Allergy Guide

Asthma and Allergy Guide to Common Home Allergens


Asthma and Smoking

If you're a person who suffers from asthma, and smokes as well, your health could be in serious danger. Not only does smoking increase your chances of getting lung cancer and heart disease, but it can cause asthma, make symptoms more severe, and cause asthmatic episodes harder to recover from. It's no lie that quitting smoking is hard, even harder when those around you smoke. You'll to put in some work to really quit once and for all. It could be an off and on battle, starting, stopping, repeating the cycle several times. It's fine to do this, so long as you quit for good at in the end.

Some Helpful Ideas for Stopping Asthma related to Smoking

  • Pick a date to stop and hold to it. And remember, there's strength in numbers. Try to get a friend to quit too.
  • Remind yourself why you're quitting, like money or your asthma. On a scrap of paper, jot down your reasons for quitting, and when you get the urge to smoke, read through the list.
  • Let everyone know what you're doing. It's not as easy to cheat on your plan to quit smoking when others know what you're doing. However, your friends may not be as enthusiastic about quitting as you, even more so if they smoke. Make up a story if they tease you about it. Say that someone bet you to quit smoking, or that you've got a big cash prize coming from your parents if you quit. If this doesn't make your friends back off, it might be a good idea to steer clear of them for a while. Quitting smoking is tough even without peer pressure.
  • When a craving hits, drink some water or grab a stick of gum to chew on until the urge passes. You'll still want the nicotine, but these are good ways of distracting your body until the need passes. If you can, exercising will help turn your attention from smoking.
  • Take notice of when, where, and why you smoke. Then break these habits. Our bodies are prone to a routine, so if you always light up a cigarette after you get out of class, for instance, head to your car through a different route, bypassing the temptation. There's almost always a crowd of smokers at every party. Avoid them, doubly so if you just quit. If you can change your routine, you can avoid those smoking situations.
  • Get help from a professional. Your doctor may suggest taking medications or nicotine chewing gum that will ease your cravings.
  • Treat yourself on your savings. If you're having success quitting, you'll notice that you've saved a lot of money on cigarettes. Take the money and go buy something that you want, instead of an unhealthy life.

Filed under Smoking Allergy by admin