Get support quitting smoking

Quitting is hard. Usually people make two or three tries, or more, before finally being able to quit. Each time you try to quit, you can learn about what helps and what hurts. You have a better chance of being successful if you have help. You can get support in many ways.

People whose friends and family help them quit are much more likely to succeed. If you don't want to tell your parents or family that you smoke, make sure your friends know, and consider confiding in a counselor or other adult you trust. And if you're having a hard time finding people to support you (if, say, all your friends smoke and none of them is interested in quitting), you might consider joining a support group, either in person or online.

If you have questions, doubts, thoughts about quitting smoking, feel free to post it here, inside Quit Smoking Pro. You will find answers to your questions and support to help quit smoking for good.

Quotes from quitting smoking stories

"I will NEVER understand why any young people would take up the addiction nowadays, with what we know about tobacco's addictive and poisonous properties. No, kids, it does NOT make you look cool, sexy, or sophisticated. You're an idiot if you think otherwise. But it WILL make you look older - about the time you're wanting to look younger, your face will be turning into the wrinkled visage of a hag. And, yes - if you smoke, you stink."

"It was the best thing I ever did. I must have tried to quit a dozen times before I achieved success, so even if you have tried and failed, even many times before, success is still possible."

"I have been smoking for 21 years. The other day I saw a little kid smoking and I was like what the heck. Kids are smoking at young ages. This worries me. After I saw that, I knew I had to quit."

"I feel like I’ve lost the last 10 years of my life to smoking... and I refuse to let it take another single minute of my life."

"… I have wanted to smoke at least one time every day. It's scary when I think about a chemical (or anything for that matter) having such a mighty strong hold on my body and mind. Quitting smoking was the most difficult thing I have ever done. It was also the best."

"The one thing that I am NOT going to do is tell anyone what they should or should not do. I can never, ever know what causes others to do what they do, however, I do believe that wake up calls are all we need to put our life into perspective. In numerous ways we are blessed and have so much to look forward to, that when we sit down and realize that all of our time here is short and something so bad for your health and not to mention costly could take you away from those who love and cherish you the most."

"For everyone who is trying to quit, good luck! And if you are thinking about starting up again, don't!"

Give up smoking and lose weight

Starting the exercise before quitting smoking is the best plan, because then you have that outlet. When you have that craving you have something to do. It isn't easy, but the solution is simple - exercise and eat right, just before stopping and actually when you are non-smoker already, and you will stop smoking and lose weight.

If you are still smoking try to exercise - take walks or ride a bike and you will lose your desire to light up another one for a while. Those who exercised were more likely to quit smoking or reduce their cigarette smoking if they did not quit. Consider exercise as the positive thing connected with quitting, and this positive attitude will help you through the tough times. Remember it is possible to give up smoking and lose weight.

Is smoking your choice?

When many teens think of tobacco-related health problems, they think only of adults and the problems of long-term smoking. However, they should know that smoking is particularly dangerous for them because their bodies are still developing and the chemicals in cigarette smoke can adversely affect this process. For instance, children and teens who smoke cigarettes have nearly four times the risk of developing asthma compared to non-smoking kids. Harmful effects of cigarette smoking are not limited to those who are long-term heavy smokers; there is a link between short-term smoking and respiratory illness in teens and young adults.

Appealing advertising is a big motivator in the desire to take up smoking. Tobacco ads usually depict young, healthy, active people taking part in fun group activities. This sends the message that if you smoke then you can have a fun and carefree life too. There is a direct correlation between the amount of on-screen smoking teens have seen to their likelihood of lighting up. For instance, this summer movie hit "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" might influence its teenage audience not only to drive recklessly, but also to start smoking irresponsibly. The tricky thing about smoking is not usually recognized as a habit until it is too late. When it is recognized as a habit, young adult usually finds that it is too hard to quit.

Smoking is not a disease; it is a choice. Choose wisely and think rationally before making a choice. In the future, you may regret the choice you made.

Stop Smelling

Immediately after quitting smoking, as soon as you take a shower and change your clothes, you stop smelling. Develop a clean, fresh, nonsmoking environment around yourself - at work and at home. Buy yourself flowers - you may be surprised how much you can enjoy their scent now. Enjoy having a clean-mouth taste and maintain it by brushing your teeth frequently and using a mouthwash.

Within 12 hours after you have your last cigarette, your body will begin to heal itself. The levels of carbon monoxide and nicotine in your system will decline rapidly, and your heart and lungs will begin to repair the damage caused by cigarette smoke. Within a few days, you'll probably begin to notice some remarkable changes in your body. Your sense of smell and taste may improve. You'll breathe easier, and your smoker's hack will begin to disappear, although you may notice that you still cough for a while. And you'll be free from the mess, smell, inconvenience, expense, and dependence of cigarette smoking.

Why might a person quit, and then start again?

About 70 per cent of smokers want to quit, but smokers have a much higher rate of depression and anxiety than those who don’t smoke. There’s also growing evidence that the longer you smoke, the more likely you are to develop some of these negative emotional states. Each year, 34 per cent of smokers try to kick the habit. But only about five per cent of those attempts are successful.

When you quit, in some sense it’s like mourning. Nicotine stimulates some brain regions stimulated by interaction with a loved one. So when smokers say, “I feel like I lost my best friend,” neurologically, they have. Don’t be too optimistic about what quitting is going to be like; that will make you better prepared. As opposed to mourning a loved one who is gone forever, here the loved one is available at the nearest convenience store. Once a person has a single puff, the odds are 80 to 85 percent they will go back to full-time smoking.

The most characteristic way people relapse is that they encounter an upsetting stressor — an argument, anger or anxiety. Negative mood inflates the incentive value of drug use: expectations that smoking will soothe that negative mood increase. But as soon as the body’s nicotine level starts to drop, they start to go through withdrawal again, so smokers are most likely to quit only in their third, fourth or fifth attempt. Nothing predicts success like failure.

American Smokout - November 16

Smoke Free Society is offering its "Proven Stop Smoking Technique" as a free on-line download in celebration of the annual Great American Smokeout on Nov. 16.

The Great American Smokeout encourages smokers to quit for one day, in the hope that they will quit for good.

Based on past years, millions of smokers are expected to quit for the day; many are likely to quit permanently, especially if they use modern cessation methods.

This is a big day to get involved and encourage loved ones to give up smoking and encourage children to stay away from smoking and using tobacco.

Around the country, volunteers support quitters, publicize the event and bring national attention to the hazards of smoking and benefits of quitting.

Smoking is responsible for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths and is a major cause of cancers of the lungs, voice box, oral cavity, throat, esophagus, and bladder, and contributes to the development of cancers of the pancreas, cervix, kidney, stomach, and also some leukemias.

Nearly 90 percent of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking which is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, and is one of the most difficult cancers to treat.

Smoking is a very costly habit and addiction. An average smoker spends more than $1,500 a year on their cigarettes alone, and that doesn't include all other related costs. A Duke University study puts the true cost of lifetime smoking at $40 a pack. The Great American Smokeout encourages and helps smokers quit smoking for good.

The Smoke Free Society aids that effort by encouraging smokers to download the free "Proven Stop Smoking Technique" available at www.SmokeFreeSociety.org or by using its other effective quit-smoking plans, services and free eCards offered. Smoke Free Society is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping smokers quit and educating kids not to start.