Giving up Smoking

Did you know that there are more than 4000 different toxins in cigarette smoke? Smoking related problems kill around 2,500 people every week in the UK and costs the NHS nearly £2 billion a year. Smokers make up 28% of British men and 24% of women - if you are one of them read on; I have some frightening statistics.

Facts and Figures

• Half of all smokers will die as a result of smoking-related diseases.
• A third of fire deaths in people over 70 are thought to be due to smoking.
• If you smoke, your children are three times more likely to smoke.
• 450 kids start smoking every day.
• Smoking while prgnat increases the risk of still birth, premature birth, and cot death.
• In the uk, out of every 1000 young people who smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day, 500 or more will die early of smoking related diseases.

Passive Smoking

Tabacco smoke is made up of the smoke that we inhale and "sidestream smoke" that comes from the burning tip of a cigarette. Since sidestream smoke hasn't passed through a filter it has a higher concentration of toxins that inhale smoke. In a smoky atmosphere, 85% of the smoke is sidestream smoke.

Nonsmokers who are exposed to passive smoking at home have a 25%  greater risk pf developing lung cancer and heart disease (without ever smoking). If you smoke, your children are exposed to the equivalent of them smoking 60-150 cigarettes a year, and they are

• Twice as likey to have asthma and chest infections
• More likely to die of cot death.
• Be off school with coughs and colds more often.
• More likely to need hospital admission within the first year of their life.

Giving up Smoking

This isn't easy - no one ever said it was - but there are certainly more optionss available to help smokers now then ever before. If you are serious about giving up, here are some tips to get you started:

• Work ot what you spend on cigarettes in a week, a month and a year, and how much you would save.
• Make a list of the reasonsyou want to smoke and the reasons you want to stop - which is longer?
• Keep a diary of when you smoke to help you identify triggers like being on a coffee break. Recognizing your weak points will give yiu a better chance of avoiding temptation in the days ahead.
• Set a date to quit. You will need to be strong - if you are under a lot of pressure, now may not be the best time, but dont look for excuses.
• Make a plan for what you will do instead - taking up a new hobby may help take your mind off things.
• Think about how you will cope when you have weak moments. A walk could be helpful. Bartering with yourself and putting a time delay in can be very effective.
• Get proffesional help - your chances of quitting permanently are greatly improved if you have the back-up of a smoking-cessation clinic. If you doctor's surgery doesn't run one, they can advise you of local services.

I hope this helped you, and good luck!
Credit to Dr. Dawn