Kick the Habit!!!! Now!!!!

Being a former smoker, last month was my 2 year anniversary of quitting, I have become a pretty big advocate for stopping smoking.  I saw firsthand the negative health impacts that smoking can have, and have since quitting, spent the last 2 years trying to get my lungs back into shape through endurance training.  It’s estimated that 430,000 people die annually in the U.S. from smoking, making it one of the leading causes of death in our country. 

I also work as a social worker in the Community Mental Health field and many of the severe and persistently mentally ill people that I work with are smokers.  It is reported that half of all the cigarettes sold in America are consumed by people with severe mental illness.  This is due to in part by the fact that people without mental illness are quitting at a higher rate, which can be attributed to an increased understanding of the detrimental health effects that smoking causes.  There is a new line of medications that is surfacing to assist these people with their quitting efforts, but I can personally attest to the emotional dependency that many smokers have with cigarettes.  For me and for most smokers, cigarettes became a way for me to relax whenever I experienced stress.  For those with severe mental illness, stress and maladaptive responses to it are a very common occurrence, so in this way, it becomes even harder for these folks to break the habit.  One thing that I try to do with the people I work with is to educate them in terms of the negative health impacts that smoking causes, as well as motivating them to begin simple exercise routines within their physical capabilities.

Exercise is one of the most effective ways that a person can stop smoking.  In fact smokers are 75-80% more likely to stop smoking if taking up a running routine.  For me, running was what gave me the strength to stop.  By having to breathe deeply to run, I was constantly aware of my lungs during my runs.  I was able to feel them getting stronger with each week and this was such a motivation to me.  I simply could not imagine going back on the gains that I had made in terms of improving my lungs and breathing.  I can still feel this process taking place during tough runs where I push myself!

So if you’re looking for a way to stop smoking, I suggest getting active and getting serious with your exercise!  It makes no sense to try to improve your health through exercise, only to do something as harmful as to smoke.  It is a fact…..exercise will substantially increase your likelihood of quitting for good!