Confessions of a heavy smoker
<< Health...Hell>
Hello world. It is a great day for me. This 15th January, 2011. Mokor ( or Paush ) Sankranti day . I was waiting for this auspicious day ( refer to the Mahabharata ) to quit ( or kick ) a bad habit forever. Today I promise myself never to smoke a cigarette or bidi again.
This 'smoking' was the only vice I had.( I have never touched wine and eaten animal flesh in my life ). However, this only vice has been a part of my life since I was 16 or 17 years old. Gradually I became a heavy smoker. A pack ( 10 pieces ) of cigarette or Bidi ( 25 pieces ) a day. I knew and felt that this bad habit was telling on my health, and I tried to give up but failed time and again.
But one fine evening as I was surfing the Internet suddenly I stumbled upon a certain website. There they had listed the benefits of quitting smoking. We all know the health risks of smoking, this is the first time I learn t about the 'benefits' ! It made me thinking for next few days. I knew I have to take hard decision for which tremendous will power is required.
Slowly, I started decreasing the number of cig. I smoked per day. 25, 20, 15, 10, 5.........and fixed a particular date when I will finally kick this vice out of my life. And today is that day ! I need your blessing.
Below is the list of benefits when one quits smoking cigarette or Bidi :
20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a person who continues smoking. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decreases, too.
15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a non-smoker's.
( US Surgeon General's report. Source: American Cancer Society )
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P.S. A pack of cigarette costs today 25 rupees. So on average, in 10 years from now one can save upto Rs.90,000/- !! ( Rs.25 X 30 X 12 X 10 = 90,000/- )
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