Smoking regularly can not only have a huge effect on your health, but it also costs a lot financially. With tobacco regulations stricter than ever before, prices of cigarettes have skyrocketed. A person that smokes 20 cigarettes per day can now spend up to £80 per week on their habit. This means in one year, a 20 a day smoker can spend in the region of £4,000 on cigarettes alone. In addition to the financial strain that smoking has on you, smoking accounts for 7 million deaths worldwide each year. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of ways to help you stop smoking, and more smokers are choosing to quit than ever before.
5 Reasons To Stop Smoking
- You’ll Have More Energy – Many people don’t realise that smoking can drain your energy due to changes in circulation. Luckily, within 2-12 weeks of quitting smoking, you should feel an increase in energy, making physical activities a lot easier.
- You’ll Feel Less Stressed – Although most smokers use cigarettes to relieve symptoms of stress, in the long run, quitting smoking can actually make you feel less stressed. Because cigarette cravings can feel very similar to other types of stress, it is often difficult to differentiate between craving/withdrawal and stress. Quitting smoking gives you clarity to be able to differentiate between ‘real’ stress and stress that before was caused by nicotine withdrawal.
- You Could Have Better Sex – Smoking can have a huge effect on your sex life, and you may not even realise it. Smoking clogs arteries and blocks the blood flow in your body, quitting can improve the sensitivity to various areas of the body as blood flow improves. Men that quit smoking can experience better erections and women may also see increases in arousal.
- Your Dental Health Will Improve – When you quit smoking, you may notice over time that your teeth appear whiter than before. Smoking can stain teeth significantly, and those that quit will often see an increase in whiteness in their teeth and have fresher breath soon after.
- You Will Able To Smell And Taste More – Smoking can have a huge effect on your ability to smell and taste. Many smokers notice that food tastes and smells better after they quit smoking, this is due to toxic chemicals in cigarettes dulling the sense of smell and taste.
Ways To Make Quitting Smoking Easier
There are several ways to help make the process of quitting smoking easier, here are a few methods to consider.
E-Cigarettes (Vaping)
E-cigarettes are probably the closest thing to smoking that you will find to help you quit smoking. E-cigarettes are thought to be considerably safer than smoking cigarettes as they simply contain nicotine and no other chemicals that are found in cigarettes. E-cigarettes allow users to adjust the level of nicotine that they are consuming with relative ease, making giving up nicotine altogether a lot easier. You can try these vapes like the small premium vaporizers to help you get rid of smoking.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
NRT involves replacing cigarettes with alternative products that contain nicotine like patches, lozenges, or gum. Many people find NRT a great way to stop smoking; others can find it to be so far removed from smoking that it makes succeeding difficult. The success of NRT depends entirely on the individual and the severity of their nicotine addiction.
Medication (Varenicline)
Many smokers have managed to successfully quit smoking using a fairly modern medication called Varenicline (often called Champix). The drug has a huge impact on the body’s response to nicotine, making cravings disappear and tricking the brain to block any pleasurable effects that nicotine provides. Although Varenicline can help many people to give up cigarettes for good, it does come with its side effects. Before considering Varenicline, look into the side effects you may experience and discuss these with your GP.
