750 Smoke Free Days!!

Holy Smokes!

The two year anniversary passed with out much fan fare and now her I am over 750 Smoke Free Days!

Every so often it's fun to do the math ....

When I quit, I was smoking approximately a pack and half a day. I was going to the store and buying one 'premium' pack and one 'generic' (cheap-ass) pack and alternating the two. My surprise back then was that the cheap-ass smokes weren't really all that bad .......... back to the cost:

Every time I bought two packs of smokes it was costing me around eight bucks .... divide that out on a per cigarette basis and I was paying approximately twenty cents per smoke.

Twenty Cents for each cigarette and smoking thirty cigarettes a day I was spending right around $6.00 a day just for permanently damaging my lungs ... And that was two years ago ... prior to the Obama Tax Slap ....

Thirty Cigs a day multiplied by 750 days and that's 22,500 cigarettes I have NOT smoked! Let me spell that one out .... that is TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED cancer sticks un-smoked by me! Now that's alata tobacco! At cost of twenty cents each or six dollars a day that's $4,500.00!

Four Thousand, Five Hundred Dollars! In my world that's a lot of cash .... and most of that doesn't even go to the evil tobacco companies ... it's taxes directly to the feds!

If you've quit smoking recently ... take the time to do the math ... it's fun and rewarding!

FJW

Two Years and Two Weeks!

The TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY of my quit day has come and gone with little fan fare!
It would've been hard to believe two years ago that NOT smoking would be my norm and I would end up missing it very little!

That is not to say I NEVER miss it. But cravings are close to nil and the worst part of everything is smelling smokers and realizing I used to smell that way too! Yuk!

Two years later I still feel the effects of a lifetime of cigarettes though. When I do experience trouble in my breathing I can't help to (a) regret my decision to ever start smoke but more importantly (b) celebrate the fact that I was eventually able to free myself from the shackles of that addiction.

I can help to wonder what my life would be like if I continued down that path and I also wonder how much better off I am today because of my final, successful attempt two years ago this month.

A NSW Health Department fact sheet states that “The best thing a smoker can do for their health is to quit smoking. There are health benefits of quitting for all smokers, regardless of age, sex or length of time that they have been smoking. People who have already developed smoking-related health problems, like heart disease, can still benefit from quitting.”

There are many benefits to quitting and some of these even occur within hours of smoking your last cigarette. The changes that occur once you have quit highlight the amazing recovery, rejuvenation and regeneration your body is capable of even after years of smoking. Another plus to quitting is that people who quit smoking after having a heart attack reduce their chances of having another heart attack by 50 per cent.

Okay, so what are some of these benefits and what is the time frame?
I know I've listed some of these before but they are worth repeating
* Within 20 minutes of Quitting cigarettes your body begins a series of changes that continue for years. Your heart rate reduces.
* 12 hours from quitting the carbon monoxide level in your blood reduces dramatically.
* 2-12 weeks since quitting your heart attack risk begins to reduce, your circulation improves, your lung function improves and exercise becomes easier
* 1-9 months after quitting the coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
* 1 year on your risk of coronary heart disease is halved compared to a continuing smoker.
* 5 years later your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and oesophagus decreases and your risk of stroke is dramatically reduced.
* 10 years of being a non-smoker and your risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker and your risk of cancers of the bladder, kidney and pancreas also decreases.
* 15 years of being a non-smoker and your risk of coronary heart disease and risk of death fall to about the same as someone who has never smoked.

Do you need more benefits?
** If you quit cigarettes before age 35, then your life expectancy is similar to someone who has never smoked.

** If you quit cigarettes in 60 minutes before age 50, then your risk of dying in the next 15 years is reduced by half when compared to people who continue to smoke.

** Best of all – quitting cigarettes in at any age doesn’t just increase life expectancy – it also improves quality of life!

As a non-smoker, you are also less likely to have:

•macular degeneration
•cataracts
•brittle bones
•wrinkles and look older faster
•yellow teeth and bad breath.
By quitting cigarettes in 60 minutes you will reduce your chances of:

•impotence
•having difficulty getting pregnant
•having premature births, babies with low birth weights, and miscarriage.
If you have children, your quitting cigarettes in 60 minutes can lower their risk of:

•Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) – (cot death)
•being smokers themselves
•ear infections
•allergies
•asthma
•bronchitis and other lung problems.

