* Hasn't reached graduation date yet.
**Two time graduate
***Three time graduate

* * *

It is the most important way to show their commitment by accepting the fact that their smoking is an addiction that is harmful to themselves and can result only in further complication of their disease.

We realize that this may not be the first time they quit, but hopefully the last.

Download the Stop Smoking eBook in HTML
Download the Stop Smoking eBook in PDF

* * *

Quitsters in Progress

 * * *

Those Learning and Prepping for their Quit

To track your success in money and time added to your life, go to: Silkquit and download to your hard drive. Have fun!

* * *
 

Want to Join QUITSTERS?  You MUST be a member of EFFORTS. Just go to http://www.emphysema.net/lists.html and fill out the form.

Also see:

• Please Quit

• HELPFUL TIPS ON QUITTING, From Members

• What happens if you smoke with Emphysema?

• Get a meter to track your savings when you quit

• Join Nicotine Anonymous

• Cigarette Anyone? (EFFORTS Member's Story)

Other Important information about tobacco

• Documents on Tobacco, Nicotine, Smoking, Cigarettes

• Cigarette Ingredients

• Smoked Out

• Tobacco Facts Main Page

• Tobacco Control Resource Center

• Pulmonary Pathology of the Lungs

Some Facts About Smoking and What It Can Do For/Against You

HOW YOUR BODY REACTS AFTER YOUR LAST CIGARETTE

Health & Safety Update - You Can Quit If You Want!
Some Thoughts About Quitting Smoking

Breaking your smoking habit is the single most important change you can make for better health. In fact, there is no longer any speculation about it: Recent evidence proves that smoking damages lung tissue. But, of the 45 million American smokers, each year, 70% want to quit, 34% try to quit, but only 3% succeed. Why do so many want to quit but so few succeed? If you really want to stop smoking, you can. If you are trying to quit because you think you should, you won't be successful.

There are lots of reasons people don't try to quit. Some people think they just can't do it. Others smoke to relax or deal with stress. Some people are afraid of gaining weight. For still others, its just a really hard to kick habit.
When your are ready, you CAN do it. However, you will have to decide for yourself when the time is right; when smoking is no longer worth the risks. Throughout this section of Healthy News, we will provide you with information about smoking; the health risks involved, how to decide if you are ready to quit, and how to break your smoking habit when you are ready. So, if you haven't quit because of some of the reasons mentioned above or other reasons of your own, maybe we can help you get over the hurdles that are stopping you from stopping.

THE TRUTH ABOUT SMOKING

So, what is really happening when you smoke? The truth of the matter is that smoking impacts your entire body:

Cigarette smoke causes inflammation of the lungs that can lead to chronic bronchitis. The cilia that line the lungs and sweep inhaled pollutants out of the lungs are destroyed by smoking. Once cilia are destroyed, the body creates more mucus to trap inhaled pollutants. Then it must get rid of this extra mucus, causing "smoker's cough."

Over time, the elasticity of lung tissue may be destroyed causing emphysema. Cells in the lungs may begin to change from long-term exposure to the harmful gases in cigarette smoke, resulting in lung cancer. The carbon monoxide (CO) in cigarette smoke attaches more easily to red blood cells than oxygen. When the heart does not get enough oxygen, muscle damage takes place and can result in heart attack.

The nicotine in cigarettes increases your heart rate and blood pressure, making your heart work harder.
Nicotine narrows your arteries, reducing circulation to all parts of your body, which also increases your blood pressure, and your risk of a heart attack or stroke. Diabetics who smoke are at even great risk for circulatory complications.
Smoking has also been linked to other types of cancer, such as breast or bladder cancer.

THE TRUTH ABOUT NICOTINE

Smoking is more than just a habit. Nicotine, the drug in tobacco, is physically addicting. The 1988 Surgeon General's Report reports the following:

Nicotine affects the body in different ways. The smoker experiences pleasurable feelings that make him or her want to smoke more. In stressful situations, it can have an affect like a tranquilizer, while during quiet times it can act as a stimulant.
Nicotine inhaled deeply reaches the brain in 10 seconds. When a person smokes regularly, nicotine levels in the body accumulate and have an impact on the body 24 hours a day. When an individual becomes addicted to nicotine then quits smoking, he or she suffers very real physical and psychological symptoms of withdrawal, including: nervousness, headaches, irritability and difficulty sleeping. In addition, because nicotine affects the chemicals in the brain, it can affect the mood and disposition of the smoker.