Help to quit smoking
tips and resources to help you stop smoking
And yep
im a smoker :) I did quit smoking for about 4 years and then unfortunately
started smoking again and think its about time for giving up smoking for
good now. So was looking around the web for help and resources on how to
best quit smoking and some tips on how to make stop smoking a bit more
bearable and so I thought I will compile some tips and tricks as well as
some resource sites on this topic that can help you as well whenever you
are ready to quit smoking also!
First some facts from the American Lung
Association:
Smoking-related diseases claim an estimated 430,700
American lives each year. Smoking costs the United States approximately
$97.2 billion each year in health-care costs and lost productivity. It is
directly responsible for 87 percent of lung cancer cases and causes most
cases of emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Now you surely already know that smoking isn't good for
anybody, but just in case you need some more motivation here are some more
facts:
-
Smoking is the single largest preventable cause of
premature death and disability in the United States.
-
Every year, 350,000 Americans die prematurely from
diseases caused by cigarette smoking -- such as lung cancer, emphysema,
and coronary heart disease.
-
Nicotine addiction is the "most widespread example of
drug dependence in our country," according to the U.S. Public Health
Service.
-
Three-quarters of the adults who currently smoke
started their habit before the age of 21; teenage years are critical
ones in the habituation of cigarette smokers.
-
Nine out of ten smokers say they want to quit.
-
The number of Americans who have quit smoking is
rising steadily. To date, 36 million Americans have quit smoking.
-
Smoking accounts for 85-90 percent of emphysema
mortality in America. Once a disease that affected exclusively men, one
in four emphysema deaths now occurs among women.
-
Lung cancer, already the number one cause of cancer
mortality in American men, in 1986 surpassed breast cancer as the
leading cancer of American women.
-
In 1985 lung cancer killed an estimated 38,600 women
-- approximately 84 percent of the 46,000 women who were diagnosed with
the disease that year.
-
Smokers who have a heart attack have less chance for
survival than a person who does not smoke. And by continuing to smoke
after a heart attack, the person’s chance for a second attack increases.
-
Smoking has severe economic consequences for the
nation, estimated at a staggering $53.7 billion in total annual costs.
Direct costs account for $30.4 billion of the total; there is an
additional annual cost of $23.3 billion in lost productivity due to
excess morbidity and mortality.
-
Smoking is a major risk factor for peripheral
vascular disease. This disease is a narrowing of blood vessels that
carry blood to the leg and arm muscles. If a blood clot blocks an
already narrowed artery, then the result could be the damage or even the
loss of an arm or leg.
When Smokers Quit - What Are the Benefits Over
Time?
20 minutes after quitting: Your blood pressure drops to a level
close to that before the last cigarette. The temperature of your hands and
feet increases to normal. (US Surgeon General's Report,1988, pp. 39, 202)
8 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood
drops to normal.
(US Surgeon General's Report,1988, p. 202)
24 hours after quitting: Your chance of a heart attack decreases.
(US Surgeon General's Report,1988, p. 202)
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and
your lung function increases up to 30%. (US Surgeon General's Report,
1990, pp.193,194,196,285,323)
1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue,
and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair like structures that
move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs,
increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce
infection. (US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. 304, 307, 319, 322)
1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is
half that of a smoker's. (US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)
5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a
nonsmoker 5-15 years after quitting. (US Surgeon General's Report, 1990,
p.79)
10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half
that of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat,
esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decrease. (US Surgeon General's
Report, 1990, p.110, 147, 152, 155, 159,172)
15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that
of a nonsmoker's.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p.79)
Plus think of how much money you spend each day on
cigarettes and how much it will safe you over time!!
OK now that we have that out of the way here are
some great resources and websites that will help you on how to best quit
smoking:
(I will not even intent to make my own list here on
what way is best as those folks that compiled the following information
are professionals and will do a much better job on how to best quit
smoking as I ever can)
Now all there is to do to get serious, make your own
plan, get ready and quit smoking!
