Quit Smoking Motivation Tips

"He who cannot change the very fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality..."
~Anwar Sadat~

Does quit smoking was one of your New Years Resolutions? What motivates you to quit smoking? Nagging by your spouse is rarely a motivation to quit smoking. It takes a lot of resolve to stop smoking habit and it isn’t easy.

You not only miss the effects of the nicotine, but the habit is there and if you’ve smoked for a long time, it’s well fixed in both body and mind. No matter why you have decided to quit smoking, you will probably need help.

Quit Smoking Products

Several products on the market can help you kick the habit. You can pick up at most any drugstore patches, gum, and mints. You may substitute hard candy when the desire to smoke hits you.

If you’re worried about weight gain, try sugarless candy or fresh veggies. It’s important to fill your hands and mouth with something to help you not reach for that cigarette.

Motivation

Motivation is significant if you want to quit smoking. Your motivation might be a new baby in the home, being pregnant and wanting a healthy baby, early signs of lung cancer (Smoking and Lung Cancer), or the onset of heart disease are all good physical motivational reasons. Maybe you just don’t want to smell like an old ashtray all the time.

Quick Tips to Help You Quit Smoking and Keep It

20 Quick Tips to Help You Quit Smoking
By Fred H. Kelley

1. Believe in yourself. Believe that you can quit. Think about some of the most difficult things you have done in your life and realize that you have the guts and determination to quit smoking. It's up to you.

2. After reading this list, sit down and write your own list, customized to your personality and way of doing things. Create you own plan for quitting.

3. Write down why you want to quit (the benefits of quitting): live longer, feel better, for your family, save money, smell better, find a mate more easily, etc. You know what's bad about smoking and you know what you'll get by quitting. Put it on paper and read it daily.

4. Ask your family and friends to support your decision to quit. Ask them to be completely supportive and non-judgmental. Let them know ahead of time that you will probably be irritable and even irrational while you withdraw from your smoking habit.

5. Set a quit date. Decide what day you will extinguish your cigarettes forever. Write it down. Plan for it. Prepare your mind for the "first day of the rest of your life". You might even hold a small ceremony when you smoke you last cigarette, or on the morning of the quit date.

6. Talk with your doctor about quitting. Support and guidance from a physician is a proven way to better your chances to quit.

7. Begin an exercise program. Exercise is simply incompatible with smoking. Exercise relieves stress and helps your body recover from years of damage from cigarettes. If necessary, start slow, with a short walk once or twice per day. Build up to 30 to 40 minutes of rigorous activity, 3 or 4 times per week. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.

8. Do some deep breathing each day for 3 to 5 minutes. Breathe in through your nose very slowly, hold the breath for a few seconds, and exhale very slowly through your mouth. Try doing
your breathing with your eyes closed and go to step 9.

9. Visualize your way to becoming a non-smoker. While doing your deep breathing in step 8, you can close your eyes and begin to imagine yourself as a non-smoker. See yourself enjoying your exercise in step 7. See yourself turning down a cigarette that someone offers you. See yourself throwing all your cigarettes away, and winning a gold medal for doing so. Develop your own
creative visualizations. Visualization works.

10. Cut back on cigarettes gradually (if you cut back gradually, be sure to set a quit date on which you WILL quit). Ways to cut back gradually include: plan how many cigarettes you will smoke each day until your quit date, making the number you smoke smaller each day; buy only one pack at a time; change brands so you don't enjoy smoking as much; give your cigarettes to someone else, so that you have to ask for them each time you want to smoke.

11. Quit smoking "cold turkey". Many smokers find that the only way they can truly quit once and for all is to just quit abruptly without trying to slowly taper off. Find the method that works best for you: gradually quitting or cold turkey. If one way doesn't work do the other.

12. Find another smoker who is trying to quit, and help each other with positive words and by lending an ear when quitting becomes difficult. Visit this Bulletin Board and this Chat Room to find a "quit buddy."

13. Have your teeth cleaned. Enjoy the way your teeth look and feel and plan to keep them that way.

14. After you quit, plan to celebrate the milestones in your journey to becoming a non-smoker. After two weeks of being smoke-free, see a movie. After a month, go to a fancy restaurant (be sure to sit in the non-smoking section). After three months, go for a long weekend to a favorite get-away. After six months, buy yourself something frivolous. After a year, have a party for yourself. Invite your family and friends to your "birthday" party and celebrate your new chance at a long, healthy life.

