I wanted to write a few things on this website about smoking as a list for me to come to, to help remind me of ways and means and anything quitting smoking related.
Quitting Smoking.
Reason 1 that everyone probably thinks when quitting is cost. SMoking costs alot. I dont spend that much on smoking but i do smoke a lot. Cost doesnt affect me too much but it does often mean that $30 spent on a packet of smokes could've been spent on food instead.
Reason 2 would be health. Science usually lists the risks that will be cut if u quit smoking and also the diseases that smoking can cause.
So the first thing i want to add that not many websites seem to offer is that you should be speaking out loud about quitting. Repeating sentences and words related to quitting and the motivations spoken out loud should give your mind and body some queues as to what you want and will lighten your load. Also perhaps you could record yourself and play yourself back on a loop with words towards quitting smoking.
I know this is good. But it's not all together enough. Perhaps it could be if it were over like a long period of time and you put a lot of effort into it but I have done this and im a repeat smoker. I think it is important as just one of your tools. It takes a little effort to get going. Some will start but will burn out and fall away from saying things out loud like "Quit Smoking Forever". I just said that out loud. Now again.
I quit for 5 years 4 months only to start again.
At the moment, for a little while I have just started saying outloud "Jesus Cannabis Tobacco Clopixal".
Jesus is for searching for truth and love. John 8:32 is You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
So knowledge is a form of truth. You also need understanding. Understanding I think is what divides truth from lies. But work on knowledge.
Fill your mind with things that are related to quitting smoking. Read the comments on a you tube quit smoking video perhaps. I think you want real live people who have dealt with the experience to build up all the different angles of attack.
I'm writing this to whoever comes here and is a smoker but also myself.
Now another thing I learned just last nite. Get a non smoking app on your phone that records your quit time. Have your last cigarette just before you goto bed. Set the time. Now in the morning you can look at the timer and say you've gone 8-12 hours or however long you slept without a cigarette. This should cheer you up a little. I find the morning cigarette quite hard.
Something that happened to me also yesterday. I got a craving and then had a milo or hot chocolate and almost instantly the craving passed which I attribute to the nourishment of the drink. I still had a cigarette but the craving or urge lifted very quickly within a minute of drinking the drink. It definitely made it much easier to resist even though I had a cigarette.
I guess what you can gain from that is that perhaps if you get cravings eat something very nutritious and this should help abate them. They say people gain weight from quitting smoking but so keep this in mind and the food you choose should be known to help yourself so try different foods. But if hot chocolate with vitamens can help me perhaps it can also help your cravings. Also with weight gain it's far better to quit smoking and gain weight than continue to smoke.
Smoking could be considered thorns and thistles perhaps. The science backs why you should give up. I never see the positives of smoking though? I dont think it makes you smarter as the other detriments of smoking would offset that. Basically i've only ever read science that says smoking is bad.
This is kind of like journaling a little.
I searched for does smoking and does caffeine limit blood flow to brain. An heres what I got:
Therefore, these factors are expected to reduce the actions of NO from the endothelia and neurons, thus decreasing blood flow to the brain. Cigarette smoking is known to reduce cerebral blood flow due to interfering with endothelial function and to degradation of NO by producing oxygen radicals
When caffeine makes the blood vessels in our bodies narrower, this leaves less room for blood flow which, in turn, raises blood pressure. The blood vessels supplying blood to the brain can also narrow as much as 27% after caffeine intake which can slow down our ability to think and perform mental tasks.
I think one of the keys to quitting smoking is really deciding. Making up your mind. At the moment im like if i can go long enough without a smoke then i'll stay quit. But I haven't made up my mind. How i quit for 5 years 4 months last time, I had a puff got no sensation and it just triggered something in me and I became determined. I made up my mind.
I believe you can work your way upto deciding but it has to be a high level decision. Actually I dont know. But the mind comes into play in so many ways. If you haven't made up your mind then your always battling temptation perhaps. Once you have made the decision then you can concentrate on other things. Man it was so easy last time. It still took me 3x30 days with fails usually around the 30 day mark. This time I havent made up my mind like I did last time.
I'm a fan of health and fitness. Seeing humans perform at optimum levels is great. Im 44 now and never really exercised. I smoke cigarettes and cannabis which I also want to quit but only because of cost as cannabis is what keeps me poor not tobacco. If there was a law change which allowed me to grow cannabis I would actually start to gert somewhere in life instead of spending all my money on weed. I guess the best thing ultimately would be to quit weed health wise.
Things smoking does.
Cognitive decline
Cognitive decline typically happens naturally as you get older. You may become more forgetful or not be able to think as quickly as you did when you were younger. But if you smoke, you may experience faster cognitive decline than nonsmokers.
This is even more serious for men, according to a 2012 studyTrusted Source that examined the cognitive data of more than 7,000 men and women over a 12-year period. The researchers found that middle-aged male smokers experienced more rapid cognitive decline than nonsmokers or female smokers.
Increased risk of dementia
Smokers also have an increased risk of dementia, a condition that can affect memory, thinking abilities, language skills, judgement, and behavior. It may also cause personality changes.
A 2015 research reviewTrusted Source looked at 37 studies comparing smokers and nonsmokers and found that smokers were 30 percent more likely to develop dementia. The review also found that quitting smoking decreases the risk of dementia to that of a nonsmoker.
Loss of brain volume
According to a 2017 studyTrusted Source, the longer you smoke, the higher your risk of greater age-related brain volume loss.
