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Tips On How To Stop Smoking

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Each cigarette can also contain as much as six times more tar than the maximum amount of carbon dioxide exhaled.

So you need to find ways to stop smoking for good.

One easy and low-cost method is to use a technique called smoke breaks.

Smokers are advised to take one a day, every day, but should not go back to smoking within 24 hours.

Smoking just four minutes, just one cigarette, of smoke a day can make your cravings less intense and reduce the desire to smoke.

Take it slowly. Start by walking to the grocery store to pick up some gum or mints. 

If you are going out to the bars, ask your friends or coworkers to give you a ride or let you borrow their car. 

If you have to drive home, park outside the entrance of the bar, or take the bus if you’re not planning on drinking alcohol. 

These methods will help you avoid feeling trapped in the location where you started smoking.

How to cut back on cigarettes?

If you don’t like the smell of smoke, avoid cigarettes that make it smell as much as possible. Look for menthol, tobacco, and flavoured cigarettes. Avoid people who smoke near you. Make some social plans. Remind yourself of all the reasons you are quitting. If you are at the movies and see people smoking, remind yourself that you don’t want to be that person in 10 years. Don’t let your routine become dull. Find new places to go to smoke. Always ask before lighting up, so that you don’t have to decide in a rush. Plan to smoke only during social events with friends.

Some people may want to try smoking just a few cigarettes on the first day or day after they stop. But if you do, you run the risk of going back to smoking. Instead, go back to using nicotine replacement products like gum or lozenges.

Here are some best selling nicotine replacement products if you need. 

Hold a meeting with the people you’re quitting with. 

Make a list of the reasons you’re quitting, and talk to your friends, family members, or coworkers about the benefits of quitting.

Don’t lose sight of your goals. Stay committed to the skills you’re learning. For instance, if you’re learning to drive, pay attention to your surroundings and the car in front of you. Make the most of your resources. There are many resources for quitting smoking on the NHS website. If you need help quitting, your community health centre or regional health centre are great places to start.

Use confidence to stay quit. 

Some people smoke as a form of self-medication to relieve stress and tension. They feel that if they have a cigarette, they are in control of their emotions. If you are quitting to improve your health, but you feel lost and afraid, this is not a good way to handle the change. Instead, take some of these tips to help you stay motivated:

  • The discomfort of quitting will lessen over time. Use distraction techniques to stay focused on other things when you feel that urge to smoke.
  • Read stories that are about someone who has quit smoking. Read about celebrities who have quit, and see how they used distraction techniques.
  • Use a smoke detector to remind you to stop smoking.

Top 20 reasons why you should quit smoking

Smoking is bad for your health, but exactly how it hurts you? Here are 20 reasons for your health to stop smoking.

1. Heart disease

Smoking is responsible for about 21,000 premature deaths each year in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK. That’s an average of more than 200 deaths per week.

As a result, one of the main ways to increase your odds of not dying from heart disease is to stop smoking.

According to the American Heart Association, quitting smoking reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by about 25%.

Once you’ve made that commitment to quit, you’ll likely have a great deal more energy. You may be more motivated to make healthier food choices. You may also have more energy to exercise, which may have a positive impact on your heart health as well.

2. Back pain

If you smoke, you may experience back pain that is more severe than before.

Smoking may cause tightness in the muscles, which then puts pressure on your back.

As well as that, if you smoke, you have a greater risk of developing certain chronic diseases, including cancer. The health risks posed by smoking increase with the number of cigarettes you smoke a day.

According to the National Cancer Institute, the risk of developing lung cancer increases the longer you smoke. When someone smokes a pack a day for 20 years, they have an 87% higher risk of lung cancer.

If you want to quit smoking, try to ease off your smoking habit gradually. If you’re new to quitting, it’s important to take a break from smoking, which may include using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) such as gum, lozenges, or patches.

3. Brittle nails and skin

Smoking, especially if you smoke cigarettes, is bad news for your nails. Smoking damages your nail bed and nails. You also have a higher risk of developing conditions that make nails brittle, including rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.

There’s more than one way to quit smoking. For example, if you’re someone who has to take medications, you may have the option to stop smoking in order to stay on your medication.

4. Heartburn

Smoking is a major cause of heartburn.

According to the American Heart Association, chronic stress has been linked to heartburn, possibly because stress can cause a person to flare up their ulcers or reflux symptoms. However, it’s possible that smoking may contribute to heartburn as well, since smoking is a cause of acid reflux, and can worsen acid reflux.