15. Drink lots of water. Water is good for you anyway, and most people don't get enough. It will help flush the nicotine and other chemicals out of your body, plus it can help reduce cravings by fulfilling the "oral desires" that you may have.

16. Learn what triggers your desire for a cigarette, such as stress, the end of a meal, arrival at work, entering a bar, etc. Avoid these triggers or if that's impossible, plan alternative ways to deal with the triggers.

17. Find something to hold in your hand and mouth, to replace cigarettes. Consider drinking straws or you might try an artificial cigarette called E-Z Quit found here: http://www.quitsmoking.com/ezquit.htm

18. Write yourself an inspirational song or poem about quitting, cigarettes, and what it means to you to quit. Read it daily.

19. Keep a picture of your family or someone very important to you with you at all times. On a piece of paper, write the words "I'm quitting for myself and for you (or "them")". Tape your written message to the picture. Whenever you have the urge to smoke, look at the picture and read the message.

20. Whenever you have a craving for a cigarette, instead of lighting up, write down your feelings or whatever is on your mind. Keep this "journal" with you at all times.

Good luck in your efforts to quit smoking. It's worth it!

What Are the Risks of Cigarette Smoking

There are many risks of smoking and the purpose of this page is to outline the specific risks that are associated with smoking.

Smoking kills over 400,000 people a year -- more than one in six people in the United States -- making it more lethal than AIDS, automobile accidents, homicides, suicides, drug overdoses, and fires combined. It is estimated that the U.S. spends an astounding $50 billion each year on smoking-related health costs. Smoking may be even more dangerous now than 30 years ago, most likely because the lower tar and nicotine levels in most cigarette brands cause people to inhale more deeply. In one study only 42% of male lifelong smokers reached the age of 73 compared to 78% of nonsmokers.

People who are exposed to second-hand or side-stream smoke are also at risk. Smoke that is exhaled not only contains the same dangerous contaminants as inhaled smoke, but the exhaled smoke particles are smaller, so that they can reach distant sites in the lungs of involuntary or passive smokers and do great harm.

Does Smoking Affect Blood Pressure?

Smoking a cigarette raises the blood pressure by 5-10 mm Hg for about 30 minutes. If this is combined with drinking a cup of coffee, the effects are bigger and last longer.

Despite this, numerous epidemiological studies have found that people with hypertension are not more likely to be smokers than those with normal blood pressure, and conversely, that smokers are not more likely to be hypertensive than non-smokers. One possible explanation for this might be that smokers tend to weigh less than non-smokers, and that the effects of obesity and smoking on blood pressure cancel each other out. But even when smokers and non-smokers of the same body weight are compared their blood pressures are the same. This is probably because the blood pressure measurements are usually made when people are not smoking. If you smoke a pack a day, it will raise your average daytime pressure by about 5 mm Hg, even though your doctor may not detect this during an office visit.

The important thing about smoking is not what it does to your blood pressure, but that it greatly increases your risk of heart disease.

WHO - Smoking is a greater cause of death and disability that any single disease

According to their figures, it is responsible for approximately 3.5 million deaths worldwide every year - or about 7% of all deaths. Tobacco smoking is a known or probable cause of approximately 25 diseases, and even the WHO says that its impact on world health is not fully assessed.

Heart attack and stroke

UK studies show that smokers in their 30s and 40s are five times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers. Tobacco contributes to the hardening of the arteries, which can then become blocked and starve the heart of bloodflow, causing the attack. Often, smokers who develop this will require complex and risky heart bypass surgery. If you smoke for a lifetime, there is a 50% chance that your eventual death will be smoking-related - half of all these deaths will be in middle age. Smoking also increases the risk of having a stroke.

Lung problems

Another primary health risk associated with smoking are lung cancer, which kills more than 20,000 people in the UK every year. US studies have shown that men who smoke increase their chances of dying from the disease by more than 22 times. Women who smoke increase this risk by nearly 12 times. Lung cancer is a difficult cancer to treat - long term survival rates are poor. Smoking also increases the risk of oral, uterine, liver, kidney, bladder, stomach, and cervical cancers, and leukaemia. Another health problem associated with tobacco is emphysema, which, when combined with chronic bronchitis, produces chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The lung damage which causes emphysema is irreversible, and makes it extremely difficult to breathe.

