Most smokers sincerely want to
quit. They know cigarettes
threaten their health, set a bad
example for their children,
annoy their acquaintances and cost
an inordinate amount of
money.
Nobody can force a smoker to
quit. It's something each person
has to decide for himself, and
will require a personal commitment
by the smoker. What kind of smoker are you? What do you get out
of smoking? What does it do for you? It is important to
identify what you use smoking for
and what kind of satisfaction
you feel that you are getting from
smoking.
Many smokers use the cigarette as
a kind of crutch in moments of
stress or discomfort, and on
occasion it may work; the cigarette
is sometimes used as a tranquilizer. But the heavy smoker, the
person who tries to handle severe
personal problems by smoking
heavily all day long, is apt to
discover that cigarettes do not
help him deal with his problems
effectively.
When it comes to quitting, this
kind of smoker may find it easy to
stop when everything is going
well, but may be tempted to start
again in a time of crisis. Physical exertion, eating, drinking,
or social activity in moderation
may serve as useful substitutes
for cigarettes, even in times of
tension. The choice of a substitute
depends on what will achieve the
same effects without having any
appreciable risk.
Once a smoker understands his own
smoking behavior, he will be able
to cope more successfully and
select the best quitting approaches
for himself and the type of
life-style he leads.
Because smoking is a form of
addiction, 80 percent of smoker who
quit usually experience some
withdrawal symptoms. These may
include headache,
light-headedness, nausea, diarrhea, and chest
pains. Psychological symptoms, such as anxiety,
short-term
depression, and inability to
concentrate, may also appear. The
main psychological symptom is
increased irritability. People
become so irritable, in fact, that
they say they feel "like
killing somebody." Yet there is no evidence that quitting
smoking leads to physical
violence.
Some people seem to lose all their
energy and drive, wanting
only to sleep. Others react in exactly the opposite way,
becoming
so over energized they can't find
enough activity to burn off their
excess energy. For instance, one woman said she cleaned out
all
her closets completely and was
ready to go next door to start on her
neighbor's. Both these extremes, however, eventually
level off.
The symptoms may be intense for
two or three days, but within 10 to
14 days after quitting, most
subside. The truth is that after people
quit smoking, they have more
energy, they generally will need less
sleep, and feel better about
themselves.
Quitting smoking not only extends
the ex-smoker's life, but adds new
happiness and meaning to one's
current life. Most smokers state that
immediately after they quit
smoking, they start noticing dramatic
differences in their overall
health and vitality.
Quitting is beneficial at any age,
no matter how long a person has
been smoking. The mortality ratio of ex-smoker decreases
after
quitting. If the patient quits before a serious disease
has developed,
his body may eventually be able to
restore itself almost completely.
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