Smoking a no joke

With the latest stats showing that about 125 of the 23% of South Africans who smoke die from the habit every day, an average of 44,400 deaths a year, maybe this is a good time to give quitting another shot.  Here are tips to help you cut down: 

• Be aware of how much you’re smoking – keep a written record.
• Analyse your other habits, e.g. eating, drinking alcohol, spending time in smokey environments or with other smokers.
• Decide in advance how many cigarettes you'll smoke the following day, and remove the rest from the pack.
• Put off lighting your first cigarette of the day a little later each day and change to a brand you don’t like.
• Don't empty ashtrays: this reminds you of how many cigarettes you've smoked each day, and put your cigarettes in places that are awkward to reach, or keep them in hard-to-open containers.
•  Finish one pack before you buy another, don’t buy cigarettes in bulk, and don’t ask for cigarettes from other smokers.