Quitting smoking requires a lot of self-discipline and determination. If you have tried to quit smoking, you know how hard it can be. It's hard because nicotine is a very addictive drug--for some people, it can be as addictive as heroin or cocaine.

Good Reasons For Quitting

Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you will ever do:

• You will live longer and better.



• Quitting will lower your chance of having a heart attack, stroke, or cancer.



• If you currently are or in the future become pregnant, quitting smoking will improve your chances of having a healthy baby.



• The people you live with, especially your children, will be healthier.



• You'll be freed from feeling constrained by public policies or being the subject of popular criticism--e.g., restaurants, airlines, stores, office buildings and other public places that don't permit smoking; friends and acquaintances who have minimal tolerance for cigarette smoke and don't permit smoking in their presence.



• You will have extra money to spend on things other than cigarettes.

Special Situations or Conditions

Your particular situation or condition can give you a special reason to quit. For instance:

Pregnant women/new parents: By quitting, you protect your baby's health as well as your own.

Hospitalized patients: By quitting, you reduce health problems and help the natural healing process.

Heart attack patients: By quitting, you reduce your risk of a second heart attack.

Lung, head, and neck cancer patients: By quitting, you reduce your chance of a second cancer.

Parents of children and adolescents: By quitting, you protect your children and adolescents from illness caused by second-hand smoke.

Benefits to Your Health Begin the Moment You Take That Last Puff

Your resolve to quit once and for all can be reinforced by periodically referring to this "time-line" of health benefits--some immediate, some gradual, some cumulative, but all significant--whenever you feel the need to be reminded of the many life-enhancing rewards of becoming an ex-smoker.

The benefits of healthier living start as soon as you take that last puff:

20 minutes after quitting:

• Your blood pressure will return to a normal level.



• Your pulse rate will drop to normal.



• The temperature of your hands and feet will increase to normal.

Within 8 hours:

• The carbon monoxide level in your blood will return to normal.



• The oxygen level in your blood will increase to normal.



• Smoker's breath noticeably diminishes.

Within 24 hours:

• Your risk of a heart attack will significantly decrease.

Within 48 hours:

• Nerve endings compromised by smoking will start re-growing.

Within 2-12 weeks:

• Your lung function will increase up to 30%.



• Aerobic activity will become easier.



• Your circulation will improve.

Within 1-9 months:

• Cilia that's responsible for sweeping debris from your lungs will grow back increasing your body's ability to handle mucus, clean your lungs and reduce infection.



• Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath will decrease.



• You'll notice a significant increase in energy.

Within 1 year after quitting smoking:

• Your risk of heart disease will become 1/2 that of a smoker's.

Within 2 years:

• Your risk for a heart attack will drop to near normal.

Within 5 years:

• Your risk for stroke will be reduced to that of someone who's never smoked.



• Your risk for mouth, throat, and esophagal cancer will become half that of a smoker.



• The lung cancer death rate for an average pack-a-day smoker decreases by almost half.

Within 10 years:

• The pre-cancerous cells will be replaced.



• Your chance of dying from lung cancer will be similar to that of a person who has never smoked.

Get Support!

Just as it took a period of time to "learn" the behavior of smoking, it's important to appreciate that it can take time to "un-learn" it, as well. As you work hard to quit smoking for good, you'll need all the help you can get from friends, family, co-workers--and from yourself.

Many ex-smokers have found that seeking professional help was what finally offered them their best chance for success. Initial questions to ask a therapist include:

• How can you help me be successful at quitting?



• What medication, if any, do you think would be best for me and how should I take it?



• What is smoking withdrawal like?

Working with a therapist can help you learn new skills and behaviors that replace the unhealthy habit of smoking--and a therapist can steadfastly support and reinforce your new efforts, as well as provide pivotal help when coping with any difficult situations or relapse.

The benefits to your health, relationships, finances, vitality, the environment and to your sense of self-esteem for having conquered a really hard-to-kick habit will make any and all of your efforts and determination more than worth while.