Quit Smoking

It has been identified that there are several dozen carcinogenic compounds in cigarette smoke. These range from such familiar terms as tar and benzene to nitrosamines. Also present in cigarette smoke is carbon monoxide, which binds with hemoglobin to deprive the blood stream of its much needed oxygen.

It is not easy to quit smoking. Only 6% actually succeed in quitting smoking permanently when they try for the first time.Willpower is required as with any long term health decision. You can be assisted with counseling as well as using some of the many products that are available today such as nicotine gum, patches, and inhalers.

There are also several non-nicotine alternatives on the market. Another option is to use anti-depressants such as Zyban. Another item which has shown to be promising is the new prescription drug by the name of Chantix.

Dealing with the consequences of stopping smoking can be difficult. Weight gain is always possible. It is also inevitable that you will experience cravings for a while. However, the long term effects of quitting are enormous.

After a few years, your risk of stroke and heart disease return to what they are for non-smokers. Your skin will regenerate to its normal state, and your overall energy levels rise, resulting in your body and mind being able to cope with normal day to day challenges.

Therefore, stop smoking today and gain the advantages, because the alternative really is grim.

Giving yourself a chance to live without smoking. Everyone deserve this.

When asked why you smoke, you might have said, "I just like to smoke!" or "It's my choice to smoke." The tobacco companies have promoted the idea that smoking is a matter of personal choice. As I see it, there really isn't as much choice as they have suggested to their customers. Ask yourself, and be totally honest: Am I addicted to tobacco? Am I truly making a freely made choice when I smoke? You might consider that you need to have a cigarette. Studies have shown that nicotine addiction is as hard to break as heroin or cocaine addiction.

In Nicotine Anonymous' 12 Step program, which sprang from the venerable Alcoholics Anonymous program, the first step is admitting to yourself, "I'm powerless over tobacco." Making this admission may seem trivial to you, but for many it is a very significant part of completing the journey to becoming a non-smoker. By telling smokers that smoking is a personal choice, the tobacco industry has helped to keep its customers in denial about the true extent of their addiction. If smoking is a choice, then what's the rush to quit? The tobacco companies have used this spin to help keep millions of customers buying their deadly products. Admitting that you're smoking more out of addiction than choice will help motivate you to go on to the next steps -- taking control of yourself and becoming a nonsmoker.

This admission will further serve you by helping you stay smokefree later. In the months and years after you quit, when temptations to smoke occasionally overpower you -- and they will -- remind yourself, "I have an addiction and I'm powerless over tobacco." Saying this to yourself in overwhelmed moments of desire will help give you the strength to say no to "just one" cigarette. If you can make it for just five minutes without giving in, the urge to smoke be controllable or disappear. In this way, you'll be able to stay smokefree for life.