Smoking... why quit?

The World Health Organization (WHO) states, "Tobacco kills nearly 6 million people each year. More than five million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while more than 600 000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. Unless urgent action is taken, the annual death toll could rise to more than eight million by 2030."(http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs339/en/. If quitting for your own health isn't enough, then the fact that every tme you light up a cigarette you are contributing to over 600,000 second hand smoking deaths worldwide should help. Quitting smoking no matter how long you have been smoking for is shown to help reduce your risk of smoking related illnesses including heart disease, lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses. See the CDC Fact Sheet for more ways to quit smoking. Quitting smoking is the single best thing a smoker can do for their health according to the surgeon general. Besides the cost to your health, it also has serious financial burden to your wallet. Check out this calculator to see how much your cigarettes are costing you.

Suggestions to Help with Quitting:

• Join a support group. It’s easier to do things together than alone.
• Try to cut back slow. Sometimes going cold turkey can be too much and lead to more relapse.
• Don’t be hard on yourself. According to the Real cost of smoking
• One suggestion is keeping a craving journal. It allows you see your pattern of smoking cigarettes and the feelings, emotions and habitual behaviors related. Once you figure out some of the more routine cigarettes you have you can attempt to break those habits by replacing them with other tasks. People are often smoking for a reason and it is important to identify that reason and be able to replace it with a more health promoting behavior. 
• Here is a great journal I found on line to use as a template: Craving Journal  
• Once you’ve identified the triggers from using your food journal then find methods to cope with those triggers.
• Make a plan to help with cravings and then put the plan into action!

Resources:

• The real cost of smoking 

• American Lung Association Quit Smoking Help

• Alere Wellbeing; Quit for life program: One of the nations leading tobacco cessation programs boasting a 50% smoking cessation rate
• Become an Ex: Is an online program that teaches people how to learn to live life without cigarettes. 
•  SmokeFree.gov: Can call 1-800-QuitNow (Washington state Tobacco Quit Line)
•  Quit Plans: http://smokefree.gov/quit-plan
•  Swedish Hospital Smoking Cessation Programs

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Disclaimer: Information is for health education only and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease or medical condition.

—Always see your health care provider for proper diagnosis and treatment

—Information on herbs and supplements has not been evaluated by the FDA