How to Quit Smoking & Its Side Effects on the Lungs

There's no denying that it's healthy to quit smoking, but, like all bad habits, it can be hard to kick. The good news is that even a short time after you quit smoking, your body starts to heal itself from the negative effects of smoking. After 15 years of not smoking, the risk of death from cancer and heart problems becomes nearly the same as that of someone who never smoked. Understanding how to quit smoking and what effect not smoking has on your lungs will help you to be successful.

Instructions

• 1

  Research the various methods to quit smoking and decide what will work for you.There are a number of products on the market to help you stop smoking. Your doctor can prescribe certain medicines that inhibit the nicotine receptors in your brain, making cigarettes less desirable. Nicotine patches deliver nicotine to your body transdermally, so that you can first break the psychological addiction to smoking, then deal with the physical addiction to nicotine. Hypnosis and acupuncture are also supposed to help you to quit. Some find success from quitting cold turkey, just stopping without using any additional method besides willpower. All of these methods will improve your lungs, because you are no longer inhaling the smoke.

• 2

  Set a date to quit smoking. Think about a day that is good for you to quit smoking. Pay attention to the times that you smoke more or less. For example, if you smoke more during the work week due to stress, you may want to quit on the weekend.

• 3

  Stop smoking. When your quit day arrives, don't smoke. Use any aids that you were planning to use. After just eight hours of not smoking, your lungs can deliver more oxygen to your blood because the level of carbon dioxide has been reduced.

• 4

  Use negative associations to reduce cravings. When you first quit smoking, you're bound to get cravings. Create negative associations with cigarettes to help you reduce cravings. For example, every time you want a cigarette or see someone smoking, think, "That's disgusting."

• 5

  Refuse cigarettes that friends offer you. Friends may offer you cigarettes, but you need to stay strong. You'll find that after you've stopped smoking for about two weeks, you produce less phlegm. After a month, you'll start to notice that you don't cough as much and that you don't have problems with shortness of breath. This means that your lungs are functioning better.

• 6

  Continue your smoke-free life. One of the pitfalls that ex-smokers face is thinking that they can "just have one." Remember that even one cigarette will negatively affect your lungs and that there's a good chance you'll take up smoking again if you smoke that one. Focus on the fact that your lungs are functioning better than they were when you were a smoker.