Smoking is more of an addiction that not only just damages lungs but every other organ of the body. it indirectly damages every other organ in the body and is responsible for even many deaths. The toxic components of tobacco basically affect’s the human health which is as follow:
- Carbon Monoxide: it replaces oxygen in our body and deprive the organs of oxygen and let the cells die which eventually stops the organ from proper functioning.
- Tar: it forms a heavy coating on the lungs which affects breathing.
Along with lungs as a primary organ, it also affects your brain, bones, cardiovascular system, immune system, mouth, reproductive system, skin and in severe cases may lead to cancer and death.
Smoking is not only injurious to health but a bad addiction which becomes almost irresistible to some. For those, it seems almost impossible but nothing in this world is impossible once you commit yourself to it. Here we are, we will let you know the simplest and easiest ways to quit smoking but what’s needed the most is your will and commitment to quitting smoking.
Benefits of Quitting:
- It helps you improve health and recover your affected organs.
- Reduces the chances of stroke to half of the risk of a regular smoker.
- Risk of lung cancer drops by half after 10 years.
- Risks for cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus and bladder drop by half within 5 years.
As a whole, it almost takes 15 years to recover all your organs and return to a normal health as of a non-smoker.
All you need to do is find a way for yourself out and look for a distraction and kick this habit in the urge of something good for yourself.
Make a commitment:
Your life is not only precious to you but those who are close to you and need you. You just can’t risk your life and leave the loved ones alone. Just think of you and your friends and family, give it a chance and let’s announce that you quit smoking for their sake and your own. Once you do that and let them know, which I’m sure will make them lot happy, just celebrate it together. This thing will not let you break your promise if you are a man of words, which I’m sure you are. The right second thing you need to do on that day is trash away all your cigarettes and ashtrays. It will give you a rather strong urge of quitting. Get a stock of oral substitutes that can either be hard candies, sugarless gums, carrot sticks, etc. Break the triggers that give you an urge to smoking and just keep yourself busy in that hours or hang out with friends that do not smoke. You can either switch to Nicotine Replacement Therapy’s (NRTs) or “cold turkey” to help you overcome smoking.
Remember 4 D’s:
Delay: when the urge comes hold for 3-5 minutes and it will pass away.
Deep Breathe: Purify your lungs with fresh air by taking deep breaths.
Drink Water: you can also kill the cravings by sticking to water.
Do something else: do whatever you want to but not smoking.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy:
If you are a heavy smoker you must be addicted to nicotine in it which is usually hard to quit. So, as an alternate nicotine replacement therapies can be beneficial in ways to give up smoking. It gives you a literally small dose of nicotine and also reduces the chances of other chemical found in cigarettes. You can either contact your healthcare professional to discuss the dose as it may give you the symptoms of dizziness, nausea, vomiting, irregular heartbeats, skin swelling etc.
The five types of NRT’s are as follow:
- Skin patches
- Chewing gum
- Lozenges
- Nasal spray (only if prescribed)
- Inhalers (only if prescribed)
Non-Nicotine Drugs:
You can also switch to non-nicotine drugs approved by USA Food and Drug Administration which are bupropion (Zyban) and varenicline (Chantix). But for this, you will need a prescription from your healthcare if you feel like they are going to be of a great help. Zyban takes control of your nicotine cravings and saves you from its withdrawal symptoms. And also helps to avoid smoking relapse if taken for 3 to 6 months. Chantix, on the other hand, interferes with nicotine receptors in the brain which reduces the pleasure you get from using the tobacco. It is used for 12 weeks but does remember every drug has its advantages and disadvantages as well. These drugs may give you mood swings, aggression, behavioral changes or suicidal thoughts or actions. You can’t take them on your own only if your physician recommends it to you in a dose as prescribed by him.
Behavioral Support:
There are several counseling services, self-help materials, or support services that help you cope with the dependency you have after quitting nicotine. It may weaken you physically or emotionally but you need to counsel yourself instead of getting back to it. Soon you will overcome this dependency and get rid of this and move on to a better health and life. Among all the cases almost 75% of them get back to smoking because they are unable to cope with these physical and emotional changes but you can enhance the chance by combining medication such as NRT, bupropion, varenicline, along with the behavioral support. There are several institutes which provide their services to help you get rid of smoking. They counsel you individually and as a group as well. Thus, a better and firm step towards quit smoking.
Last but not the least, also try yoga and meditations in fresh air to keep your way on a healthy path and purify your lungs. Just take deep breaths and flush all the monoxide outside the body to least damage your organs. Fresh air will refill your lungs and give you an essence of purity.
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