Cigarette packages are now adorned with vivid images. These images are meant to deter a person from smoking. They are graphic and hard to ignore, labelled with slogans and powerful pictures. As of the year 2000, it became mandatory for all cigarette packages to have a picture and caption on them. Examples of these warnings are listed below:
- 85% OF LUNG CANCERS ARE CAUSED BY SMOKING
- 80% OF LUNG CANCER PATIENTS DIE WITHIN THREE YEARS
- CIGARETTES ARE HIGHLY ADDICTIVE
The pictures support the slogans effectively. Less people are smoking, certainly, but an increasingly smaller sector of people continue to smoke. This article will discuss my journey, and important statistics and treatment options, to a smoke-free life.
There is a large amount of evidence supporting the idea that if a person who starts experimenting with cigarettes at a young age, in their formative years, before their brain has had time to develop, they might smoke for many years. Often, their entire lives. In addiction, if a child grows up in a household with parents who smoke they are much more likely to develop the addiction.
This is not always the case.
I grew up with two parents who did not smoke. I had my first cigarette when I was thirteen years old. I am twenty-six now and have, more times than I can remember, quit smoking, for weeks or months. But I always found myself smoking again. Regretfully.
At the age of twenty-four, I quit smoking successfully. It is an accomplishment that many people share. Quitting smoking is never easy, but those who smoke now have access to a large number of aids which make a smoke-free life possible.
Products that Effectively Help a Person Quit Smoking
- The patch: successfuly delivers a specific amount of nicotine to a person's bloodstream to ease withdrawl
- Nicotine gum: similiar to the patch but allows a smoker to control how much nicotine they ingest.
- The inhaler: delivers a small amount of nicotine to the body when the smoker inhales.
These are not the only options, but they are the most commonly used. Qutting smoking aids the withdrawal and cravings, but staying smoke-free is as much about lifestyle changes as it is throwing out your cigarettes.
I used the patch, and it was helpful, but I found a regular exercise program to be equally effective. When I experienced a craving, I first waited five minutes for it to pass and if it did not I would practice yoga or go for a long walk. Distracting yourself, in the beginning, is effective.
I have been smoke-free for nearly three years now, and I no longer identify with the person I was, the person who smoked. Being free of nicotine addiction is an incredible feeling and I encourage people to take the first step and make an appointment with your general practitioner and create a plan to quit smoking for good. It goes without saying that there are numerous benefits to "butting-out".
Short-term and Long-term Benefits of Quitting Smoking
- Blood circulation increases; breathing difficulties diminish.
- The risk of smoke-related heart attack is cut in half.
- Your risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half.
The above benefits are only three of hundreds. Quitting smoking is possible. Educate yourself on the process and remember that a body free of smoke will function better as it carries you throughout life.
Natalie Champagne - My name is Natalie Jeanne Champagne and I have been freelance writing for over ten years. I have a degree in English and have written over ...
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