Hurting Yourself
· Smoking is an addiction. Tobacco contains nicotine, a drug that is
addictive and very difficult, but not impossible to quit.
· More than 50,00,000 deaths in the worldwide each year are from smoking related
illnesses. Smoking greatly increases your risk for lung cancer
and other cancers.
Hurting Others
· Smoking harms not just the smoker, but also family members,
coworkers, and others who breathe the smoker's secondhand smoke.
· Among infants to 18 months of age, secondhand smoke is associated
with as many as 300,000 cases of bronchitis and pneumonia each
year.
· Secondhand smoke from a parent's cigarette increases a child's
chances for middle ear problems, causes coughing, wheezing, and
worse asthma conditions.
· If both parents smoke, a teenager is more than twice as likely to
smoke than a young person whose parents are nonsmokers. In
households where only one parent smokes, young people are also
more likely to smoke.
· Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to deliver babies whose
weights are too low for the babies' good health. If all women would
quit smoking during pregnancy, about 4,000 new babies would not die
each year worldwide.
Why Quit?
· Quitting smoking makes a difference right away, you can taste and
smell food better. Your breath smells better. Your cough goes away.
This happens to people of all ages, even those who are older. It
happens to healthy people as well as those who already have a disease
or condition caused by smoking.
· Quitting smoking cuts the risk of lung and other cancers, heart and
lung disease, stroke, and other respiratory illnesses.
· Ex-smokers have better health than smokers. Ex- smokers have fewer
days of illness, fewer health complaints, and less bronchitis and
pneumonia than current smokers.
· Quitting smoking saves money. A pack-a-day smoker, who pays Rs25
per pack, can expect to save more than Rs 9125 per year.
Quitting Tips
Getting Ready to Quit
o Set a date for quitting. If possible, have a friend quit smoking
with you.
o Notice when and why you smoke. Try to find the things in
your daily life that you often do while smoking (such as
drinking your morning cup of coffee or driving a car).
o Change your smoking routines: Keep your cigarettes in a
different place. Smoke with your other hand. Don't do
anything else when smoking. Think about how you feel when
you smoke.
o Smoke only in certain places, such as outdoors.
o When you want a cigarette, wait a few minutes. Try to think of
something to do instead of smoking; you might chew gum or
drink a glass of water.
o Buy one pack of cigarettes at a time. Switch to a brand of
cigarettes you don't like.
On the Day You Quit
o Get rid of all your cigarettes. Put away your ashtrays.
o Change your morning routine. Stay busy.
o When you get the urge to smoke, do something else instead.
o Carry other things to put in your mouth, such as gum, or hard
candy.
o Reward yourself at the end of the day for not smoking. See a
movie or go out and enjoy your favorite meal.
Staying Quit
o Don't worry if you are sleepier or more short-tempered than
usual; these feelings will pass.
o Try to exercise.
o Consider the positive things about quitting, such as how much
you like yourself as a non-smoker, health benefits for you and
your family. A positive attitude will help you through the
tough times.
o When you feel tense, try to keep busy, think about ways to
solve the problem, tell yourself that smoking won't make it
any better, and go do something else.
o Eat regular meals. Feeling hungry is sometimes mistaken for
the desire to smoke.
o Start a money jar with the money you save by not buying
cigarettes.
o Let others know that you have quit smoking-most people will
support you. It's good to talk to others about your quitting.
o If you slip and smoke, don't be discouraged. Many former
smokers tried to stop several times before they finally
succeeded. Quit again.
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