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Go to: Quit for Good 7 Day Stop Smoking program

Want a ton of tips to make staying smoke-free a breeze?
Go to: 101 Terrific Quit Smoking Tips

In this issue:
Worth knowing: If you have to go to hospital.
What's Hot: Some humour for you.
Feedback: Are you a Caroline?

Worth knowing
Having surgery?
It's an unsettling experience having a spell in hospital, so don't make it worse than it could be.

You want the LEAST complications possible? Too right!

If you are currently smoking the very best thing you can do for yourself is to bring any plans forward to quit as soon as possible.

Why the rush you ask?

Backing up previous studies, a recent Lancet published study done in Denmark with 120 daily smokers, proved that those who stopped or almost stopped for 6 to 8 weeks before surgery had far less post operative complications due to adverse effects on the body's cardiopulmonary and immune function.
They required less secondary surgery (and who would want to go through another lot!), they had shorter hospital stays and a particularly reduced effect with wounds and the cardiovascular system in hip and knee surgery.

What's hot:
Showing my age, I've put some old Goon Show jokes and snippets from Spike Milligan on the Cartoon page of our website. Spike has a funny account of a soldier smoking - go and have a laugh.

The "Stop Press" section of our webpage, "Ways to Stop Smoking," has some new editions to ponder over.

Feedback:
Was the "Effortless Icebreakers to start a conversation, without cigarettes," handy, helpful, fun, inspiring? Any more tips I can add to it? Click reply and tap, tap away to me now.

Or, are you a Caroline?

Caroline had quite a few airy fairy sayings about smoking such as, "Smoking is so handy, I mean I can always go up to a guy and ask them for a smoke."

In the next breath, she was lamenting to her girlfriends that she couldn't meet decent guys, and... listen to this - she needed to quit smoking. Why?
Firstly, if she used cadging a smoke as a way to meet people, that's pretty shallow and hardly making the effort to feel good about herself. Also it's limiting herself to roughly one quarter of the population.

Secondly, she needed to quit because she had met a guy who she really liked, a non-smoker, and he seemed to be attracted to her, but it all fell over (instead of falling over each other), sadly because... hmm, well, smoker's breath... he pulled a face instead of proffering a kiss.

Caroline is typical of the cavalier attitude of some young smokers. The horrors of the effects of smoking on their bodies have already started with their inexorably tentacles, and she is concerned about her immediate love life!

If and when she wants to quit for the value of herself and not for a social need - then she will be ready and be successful

See you with the next Hot Quit News.

Warmly
Megan