible with smoking.
- Change
the daily schedule. Eat at different times or eat many small meals instead of three large ones; sit in a different chair;
rearrange the furniture.
- Find other ways to close a meal. Play a tape or CD; eat a piece
of fruit; get up and make a phone call.
- Instead of smoking after meals, get up from the table
and brush your teeth.
- Try to avoid alcohol, coffee, and other beverages that you associate
with cigarette smoking.
It's a mind game...
- Light
incense or candles instead of a cigarette.
- Strike up conversation instead of a match for
a cigarette.
- Cut a drinking straw into cigarette-sized pieces. Inhale air.
- Collect all your cigarette butts in a large glass container - you'll clearly see just how much you
DO smoke.
- Take 10 deep breaths and hold the last one while lighting a match. Exhale slowly
and blow out the match. Pretend it's a cigarette and crush it out in an ashtray. Repeat.
- Decide
positively that you want to stop. Try to avoid negative thoughts about how difficult it might be.
- When
cravings become overwhelming: take naps, warm baths or showers, or meditate.
- If you miss
the sensation of having a cigarette in your hand, play with something else (!) - a pencil, a paper clip, whatever.
- Identify the trigger: Exactly what was it that prompted you to smoke? Be aware of the trigger and decide
now how you'll cope with it when it comes up again.
- Understand that withdrawal symptoms
are temporary - they're healthy signs that the body is repairing itself from its long exposure to nicotine.
- When cravings occur, hold your breath as long as possible or take a few deep rhythmic breaths.
Think of the savings - and the treats!
- Make
up a calendar for the first 90 days. Cross off each day and indicate the money you saved by not smoking.
- Take
one day at a time - each day without a cigarette is good news for your health, family and your purse.
- Make
a list of things you'd like to buy for yourself or someone else. Estimate the money saved from packs of cigarettes.
- Each month, on the anniversary of your stopping date, plan a special celebration.
- Buy yourself flowers to celebrate totally smoke-free days; you may be surprised how much you can enjoy
their scent now.
Helping someone who's trying to quit
- Before they stop, ask what they would like you to do to help. Some smokers like attention,
while others like to get on with it in peace. Keep checking out their preferences.
- Do a deal
to kick a habit of your own at the same time. Although nothing is quite the same as giving up smoking, it could really help
you to understand what your friend is going through if you also give up something you depend on.
- Don't
forget they're stopping and lose interest in them. Send a good luck card, and little 'well done' messages in the
early weeks. The novelty wears off quickly, so it'll help if you can keep up morale.
- Spend
time with them in smoke-free places - the cinema, no-smoking cafes and bars, museums, sports centres. The more often they
can socialise without smoking, the easier it will be to break habits.
- Let them sound off!
Nicotine withdrawal sometimes makes people irritable, so indulge the occasional bad mood.
- Celebrate
some firsts - the first smoke-free week or month, the first time they manage a party without smoking. Ask what the smoker
will see as a challenge, and celebrate all the successes.
- If you smoke yourself, be considerate!
Keep your cigarettes tidied away, and don't leave full ashtrays around. Try to smoke somewhere else, so that the smell
won't make things harder.
- Don't look at someone else's decision to stop as being
a criticism of you. They're doing it because it's right for them - you're still free to do what you like.
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