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Smoking Cessation Blog

By Terry Martin, About.com Guide to Smoking Cessation since 2003

Quit Smoking Monday Messages

Monday September 22, 2008
Removing the Blinders

As smokers, we know we face significant health risks due to cigarettes. We know smoking causes heart disease, lung cancer and emphysema. None of this is earth-shattering news.

However, we learn early on to effectively ignore the particulars about smoking-related disease. We gloss over, tune out and otherwise distract ourselves whenever possible, because looking too closely can cause a head-on collision with the reality of the damage we're inflicting on our bodies and turns smoking 'enjoyment' into a guilty, fearful experience.

Smoker's Denial

All smokers harbor the secret hope that they will be spared the disease and death that follows nicotine addiction. We tell ourselves we'll quit in time and somehow dodge the bullet that smoking is. But with four million people dying every year due to tobacco use around the world, the odds aren't in our favor. Put another way, a smoking-related death occurs somewhere in the world every eight seconds, 365 days a year.

The sooner we remove the blinders and look carefully at nicotine addiction and the damage it causes, the sooner we can begin pulling away from the lies. This week's Monday Message helps us do that by taking a look at how smoking harms us -- head to toe.

Image © Stockxpert

Take The Quit Smoking Monday Pledge

Healthy Monday encourages us to think of every Monday as a day that we can begin work anew on goals that we have for ourselves. If you're still smoking, put your cigarettes down and get started on your quit program today.

We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program.

You can quit smoking ... and we’re here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.

Image © healthymonday.org

Comments

September 22, 2008 at 12:08 pm
(1) Stop Smoking San Francisco says:

I think any day is a good day to stop smoking not just Monday. Often times a better day might be something that you remember well like your birthday or your kids birthday or any other significant even that happened in your life that is easy for you to remember. However, if you don’t have any “significant” events coming soon then Monday is still a good day to quit smoking!

Best of luck.

September 23, 2008 at 9:41 am
(2) judy harris says:

I quit 1 year and 8 months ago today. I had been a smoker for 32 years. I’m feeling great; however, I really hate the 17 extra pounds I’ve acquired. I have been walking 2 and a quarter miles about 3 to 5 times a week for over a year. I guess if I had not been doing that, the pounds would surely be more! If someone could just come up with a way to quit and NOT get the extra weight! But all in all, I am so grateful that the nicotine drug no longer has a grip on me. But I also know that I will always be a nicotine addict.
It simply got to the point that I was afraid to keep smoking and so far, so good. Best wishes to all that attempt it. It is very rewarding to finally kick it!

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