Harm to children

Smoking in pregnancy greatly increases the risk of miscarriage, is associated with lower birthweight babies, and inhibited child development. Smoking by parents following the birth is linked to sudden infant death syndrome, or cot death, and higher rates of infant respiratory illness, such as bronchitis, colds, and pneumonia. Nicotine, an ingredient of tobacco, is listed as an addictive substance by the US authorities. Although the health risks of smoking are culmulative, giving up can yield health benefits regardless of the age of the patient, or the length of time they have been smoking.

Future impact

By 2020, the WHO expects the worldwide death toll to reach 10 million, causing 17.7% of all deaths in developed countries. There are believed to be 1.1 billion smokers in the world, 800,000 of them in developing countries.

Quit smoking - Why and How?

They're raising taxes on tobacco again, this time to cover for even more administrative follies that smokers did not cause. And at the same time, smoking is still becoming more of a target of political correctness! How can both things be true? Because nobody ever said it had to make sense.

Most smokers agree; it would have been better not to start, than to feel helpless and want to quit smoking. Unfortunately, moderation is not an option for most people. Once the subconscious gets a taste of that nicotine rush and makes it a clear habit, it wants it all the time. Then you are not the boss any more. Some people can smoke occasionally, but those folks, like their smokes, are few and far between. Yes, it is a good time to get rid of the habit. It will be better to get your jollies from something else anyhow, such as accomplishment, making money, reading or artwork, for example. That way you won't have to gamble on poor circulation or respiratory problems from the smoke, either. And everything will be cleaner.

Face it - however painful, becoming free from cigarettes is an attractive thing. You can be relaxed anywhere, not merely 'waiting' for the next opportunity to smoke. And the money! Taxes have made the cost of tobacco completely ridiculous. So, say you have decided to quit, and the only problem is the difficulty and how to go about stopping.

The answer is right there in that last sentence: Decided! We are talking 100%, no ifs and or BUTTS decided. You can handle a few days of the heebie-jeebies with a little help from some clever tools. Not the patch, or the gum, mind you, those are just more nicotine to prolong the agony. You want to be free from all of that stuff. Be aware, though, your subconscious is going to try to trick you, and it is very good at it.

Guess what? You can trick it right back, using subliminal and/or hypnosis audio. The subconscious is ALWAYS listening! And those things are very inexpensive, maybe the price of only two packs of cigarettes or so. But you have to be determined and actually use them. You can get a subliminal .mp3 download or hypnosis from anywhere. You can play the silent subliminal one anywhere with anything else going on, and it will help.

Cold turkey, while not the "easiest," is by far the best and most effective way to stop smoking cigarettes. As if there was an easy way. For some people it's the only way, but since we are all so different, for some people cold turkey is not even an option. The cravings are just too overwhelming, and the will power beats the won't power. So just know yourself and decide. Decide at the deepest level possible, the unconscious mind. It is easy to say it, and 'decide' at the conscious level, but convincing the deeper self is another story. But you can do it. Lots of people prove this all the time. If yours is a tough nut to crack, you'll need stronger crutches. But just don't give up on giving it up; be strong, and decide your way to freedom!

By : Dave Asprooth (http://www.sprudio.net)

Yes, You Can Quit Smoking Easily

A question that most smokers who are considering quitting smoking ask is "What is the best way to quit smoking?" or if there are more than one ways "What are the best ways to quit smoking?" There are several ways and several techniques out there that can help you quit smoking. Different people will have different preferences, so the answer to the above question will be different for different people.

To start with, you have to put everything in proper perspective. You need to analyze the situation seriously. So, sit down somewhere and write down the situations where you like to smoke best. I am sure you know these situations very well because usually these are the same for most people. It is usually when you are having a good time with friends or colleagues or when you are stressed out. Once you identify those situations, you need to think of a solution for how you want to deal with that situation. Try to remove or avoid everything that reminds you of smoking.

Next, think about and decide the day you will stop. It can be immediately or after some time when a more favorable or important moment comes. A word of warning, don't use this as an excuse to procrastinate.

