5 Reasons to Quit Cigs

 Smoking

1.  LUNG CANCER (It's REALLY REALLY BAD...),  plus pregnancy-harm, heart-disease, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), oral cancer, cataracts, pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema, leukemia...  There are like a dozen other cancers you can get, too.

2.  Your breath, and the smell

3. Addiction and cost (it adds up) (Nicotine is as addictive as heroin, for most*) (also, increased susceptibility to addiction to other substances) (a nicotine addiction costs an estimated $4628 over 5 years and $23,142 over 25 years)

4. Butts and litter and ugliness

5. Second-hand smoke harms those around you.  And a baby inside you.

*"Nicotine is as addictive as "hard" drugs such as heroin.  Smokers usually start the habit as children, are addicted to nicotine by the time they are adults, and thereafter the choice to stop becomes an illusion.  Thus, although 2/3 of smokers want to quit, and about a third try each year, only 2% succeed."  (those few with a small cluster of genes on chromosome 15 have less or no addiction)

There are like 4000 chemicals in cigarettes, they say.

Your gums recede, and the smoke leaves stains.

My friend Mike said he was able to quit in like 2 months.

Here's how:

1. Breathing exercises, nothing required, inhale like dope, so back of throat gets like the dry cigarette smoke, deep count to 4, hold 4, like smoking, open mouth, short hyperventilating first, makes you more breath conscious... deeper conscious breathing helps with stress, and is a healthy smoking substitute.  "tickles the cilia."   Give yourself 5 minutes.

2. Cinnamon sticks first, (available, easy, and in mouth, as an oral substitute).  They give you a fresh mouth, have a good feeling, and are like a candy.  They don't fall apart, or wear out, rot, smell.  You can put them in your purse.  They smell good, in fact.  People put the powder in their shoes.  It gives you a new routine.  And mint leaves are an option, too.

 (choose what you prefer, like, works for you)

3.  You need Nicotine?  Try Skoal or kodiak.  Skoal better, in his opinion, worth the extra.   Get a flavor you like.  Like mint, wintergreen.  Cherry an acquired taste.  Roll up a Pinch of it in a little square of tp (say one or two eraser heads worth), put it next to your gum, wet it, might take some getting used to, small amount, absorb slowly, getting nicotine without the heat and so many chemicals. Gradually lower the amount.  (nicotine gum might work, but more expensive). 

4. Fum, if you want to be fancier than the cinnamon sticks (flavored air!).

5. Halls menthol lozenges, mentholatum (if you smoke menthol, esp.). soothing, mimics the effect of smoking.   

6.  Jogging, heart rate up and down, little spurts.  Jog, sprint mix.   Cardio benefit, and will help cancel smoking.   Can't do both (if you keep it up).   Exercise.  Drink lots of water.  Break the link with smoking to whatever activities you associate with it.

7.  Nicotine anonymous chapters with steps, groups.

8. I hear Acupuncture is something worth looking into, too.