While smoking increases the risk of acid reflux, you can reduce the risk of acid reflux by quitting.

5. Diarrhea

This one’s a no-brainer. If you smoke, your chances of getting diarrhea are higher.

According to the Mayo Clinic, this is because smoking creates inflammation in your body. Inflammation can affect your digestive tract, including the intestine, your stomach, and your intestines.

6. Liver damage

There are many risk factors associated with smoking that cause liver damage, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and hepatitis.

If you smoke, you increase your risk of liver disease by about 60%. This is because smoking causes inflammation of the liver, which increases the risk of liver damage. If you’re a smoker, you should quit. You can use over-the-counter medications or talk to your doctor about other ways to reduce the risk.

7. Impotence

Losing your erections? If you smoke, you’re probably more likely to experience this problem.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, you have a 30% higher chance of experiencing erectile dysfunction after starting to smoke.

One study found that being a daily smoker increased the chances of erectile dysfunction by 55%.

Excessive alcohol use can increase the risk of erectile dysfunction as well.

8. Headaches

Tobacco smoke damages blood vessels. When the blood vessels become damaged, you can experience pain or headaches.

One study found that people who regularly smoke are more likely to experience tension headaches than those who don’t smoke.

According to the American Headache Society, smoke from cigarettes can irritate the arteries in your head, causing headaches.

9. Hiccups

Another reason to quit smoking? You may be more prone to getting the hiccups.

One study found that smokers who hiccup had a higher frequency than non-smokers.

Other factors that may affect hiccups include chronic stress, drinking alcohol, and alcohol withdrawal.

10. Sleep Apnea

One study found that adults who smoked were at a higher risk of sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea, or “sleep breathing disorder,” can happen when a person stops breathing in their sleep and cannot wake up. According to the Mayo Clinic, smoking can make sleep apnea worse.

11. Loss of senses

Smoking also seems to have the potential to cause a loss of senses, such as sight, smell, and hearing. Some research suggests that smoking may impair your sense of taste, and the ability to smell.

If you smoke, you may experience a greater risk of developing low vision or macular degeneration, or cataracts. Additionally, according to a study in the journal The American Journal of Epidemiology, smoking may affect your sense of hearing.

12. Lymph nodes inflammation

Smokers have a greater risk of developing chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells that can affect your lymph nodes. According to the American Cancer Society, it’s more common in nonsmokers.

It’s possible that smoking causes inflammation in your lymph nodes. In other words, your lymph nodes may become more sensitive to cigarette smoke, which can increase your risk of developing a form of cancer.

13. Airway irritation

Your lungs contain lots of little airways, which connect your lungs to your throat. Smoking can change these airways and make it more likely that they’ll become inflamed. This type of inflammation is known as “recurrent airway inflammation.”

14. Heart disease

Nicotine can weaken your heart muscle. This causes your heart to beat faster and harder, and the arteries in your heart may narrow. It can also increase your risk of having a heart attack.

Additionally, the heart disease risk is higher the longer you smoke.

15. Heart arrhythmia

Smokers are at an increased risk of having an irregular heartbeat. This is a heart condition that involves an irregular heartbeat.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, smoking can increase the risk of developing atrial fibrillation.

16. Shortness of breath

Smoking also increases the risk of developing lung problems, including emphysema. Smoking can also cause lung damage and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

17. Dehydration

According to the Mayo Clinic, chronic use of cigarettes may increase your risk of developing dehydration.

If you smoke, your heart has to work harder to pump blood to your body, which may lead to more fluid retention. This can affect your ability to drink enough fluids and may even result in more fatigue.

18. Dental problems

Smoking may damage your teeth. This can lead to periodontal disease, which is when a bacterial infection damages the gums and the supporting tissue around your teeth.

This causes an increase in your risk of developing tooth decay and decay.

Read More: Best Toothpaste for Gum Disease UK

19. Shingles

Shingle is a painful infection that occurs when your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks nerve tissue. According to the National Institutes of Health, smoking increases your risk of getting shingles by about 60 percent.

Shingles usually only causes a minor pain or rash, but it can also be painful. If you get shingles, you may also experience:

  • uncontrolled fever
  • skin rash
  • shooting pains
  • loss of balance
  • blurred vision

20. Depression

It is possible that smoking has long-term negative effects on your mental health. Smoking can depress your mood, cause anxiety, and cause depression, according to a study in Tobacco Control.

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Written by Dr Amit Kumar
Who is PhD in Clinical Medicine From Oxford University

 

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