Let people know that you are going to quit. Give them the impression that you are taking this as a challenge. Then take it as a challenge. The social admiration might possibly be the reason for never going back to smoking.

Watch over your eating and drinking habits. Drink lots of water, and eat lots of fresh fruits. Avoid excessive tea and coffee.

Make sure you get enough physical relaxation and also balance it with physical exercise like walking or swimming.

Give an incentive to yourself. Keep a goal and reward yourself when you achieve that goal. The goal can be no smoking for 3 weeks and don't reward yourself with a cigarette after that period. Instead, you can treat yourself with a trip to your favorite restaurant and give yourself something like CD or cloths.

Try to stop immediately instead of gradually as that will never happen. If you fail, don't give up. Instead analyze the situation, find out the when, where and how and try to avoid that next time.

One of the biggest problems that you will face after you decide to quit smoking is what the professionals call withdrawal symptoms. You will get strong desire to smoke. You need to be strong against that desire. Don't worry, this desire will not stay forever, it will go after a while. Try to distract yourself with something interesting while it lasts.

Stop Smoking To Save Lots of Money

In the last year the cost of living has gone up tremendously. In our area electricity, water and food all cost more than one year ago. And if gas prices rise to where they were last summer, it will hurt our budget even more.

So if you, like our family, are trying to find ways to reduce spending, here is one way you could save thousands of dollars each year: stop smoking.

If you are trying to quit smoking it is often necessary to really look at your overall budget to get a real reason to quit. Simply trying to stop smoking for your health sometimes is just not enough. You need to really open your eyes at times to see how much smoking really is costing you each year that you smoke. Additionally, this can also be impacted if you require a great amount of health care due to smoking related complications. However, at a minimum the costs that you can count on for certain will include the costs of the cigarettes themselves.

If you have ever stopped to think about how much you are spending a week on cigarettes you have surely noticed that it is a rather significant amount. Prices are climbing higher than ever before, and this is largely due to the fact that many states as well as the federal government are imposing extremely costly taxes on cigarettes to help offset many of the increased health problems that are created.

On average, all around the country cigarettes can cost as much as $5 per pack. If you have a habit of smoking that consists of only a single pack per day, you are smoking seven packs in a single week. This might not seem like much, but if you consider that each week, you are spending $35 on cigarettes, it can add up quickly. In a single week if each pack costs $5 you will have spent as much as $35 on your cigarettes! For many people this is a tank of gas, a trip to a movie theater, or even a new outfit if you know how to shop right. You could even put the money in a savings account and start to find how your money could actually grow, rather than be burned.

As much as the idea of $35 might seem like a lot of money, to many people it is just a minor price to pay for something that they thoroughly enjoy. If we consider that the average month has 30 days, and each day you are smoking a $5 pack of cigarettes the monthly price will jump up to approximately $150. This is a rather substantial amount and could easily cover most people’s gas bills, power bills, water bill, phone bill or even a great night out on the town occasionally. If you really want to see the overall impact of smoking each year, consider that each year you are smoking 365 packs of cigarettes. This multiplied by 20 comes up to 7,300 cigarettes each year, which comes up to an astonishing $1,825 dollars each year! Talk about a huge amount of money spent on smoking.

Remember, though, this is just the price of a single pack a day habit, and it is assuming that you are paying only $5 per pack. Many states have higher prices, while others are a bit cheaper. If you actually smoke more than a single pack a day, you would be looking at $3,650 a year for a two pack a day smoking habit as well as 14,600 cigarettes each year that you smoke!

The sheer price of cigarettes when added up in a single year is horrific. If you consider that you would probably be smoking for a period of 5 years you are looking at a total cost of $9,125 for a single pack a day habit and a striking $18,250 for a two pack a day habit. The amount of money that can be saved by not purchasing cigarettes is absolutely enormous.

If the idea of just improving your health is not enough to get you to quit smoking, you may have a sudden desire to quit after you see exactly what it is costing you each year to smoke. The prices of cigarettes are continuing to rise, and this combined with increased living expenses makes it extremely hard for families to make ends meet.

Saving money any way possible is a huge help, and even the expense of pricey stop smoking aids is significantly cheaper than the cost of actually continuing to smoke.