Quit Smoking

Author: Kyle Loesch

Nicotine addiction is like death; it stalks you around every corner. You never know when a nicotine fit will jump out and surprise you, like the cheap scares in a horror film.

I started smoking when I was in the seventh grade, so that puts me at twelve. I’m seventeen now, and I am proud to say that I kicked the habit. Compared to some people, five years of cigarette smoking is amateur talk, but I am just happy I did quit before I was one of the “Pro’s”.

Now I know what comes next, “How did you do it?” Well, all I can say to that is “It’s mind over matter. Just like when you get poison ivy and the itch is so excruciating, one thinks it’s impossible not to scratch. But, somehow you resist. The only difference is that nicotine addiction is like poison ivy in the physical disturbance way. It haunts you day and night, whispering in your ear “Just one drag. Come on, you know you want it.” Poison ivy doesn’t exactly tempt people as fiercely as cigarettes.

I’m not going to lie now, temptation has almost overcome my wanting to quit a few times in the past few months. Almost does count in more than horseshoes and hand grenades. When it was all beginning, I had an ulterior motive for quitting - which was my Dad. You see, my Dad is Forty-Two, and the twenty six years of two packs a day he has under his belt, wasn’t getting any smaller. I decided to try and get him to quit by quitting myself. This attempt seemed to be working well the first month. Once again, my Dad was returning from work with the reek of cigarette smoke hovering in a cloud over his head.

Why didn’t I pick up another butt myself? I can’t tell you. Maybe it has something to do with my Mom, but I’m not sure. I was very tempted to reach for my Dad’s pack, pull one out and light it up. Then take another sweet puff of cancer stick I’ve been longing for quite sometime. I mean, once I knew my Dad was smoking again, my ambition kind of drifted off as sporadically as it sprung up. The fact that no one believed I would be able to quit pushed me to the point where I am now. Just the idea of giving all the negative thinkers the big middle finger made me want to - no scratch that- NEED to stay quit.

The path to being cigarette free has been a hard and maturing experience. It almost seemed like every minute or so , there was a “mister addict” pointing me in another direction away from my “true wanted route”. Nowadays, I’m the one in the group telling everybody to quit like me. After all, all of my friends, but one, still smoke. The journey is still not over. For I am sure that addiction will say “Hi” not long from now. But, thanks to mind power, I can give the addiction the “Big Middle Finger” along with the negative thinkers.

Blog Owners Note:

My son Kyle had to write a story about something that was hard for him to do for an English Comp class, and chose to write it about his fight to Quit Smoking. I read over his essay and thought this would maybe be a good incentive for other young kids out there to try and kick the habit. I have been a smoker for 26 years and just recently decided to quit myself, after many times of trying my son and I decided to try and quit smoking together. Unfortunately he has had a lot more success than I have had, I am down to 3-5 cigarettes a day which is a great deal better than the 2 packs a day I was smoking before. I am going on the patch to see if I can nip this in the bud once and for all.

Most people who smoke have ‘triggers’ that make them want to smoke.

There can be many and varied reasons why people will reach for a smoke in certain situations and when they are feeling particular emotions.

If you can identify what these emotions or events are, that are causing these triggers then that will be one of the first steps towards quitting smoking.

It could be that you feel like smoking when you are feeling down or depressed. This is a very common trigger as smoking can act as a comforting element in a person’s life.

Many people smoke because they are shy or self conscious and smoking gives them something to do to take their mind off their anxiety or nervousness.

Other people will feel like lighting up when they are angry as this will help them to calm down and manage their situation better.

Many people will feel like smoking when they are socializing, partying and drinking and often this is one of the hardest aspects of life to deal with for those who are trying to quit smoking.

Virtually any emotion can be a trigger for someone to feel like smoking and it is necessary to determine what your emotional triggers are if any.

It might be that you don’t have any problems relating to emotional triggers but rather situations that cause you to feel like smoking.

You might feel like smoking when you are listening to music, driving your car or watching the television.

Some people like to have a smoke after a meal or when they are consuming alcohol.

Many people feel like they need a smoke to help them start their day or at the end of the day to help them unwind.

Once again you need to look at the things that trigger your desire to have a smoke and look at an alternative solution that will help you to cope with the situation without the need for a cigarette.

If one alternative doesn’t work for you then try another and keep trying until you find something that is satisfactory.

Sooner or later you will find something that can give you enough satisfaction to not need the cigarette each time such an emotion or situation arises.

I thought it might be a good idea to get readers to give us their top reasons for wanting to quit smoking. We all know or think we know of the various health risks that are involved in smoking, but do we all know the real cost of smoking. I am not talking about a dollar figure here, I am talking about the lost hours at work, the smell of smoke on our clothes, in our hair, on our body, the taste of our food just to name a few. By talking about what is most important to us and what is the most important reason for quitting for each of us, maybe, just maybe that will spark a fire in some of us to go the extra mile to quit.

My number one reason for wanting to quit is pure and simple, my kids. I have four children who I love with all my heart, and it saddens me that two of them have taken up smoking. If I could totally quit smoking then I would be leading by example and I think that is the best way to teach your children. My middle boy Kyle used to cough up a storm and yell at me whenever I lit up around him and guess what, he now smokes. I am sure he was influenced by me as well as his peers, it probably would have been a lot easier to say no when offered his first cigarette if I did not smoke at home.

So folks that is my number one reason for wanting to quit smoking, whats yours? Please comment and share your reasons for wanting to quit smoking and maybe one of your reason might hit home with someone and give them the reason they are looking for to finally quit smoking.

