You Can Stop Smoking
Catherine Olivia
The facts are clear. There is nothing worse you could do to
adversely affect your health. Smoking is the leading cause of
preventable death. Women are three times more likely to develop
lung cancer then men. Cancer has now replaced heart disease as
the number one killer of Americans aged 85 and younger. 1/3 of
all cancer deaths are related to smoking.
Although there has been a huge decrease in the number of
smokers between 1965 and 2000, 22% of American adults still
continue to smoke. The good news is that surveys have shown
that 70% of active smokers want to quit.
When you quit smoking the benefits are immediate. Blood cells
that transport carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke begin to
transport healthy oxygen. Even though quitting doesn't
completely eliminate the risk of developing lung cancer, the
risk of lung cancer starts to decline. One year after quitting
smoking your chances of having a heart attack drops by half.
The risk of lung cancer continues to decline and drop
dramatically five to ten years after quitting. So we know that
quitting is essential to enjoying a long and healthy life. The
question is how do you pick the right way to stop smoking for
you?
The first thing you need to know is that most smokers quit
unsuccessfully several times before they quit for good. You
will most likely not be successful your first time around - but
you must still try! Each time you attempt to quit you come
closer to finally quitting for good.
There are many organizations available to help you take control
of your health and quit smoking. Most smokers find a greater
success rate in groups. Organizations such as SmokEnders have
community based seminars and will come to the workplace to
counsel smokers. SmokEnders is a gradual stop smoking program
that says it's success is based on treating the physical and
the psychological aspects of smoking. They offer unlimited
toll-free phone counseling.
Some people prefer to try to stop cold turkey. They stop
smoking completely with little or no reduction in the number of
cigarettes they smoke beforehand. As with any smoker who quits,
those who quit cold turkey will experience the withdrawal
symptoms of irritability, increased appetite and restlessness.
For someone trying to stop smoking cold turkey help can be
obtained using medications such as Zyban which lessens
withdrawal symptoms. Zyban can only be obtained with a
prescription.
Some smokers obtain relief from smoking withdrawal with a
nicotine replacement commonly known as a nicotine patch.
Patches are used for up to eight weeks. Nicotine patches are
available over the counter. It is suggested that you talk to
your doctor before trying any over the counter nicotine
replacement therapy.
The American Cancer Society and American Lung Association have
free information available. The federal government also has
free information for smokers available at
http://www.smokefree.gov.
About The Author: Article courtesy of
http://stop-smoking-4ever.com
For more information on heart fluttering you can check out
http://www.cancer-resource-center.com/
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