pet health article

What do you need to know in order to Stop Smoking

"So what's going to make you stop? Knowing the financial cost, or seeing what's really happening to your body?

You are about to quit, do you know what to do to fight off that urge to smoke another cigarette?"

Do you know the reasons that cause you to light up that cigarette? If you are still smoking, you need to ask yourself,

“Am I ready to quit the smoking habit”?

"Can I do it successfully?"

There are two factors that will determine success: 1.the desire to give up the habit.
2.the confidence to know that it can be done.

Of course it’s possible to get motivated to quit, yet failing for a variety of reasons is always with grasp.

Quitting smoking can be an uncomfortable experience, and cigarettes have given you something to do for a long time. Consequently, it is only natural to think about the ups and downs of giving them up. Most who try to quit, fail to do so and have to try several times before they succeed. Should you have any doubts about giving up smoking, put it off until you are determined to do so.

If you're 50 years old and you've been a lifelong smoker and you quit smoking today, you reduce your risk by half. If you're 30 years old and a lifelong smoker, you can almost completely eliminate your risk of lung cancer by quitting.

There's

some increased risk compared to the general population, if you have smoked. But, if you quit at the age of 30, it's almost a negligible increased risk.

so why is it so hard to quit?

Nicotine addition is powerful and may be more powerful in women. Girls and women have a more difficult time quitting than boys and men. Women have lower quit rates and those between 12 and 24 years of age are more likely to report being unable to cut down than boys and men the same age.

Girls are more likely than boys to report feeling dependent on cigarettes. They are more likely to report feeling sad, blue or depressed during attempts to quit.

Here are some tips that you can try to follow:

• Set a quit date and stick to it. Ferentz suggests choosing a quit date that holds some significance for you such as your birthday or that of a loved one, a wedding anniversary or a holiday.
• Make a note of it. Write down your reasons for quitting on 3 by 5 inch index cards, so you can refer to them when you are tempted to smoke.
• Explore your motives for smoking. Keep a journal before you quit smoking to document your feelings about your habit. You want to include details about where you smoke most often, when you smoke, with whom and why. Review your diary after four or five days to identify feelings and circumstances that trigger your cravings for nicotine.
• Modify your behavior. Write down your "triggers" on the left side of a piece of paper, and on the right side, jot down how you plan to either avoid or cope with those situations or feelings that send you reaching for nicotine.
• Take the fun out of smoking. Most people have favorite brands of cigarettes. In the week or so leading up to your quit date, ditch your favorites for other, less-appealing varieties. For example, buy menthols if you normally don’t smoke them. Buy low-tar filters or light versions of your favorite brand or try new, unusual brands that you’ve never smoked before.

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And again, thank you to those contributing daily to our pet health website.

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