Personal Relationships and Smoking

When a relationship involves both a smoker and non smoker, many times smoking will end up becoming a big issue in the relationship.

A non smoker usually has a hard time dealing with the smell of smoke on clothing and in hair. They may also complain that kissing a smoker is like kissing an ashtray.

A non smoker may also make many attempts at getting a smoker to quit, which can result in resentment. It's important that a couple who may be struggling with these issues seek professional guidance in resolving the issue which should result in the smoker quitting.

1-9 months After Quitting Smoking

After 48 hours-
- Sense of smell and taste increases
- Nerve endings begin regrowth

After 72 hours-
- Breathing becomes easier after bronchial tubes relax
- Lung capacity increases

After 2-3 months-
- Lung ability increases by as much as 30%
- Circulation improves
- Walking is easier

Between 1 and 9 months-
- Body energy level increases
- Lungs increase their ability to handle mucus
- Shortness of breath decreases

The Mess - More Reasons to Stop Smoking

Smoking can leave a mess in a few different ways. One way is the litter it causes on the streets of where we live, and another are things that happend within a house when smoking occurs such as:

- Yellow walls and pictures

- Residue on surfaces like televisions and computer screens

- An increase of dust

- The "smokers" smell that never seems to go away

Make A List

It is definitely helpful to make a list of reasons you want to quit smoking. In fact, you can go a step further by creating a list of reasons to continue smoking. The first thing you will notice is how much longer the reasons to quit are.

Make sure you keep your lists handy and ad to them every time you come up with a new reason, and give yourself a timeline to make the list official.

Say after a week of coming up with your reasons, you take the lists and make them your new motivational flyers. You can even make copies and hang one in each room of your home if you need to.

After 5 Years Without a Cigarette

After 5 years of not smoking, the risk of death due to lung cancer decreases by 50%, and after ten years your chance of lung cancer is about equal to a non smoker.

Pre cancerous cells are replaced as well, and the chance of getting other types of cancer is decreased.

More Reasons to Quit Smoking - Because of Money Wasted

If it's assumed that someone smokes one pack of cigarettes a day at $4 a pack, this smoker spends $1,460 a year on cigarettes alone.

At a period of ten years this smoker would have been able to save, invest or use $14,600 in a more efficient way than buying cigarettes.

Questions to Think About - Why Quit Smoking

There are many advantages to making a list of questions for yourself in regard to smoking. The biggest advantage is the opportunity to prepare yourself. Some questions to think about are:

1. Why do you want to quit?

2. When you tried to quit in the past, what helped and what didn´t?

3. What will be the most difficult situations for you after you quit? How will you plan to handle them?

4. Who can help you through the tough times? Your family? Friends? Health care provider?

5. What pleasures do you get from smoking? What ways can you still get pleasure when you quit?

What Happens When Quitting Smoking

Within the first 24 hours of quitting smoking, there are many beneficial things your body will experience:

- Drop in blood pressure

- Elevates temperature in hands and feet

- Oxygen levels become normal

- Your chance of a heart attack decreases

In as short as 48 hours, you will begin to recover a part of your smell and taste, as well as a restoration of some nerve endings.

Extreme Mood Swings After Quitting Smoking

Extreme mood swings are common when you quit smoking, though not everyone has them. If you have too many other stresses in your life, it may not be the best time to quit smoking, which is stressful. You will be able to quit later, if you decide this is not the best time. If you have already quit more than a couple weeks ago and are still having trouble with mood swings, it would be a good idea to see a counselor who is experienced with addictions and/or smoking cessation.

Why Quit Smoking?

In addition to eliminating many health risks, to quit smoking also means:

- Tasting food and beverages much better

- An increase in oxygen intake which keeps you feeling energized and overall more healthy

- Smelling increases signifigantly

Smokers Who Stay Smokers

Smokers who are confronted with the possibility of quitting often have many reasons they cannot quit, because they simply haven't made the commitment. Although smokers will usually agree with the fact it would be best if they quit, you may hear excuses from them like:

- "My job is stressful right now, I can't quit yet."

- "Now isn't a good time to quit, I just bought a carton."

- "I have a lot of back pain, smoking helps keep me calm."