There are many different reasons why people start smoking initially but more often than not it is because of the image that is created in their minds through the use of the clever advertising campaigns of the tobacco companies.Most people get started smoking with their first cigarettes from older friends or family. Part of the reason they smoke is to be a part of the crowd that they admire or people they aspire to emulate.

It is about image more than anything else as most people would agree that the first cigarette is certainly not pleasant. If food tasted that bad we would surely never eat it again.

The majority of people find that smoking tastes bad and makes them feel bad and it is only after they get accustomed to the taste that those feelings disappear. By that time they can’t give up due to their smoking addiction and a new problem presents itself.

Statistics also show that the majority of people who smoke wished they had never started and if they could wind back the clock they would certainly never do so again.

It is only the addictive nature of tobacco that makes so many people continue to smoke long after they realize the way it is affecting their health and encroaching on their lifestyle.

Throughout history the tobacco companies have marketed their products well and the images of Hollywood stars and musicians smoking have had an influence on people’s decisions to start smoking.

When cigarette companies were allowed to advertise everywhere, the ads often depicted good looking women and men smoking and having a good time, which would sublimely tell you that you would have a good time if you smoked.

If something is seen to be cool or fashionable then there will be many people who will do it simply to be accepted by their peers.

Fortunately as more and more people see the dangers that smoking brings with it to their health and longevity it is becoming a more unacceptable practice and not seen as fashionable in many areas of society.

I found these three commercials on YouTube, they are hilarious. Using comedy to help people get the idea to quit smoking is a great idea that should be shown on a more regular basis. Watch them and please vote for the one you like the most.

A commercial by the makers of Nicoderm..

This one is from the makers of Zyban…

and last but not least from Smokenders…

Please cast your vote for the funniest Quit Smoking Commercial, and as always please feel free to leave your comments as they are always welcome.

Within 20 minutes

Blood pressure normalizes.
Pulse rate normalizes.
Body temperature of hands and feet returns to normal.

Within 8 hours

Carbon dioxide level in your body goes back to normal.

Within 24 hours

Heart attack chances decrease.

Within 48 hours

Nerve endings re-grow.
Blood circulation improves on hands and feet.
Ability to taste and smell changes dramatically.

Within 72 hours

Breathing is easier.
Lung capacity starts to increase.

Within 2 1/2 weeks

Lung function improves by 30%
Risk of heart attack significantly reduces.
Circulation will continue improving.

Within 1 to 9 months

Incidence of coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decreases.
Oxygen level in the body normalizes.
Cilia (hair-like structures) in lungs re-grows, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean start the lungs reduce infections.
Body’s overall energy level increases.

After 5 years

Cancer chances greatly decreases.
Risk of heart disease is significantly reduced.

After 10 years

Lung cancer chances are kept to a minimum.
Pre-cancerous cells are replaced.
Chances of other cigarette-related cancers decreases.

It is no wonder that smoking is such a difficult habit to break as nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs in the world.

It is in fact at least as addictive as such hard drugs as cocaine and heroin.

Most smokers would never consider taking such drugs but the fact that they are smoking creates a situation where the addictive nature of nicotine can create many different health conditions and the smoker has extreme difficulty stopping even when the health problems become life threatening.

Once a person has been smoking for a while it takes a lot more than willpower to stop due to the addictive nature of tobacco.

Nicotine is so powerful that it can kill you if a small amount of pure nicotine is placed on your skin. Fortunately the amount in cigarettes is nowhere near that strong but it is enough to get you addicted and that is how the cigarette companies get you coming back for more even when you know it is killing you and you desperately want to stop.

If you inhale when you are smoking then the nicotine travels directly to your brain in a matter of seconds and once there it stimulates the brain to make you feel good. It causes the release of dopamine which will help to improve your mood and this is one of the reasons why people who are stressed, sad or depressed often seek comfort in the form of a cigarette.

After a while the body will become tolerant to the nicotine and require more and more to get the same affect. This leads to a stronger and stronger addiction where people can smoke up to several packs a day.

Aside from the obvious expense of having to pay for so many packs of cigarettes each week there are additional loads placed on a persons health from the damage that all the smoking is doing yet the addiction grows stronger and it becomes all the harder to quit.

Every day that you postpone quitting smoking you are making it harder to give up and that is precisely what the tobacco companies want.

Smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the country and is the biggest cause of disease and death in most western countries.

It is the leading cause of many forms of cancer and also heart disease and stroke.

Virtually every organ in the body is harmed by smoking and this is due to the thousands of chemicals (yes that is thousands) that are present in tobacco smoke.

Many of those chemicals have been shown to cause cancer and many other health problems are caused or made worse due to smoking.

Illnesses that relate to breathing such as emphysema and bronchitis are caused or made worse by smoking.

Emphysema is where the cigarette smoke causes the air sacs in the lungs to become damaged and this makes it difficult for the oxygen to get transported to the bloodstream. Obviously with a reduction in the circulation of oxygen throughout the body it will deteriorate at an increased rate.

In addition to this damage to the air sacs in the lungs the airways can become inflamed from cigarette smoke causing chronic bronchitis.

When the combination of these two illnesses strike a person it can be an extremely unpleasant situation where the shortage of breath becomes increasingly difficult and ultimately results in early death.

Smoking also increases the problem of hypertension (high blood pressure) and along with that smokers are at more risk of having a heart attack than those people who don’t smoke.

The deterioration of the ability to breathe freely stops smokers from participating in sports at higher levels and ultimately this reduction in the ability to exercise results in poor health and for many people the sedentary life that they will tend to lead causes many more related health problems.

Each day of smoking is another step in the wrong direction where many parts of the body including the major organs are exposed to danger that can ultimately lead to death.