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Everyone knows that there is much more to quitting smoking than to just "quit" all at once. It takes a great deal of will power and strength to break free from the nicotine addiction. Nicotine is an addicting poison in a cigarette that makes people feel calm and satisfied the more they have it. Once you allow nicotine to take over you, you will not feel "normal" without it, therefore making it incredibly hard to quit. As hard as it may seem/be to quit, it is possible, millions of people have quit smoking for good, and there are endless benefits of quitting. |
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Within 20 minutes after you smoke that last cigarette, your body begins a series of changes that continue for years... 20 Minutes After Quitting: Your heart rate drops. 12 Hours After Quitting: Carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal. 2 Weeks - 3 Months After Quitting: Your heart attack risk begins to drop. Your lung function begins to improve. 1 - 9 Months After Quitting: Your coughing and shortness of breath decrease. 1 Year After Quitting: Your added risk of coronary hear disease is half that of a smoker's. 5 Years After Quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker's 5-15 years after quitting. 10 Years After Quitting: Your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker's. Your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases. 15 Years After Quitting: Your risk of corony heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker's. |
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When you are making the final decision that you are going to quit smoking, it may seem difficult at first to control cravings and symptoms, but you should always remind yourself that you are doing the right thing and in the end it will be entirely worth it. 1. Use your support group (family, friends, colleagues, etc.) 2. Keep busy 3. Stay away from what tempts you If you find that quitting independently is not working, then you could get assistance from a therapist or use from products such as nicotine patches or nicotine gum. These two nicotine products satisfy your nicotine cravings without damaging you nearly as much as smoking does. However, you are supposed to stop using these products when you feel as though you are completely ready to eject nicotine entirely from your life. |
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QUITTING |
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Children & Adolescents |
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Children & Adolescents |
