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Internal Aging Department : Smoke Cessation Clinic
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I'm under a lot of stress and smoking relaxes me.
Naturally you will feel more relaxed when you give your body a substance it's come to depend on. But nicotine really is a stimulant - it raises your heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline level. Most ex-smokers feel much less nervous just a few weeks after quitting. Most smokers are tenser than non-smokers.
Smoking enables me to concentrate.
During the withdrawal period you will be tenser and it is harder to focus, but in the long run smoking actually deprives your brain of oxygen.
I've already cut down.
Cutting down is a good first step, but there's 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 - negating many of the benefits of cutting back. After you've cut back to about seven cigarettes a day, it's time to set a quit date.
I smoke only safe; low-tar cigarettes.
These cigarettes still contain harm- low-nicotine cigarettes. Carcinogenic 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 cigarettes is hard, but it's not impossible. More than 25 million people 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 became ex-smokers, but they have done it, and so can you.
I'm worried about gaining weight.
Many people who're considering quitting are very concerned about gaining weight. Most smokers who gain more than 3-6 kilos are eating more. Major weight gain (12 Kg) occur in ten percent of men and 13 percent of women who quit smoking. Gaining weight isn't inevitable; there are certain things you can do to help keep your weight stable. If you're concerned about gaining weight, keep these points in mind:
Quitting doesn't mean you'll automatically gain weight. When people gain, most of the time it's because they eat more once they've quit.
The benefits of giving up cigarettes far outweigh the drawbacks of adding a few extra kilos. Smoking ads the equivalent of 40 kg extra burden to the heart. You'd have to gain a very large amount of weight to offset the many substantial health benefits that a normal smoker gains by quitting. Watch what you eat, and if you're concerned about gaining weight, consider the following tips:
Chew sugarless gum when you want sweet foods.
Plan menus carefully, and count calories. Don't try to lose weight - just try to maintain your pre-quitting weight. Have low-calorie foods on hand for nibbling such as celery, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and mushroom, lentil soup, air-popped popcorn without butter, apples and carrots. Chew a sugarless gum. Get back to exercise, eat light in the evening so that you wake up hungry and not skip breakfast. Drink lots of water and avoid juices, fizzy drinks and alcohol.
I don't know what to do with my hands. That's a common complaint. You can keep your hands busy in other ways - it's just a matter of getting used to the change, of not holding a cigarette. Try holding something else, such as a pencil, paper clip, or marble. Practice simply keeping your hands clasped together. If you're at home, think of all the things you wish you had time to do, make a list, and consult the list for alternatives to smoking whenever your hands feel restless.
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