The health risks of smoking are now well documented but there are still millions of people who still smoke. If you have smoked for a long time you may think it will be too difficult to quit. It’s true that nicotine is addictive and that poses a problem. There are actually two different issues to consider if you are planning to quit smoking.
One is the purely physical aspect, in that your body craves the nicotine in the cigarettes. But there is also a mindset problem because you probably associate the act of smoking with certain situations. You may have friends that smoke which will make it more difficult when you are with them.
In order to give up smoking you need to come up with an plan. We looked at the practical ways you can use to quit smoking before. We didn’t actually cover then whether it is still worth quitting smoking if you have smoked for years. It definitely is, read on to find out why.
The most important thing to guarantee success is that you have a positive mindset and a determination to succeed. Other people have managed to stop smoking even after many years as a smoker. You can quit smoking once you really decide that it is important and commit to quitting.
Don’t think that it is not worth it just because you have been smoking for years. If you are planning to quit smoking you probably know that cigarettes damage your health. The good news is that the damage diminishes as soon as you stop. So don’t use this as an excuse and think it is not worth it.
Free Get Ready to Quit Smoking email series
- Get yourself ready to quit smoking – the right way
- Created by Hypnosis Downloads co-founder Mark Tyrrell
- Based on his 20+ years in smoking cessation hypnotherapy
- Privacy guaranteed, unsubscribe whenever you want
- Find out why will power alone doesn’t usually work
- Discover how to really break your addiction.
Sign up for free below and get your first email instantly.
You need to tell yourself that you are going to stop. Willpower is the number one thing you need in order to succeed. If you go in to it in a half hearted fashion it won’t work. You need to concentrate on all the reasons to stop. That includes concentrating on the advantages to your health, lifespan, finances and family. In fact concentrating on the effects on your family will be an added incentive. Passive smoking is a health risk to your living companions especially to your children.
Work out how much money you’ll save by not buying cigarettes, and think of something you’ll do with that money. Have a goal in mind to spend some of your savings on a reward.
Longterm health benefits for planning to quit smoking
The human body is incredibly resilient, and your health will begin to improve as soon as you stop smoking. Just 8 hours after your last cigarette, carbon monoxide levels and oxygen levels in your bloodstream will return to normal. Your chance of a heart attack returns to normal after just 24hours. After another 24 hours you should notice an improvement in your sense of taste and smell as your nerve endings start improving.
These initial improvements will help you stay motivated. After 2-3 weeks, you should see an improvement in your energy levels as your lung power will begin to increase. This will be a continual improvement the longer you go without smoking. You should notice marked improvement in lots of aspects of your general health.
The ultimate motivator should be the knowledge that you can greatly reverse the effects of smoking. After 15 years of not smoking you will reduce your risk of death to almost the same as someone who has never smoked. The body has a great capacity to repair itself.
If you are planning to quit smoking it is important to concentrate on your reasons why it is important. If you are finding you are having trouvble with the mindset needed, you could consider trying hypnosis to stop smoking as some people do find that helpful.
