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Quit Smoking Now!
By Mary Elise Chavez
Posted July 19th, 2006

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The well-known anti-smoking campaigns tagged as "Truth", which often air on MTV and other young adult channels, are produced and paid for by Tobacco giants, the same companies whose advertising directly targets and appeals to the younger generation. A perfect example of how the world of smoking is both deceptive and destructive.

It’s never too late to quit and there's never an easy time to do it. So quit now, right now, before your life escapes you. To quit, you need to break your addiction to nicotine and to the habit of smoking -- which also includes the pleasure you get from smoking.

I think some people are addicted to everything that goes along with the act of smoking; lighting that match or lighter, the manual and oral pleasure, no wonder it's so darn hard! Your habits are the behaviors that go with your tobacco use, such as lighting a cigarette when you get out of work or school, when you walk the dog, after dinner, in the morning or whatever your personal smoking behaviors are.

Reasons Not to Smoke
. *** Cancer Risk! Lung cancer kills more women than breast cancer every year in the U.S.
. Your Wallet: It’s expensive (over $1000 a year for a pack a day, an estimation, it can be more)
. Bad breath -- others do smell it and are repulsed!
. Stained teeth and fingers.
. Cough/sore throat.
. Breathing problems.
. Fatigue.
. Wrinkles (more, sooner than people who don't smoke)
. Arguments with parents, friends who want you to stop smoking.
. Heart disease risk, including heart attack, no you’re not too young.
. Gum disease risk
. It stinks up your clothes, hair, skin, car, pets, it goes on and on...
. Cigarette burns on your clothes or in the house, car, wherever
. Risk of second hand smoke to people around you (and your pets too)
. Nonsmokers don’t like kissing smokers. There is nothing sexy about smoking.

The Numbers on Teenage Smoking
. 4,500,000 -- The estimated number of children and adolescents in the United States who smoke.
. 6000 -- The estimated number of people under the age of 18 who try their first cigarette each day.
. 70% -- The percent of smokers 12 to 17 years old who wish they had never started smoking.

(Statistics from the American Lung Association).

What's in Tobacco?
. There are more than 4,000 chemicals found in cigarettes (250 are toxic poisons, 50 cause cancer). Some chemicals found in tobacco include:

        . Ammonia (found in toilet bowl cleaner); Arsenic (ingredient             in rat poison); Polonium 210 (nuclear waste); Carbon Monoxide
         (car exhaust); Acetone (used in finger nail polish remover).

         . Nicotine remains in the body for 8 to 12 hours after a single
         use of tobacco.

Ways to Make Quitting Easier
1. Pick a date to stop, if you can’t stop today. Choose one two to four weeks from now so you can get ready to quit. If possible, choose a time when things in your life will change, like when you're about to start a break from school. Or just pick a time when you don’t expect any extra stress at school, work or home. Of course life is very unpredictable so you just can't wait for there to be NO stress in your life. Wouldn't that be easy.

2. Make a list of the reasons why you want to quit. Keep that list available so you can look at it when you have a nicotine craving. Make a list of what you like about smoking also.

3. Keep a record of where, when and why you smoke. You may want to make notes for a week or so to know ahead of time when and why you will crave a cigarette. Plan what you'll do instead of smoking (see list above for ideas). You may also want to plan what you?ll say to people who pressure you to smoke.

4. Throw or give away all of your tobacco. Clean out your room if you have smoked there. Throw or give away your ashtrays and lighters, just get them out of your house and or room.

5. Tell your friends that you’re quitting. Ask them not to pressure you about smoking. Find other things to do with them besides smoking. If you have to avoid being around people who smoke, do that for a while. But do let friends know why you are avoiding them. You’re doing this for YOU, not them.

6. When your stop date arrives, STOP. Plan little rewards for yourself for each tobacco-free day, week or month. Buy yourself a new top, get some new chewing gum, ask a friend to see a movie. Take a friend to get your favorite dessert or decaf... whatever.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Special Thanks to: Coolnurse.com

>> PAGE 2 Common Concerns About Quitting