Can You Quit Smoking for One Day?

Today, Thursday, November 17, is the annual Great American Smokeout organized by the American Cancer Society. For one full day, smokers across the country commit to going without a cigarette for a full 24 hours.

So what about you? Are you up for the challenge? I've never been a smoker myself, but I've talked to a number of women that confided that they wish they had the courage to quit. Like any habit you want to break, it's good to start with a list of reasons, benefits really, of changing your undesired habit. Possible reasons for quitting smoking could be:

• Fear of serious illness and a painful, untimely death
• Lingering colds and bronchitis
• Chronic, nagging cough
• Shortness of breath
• Smell on hair, skin, clothes, furniture, and inside your car
• Dulled sense of taste and smell
• Hypertension
• Dizziness or nausea from too many cigarettes
• Yellowish skin, teeth and fingernails
• Dry, chapped lips and scaly, dry skin
• Feelings of shame around non-smokers
• Time and money wasted by smoking
• Smoking outside in bad weather
• Cracking the car window in the rain
• Driving others away when lighting up
• Dry mouth and constant feelings of thirst
• Feeling "exiled" in the smoking area

Now go through the list and turn all these negative consequences into the positive outcomes you'll experience when you do give up your habit. It's been reported that within just 20 minutes of quitting, your blood pressure decreases, your pulse rate drops, and the body temperature of your hands and feet increases. After 8 hours, the carbon monixide level in your blood drops to normal and the oxygen level in your blood increases to normal. Ater 48 hours, your nerve endings start regrowing and your ability to smell and taste improves. Within a few months, your lung function increases and you no longer experience shortness of breath, coughing, and sinus congestion. After a year of living smoke-free, your excess risk of coronary heart disease decreases to half that of a smoker. So what are you waiting for?

For further help, check out FreshStart™ -- a safe, guaranteed, craving-free way to become a permanent non-smoker without the need for willpower. If you are ready and serious about stopping smoking, you can join the thousands of people who choose to leave a dangerous habit behind and open the door to a healthier, happier, and longer life.