Researchers found that smoking negatively affected the structural integrity of subcortical brain regions. They also found that smokers, compared to nonsmokers, had greater amounts of age-related brain volume loss in several areas of the brain.
Higher risk of stroke
Smokers are more likely to suffer from a stroke than nonsmokers. According to the CDCTrusted Source, smoking increases the risk of a stroke by two to four times in both men and women. This risk increases if you smoke a higher number of cigarettes.
The good news is that within 5 years of quitting, your risk may decrease to that of a nonsmoker.
Higher risk of cancer
Smoking introduces many toxic chemicals into the brain and body, some of which have the ability to cause cancer.
Dr. Harshal Kirane, the medical director of Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research, explained that with repeated exposure to tobacco, genetic changes in the lungs, throat, or brain may increase your risk of developing cancer.
Can quitting make a difference?
Quitting nicotine can benefit your brain, as well as many other parts of your body.
A 2018 studyTrusted Source found that smokers who quit for a prolonged period benefited from a reduced risk of dementia. Another studyTrusted Source found that quitting tobacco can create positive structural changes to the brain’s cortex — though it can be a long process.
Mayo Clinic reports that once you stop entirely, the number of nicotine receptors in your brain will return to normal, and cravings should subside.
In addition to the positive changes to your brain health, quitting smoking can also benefit the rest of your body in many ways. According to Mayo Clinic, quitting tobacco can:
slow your heart rate just 20 minutes after your last cigarette
reduce the levels of carbon monoxide in your blood to a normal range within 12 hours
improve your circulation and lung function within 3 months
cut your risk of a heart attack by 50 percent within a year
reduce your stroke risk to that of a nonsmoker within 5 to 15 years
Brain
Broken Addiction Cycle
Quitting smoking can re-wire your brain and help break the cycle of addiction. The large number of nicotine receptors in your brain will return to normal levels after about a month of being quit.
Head and Face
Sharp Hearing
Quitting smoking will keep your hearing sharp. Remember, even mild hearing loss can cause problems (like not hearing directions correctly and doing a task wrong).
Better Vision
Stopping smoking will improve your night vision and help preserve your overall vision by stopping the damage that smoking does to your eyes.
Clean Mouth
Nobody likes a dirty mouth. After a few days without cigarettes, your smile will be brighter. Not smoking now will keep your mouth healthy for years to come.
Clear Skin
Quitting smoking is better than anti-aging lotion. Quitting can help clear up blemishes and protect your skin from premature aging and wrinkling.
Heart
Decreased Heart Risks
Smoking is the leading cause of heart attacks and heart disease. But many of these heart risks can be reversed simply by quitting smoking. Quitting can lower your blood pressure and heart rate almost immediately. Your risk of a heart attack declines within 24 hours.
Thin Blood
Another effect of quitting smoking is that your blood will become thinner and less likely to form dangerous blood clots. Your heart will also have less work to do, because it will be able to move the blood around your body more easily.
Lower Cholesterol
Quitting smoking will not get rid of the fatty deposits that are already there. But it will lower the levels of cholesterol and fats circulating in your blood, which will help to slow the buildup of new fatty deposits in your arteries.
Lungs
Stop Lung Damage
Scarring of the lungs is not reversible. That is why it is important to quit smoking before you do permanent damage to your lungs. Within two weeks of quitting, you might notice it’s easier to walk up the stairs because you may be less short of breath. Don’t wait until later; quit today!
Prevent Emphysema
There is no cure for emphysema. But quitting when you are young, before you have done years of damage to the delicate air sacs in your lungs, will help protect you from developing emphysema later.
Return of Cilia
Cilia start to regrow and regain normal function very quickly after you quit smoking. They are one of the first things in your body to heal. People sometimes notice that they cough more than usual when they first quit smoking. This is a sign that the cilia are coming back to life. But you’re more likely to fight off colds and infections when your cilia are working properly.
DNA
Lower Cancer Risk
Quitting smoking will prevent new DNA damage from happening and can even help repair the damage that has already been done. Quitting smoking immediately is the best way to lower your risk of getting cancer.
Stomach and Hormones
Smaller Belly
Quitting smoking will reduce your belly fat and lower your risk of diabetes. If you already have diabetes, quitting can help you keep your blood sugar levels in check.
Normal Estrogen Levels
If you’re a woman, your estrogen levels will gradually return to normal after you quit smoking. And if you hope to have children someday, quitting smoking right now will increase your chances of a healthy pregnancy in the future.
Erectile Dysfunction
Sexual Healing
If you quit smoking now, you can lower your chances of erectile dysfunction and improve your chances of having a healthy sexual life.
Blood and the Immune System
Normal White Blood Cell Count
When you quit smoking, your body will begin to heal from the injuries that smoking caused. Eventually, your white blood cell counts will return to normal and will no longer be on the defensive.
Proper Healing
Quitting smoking will improve blood flow to wounds, allowing important nutrients, minerals, and oxygen to reach the wound and help it heal properly.
Stronger Immune System
When you quit smoking, your immune system is no longer exposed to tar and nicotine. It will become stronger, and you will be less likely to get sick.
Muscles and Bones
Strong Muscles
Quitting smoking will help increase the availability of oxygen in your blood, and your muscles will become stronger and healthier.
Stronger Bones
Quitting smoking can reduce your risk of fractures, both now and later in life. Keep your bones strong and healthy by quitting now.
