In 20 minutes your blood pressure will drop back down to normal.
In 8 hours the carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) levels in your blood stream will drop by half, and oxygen levels will return to normal.

In 48 hours your chance of having a heart attack will have decreased. All nicotine will have left your body. Your sense of taste and smell will return to a normal level.

In 72 hours your bronchial tubes will relax, and your energy levels will increase.

In 2 weeks your circulation will increase, and it will continue to improve for the next 10 weeks.

In three to nine months coughs, wheezing and breathing problems will dissipate as your lung capacity improves by 10%.

In 1 year your risk of having a heart attack will have dropped by half.

In 5 years your risk of having a stroke returns to that of a nonsmoker.

In 10 years your risk of lung cancer will have returned to that of a nonsmoker.

In 15 years your risk of heart attack will have returned to that of a nonsmoker.

So, you have more immediate things to look forward to if you quit now besides just freaking out about not being able to smoke.

Do you know the reasons that cause you to light up that cigarette?

If you are still smoking, you need to ask yourself, “Am I ready to quit the smoking habit”?

Can I do it successfully?

There are two factors that will determine your success:

1.You must have the desire to give up your habit.

2.You must have the confidence to know that you can do it.

Of course it’s possible to get motivated to quit, yet you fail for a variety of reasons.

Quitting smoking can be an uncomfortable experience, and cigarettes have given you something to do for a long time. Consequently, it is only natural to think about the ups and downs of giving them up. Most who try to quit, fail to do so and have to try several times before they succeed. Should you have any doubts about giving up smoking, put it off until you are determined to do so.

THE RISKS

IF you smoke:
You will be twelve times more likely to die from lung cancer.
You will be ten times more likely to die from some form of lung disease.
You will be ten times more likely to die from cancer of the larynx.
You will be six times more likely to die of heart disease.
You will be twice as likely to die of a stroke.

Now let’s just think for one short moment: wouldn’t it be very important for you to increase your chances of living from two to twelve times longer, gain many extra years of happy, healthy existence, and save thousands of dollars in increased medical costs? Another overlooked benefit is the amount of money saved by not buying cigarettes in the first place.

Let me explain:
If you smoke one pack of cigarettes a day at $2.00 per pack, you spend $730 per year. If your habit has continued for a period of 20 years you will have spent an incredible $14,600! If you smoke two packs for that same period of time, you will spend $29,200!

With the information contained in this book, I will give you the ammunition you need in this war against tobacco. You will be able to resist the urge to smoke every time it hits you and you will be able to resist it until the urge passes.

Next, you will need to deal with the reasons that you smoke now. What kind of satisfaction does smoking give you – physical, mental, or emotional?

1
a.) I smoke when I need a pickup. 1 2 3 4
b.) I smoke to keep from slowing down. 1 2 3 4

2
a.) I smoke for the pleasure of it. 1 2 3 4
b.) I like to light up when I am comfortable and relaxed. 1 2 3 4

3
a.) I smoke when I’m angry. 1 2 3 4
b.) I smoke when I’m anxious. 1 2 3 4
c.) I smoke when I’m tense. 1 2 3 4
d.) I smoke when I’m depressed. 1 2 3 4

4
a.) I get anxious when I think I might run out of cigarettes. 1 2 3 4
b.) I get anxious if I must go someplace where I will not be able to smoke when I really want to. 1 2 3 4

5
a.) I smoke a cigarette within thirty minutes of
getting up in the morning. 1 2 3 4
b.) I smoke when I’m not feeling well. 1 2 3 4
c.) I smoke a pack or more a day. 1 2 3 4

6
a.) Sometimes I smoke just to keep my hands busy. 1 2 3 4
b.) I smoke when I get bored. 1 2 3 4

EVALUATION

A high ranking in one or both the questions in group one (1) indicates that you use cigarettes for stimulation or extra energy. You might smoke to help to stay awake or for a boost of energy to complete a task. You may use them when your body says it needs rest, but you have work to accomplish.

A high rating in group two (2) indicates that you use smoking to help you to relax, whether it is physical, mental, or both. You may use cigarettes during breaks at work, after you have completed a difficult job, or when you have that cup of coffee or alcoholic beverage.

High scores in group three (3) indicates that you use smoking to deal with negative effects in your life. Smoking gives you a lift when you become angry, depressed, tense or anxious.

The questions in group four (4) reflect your psychological dependencies. You are concerned that you will run out of cigarettes before it happens and way before you have any nicotine deprivation.

Group five (5) suggests that you have a chemical dependency. If each of your answers was high in this group, it means that without an occasional smoke, you begin to experience withdrawal symptoms and occasionally fell a little uncomfortable.
Group six (6) tells us that you use smoking to have something to do with your hands when you are nervous or uncomfortable, maybe in social situations, or something to do when you are bored.

The different categories of questions in the quiz give a great variety of reasons why people with different needs smoke. Nicotine is an extremely powerful drug! It is more addictive than heroin or cocaine. If you read the papers you know cigarette manufacturers manipulate the amount of nicotine in their cigarettes to provide a consistent flavor and also to insure that you get the same dose with each cigarette you light up.

Nicotine creates a biochemical reaction in your body that has an immediate effect on your mood, your ability to reason, and your metabolism. The more that you smoke, the higher level of chemical dependency will be reached. Light smokers can also become just as dependent on cigarettes because of nicotine’s psychological impact. In this way it can affect moods and feelings in certain situations.

Nicotine also affects the hormones produced by the body which creates a chemical dependency to nicotine and the accompanying craving. Heavy smokers have become dependent on heightened levels of hormones, stimulated by nicotine, which can have an addictive quality. They need a cigarette at certain intervals of time. After the stimulation of the hormones starts to fall, they need another cigarette to bring them back into the comfort zone. If they do not get that cigarette, the craving begins.

How and when do you want to quit smoking?

There are only two ways to effectively quit smoking, immediately (cold turkey), or gradually. When you quit gradually, you use various methods to taper off before you have that last cigarette. Neither way is better than the other for all people. Pick the one that you feel fits your temperament. Either way, a nicotine patch may prove to be a real benefit in giving up, especially if you are a heavy smoker.

1. Stopping smoking is one of the most important things in the world for me right now.
Yes
No
Not sure

2. I can handle a tough problem without a smoke.
Yes
No
Not sure

3. I have to quit smoking and my reasons are good enough to do it now.
Yes
No
Not sure

4. If I quit this minute, I know I can find a way to resist the craving to smoke, even if it is strong.
Yes
No
Not sure

If your answer to all of the above questions is yes, you may be a candidate to quit immediately. But before you do, read on to get the tools necessary to be successful. After reading the following, set a time to quit. If not right now, then tomorrow, but do it.

What about the doubts you may be feeling now?

Most smokers will get a sense of doubt when they read the questions above. You probably are not confident in your ability to follow through with resisting any future craving to smoke, or finding something to substitute for the feelings that smoking has given to you.

In order to have the confidence to quit, you :

(1) must find an alternative to handle the urge to smoke, when it hits, and

(2) create ways to deal with the reasons that you smoked in the first place.

Together we will accomplish both these tasks so that when the day comes that you had planned to quit, you will be confident to do it.