Introduction If you are a smoker, either thinking about quitting or not, the following is for you. Below you'll find information on the health effects of smoking, the manner in which a person becomes hooked on cigarettes, the possibility of weight gain during smoking cessation and much more. We hope this information will be helpful to you. If you have any questions after reading this information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

After two or three days, there is an increased sense of smell and taste, and an improvement in lung function. Part of this improvement in lung function may initially result in an increase in coughing. This is because as the lungs recover they begin to clean themselves out. This increase in coughing does not last. 

Circulation will improve and walking can become easier after 2-12 weeks. Your increased risk of coronary heart disease due to smoking will decrease by 50% after one year. In three years, your risk of a heart attack is the same as those who have never smoked. Five years after quitting smoking, your risk of lung and bladder cancer has decreased by 50%. Your risk of stroke five years after quitting is the same as those who have never smoked. Fifteen years after you have quit smoking, your risk of coronary heart disease is similar to that of people who have never smoked. In fact, fifteen years after quitting smoking, your risk of dying is similar to those who have never smoked. 

So although you may have smoked for a long time, by quitting smoking now you will begin to see almost immediate health benefits. And the longer you stay smoke free, the greater those benefits will be. 

The second hook of smoking has to do with social activities you have come to associate with smoking. Some people always smoke when they are drinking coffee, eating a meal, talking on the phone or driving a car. When these people then try to quit, they find they are especially tempted to smoke when they do those activities. Early in the process of quitting smoking, you may need to be especially careful when doing these activities. It may be helpful to change some of your other activities during your early smoke-free period. 

The third hook of smoking is the physiological addiction to nicotine. This simply means that the body needs nicotine to function normally, and when it is not there, withdrawal symptoms occur. Withdrawal effects of nicotine can include urges to smoke, irritability, anxiety, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping or drowsiness, increased hunger and eating, headaches, sweating or slight hand tremors. Different people have different levels of addiction to nicotine, and not all will be bothered by nicotine withdrawal. People who usually have their first cigarette within 30 minutes of getting up and smoke more than 20-25 cigarettes per day are most likely to experience a fair amount of nicotine withdrawal and may benefit the most from the use of nicotine replacement therapy (such as the nicotine chewing pieces or the patches). If you are interested in learning more about the nicotine replacement therapies, you can ask your pharmacist for more information. 

One beneficial test that people who are quitting may want to take is called the 'Why Test'. Through a series of questions, the test helps you identify your strongest reasons to smoke and also provides ideas on how to overcome them. If you are interested in taking this test, you can ask us about it. We can give you a copy of the test and be available to discuss the results. 

The most important thing to remember is that there is no wrong way to quit smoking. As long as you have quit smoking you have reached your goal. 

There are a couple of reasons why weight gain occurs after quitting smoking. First of all, many people tend to eat more as they quit due to increased appetite, a better sense of taste and using food as a reward for being able to quit smoking. Secondly, the body slows down its energy consumption when nicotine is not present. This means that even if a person who quits smoking doesn't increase the amount of food they eat, they can still gain weight. How can you deal with the possibility of weight gain as you quit? First of all, recognize that it is likely to occur, but is usually less than 10 pounds. Secondly, although weight gain can be disturbing, focus on quitting smoking first and foremost. You will be most successful if you only focus on one task at a time. Once you have successfully quit smoking, you can then begin to think about losing weight. 

And finally, we are here to help. There are a large number of programs and organizations dedicated to helping you quit smoking. We can provide you with the names and addresses if you like. If you have any questions at all on quitting smoking, do not hesitate to contact us.