Quitting: Myths or
Facts?
Myth – I want to quit but smoking keeps me
thin.
FACT
Exercise and diet keep
you thin, not smoking. Smoking
can actually cause
cellulite. By
constricting your capillaries (tiny blood vessels) and damaging the
connective tissue, cigarettes weaken your skin which causes the
dimpling effect of cellulite.
Some people believe that smoking keeps them slim because
when they try to quit they replace cigarettes with unhealthy snacks
and sit around the house like a couch potato. But if you plan for
this in advance, you can develop a training programme, concentrate
on being active with friends and eating healthy snacks such as
fruit, vegetables while you’re quitting.
Myth - But I just can’t say
no when my friend’s offer me a smoke.
FACT
Yes you can, being smokefree
is your choice. You don’t have to justify your reasons for
not smoking to anyone. Your real friends will respect your
right to make up your up mind.
Myth – I’m only a social
smoker. I’m not addicted, I can quit whenever I want to.
FACT
Ok, so prove it! Can
you ignore those cravings? Do you feel anxious or moody when you
can’t have a cigarette? These are symptoms of addiction and that’s
why it’s so hard to quit on your own. You can suffer from these
symptoms after only a few cigarettes. In fact one in two
recreational smokers will become addicted to nicotine.
Myth – Smoking makes me look
mature
FACT
If by ‘mature’ you mean old
and wrinkly then you’re right, because people who smoke do age
quicker than non-smokers – in particular they get those wrinkles
around their eyes and mouths sooner.
But presumably you mean
‘grown up’ or ‘sophisticated’, and that’s why it’s a myth, because
what’s grown up about smoking chemicals and spending
money to support an addiction?
Myth – Smoking helps me
relax
FACT
It most definitely does
not! Nicotine is actually a stimulant, like caffeine so it
speeds up your bodily functions, especially your heart rate. In
fact, smoking causes stress, so if you give up smoking your stress
levels will actually decrease.
The reason why people think
smoking relaxes them is because of the physical actions of
smoking – the deep breaths and exhaling slowly – not the cigarette.
There are much better ways to relax, like hanging out with your
mates, listening to music, working out or watching a movie.
Myth – Smoking is cool
FACT
Really??
Bad breath – not cool.
Hair loss - totally not
cool.
Gum disease –
eugh.
Gasping for breath after
walking up the stairs – unattractive.
Emphysema – about as uncool
as you can get.
There really is nothing cool
about the effects of smoking.
Myth – Smoking won’t do
anything to me until I’m older
FACT
Ok, so cancers and heart
disease take a while to show up, but the earlier a person starts
smoking, the sooner cigarettes start to harm their body. Some
things that happen to even the youngest of smokers almost straight
away include bad breath, yellow teeth, yellow fingers, smelly hair
and clothes, shortness of breath, wheezing, reduced fitness and
more coughs and colds.
Myth – Weaker tasting
cigarettes in lighter coloured packets are safer to smoke than
regular cigarettes.
FACT
There is no such thing as a
safe cigarette. Take a look at a ‘milder’ cigarette packet – can
you see the word ‘light’ or ‘mild’ written any where on it?
No, that’s because these words have been banned in the UK since
2003 because they’re not true.
People who smoke weaker
tasting cigarettes take in just as much nicotine and tar (which
causes cancer) as smokers of regular cigarettes. Here’s why: these
so-called ‘milder’ cigarettes have holes in the filter that let in
air to dilute the smoke so they taste less harsh. But smokers
draw harder and more often to get the same amount of nicotine (and
tar) that they are used to. Research shows that people who
smoke weaker tasting cigarettes are just as likely to become ill
and die from smoking-related diseases as smokers of ‘regular’
cigarettes.
Myth – It’s not like I’m
hurting anyone but myself by smoking.
FACT
That’s like saying when you
drive a car dangerously you’re only putting yourself in danger.
When you smoke, yes, you are harming yourself, but you’re
also harming others around you.
How’s that? Well, when people
breathe in smoke (from the end of your cigarette or your exhaled
breath) it is known as passive smoking or second hand
smoke. By smoking around people you are exposing them to
unfiltered smoke and thousands of harmful chemicals which could
lead to asthma attacks, frequent coughs and respiratory illnesses
such as pneumonia or bronchitis. Some non-smokers have developed
lung cancer and died as a result of people smoking around them.
Information supplied by oxygen.org.au