When you’re getting ready to quit smoking, the way you look at the process will have a huge impact on your chances for success. Don’t look at quitting like you’re giving something up, look at it like you’re gaining a long list of benefits. Because you will be.
Here are a couple dozen real-life benefits that you’ll begin to experience almost immediately as soon as you smoke your last cigarette:
- You’ll be at much lower risk of permanent disability or death from coronary heart disease.
- You’ll be at much lower risk of getting smoking-related lung diseases like chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
- Your taste buds will come back to life. You won’t believe how good food will start to taste to you.
- Your sense of smell will improve (this can be a mixed blessing).
- Your risk of dying in a fire because you fell asleep with a burning cigarette will be pretty much zero (a Google search on the phrase “fatal fire caused by smoking in bed” brought back over 14 million results just now).
- Your speaking voice will improve because you’re not continually irritating your throat with toxic smoke.
- You’ll experience less shortness of breath and fits of coughing.
- You’ll be less likely to develop an ulcer.
- Your risk of getting lung cancer will be greatly reduced; oddly enough, especially if your job has a high incidence of lung cancer because you work with asbestos or toxic chemicals.
- If you’re pregnant, you’ll eliminate any possible smoking-related injury to your unborn child.
- You’ll feel more comfortable in non-smoking public places and in the homes of non-smoking friends.
- You’ll get fewer colds.
- Your circulation will improve.
- If you have asthma, the frequency and severity of attacks will be greatly decreased.
- You’ll have more money.
- You’ll have more energy.
- You’ll have more stamina.
- You’ll be a better example for your children; children of non-smoking parents are far less likely to start smoking than children of smokers.
- You’ll look better.
- You’ll feel better.
- You’ll smell better (no more tobacco stink).
- You’ll feel more in control of your life.
- Your night vision will improve so you’ll be safer driving at night.
- You’ll have both hands free again.
Obviously, not all of these benefits will be things that motivate you personally, but they should give you a place to start, to get the wheels turning. What are some of the benefits that would motivate you in a big way?
Feel free to post some of them in the comments: