Once a person decides that it’s high time he or she stopped smoking, it is better to start immediately. However, how do you quit smoking, when you have been smoking for a number of years? Smoking is a very difficult addiction to break as tobacco contains the substance called nicotine which is addictive to both the mind and body.
Studies have shown that each time you smoke a cigarette, it has cost you about 5 to 20 minutes of your life. Apart from weakening the body, smoking leaves a person with halitosis, yellow teeth, wrinkles, lower bone density, fertility problems that will eventually affect the sexual health of both men and women and a higher risk of becoming infected with deadly diseases such as lung cancer. Smoking is costly and can reduce the life span of a person by around 10 years or even more.
Ways to stop smoking can be seen in many places and there are also many types of medication that can be prescribed. Some smokers are prescribed nicotine replacements such as nicotine gums, nicotine patches, lozenges, inhalers, etc. But the problem with all these is that it deals with mainly the physical aspect of what smoking does to the body. The fact is that more than the body, it is the mind that is addicted to smoking.
The hard part of quitting smoking comes when trying to deal with the mind. A smoker’s mind usually becomes convinced that their happiness, enjoyment and leading a stress free life, all depend on smoking. Understanding the fact that this is not the case is one of the most pivotal issues in quitting smoking.
One of the most important things to bear in mind when trying to quit smoking, is the breaking of such relationships in the mind. Smokers believe that they need a cigarette to help them cope with daily issues. Once you are able to overcome this dependency, in time your mind will learn to deal with daily problems without needing a cigarette.
A good piece of advice when trying to quit smoking can be to attend counselling classes and get advice from someone who is an ex-smoker, ie a person who has undergone similar experiences. Talking about your problems about quitting smoking and thereby relieving the fears you have by attending such sessions can be helpful to anyone who is trying to stop smoking.
If you have decided that you ought to give up smoking, don’t hesitate, grab the bull by the horns and start stopping now. You will soon start to notice the difference to your health. Exercise will be easier, your fitness level will rise dramatically, food will taste better and your mouth will be more pleasant.
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