| I'M UNDER A LOT OF STRESS,
AND SMOKING RELAXES ME |
Your body is used to Nicotine, so
you naturally feel more relaxed when you give it a substance it has come to depend on. But
nicotine is a stimulant-it raises your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate.
Most ex-smokers feel much less nervous just one to two weeks after quitting. |
| SMOKING MAKES
ME MORE EFFECTIVE IN MY WORK |
Trouble concentrating
con be short-term symptom of quitting, but smoking actually deprives your brain of oxygen |
| I'VE ALREADY CUT DOWN TO A
SAFE LEVEL |
Cutting down is a good first step,
but there is a big difference in the benefits to you between smoking a little and not
smoking at all. Besides, smokers who cut back often inhale more often and more deeply-thus
canceling the benefits of cutting back. After you have cut back to about seven cigarettes
a day, pick a quitting date within 1-2 weeks. |
| I SMOKE ONLY SAFE, LOW TAR,
LOW- NICOTINE CIGARETTES. |
These cigarettes still contain
harmful substances, and many smokers who use them inhale more often and more deeply to
maintain their nicotine intake Also, carbon monoxide intake often increases with a switch
to low-tar cigarettes. |
| IT'S TOO HARD TO QUIT. I
DON'T HAVE THE WILLPOWER |
Quitting and staying away from
cigarettes is hard, but it's not impossible More than 3 million Americans quit every year
It's important for you to remember that many people have had to try more than once, and
try more than one method, before they become ex-smokers, but they have done it and so can
you. |
| SOMETIMES I HAVE AN
IRRESISTIBLE URGE TO HAVE A CIGARETTE |
This is a common feeling,
especially within the first 1-3 weeks. The longer you are off cigarettes, the more your
urges will come at times when you smoked before, such as When you're drinking coffee or
alcohol or you are at a cocktail where other people are smoking. If you can't avoid these
high- risk situations, you can try to visualize how you will handle the desire for a
cigarette if these occasions happen. |
| I BLEW IT. I SMOKED
CIGARETTE |
Smoking one or even a few
cigarettes doesn't mean you have "blown it". It does mean that you have to
strengthen your will to quit and try again. Don't forget that you got through several
days-perhaps even weeks or months-without a cigarette. This shows that you don't need
cigarettes and that you can be a successful quitter. |