By quitting you will reduce your chance of having:

•cancer of the lungs, throat, mouth, lips, gums, kidneys and bladder
•heart disease and hardening of the arteries
•a stroke
•emphysema and other lung diseases
•gangrene and other circulation problems.

All this while saving 'boat' loads of money!

5 Ways to Quit Smoking for Good This 4th of July ~

Do something special this Fourth of July -- make the decision to quit smoking for good! Here are five tips that will help you quit smoking for life.

1. Start With a Stop-Smoking Plan

* Pick a day to quit smoking. Having a specific day in mind will help you stick to your goal. One day next month would be best — that will give you enough time to plan for it, but not enough time to talk yourself out of it. Don't quit smoking during holiday periods or at a time when you can expect a lot of additional stress. Post the date on your calendar, and let family and close co-workers and friends know.

*Visit your doctor. Discuss your decision to quit smoking, and ask if nicotine replacement therapy or other medications might help you quit.

* Cut back now. In the days leading up to your quit-smoking day, begin cutting back on the number of cigarettes you smoke each day. Try to smoke just half a cigarette when you do light up.

*Get smart. Read about what you'll be going through, especially nicotine withdrawal and the stresses of quitting. Start paying attention to triggers that make you want to smoke. You'll need to avoid or deal with these triggers once you've quit smoking.

*Plan substitutes. Stock up on cigarette substitutes like carrot sticks, hard candy, straws, toothpicks, and sugarless gum.

2. Seek Help and Support to Stop Smoking

*Tell family and friends about your quit-smoking day, and ask for their support. Just having someone to talk with can help you during low moments.

* Ask those who still smoke not to smoke around you while you're trying to quit smoking.

*Find a support group or a smoking cessation program in your area. Many groups like the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society offer programs through which smokers can receive help and advice while they're trying to quit smoking.

3. Make Your Quit-Smoking Day Special

* Don't smoke at all. Not one puff. This is it!

* Get rid of all of your smoking paraphernalia. Toss out your cigarettes, matches, lighters, and ashtrays.

*Plan to stay busy all day. Go for a walk or exercise. Go someplace where smoking isn't allowed, like the library or the movies. Eat foods you don't normally eat, and take routes you don't normally take. The idea is to avoid any association with your usual patterns of behavior.

*Begin using a nicotine replacement, if you've decided that will help you.

* Drink lots of water and juice. This will give you something to do and help flush the nicotine out of your body.

4. Be Prepared to Deal With Smoking Withdrawal Symptoms
As time passes, you’ll need to confront rationalizations. You will come up with reasons to smoke that wouldn't normally make any sense to you except at this point, when you're in the middle of a powerful craving. Thoughts like, "Just one to get me through this rough patch" and "I can't deal with this today, I'll quit tomorrow" will go through your mind. See these thoughts for what they are, and ignore them. Here’s how:

*Avoid situations that trigger the desire to smoke.

*Find ways to deal with cravings. Take slow, deep breaths until the craving passes. Drink some water slowly and hold it in your mouth. Munch on carrot sticks or suck some hard candy. Focus on a crossword puzzle. Play with a rubber band.

* If nothing else works, just tell yourself to hold off smoking for 10 minutes; often, that will get you past the craving.

5. Maintain Your Resolve, But Be Ready for a Slip
Whenever you feel your resolve weakening, remind yourself of all the benefits of not smoking:

* Count the money you're saving on cigarettes, consider how much better everything tastes and smells, and think about how your secondhand smoke is no longer affecting your family and friends.

*Avoid alcohol. Drinking makes it more likely you'll slide back into smoking.

*Eat right and exercise. A healthy diet and an exercise regimen can keep your mind off cravings and draw attention to how much better you feel now that you've quit smoking.

*Reward yourself. Buy something special with the money you've saved on cigarettes.

* Quickly regain control if you slip. Slipping is not the same as relapse — it's just a one-time mistake. You're still a non-smoker. Rededicate yourself, and use the slip as a learning opportunity by asking yourself what triggered your desire to smoke and what you can do to avoid it in the future.

Quitting smoking is difficult but not impossible. I did it, so can you! Just don’t give up!