I AM STOPPING QUITING
The American Lung Association states that “every year in the U.S. over 392,000 people die from tobacco-caused disease, making it the leading cause of preventable death. Another 50,000 people die from exposure to secondhand smoke.” The ALA lists the following time line for the benefits of stopping smoking. These positives should be rehearsed every day along with the negatives of smoking. Part of the addiction cycle is simply ingoring or not thinking about the risks of smoking and the benefits of stopping. So every day start your day with reading to yourself the following facts. Place them on your bathrrom mirror. Also be sure to say them firmly to yourself. You are serious about stopping smoking so get energy in your voice when you read theses statements. By re-reading them every day you are learning the kind of thinking that will greatly help you to find the motivation to stop smoking. And you will find that these thoughts come up when you reach for a cigarette. Do not try to push the thoughts away because they are the thoughts of your survival instinct. The addiction stifles your survival instinct.
NEGATIVES ABOUT SMOKING
Cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. Smoking is directly responsible for approximately 90 percent of lung cancer deaths and approximately 80-90 percent of COPD (emphysema and chronic bronchitis) deaths.
Among current smokers, chronic lung disease accounts for 73 percent of smoking-related conditions.
Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, and is a main cause of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema). It is also a cause of coronary heart disease, stroke and a host of other cancers and diseases.
( U.S Department of Health and Human Services. Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2004. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Other Negatives:
I’ll have to where an Oxygen tank if I keep this up
I smell bad
Smoking makes me more tired and short of breath when I walk
It increases my blood pressure
Smoking increases my chance of having a stroke
It increases my chance of having a heart attack.
It greatly increases my chance of getting deadly lung cancer
It increases anxiety because it is a vasoconstrictor
20 Minutes After Quitting: my heart rate becomes normal.
12 Hours After Quitting: The carbon monoxide level in my blood is normal.
2 Weeks to 3 Months After Quitting: my risk of having a heart attack reduces and lung function starts improving.
1 to 9 Months After Quitting:my coughing and shortness of breath lessen.
1 Year After Quitting: my added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
5 to 15 Years After Quitting: my risk of having a stroke is equal that of a nonsmoker's.
my risk of getting cancer of the mouth, throat, or esophagus is half that of a smoker's.
10 Years After Quitting: my risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a smoker's.
my risk of getting bladder cancer is half that of a smoker's.
my risk of getting cervical cancer or cancer of the larynx, kidney or pancreas decreases.
15 Years After Quitting: my risk of heart disease equals that of a nonsmoker.
Other positives of stopping:
As soon as I quit, my body begins to repair the damage caused by smoking!
I will save a lot of money. At one pack a day I can save almost $1000.00 a year and $10,000.00 in 10 years!
No more aggravation of finding someplace to smoke!
It's good for the health of people around me!
Ex-smokers don't have the scent of smoke on their clothes and hair, and their houses don't smell like cigarettes.
Food will taste better and my sense of smell will improve. Smoking interferes with my sense of taste, so food tastes better when you quit.
I'll stop hacking.