On how smoking kills- Saif Ali Khan
Excerpts from Men's Health Magazine, July 07 issue.
When you are young, you tend to feel it's cool to smoke. Peer pressure and the desire to live a wild life gets one started and then you are hooked to nicotine.
But the only things you can look forward to be are lung cancer or-as in my case-a heart attack.
I started smoking in school when I was 16, only to be cool, to add some excitement to my life. I lied to my mom that I smoked only once every two days, thought it was much more than that. I would hide in the bathroom and smoke. Frankly speaking, smoking does not really give any great kick. It's just a smelly and dangerous distraction, more like all smoke and no fire. In my opinion, nobody should smoke.
On kicking the addiction
It's difficult but not impossible. The golden rule is: don't say you are giving up anything. You have to believe that you are doing something that is best for you, that you are choosing a better option. Mental determination and self - realization are the key factors. You should treat craving like a scab over a healing wound. Don't feel miserable and never give in to the desire; just focus on the healing. The first three weeks are supposed to be the toughest - I was in hospital under medication so it became easier for me. I had tried to quit earlier but had failed. This time the fear of death did the trick.
Not everyone is lucky enough to be let off with a warning like me. So control the source of the craving: spend time with people who don't smoke or drink. I would smoke when I had a drink but now I've quit drinks, too. I am absolutely fine now - haven't smoked for quite some time now and don't miss it either. Today, when I see people smoking, I feel sorry for them. They don't know what poison they are inhaling.
Saif Ali Khan10 tips on how to kick the butt
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Have a cigarette while plugged into an ECG machine and see the effect of smoking on your heart. Remember that and you will definitely quit smoking.
- Don't feel you are giving up. Think you are improving your life. Nobody likes to give up anything.
- Having friends who do not smoke really helps.
- This one's a cool psychological trick: every time you crave a smoke, it means the body is healing from the nicotine. The longing is because it is leaving the system-it is like a scab forming over a wound. Instead of giving in, focus and enjoy the agony of quitting as a healing process.
- Lung cancer and impotence are some of the things you can look forward to lf you don't stop smoking.
- If you smoke, bad breath is one reason women would not enjoy kissing you. 7. Focus on the positive things of not smoking which are countless - looking better, living better, and being fitter.
- It is an expensive habit. Why waste the money?
- Smokers add to the pollution around.
- Heart disease certainly shakes hands with smoking.
