Medical News

When you stop smoking you immediately begin to reap huge health benefits and you’ll probably wish you had done it earlier. It is never too late to stop smoking and by so doing increase your chances of living longer than you otherwise would have. When you quit the habit, you may find in the short term that you feel worse because of the body’s need to adjust. This is called the withdrawal period and can last up to a few weeks but, with nicotine addiction, which is what smoking causes, it is usually much less than this. In this withdrawal period you can expect to feel restless, anxious, irritable and unable to concentrate and you will need the understanding of those around you.

Once you are through this initial withdrawal stage you will gradually begin to notice a number of benefits. There are immediate befits such as:

1) Your breath smells better.
2) Stained teeth get less so, especially if you now make an effort to clean them well, or even better, get your dentist to clean them.
3) Your clothes and hair will smell better.
4) Your sense of taste improves and you can enjoy food more.
5) Your sense of smell improves as well.
6) Your stained fingernails gradually become less visibly stained.
7) Less immediate but extremely importantly you should notice that you don’t get out of breath so easily when running for a bus or climbing stairs.

This is because your lungs are beginning to recover from the damage done by smoking. In the run up to this though, you may have to get through a period of heavy catarrh and maybe a cough, as your lungs try to rid themselves of contamination. Given time this should all return to normal but if a cough is persistent you should consult your doctor.

Of course also once through this initial withdrawal period you can take stock and congratulate yourself on having drastically reduced your chance of getting crippling diseases such as throat and lung cancer, bronchitis, emphysema and heart attack.

Having successfully beaten the nicotine habit you must at all costs avoid being drawn back into smoking. If smoking has been a part of your daily routine for a long while there may be occasions where it is difficult to resist cigarettes. You would do well to avoid places where lots of other people smoke such as parties. Smoking is often associated with alcohol.

If others offer you cigarettes say “No thanks, I don’t smoke”. Try to break habits associated with smoking. If for example, you usually smoke after your evening meal then change your habits and leave the table to do something else.

Try to avoid getting too stressed with work or life in general. Stress is often the cause of people going back to smoking after having quit but this must be resisted. You can increase your stress tolerance by taking up a pleasurable hobby, particularly an outdoor one. There is no denying that the combination of fresh air and exercise is good for both the human body and soul. There are many healthy sports or pastimes you can try such as swimming, walking, cycling skiing, or playing tennis or football. These sports will be more enjoyable too when you are fitter than you were previously.

You could say that when you stop smoking, your life begins.