Breaking The Addiction

For the past 20 years I smoked intensively, and smoking became a part of my identity. The smoke odor became my perfume, that’s why people will easily find me..LOL.

So many times I tried to quit from smoking, and always fail. There were times when I didn’t smoke for a week or two, but it was not on my intention, it was just because of the illnesses I had at that times.

Until a week ago, I decided to stop smoking and try to find other habit that would be better for my health.

I start the banishment by suggesting my self that it’s easy for quitting, so I would have a better feeling in doing it.

I know I will have some kind of sickness at the first time, and may be I have to divert those sickness to some activities. I have a list of activities I can do: give more times to Audrey and Mami, add some more times for cycling, fixing my bike, upgrading the bike, assemble one more bike, waxing the chain, swimming in the night time, clean up my car, re-potting my Anthurium and Aglaonema plants, making big rack for the plants, taking care of the plants, and may be more.

In this first week I felt so confused to describe what I want, I couldn’t concentrate on my work, and there were times when I missed the cigarettes so much. There was also a time when I picked a cigarette, but luckily Mami saw it and yell at me: “Go on….Go on….!!!!” then I put the cigarette away.

Well I don’t want to be in sadness when decide to have good things in life, so I decide to be happy in quitting smoking, every time the addiction come, I face it with smile and positive thinking. There are words that can make me in relax while facing the addiction: “It’s Ok for me to quit, It;s so easy, and after all, quitting will not kill me, but the smoke will”.

Anti smoking campaign has been done for years in every countries, so many information with regard to the dangers of smoking are distributed every where and every time, you can even find the warnings on the cigarette packs. It’s a strange thing for me why I didn’t stop smoking a long time ago, may be it’s just a matter of a right time the for me; I just feel enough, and I don’t have any particular reason for that. May be I just want to have some changes in my life, or may be it’s just a challenge for me to prove that I can change.

So many websites show me how to quit smoking, they filled with so many aspects of quitting smoking. Here are some of them which boost my motivation:

( taken from trytostop.org )

Benefits of Quitting

Two Hours After Quitting

• Nicotine begins to leave your system. Some people may feel withdrawal pangs. This is a good sign. Your body is cleaning itself out. Hang in there. Within about two days all the nicotine by-products will be gone.

After Six Hours

• Heart rate and blood pressure decrease (although it may take up to a month for them to return to their normal rates).

After Twelve Hours

• The carbon monoxide is completely out of your system.
• Your lungs work more efficiently and you can do more without becoming short of breath.

After Two Days

• Ability to smell and taste is enhanced.
• Your breath, hair, fingers, and teeth will be cleaner.
• Chance of a heart attack decreases.

After Seventy Two Hours

• Bronchial tubes relax making it easier to breathe.
• Lung capacity increases making it easier to do physical activities.

After Two Weeks

• Your circulation improves, so does your confidence level because you feel good about your progress. You begin to think of yourself as a non-smoker.
• Many withdrawal symptoms are gone.

One To Nine Months

• Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decrease.
• Body's overall energy level increases.

Within Two Months

• Blood flow to your hands and feet improves, keeping them warmer.
• Your skin looks healthier.

Within Three Months

• The cilia (a hair-like cleaning system in the lungs) begin to recover and remove the mucous, so you can cough it up, cleaning your lungs and reducing the chance of infection.

After A Year

• Your risk of lung cancer is reduced and you have less of a risk of heart disease.
• In as little as five years, the risk of stroke can return to the level of a person who has never smoked.

Appearance.
Not only will you feel better, but you'll also look better. Since smoking stains your teeth, gives you stale breath and causes wrinkles around the eyes and mouth to appear earlier, the sooner you quit the better.

Your Bank Account Also Gets Healthier.
Giving up cigarettes is like giving yourself a raise. Think about it. If you smoke 20 cigarettes a day, you could save around $1800 a year. Imagine what you could do with that money. Non-smokers also pay much less for life insurance premiums.

Your Confidence Soars.
Few things compare to the sense of satisfaction you get when you quit smoking. If you can handle quitting smoking, you can handle just about anything.

(picture source: www.sonofthesouth.net)