You've heard it a million times. Smoking is a filthy habit. It makes you smell bad and it destroys your health. You are thinking about quitting, but you're not sure how to go about it.
Quitting smoking may well be one of the hardest things you ever do, but the payoff will be well worth the effort. Cigarette smoking is the most significant cause of preventable illnesses and premature death in Canada. Over 45,000 Canadians die each year from tobacco-related diseases.
Good Reasons for Quitting In addition to the money you'll save when you stop buying tobacco products, there are some excellent health reasons for quitting, even if you only smoke a few cigarettes once in a while. The following are just a few of the ways smoking harms your health.
* Cancer: Smoking is the main culprit in 87% of all lung cancer cases. It is also the primary cause of cancers in the esophagus, larynx, throat, and mouth, and it plays a role in the development of cancer of the bladder, pancreas, liver, kidney, cervix, stomach, colon and rectum, and some leukemias. * Lung problems: Smoking is the leading cause of lung problems, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. * Heart disease: Smokers have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, the number one killer of Canadians * Fertility problems: Smoking increases the risk of infertility and miscarriage in women and the risk of infertility and impotence in men. * Pregnancy risks: Women who smoke while they are pregnant increase the risk of low birthweight babies, premature delivery, and newborns with lung problems. Smoking also damages your appearance, yellowing your teeth, fingers, and fingernails. It can irritate and dry your skin, leading to premature wrinkling and aging. It also deadens your senses of taste and smell. Don't forget that while it is doing all of this to your body, your second-hand smoke is causing the same damage to the people around you. Taking the First Step Okay, you've made your mind up to quit. Now what? The first step is to figure out why you smoke. That may sound simple: you smoke because you like it. But if you dig a little deeper, you will find patterns that point to underlying reasons. Knowing this will help you develop a successful quitting strategy. For example, do you reach for a cigarette when you feel tense or nervous? Are you more likely to smoke when you are socializing with friends? Do you enjoy the ritual of handling the cigarette, of taking it out of the pack and lighting it? Once you know what triggers you to reach for a cigarette, you can begin to develop a plan for overcoming the urge to smoke. For many people, the plan begins with a list of reasons why they want to quit. The list may include using the "cigarette money" to finance a family vacation, wanting to live a long and healthy life so you can enjoy your children and grandchildren, the desire to pay less for life insurance, or being tired of huddling outdoors in the cold winters or broiling summers during your coffee break with the other smokers. Whatever your reasons, write them down and carry them with you in your wallet or purse. That way, when the urge strikes, you can remind yourself why you decided to quit and why the rocky road to success is worth it. Some people find it helpful to keep a cigarette diary to track their progress. This will also help identify those situations that make quitting even harder. For example, if you find that you always smoke with your first cup of coffee in the morning, try changing your routine. You could delay that first cup, change where you drink it, or switch to tea or another beverage. Need more help quitting smoking? Go ahead and join a free 10 days stop smoking email program that will teach you how to quit smoking right now. http://stop-smoking.fitnesstipsforlife.com/