LESSON #1: KNOW YOUR BIG WHY VIDEO
At Vincere, we know that changing or quitting a smoking habit is hard. Your habits have become deeply embedded over many years, so changing them requires sustained motivation and effort. Understanding the benefits of change can help, especially when those benefits can be directly connected to your unique values.
[Ambivalence](https://vincerehealth.notion.site/Ambivalence-f22dcbc6b4324b0e874938406017ed26) is a common feeling when people wrestle with a big life change. Reaching a goal like quitting smoking requires both attention and intention. Attention is the awareness of the problem and intention is the plan to address it. You cannot change what you do not first see.
Most people who smoke reach a point where they don’t want to keep smoking. However, they often feel powerless to break their addictive habit. The first step toward becoming smoke-free is to get clear on WHY you wish to make a change. There may be a number of different reasons why you want to become smoke-free: looking or feeling better, reclaiming control over your life, being healthier for your family, or to save money.
<aside> 📌 INTERACTIVE COMPONENT
There are two important questions to ask yourself:
"Why do I Smoke?" and "Why do I Want to Quit?"
Choose from some of these common reasons or write in your own:
The reasons for why you smoke are also known as triggers. These triggers often influence you to light up. We’ll talk about these more in Lesson #2: Track Your Triggers.
There are so many reasons to quit smoking. Select your reasons below:
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<aside> ☠️ Eliminate Toxins Found in Cigarette Smoke from your body.
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<aside> 👨👩👦 Reduce Secondhand & Thirdhand Smoke .
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<aside> ⛽ Blood vessels dilate, circulation begins to improve
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<aside> ⭕ Blood oxygen level increases
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<aside> ❤️ Decreased workload on the heart, improved cardiac function
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<aside> 🎅 Lipid profile can improve (↓ cholesterol)
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<aside> ➕ Immune system / healing ability improves
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<aside> 🏥 Decreased complications of diabetes, surgery, invasive procedures
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<aside> 💫 Cilia function better clearing mucus (fine hairs lining airways)
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<aside> 🌲 Improved respiratory function (relaxed airways, less mucous production)
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<aside> 👃 Nerve endings in nose and mouth regenerate improving taste/smell
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<aside> 🦷 Better oral health to prevent / stabilize dental disease
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<aside> 😁 Eliminates smoker's breath, whiter teeth
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<aside> 💢 Healthier skin, less noticeable wrinkles
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<aside> 💊 Medications can work more effectively (smoking interferes with some medications such as aspirin, beta-blockers, insulin)
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<aside> ❤️ Decreased heart attack risk while on birth control pills
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<aside> 🍆 Decreased reproductive problems (impotence, infertility)
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<aside> 👶 Healthier babies during and after pregnancy (preterm birth, low birth weight, birth defects and SIDS)
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<aside> 🏃♂️ More energy, more endurance
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<aside> 🆓 Greater freedom from a tobacco-hijacked routine
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<aside> 😤 Eliminate body odor
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<aside> 💭 Enhanced self-esteem
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<aside> 👩⚕️ Less health worries
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<aside> 💪 Greater sense of control, self-agency
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<aside> 💰 Save money (around $1,800 – $3,800 annually)
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<aside> 🧯 Reduced fire risk, burn holes in furniture/clothing
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<aside> 🧘 Live in alignment with your health values
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To learn more about motivation and ways to change your tobacco habit, explore:
[Ambivalence](https://vincerehealth.notion.site/Ambivalence-f22dcbc6b4324b0e874938406017ed26)