Gasping For A Smoke?
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Laziness, procrastination, swearing, jealousy, nagging, hoarding and nail biting are all bad habits, but smoking is more than that. Yet we continue to smoke even though we’re very well informed of the dangers to our health.Many of these bad habits can be classed as anti-social but we continue, as a society, to pass them off as part of the human condition. We ease our conscience by convincing ourselves that our bad habits aren’t hurting anyone else even though we know that to be untrue. At various times we all have some bad habits and should make more of an effort to stop rather than ignore them.
Let’s get one thing straight… smoking is a dangerous bad habit that can cause many serious health problems not only to you but to all those around you. It’s more than a habit, it’s an addiction to drugs!
The money you spend on smoking is wasted money, smoking is akin to poor money management, gambling or being a shopaholic. You are spending money that could be used to improve you and your family’s life on unnecessary products, cigarettes, cigars, tobacco or chewing tobacco.
It certainly doesn’t follow that we’ll just replace smoking with another bad habit like anger or weight gain, they’re just excuses. We can just as easily take up a healthy habit to fill the gap left by quitting smoking - it’s simply a choice. By and large, smokers are procrastinators… how many times have you heard a smoker say they’ll stop smoking next week or next year or even next birthday and continuing to ignore the ever present pleas of their family and friends.
Let’s look at the positives of choosing to quit smoking (remember it’s a choice you’re making, not a sacrifice). One of the immediate benefits is the amount of extra cash you’ll have in your wallet or purse to spend on improving your family’s lifestyle, instead of donating to the government and tobacco companies.
Here’s a surprising fact with regards to the instant health benefits that could surprise you, it takes only 20 minutes for your blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature to return to normal!
The stale tobacco smell on your breath starts to disappear after 8 hours and the carbon monoxide levels in your bloodstream begin dropping back to normal. Your smokers cough disappears after 2 months and your energy levels start to increase, this is because your lungs and circulation are a lot cleaner and working much better.
Within a year your odds of developing cancer are drastically reduced and the possibility of a heart attack is 50% less. In fact, after 10 years you’re in no more danger of stroke or heart attack than a person who has never smoked in their life!
Then there’s the social benefits of choosing to quit… everyone who doesn’t smoke will admire you for your decision, especially your loved ones and friends. What about the added health benefit of not having to go outside in the cold of winter or the heat of summer just to have a drag, instead you could be inside with your work colleagues enjoying good conversation over a cup of coffee.
Children are great imitators, so think about which you’d prefer… your children and their children imitating your smoking habit or copying your smoke free, healthy lifestyle? Give some thought to being a positive role model for them.
