Snuffing bad habits now helps smokers later

The temperature is in the teens, and there you are, standing outside, puffing away at your cancer stick.

You're making small talk with your huddled mass of fellow smokers, longing for the warmth of indoors.

Instead, you stand there, getting that quick fix -- all the while you're shivering uncontrollably and freezing your nether regions off.

Ah...the bittersweet inhalation of noxious fumes and tobacco toxins makes you feel so much better, doesn't it?

After all, "It's not really that cold out," you inform your now frozen cerebral cortex.

With each puff of carcinogens you inhale, you tell yourself, "I can quit . . .I can quit anytime I want..."

Sound familiar?

Many people go through equally absurd scenarios just to get their nicotine fix. They also convince themselves of several myths.

-- "Smoking relaxes me."

No, it doesn't - nicotine is a stimulant.

The relaxed feeling you get from smoking actually comes from deep breathing and nicotine dependence.

When you smoke, you breathe deeply, a relaxation technique.

Inhaling smoke delivers nicotine to your system, which relieves the withdrawal symptoms.

-- "If I quit, I'll get fat."

Not true. Most weight gain associated with smoking cessation is moderate, usually less than 10 pounds, and even that can be controlled.

-- "It's too late."

No way. It's never too late to quit smoking.

-- "I don't smoke that much, so it's not that bad. Plus, they're 'light' cigarettes."

Wrong.

People who smoke even one to 10 cigs per day run a risk of cancer 10 times greater than that of a non-smoker.

Also, "light" smokers tend to inhale more deeply, hold their breath longer, take more puffs and smoke the cigarette down closer to the filter.

As a result, "light" smokers are not terribly different from those who smoke "regulars."

"OK," you say, "why should I quit now? I'm young and healthy!"

Here are some immediate gains:

-- Increased energy.

-- Improved sense of taste and smell.

-- Easier to breathe.

-- "Cigarette funk" will disappear from hair, breath, fingers, and clothes.

-- Sense of accomplishment.

Plus, money!

A pack a day ($2.50 per pack) costs $17.50 per week, $70 per month, and $840 per year.

Think about your money, then think about your health.

There's never a better time than now to kick the habit - before you have one of those diseases that the Surgeon General warns you about on each pack of puffs.

That said, there is help for Penn State students who want to give up nicotine.

"Who wants to be a $urvivor? The Quit and Win Challenge" is a month-long smoking cessation program offered in February by the University Health Services Office of Health Promotion and Education.

Participants will receive "quit kits," daily e-mail support, and personal contact from a "quit coach."

Carbon monoxide levels will be measured at the start and at the finish of the program, giving participants quantifiable data about the improving state of their lungs.

Registration will run through Feb. 1

For more information, stop by the Ritenour Building or visit www.sa.psu.edu/uhs/quitandwin.shtml.