Smoking, without a doubt, is the most damaging habit you can have. It has disastrous consequences on your health and wellbeing, causing 90% of all lung cancer deaths in the world. There are an estimated 1.1 billion tobacco smokers in the world, and it kills more than half of them.
Tobacco damages your health because it contains many harmful components like Acetone, Arsenic, Carbazole, and Lead.
These substances release toxic gases when burnt and they enter your body and damage the internals. Tobacco smoke affects many parts of the body, such as the lungs, the heart, the throat and the skin. It can cause cancer, increase cholesterol levels, constrict your blood vessels: which may lead to cardiac arrest and eventual heart failure.
Tobacco is also responsible for increasing levels of the stress hormone, called Cortisol. Increase in Cortisol ups the risk of heart problems.
Tobacco also contains Nicotine, which makes it very addictive and extremely hard to quit. Those attempting to leave smoking face withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, edginess, mild depression and bouts of anger.
Still, there are many methods using which you can slowly but surely quit smoking:
Acupuncture:
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese healing technique that uses pressure points on the body to heal ailments. It has been found to be useful in curing addiction, and needles inserted into pressure points on mouth, lungs and airways lower the impulse to smoke.
Exercise:
Getting regular exercise is healthy and everybody should be doing it anyways, but it is specifically useful in controlling smoking. Research shows that working out for as little as 20 minutes daily reduces the desire to smoke.
Olfactory Training:
By training the olfactory system (a fancy term for the sense of smell) and exposing it to the stench of rotten eggs and cigarette smoke, researchers have managed to subdue the habit of smoking temporarily.
Mindfulness and Meditation:
Meditation is an excellent tool for getting your mind under control. Mindfulness is a technique where you sit calmly for a period of time trying to focus and preventing stray thoughts. Studies have demonstrated that by practicing to sit during bouts of craving, smokers can strengthen their will and give up smoking more easily.
Lime and Nicotine Patches:
Chewing Lime or a Nicotine Gum/Patch when a craving for tobacco starts can be useful, as it satisfies the craving without you having to actually smoke.