Quit Smoking Step 2: Prepare Yourself

Again and again I want to stress on the fact that this is a task that can be achieved only if you are well and truly prepared. There is an old saying that says “well begun is half done,” and the same thing rings true in the matter of quitting as well.

So let us hit the different buttons that are part of the preparation. As I mentioned earlier, it is not just enough that you know that you are trying to quit smoking. All those who move around closely with you must be let into the affair. This includes your family, your friends, your colleagues and -brace yourself for this- your boss as well. Now, that might sound a bit strange, what the hell has your boss got to do with your attempt to quit smoking?

The answer is simple, if you tell your boss that you are trying to quit smoking it gives you one more reason to go for it with a resolute mind because no body would want to stand sheepishly in front of a boss and say something like, “well I kind of gave up I guess.”

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Quit Smoking - Withdrawal Symptoms cont'd

Psst..let’s not leave out an important detail...

The new balance in the brain that was established with the help of the used substance can indeed be broken. I’m not saying that it is easy but once you start conditioning your brain, that it just not going to get what it wants, that is the external substance, the brain will be left with no alternative than to go back and restore the old balance.

Of course the brain is not going to give up without a fight and that is what we are going to experience as the withdrawal symptom. Initially the brain had been doing all too well without the help of any external substance; and then we made the brain become dependent on something. So when we stop using that something, it is only a matter of time before the brain goes back to its original state of functioning. All we have to do is to muster up the will power to over come the withdrawal symptoms that might set in.

But again I do admit that it is easier said than done. In the end, however, knowing that withdrawals will come (and recognizing them as such), is a vital part of the quitting process.

Quit Smoking - Withdrawal Symptoms cont'd

It is common knowledge that the entire processes carried about in the brain are maintained by a delicate balance of the various chemical salts there. Once we start using substances like the above mentioned tobacco, narcotics and alcohol, the balance of these chemical salts gets altered. The body as I mentioned earlier is a self adjusting machine and so this new chemical balance is established and it takes no time for the brain cells to get adjusted to the new balance.

Then when the brain cells do not get what is required to maintain the new balance (read that as the daily puffs) things go hay wire. The old balance was disturbed and altered and a new balance was set up. But this new balance is not the real natural thing. It is something that has to be artificially supported and when that daily, or timely dose of nicotine does not get to the brain, the new balance gets upset.

That is when a person gets those peculiar feelings, which can be broadly called the withdrawal symptoms. You know what I am talking about don’t you? Haven’t you felt uneasy and jittery when you were unable to get that puff? It’s a strange kind of feeling isn’t it?

It’s a feeling that can only be soothed when you take that long refreshing pull of highly toxic smoke. Some people break into a sweat, some get the tremors, some feel queasy, some get constipated

Quit Smoking - Withdrawal Symtoms cont'd

Then when the brain cells do not get what is required to maintain the new balance (read that as the daily puffs) things go hay wire. The old balance was disturbed and altered and a new balance was set up. But this new balance is not the real natural thing. It is something that has to be artificially supported and when that daily, or timely dose of nicotine does not get to the brain, the new balance gets upset.

That is when a person gets those peculiar feelings, which can be broadly called the withdrawal symptoms. You know what I am talking about don’t you? Haven’t you felt uneasy and jittery when you were unable to get that puff? It’s a strange kind of feeling isn’t it?

It’s a feeling that can only be soothed when you take that long refreshing pull of highly toxic smoke. Some people break into a sweat, some get the tremors, some feel queasy, some get constipated.

All these are withdrawal symptoms, so unless you prepare yourself to face the pressure of withdrawal, you’re going to face a losing battle.

Quit Smoking - Withdrawal Symptoms..cont'd

Contrary to popular belief, it is not the fear of deprivation of the pleasantly high feeling that drives the person to use the substance again and again so that it is used, misused and eventually abused. The person returns for his or her daily shot because of certain altered conditions in the body. These substances are indeed very potent and they affect certain specific spots or centers of the brain.

The brain quickly gets used to these alterations and then before we know it, these centers of the brain cannot do without the daily doze of the substance. The brain did not ask for the substance in the first place but we gave them to it. When we experience that pleasantly high feeling we do not bother about the changes that are taking place within.

20 Minutes After Quitting

I came across this interesting poster. I think this could help motivate you or somone you know to quit smoking...

"20 Minutes After Quitting
Your heart rate drops.

12 hours After Quitting
Carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

2 Weeks to 3 Months After Quitting
Your heart attack risk begins to drop.
Your lung function begins to improve.

1 to 9 Months After Quitting
Your Coughing and shortness of breath decrease.

1 Year After Quitting
Your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.

5 Years After Quitting
Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker’s 5-15 years after quitting.

10 Years After Quitting
Your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker’s.
Your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases.

15 Years After Quitting
Your risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker’s."

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_2004/posters/20mins.htm

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Quit Smoking

Here's some important information to help you quit smoking..

"Smoking-related diseases claim an estimated 430,700 American lives each year. Smoking costs the United States approximately $97.2 billion each year in health-care costs and lost productivity. It is directly responsible for 87 percent of lung cancer cases and causes most cases of emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Find out more about how smoking has affected you community, see American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control: 2004 Report."

http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=33484

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Quit to Live: How and Why to Quit Smoking Today

Here's more information to help you quit smoking..

"Throughout the month of November, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and North American Quit Line Consortium, ABC World News Tonight is featuring an unprecedented month-long series about the dangers of smoking, smoking cessation, and lung cancer research and prevention, called Quit to Live. You can access the Quit to Live Web site at http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/QuitToLive/.*"

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/news/QuitSmoking.htm

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Withdrawal Symptoms, What’s That?

This is the stumbling block over which many a would-be quitter trips. The problem with many smokers is that they fail to recognize these symptoms as symptoms. A withdrawal symptom is something that a person experiences once he or she stops using a substance that gives them a kick. Opps, is that too hard to digest? Well, let’s try to make it simpler.

There are many things that are identified with substance abuse. Alcohol is one of them, narcotic drugs are another and tobacco is in no way to be left behind. The problem, or let us say that the similarity among all these substances, is that once one gets used to them, breaking away is not easy.

Quit Smoking - A Myth to Break

First, let us break a myth. Most smokers honestly believe that they can quit at any time they want. This is far from reality. The fact is that most smokers can’t just do that. The decision to quit is not something that is wholly controlled by the brain.

This exercise of control by the brain happens only in the first few days. After that, the brain or mind takes the back seat. It will seem as if the whole body is screaming out for more and more, and the brain has no choice but to comply. As we can see, every part of our body is connected and the brain too prefers to toe to line.

So when a smoker believes that he or she can quit at any time that he or she wants, then the person is actually fooling himself or herself. I don’t want to under estimate any body. I agree that some people do have more will power than others. But what I would like to point out is that we are talking about a force that is more than just a physical or mental control. We are talking about withdrawal symptoms.