How Long Does It Take To Quit Smoking?

In many years of working with smokers and helping many to quit the most common question I was asked is "How long does it take to quit smoking?"

It was often asked by smokers who had tried to quit many times and had been lured back to the nicotine habit.

My answer is always the same.  You have quit as soon as you stub out your last cigarette.  Just make sure it is your last by resisting the urge to return to the habit that will eventually kill you.

Smokers need to break the massive task of breaking nicotine addiction and becoming smoke free into a manageable program.  The truth is you don't have to resist all future cigarettes – you just need to resist the next one.

Smoking is a difficult habit to break because it has so many elements that you have to change.

Firstly you need to break the strong addiction to nicotine.  It is a strong addiction and it works in a very clever way.  As the nicotine leaves your body you get a sensation that is very similar to anxiety or panic.  It is actually the nicotine leaving your body but it feels like you are stressed.  Smoking a cigarette replaces the nicotine and makes smokers believe their habit relieves stress.  It is a con.  Smoking does not relieve stress.  It is just one of the ways that nicotine hangs on to you and makes it difficult to stop.

Secondly you need to break habits.  I don't know you but my guess is that you smoke at similar times each day.  First thing in the morning when you body has managed without nicotine for several hours?  After your meals?  When you are out with friends?  You must break the habits if you are to succeed in giving up the smoking habit for good.

Thirdly, if you are a smoker you probably associate with other smokers.  Your colleagues you have  a cigarette break with or social contacts.  Unfortunately many smokers are not great at supporting one of their group that is trying to leave.  I guess it is because they can't break the habit themselves and they don't want you enjoy success where they have failed.

If you can overcome all the hurdles you will join the millions of others that stop smoking and stay stopped.  You will have answered your own question, it may take a week or two weeks.  You may have to make several attempts.  The good news is that you can quit smoking.  And you can enjoy all the health benefits that come with stopping.

There is even more good news in that you don't have to do it alone.  There are many products and programs that will support your efforts.

How long it takes you to quit smoking is not the important question.  The really important question is when will you start?

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Infertility in Men and Women

Infertility in Men and Women

According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, 1/3 of infertility cases are attributable to women.

1/3 is attributable to men and the remaining 1/3 to combined infertility or unexplained causes.


Introduction of infertility

Experts in reproduction and infertility consider any male or female or couple infertile if they are under the age of 34, have not used contraceptive and have tried to conceive for a period of 12 months.

If the female is above the age of 35 and has not conceived after a period of 6 months of contraceptive-free intercourse or if a female is incapable of carrying a pregnancy to term, it may be termed infertility.

Causes of infertility in males

The main cause of infertility in males is low sperm count or volume. Sperm production is affected due to hormonal problems in the testicles or pituitary gland, treatment of cancer with chemotherapy or radiation and several other factors. Sometimes genetic problems also play a part.

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Diabetes and thyroid also cause infertility in men suffering from them. Ejaculation problems such as blocked ejaculation and retrograde ejaculation also play a pivotal role in infertility. Klinefelter syndrome or problems in chromosomes cause infertility too.

Causes of infertility in females

The fertility rate of women is affected by age. Other conditions that lead to infertility in women are pelvic inflammatory disease, ovulation difficulties, diabetes, thyroid disorders, liver problems, kidney disease, problems in the fallopian tube, uterus and cervix and endometriosis (a disorder in the female reproductive organs). Less well-known factors that can lead to infertility in women are excess weight gain or weight loss.

lifestyle can lead to infertility

Environmental and lifestyle factors responsible for infertility

Certain lifestyle factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, rigorous exercises and taking undue physical stress can lead to infertility.

Environmental factors such as exposure to toxins like glues, volatile organic solvents, silicones, physical agents, chemical dusts and pesticides also contribute to infertility.

Relations between smoking and infertility

Smoking is not only dangerous for your heart and respiratory organs but also your reproductive functions. Smoking or consumption of substances that contain tobacco reduces sperm production in men and affects the quality of eggs in women, causing infertility in the course of time.

Smoking also decreases the production of testosterone in men, thereby causing impotence. Smoking in women causes changes in the cervical mucous, which prevents the sperm reaching the egg and induces infertility.

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Bad Effects of Smoking

asian girl smoking cigarette

The effects of smoking cigarettes seem fairly harmless at first. A lot of people see no reason not to try it for a little while, maybe just for a year, when you're young or at work to fit in.

The problem with smoking is that it slowly creeps its way into, not only your life, but the lives of your family and friends. Its effects are dangerous and extremely painful, not only for those going through them, but those who have to sit and watch. And the worst part is, all the effects of cigarette smoke are avoidable; after all, it's a personal choice to smoke.

If you smoke and haven't already noticed, it takes a huge toll on your physical abilities by cutting into lung capacity. This is awful as you'll begin missing out on sport or recreational exercises and playing with your children or grandchildren. 

Don't forget, too, that your family will all be missing this time with you as well: no one wins. And it gets worse: emphysema and cancer can ultimately be the result of all the lung damage. These diseases will leave you, not just on the sidelines, but in a hospital bed.

The next level of damage is inflicted on those around you- everyone around you. All those who come into regular contact with you, regardless of age or sex, such as co-workers to waiters. Even if they are non smokers, is in danger from the effect of you smoking.

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Tens of thousands of people die each year from second hand smoke. Luckily, new laws have begun to make it illegal to smoke in a lot of public places, safe guarding those who work and play in our cafes, parks, museums, and bars. Perhaps the most tragic victims of second hand smoke, though, are not necessarily those who die from it after 30 or 40 years of exposure.

Children who have no choice but to breathe their parents' or grandparents' second hand smoke every day are at very great risk. Not only are their lungs getting just as contaminated, but their changing bodies are at a extreme risk of being jeopardized in their growth.

smoking reduce your live

Kids' immune, respiratory, cardiovascular, and musculovascular systems are all on at risk in the face of second hand smoke, and they can't do anything about it; young children can't exactly move out and take are of themselves. If the effects of smoking don't stop today; future generations will feel the sting of your bad habits.

Quitting is a major consideration for those worried about the effects of smoking on, not only themselves, but loved ones around them. The future is at stake for thousands of friends and strangers, but more importantly, for entire generations.

If you don't want strangers touching your baby or wouldn't approve of your five year old eating food off of the floor, why would you let them breathe in some of the dirtiest air imaginable every day? To stop smoking is hard, but perhaps even more difficult having those around you battle with something they didn't agree to.

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