No Joking~ Stop Smoking!

I’ve been meaning to write about the topic of smoking for a while, but I always felt like such a hypocrite.

I’ve now been smoke free for 2 months, so I figure now is the time to write about it (just in case I fall back into the habit!)

If there are 3 things that I think are many Koreans’ vices, I would say that they are Food, Drink, and Cigarettes.

Now I’m not saying that all Koreans are fat, chain-smoking drunks.

However, I do believe that there are a LOOOT of koreans that like to drink (a lot) and smoke (a lot).

We all know smoking is bad for you. It’s extremely bad for your health and it’s REALLY bad for your looks.

If you don’t want cancer, emphysema, or heart disease, quit smoking now.

If that’s not enough to stop you, think of the yellow teeth, bad breath, leathery skin, wrinkles, and grayish skin you get as a smoker.

Here is a timeline of the benefits of quitting smoking:

The moment you quit smoking, you set in motion an amazing healing process that starts with the feeling of fear and excitement over making such a positive change in your life. The healing process continues:

Thirty Minutes Later …

Your blood pressure goes down. The nicotine in cigarettes stimulates the release of adrenaline , which raises your blood pressure. Chronic smoking then keeps your blood pressure high, which in essence creates ppersistent hypertension. Hypertension is a risk factor for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, arterial aneurysm, and chronic renal failure.

Your pulse rate also decreases. Just like with blood pressure, the nicotine in cigarettes stimulates the release of adrenaline, raising your heart rate. An increased heart rate, especially over a period of time, can create a number of problems, increasingly inefficient pumping of blood by the heart and an imbalance in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the hemoglobin in the blood.

Eight Hours Later …

Two great things happen in your blood: the levels of poisonous carbon monoxide decrease because you’re no longer inhaling so much CO. This then allows your levels of oxygen in the blood to increase.

A Day Later …

Your chances of having a heart attack begin to go down—in just one day after having quit!

Two Days Later …

Your nerve endings begin to re-grow and your senses of smell and taste begin to improve

Three Days Later …

You will be largely nicotine-free. Most of the nicotine metabolites in your body will have been passed through your urine. Although nicotine withdrawal will be peaking, your bronchial tubes will be relaxing, increasing your ability to breathe.

Two Weeks To Six Months Later…

Your circulation gets better, simple activities like walking get easier and you fatigue less quickly, the function of your lungs improves, you aren’t coughing nearly as much and your sinuses are less congested.

One Year Later…

You will have lowered your risk of coronary heart disease by half compared to smokers.

After Five Years …

You will have lowered your risk of stroke down to the same risk as people who have never smoked.

After Ten Years…

Your risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of people who continue to smoke. Furthermore, you will have significantly reduced your risk of developing cancers of the oral cavity, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas.

After Fifteen Years…

Your risk of developing coronary heart disease will be no higher than that of people who have never smoked.

And most importantly, you will have lowered your risk of death—period—nearly to the level of people who have never smoked.

* So I know it’s not easy. I smoked for over 11 years. I’ wasn’t even allowed to tell my friends when I was trying to quit because of the countless “Last Cigarettes” I’ve had over the years…

Here are some of my tips to help you quit:

Don’t give up. Even one or two less cigaretttes is better than nothing.
If you quit for a while (even a day or two) but fall back, don’t be discouraged. Keep trying.
Try to pick up some healthier habits. Eating healthier foods, Sleeping more, Excercise~ Living a healthier lifestyle can make quitting easier.
Watch You Tube anti-smoking videos. The Australian ones are the WORST!
Candy. Lots and Lots of Candy.

So, I hope you have the desire and motivation to quit. It won’t be easy~ I loooooved my ciggies. But I love being healthy, looking younger, and living longer more.

Good luck. I wish you the best of luck on your journey to becoming smoke free.

Now go out and get some Korean BBQ and Soju (but skip the stog)! Cheers!