Smoking Cessation: An Ordeal Requiring Motivation and Support

Smoking cessation is the process by which a person changes their behavior and body chemistry to lose their addiction to nicotine and quit smoking tobacco products. The smoking cessation process requires motivation, a change in lifestyle and attitude,
 and sometimes, drugs and medical help.

Smoking affects a person's heart, lungs, brain and nervous system. Many people use smoking to reduce their appetite, to attain calm, sleep better and sometimes to make social contact. Smokers not only affect their own health, they affect the health of their families and friends.

My dad smoked for most of his life. He has had two heart bypasses. During his last bypass surgery, he had a heart attack on the operating table. Post-surgery, he came down with pneumonia and spent a week or more in the University of Washington hospital in intensive care. I visited him during this time and one night, my husband and I showed up while the nurse was clearing the fluid out of my dad's lungs so he didn't drown. He used a syringe that looked quite a bit like a large turkey baster to suction the fluid and then dump it into a pan. While I watched him do this, I noticed the fluid was milky but tainted with dark gray. I asked the nurse, "is that from smoking?" The answer was yes. I was horrified. At the moment, my dad is living day to day with congestive heart failure-a condition in which fluid builds up around his heart and makes it difficult for the heart to pump.

At the time my dad had his last bypass, my fiancé - now my husband - smoked. He, too, was horrified and disbelieving that so much smoke remained in the lungs. It helped I think, that his doctor found a spot on his lungs that looked like potential emphysema or cancer. He also had recently divorced his first wife who smoked. His son offered him $1,000 to quit smoking and later paid it to us by doing work on our property. I refused to allow smoking in the house. I also told him that I wasn't going to marry a dead man. Lucky for me, he realized I was serious. All of these things provided the motivation for him to quit smoking.

Related information
  • Many websites provide support for smoking cessation.
  • Family can help support smoking cessation by providing the motivation needed to succeed.
  • Smoking cessation requires lifestyle changes and withdrawal from nicotine addiction.
 
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I loved to smoke but I finally realized that I loved life a lot more. It took a couple of trial runs but I finally did it. I gained 50 pounds during the quitting cycle and still have 40 of those pounds that are hanging on. Blah. What a horrible addiction to start. I see young people smoke and I just want to scream. Your article is so true. I agree on the breaking of associated habits. The first one I tackled was to not light a cigarette in my car. Every time I would get into my car to drive I would light one up. That was the hardest one to break. I had to break the associated habits one at a time until I could hit it cold turkey and then I was finally free.

Posted on 10/20/2008 at 2:10:48 PM

Thanks for this...my parents smoked throughout my childhood and I hated it!

Posted on 05/27/2008 at 7:05:37 PM

So true! Great article.

Posted on 05/22/2008 at 6:05:52 AM

Very inspirational message, which I hope many smokers and their families will heed.

Posted on 05/16/2008 at 5:05:58 AM

I'm glad I never started smoking! Very glad your husband managed to quit. Thanks a bunch for sharing this, Sheri. I bet it'll help many others to stay off smoking. :o)

Posted on 05/15/2008 at 11:05:34 PM

Hopefully this will help others.

Posted on 05/13/2008 at 9:05:58 PM

I quit over 15 years ago after smoking for about 20 years...sometimes I still crave an after dinner cigarette, I don't give in but its a tough addiction even if only for the associations that come with smoking...thanks for the great article...

Posted on 05/13/2008 at 3:05:37 PM

I quit over 15 years ago after smoking for about 20 years...sometimes I still crave an after dinner cigarette, I don't give in but its a tough addiction even if only for the associations that come with smoking...thanks for the great article...

Posted on 05/13/2008 at 3:05:36 PM

I quit over 15 years ago after smoking for about 20 years...sometimes I still crave an after dinner cigarette, I don't give in but its a tough addiction even if only for the associations that come with smoking...thanks for the great article...

Posted on 05/13/2008 at 3:05:36 PM

I do not smoke but any addiction is hard to stop, mine is caffine consumption.

Posted on 05/12/2008 at 7:05:03 PM

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