So is anyone seeing the pattern I'm trying to show. As a former smoker, it pains me to see everyone else smoking around me. I want one! :0) Just kidding. It kills me because I have to deal with the headaches, the wheezing, and everything classy that goes along with it. What bothers me is that someone could be trying to quit smoking and then see Brad Pitt do and change their mind completely.
Actually, stupid as it sounds, that's what kept me going for a long time. If anyone's ever seen the movie Alfie with Jude Law, they will know that he spent 9/10 of the movie smoking in his Armani suits and made it look gorgeous. I thought I was so trendy holding a cigarette every five minutes, but what comes afterward is no joke.
Remember I have a little girl too, so I also did this for her and just found out I am pregnant again. I saw a pregnant woman smoking in a bar the other day and wanted to throw my shoe at her. Not even like newly pregnant, more like 7 or 8 months.
I went on cancer.org (how pleasant!) and found a list of benefits to quitting:
20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
(Effect of Smoking on Arterial Stiffness and Pulse Pressure Amplification, Mahmud, A, Feely, J. 2003. Hypertension:41:183.)
(Effect of Smoking on Arterial Stiffness and Pulse Pressure Amplification, Mahmud, A, Feely, J. 2003. Hypertension:41:183.)
12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1988, p. 202)
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp.193, 194,196, 285, 323)
1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. 285-287, 304)
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. 285-287, 304)
1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)
5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)
10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease, too.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. vi, 131, 148, 152, 155, 164,166)
15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a non-smoker's.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)
Immediate rewards of quitting
Kicking the tobacco habit offers some benefits that you'll notice right away and some that will develop over time. These rewards can improve your day-to-day life a great deal.
your breath smells better
stained teeth get whiter
bad smelling clothes and hair go away
your yellow fingers and fingernails disappear
food tastes better
your sense of smell returns to normal
everyday activities no longer leave you out of breath (such as climbing stairs or light housework)
So what's it going to be? The cigarette or your life?
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