Smoking FAQs - (Developing This Section)
Here are some commonly asked questions about how to stop smoking and the answers to them. Questions that do get right to the heart of the stop smoking dilemma for many people.
"What is the best way for me to stop smoking?"
The answer is that there is no easy answer to this question. Everyone is different. There are so many different means to quit, that the best thing to do is to try one stop smoking method and if it doesn't try another. And another. Until you find you have stopped smoking.
In general you have several attempts to stop smoking before you really succeed. Most people try to stop smoking, start smoking once again, then over a long period of time find out what helps then stop smoking. They then again try to stop smoking and eventually they do.
Some people can stop smoking just because of their determination to do so. These people stop smoking cold turkey. Other smokers take classes on how to stop smoking, use over the counter or prescribed medications, go through therapy or hypnosis or perhaps stop smoking patches or nicotine-tasting gum.
Whatever you find that helps you to stop smoking and is safe is okay to use. Your family physician can help you stop smoking, and is an important resource as those who stop smoking often realize a tendency to over eat and gain weight as a result.
"How Can I Begin To Quit?"
Many people have found that including physical activity in their program to quit smoking has added a tremendous benefit to assist in quitting. There are many reasons for this:
When people are more active, they gain confidence and like themselves more. They feel more energy, and are more capable of dealing with tension in their lives. With increased activity, the smell of tobacco actually becomes offensive.
Whenever you feel the need to smoke after you have decided to quit, get up and move around instead. A brief physical activity can provide you with the lift that you may have received from nicotine.
"How will my body be affected when I stop smoking?
Can I really get back to the point of good health that I had before I started smoking or is too much damage already done?"
The answer to this is multi-faceted, all of which is very encouraging. Your high blood pressure returns to normal within 30 minutes of quitting smoking, as does your pulse rate. Within just a few hours, your blood's carbon monoxide level drops and blood flows more easily to your brain. Within a couple days after you stop smoking your never ending start to get better and you begin to get back your sense of taste and smell.
After three days the bronchial tubes of your lungs expand and the volume of your lungs increases. Your shortness of breath decreases within months after you stop smoking. The heart attack risk that your smoking caused declines within the first year after you stop smoking and in two or three years after you stop that risk is gone. Your cancer risk is the same as nonsmokers after you have stopped smoking for ten years.
A more detailed chart can be found on site at : How Time Helps You Regain Your Health
"How can I tell when I've really quit smoking?"
This is a very subjective question to answer. Some people throw away the pack of cigarettes the first time and that's the end of that. They've stopped smoking. Others spend months or even years craving cigarettes.
Most smokers stop after about three weeks without a cigarette. This is a point that you should aim for. If you have spent three weeks without a cigarette it is very likely you may never smoke again.
"Why should I quit smoking? What are the risks associated with Smoking?"
If you continue to smoke, the RISKS and downsides are as follows:
You will be twelve times more likely to die from lung cancer.
You will be ten times more likely to die from some form of lung disease.
You will be ten times more likely to die from cancer of the larynx.
You will be six times more likely to die of heart disease.
You will be twice as likely to die of a stroke.
Now let’s just think for one short moment: wouldn’t it be very important for you to increase your chances of living from two to twelve times longer, gain many extra years of happy, healthy existence, and save thousands of dollars in increased medical costs?
Another overlooked benefit is the amount of money saved by not buying cigarettes in the first place. Let me explain:
If you smoke one pack of cigarettes a day at $5.00 per pack, you spend just over $1800.00 per year. If your habit has continued for a period of 20 years you will have spent an incredible $36,000.00! If you smoke two packs for that same period of time, you will spend over $72,000.00!
Those are some powerful reasons not to smoke!
"What makes smoking so habit forming? Even if you only smoke a few cigarettes a day, why do you feel so bad when you try to quit?"
Nicotine creates a biochemical reaction in your body that has an immediate effect on your mood, your ability to reason, and your metabolism. The more that you smoke, the higher level of chemical dependency will be reached. Light smokers can also become just as dependent on cigarettes because of nicotine’s psychological impact. In this way it can affect moods and feelings in certain situations.
THE EFFECTS OF NICOTINE ON YOUR BODY
It is only a matter of seconds after that first puff that nicotine starts to have an effect on your central nervous system, and the rest of your body. Certain areas of the brain, when stimulated by nicotine, help you think more clearly. Other areas of the brain lie in a pleasure center which when stimulated, can make you feel more relaxed and less anxious.
Nicotine also affects the hormones produced by the body which creates a chemical dependency to nicotine and the accompanying craving. Heavy smokers have become dependent on heightened levels of hormones, stimulated by nicotine, which can have an addictive quality. They need a cigarette at certain intervals of time. After the stimulation of the hormones starts to fall, they need another cigarette to bring them back into the comfort zone. If they do not get that cigarette, the craving begins.
(More Questions And Information Coming Soon)
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