It is a given fact that smoking brings more harm than good to people. If you’ve finally resolved to stop smoking, good for you! You’ve made the right choice. Use the following tips and suggestions to help you stick true to your word and avoid a relapse.

Know the Ugly Truth about Smoking

Concerned family members and friends have always told you about the bad things that could happen to smokers but you’ve always turned a deaf ear to their words, haven’t you? TV ads and shows also tried giving you the same information but didn’t you turn a blind eye to them? Ignorance is bliss but if you want to quit smoking for good, it’s time to take your head out of the sand. Confront the ugly truth about smoking. Read and watch everything you can about the deadly consequences of smoking – it’s terrifying, but it will also remind you about the rightness of your decision.

Let the Right People Know about Your Resolution

Your most trusted loved ones should definitely know about your resolution. They can help you stick to your word by keeping an eagle eye of your cigarettes. They’ll warn you beforehand and remind you about your promise. They’ll give you praise and encouragement when you need it. A hug may not be scientifically proven to be as potent as any medicine but we can’t deny how good it feels to be hugged when we’re in need of help. You’ll definitely need lots of it when you’re working on eliminating nicotine from your system!

Get Professional Help

Why make it harder for you than you should? Professional help and treatment is available in every corner of the world. Take it! You might not think you don’t need anyone’s help except yours, but you do. Believe it or not but smoking is also a medical problem. Your mind and body has an unreasonable dependency on nicotine and that’s what you’re fighting against. These medical professionals have studied for years to develop the right program that will help smokers get rid of their unwanted habit. You now have the opportunity to work with them. It’s definitely your loss if you refuse their help.

Use Water as a Weapon

Water is incredibly important in any quit-smoking journey. Water detoxifies your body and cravings for nicotine are swept along by the current of harmful substances being flushed out of your body. Drinking lots of water will also help you feel better about yourself and that always count in the battle against nicotine dependency.

Keep a Journal

There will be times that you’ll feel like no one in the world understands what you’re going through, not even your fellow smokers who are also struggling to eliminate smoking from their lives. These are dangerous times and if you waver during these moments, you might end up lighting a stick and doing the worst thing you could do. During these times, a journal might just be the lifeline you need. A journal won’t talk back, will always listen readily and patiently, and allow your feelings to settle down by itself until the moment of crisis has passed.

A journal is also important because it allows you to look back and see how far you’ve grown. Your progress is the best source of comfort and inspiration: it’s proof that you’ve come a long way and if you keep up the good work then quitting smoking might just no longer be a dream but a very possible reality.

Rejoice on How Much You’re Saving

Consider this. How much does a pack of cigarettes cost? How many packs can you consume in a week? Multiply that figure with the number of weeks in a year. That’s how much you spend in one year for smoking alone – a habit that erodes the health of your lungs and later on, damages other parts of your body as well. If you quit smoking, you immediately save the same amount and yes, you definitely deserve to spend some or even all of it to reward yourself.

The resolution to quit smoking is never easy for anyone. It can wreak huge changes on your life or your very own personality. Regardless of this, know that your decision is the right one and if you work hard, you’ll soon have the opportunity to enjoy unimagined rewards because of it.

By: Nathalie Fiset

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Are you smoking while you are pregnant? When smoking during pregnancy you can harm the health of both yourself and the baby you are carrying. It is important to quit smoking not only for your health but more importantly for the health of your unborn child. Cigarette smoke contains over 2,000 chemicals that can potentially harm the fetus. Nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarettes cause the most damage.

How can smoking harm my unborn child?

Smoking greatly increases the risk of delivering a low-birth weight baby. In a study performed in 2004, 11.9 percent of babies born to smoking mothers suffered from low birth weight. It has been known for a long time that smoking slows fetal growth. The more that a pregnant mother smoker the greater the chance her child will suffer from low-birth weight. Smoking can also increase the chance of preterm delivery.

Keep in mind that if you continue to smoke through your pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby that smoking is also dangerous to your newborn child. Babies exposed to cigarette smoke face increased risks of asthma, upper respiratory infections, and even SIDS (or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

Is it too late for me to quit smoking if already pregnant?

Though it is best to quit smoking before you become pregnant it is not too late to quit smoking while you are still pregnant to help reduce the chances of delivering a low birth weight or preterm baby. A recent study showed that women who quit smoking during the first trimester of their pregnancy reduced their risk of delivering a preterm, unusually small infant?by 53 percent.

What is the best way for me to quit smoking while pregnant?

Since there is an increased sense of urgency for a woman to quit smoking while pregnant it is not recommended that you try to quit “cold turkey.” There is only a 5 percent chance of stopping smoking on your own with no assistance. So you will want to find some method or program to assist you.

It is also recommended to avoid stop smoking medications. These medications can have side effects that make them unsafe for pregnant women. It is best to choose a natural stop smoking method while pregnant. When smoking needs to be stopped quickly you will want to turn to something that can help you stop smoking fast.

By: Trevor Green

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