Quit Smoking Articles

Help a Friend Quit Smoking Through Encouragement

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

Help a friend quit smoking by consistently being there as an encouragement to them. Support their goal to stop smoking with enthusiasm and vigor -- this well help them face their smoking demon. The power of a supportive family member or friend is amazing to anyone who is trying to quit smoking.

How to Encourage

Many people that are close to a smoker do not know how to encourage them without being a nag. Encouragement is a wonderful gift to your friend or family member and can easily be accomplished. You do not need special skills to encourage...you just need a kind heart and a willingness to listen.

Once quitting has been identified as a possible goal it is time for you to step in with encouraging words. It is important not to be overly focused on helping the person become smokeless. Instead use encouraging words to let your friend or family member know that you are there for them if they need anything.

Becoming smoke-free is a long and difficult process. Your job as the encourager is to help your friend forget about the mistakes or slip-ups and encourage all the progress they are making. Most smokers do have an occasional slip up, don't encourage a slip up but don't berate your friend when one happens. Everyone is human and will make mistakes; it is what happens after the mistake that counts. Help your friend get back on track to reaching their non-smoking goal.

Nicotine and tobacco are very addictive substances that can take months or even years to truly get out of a person's system. Even after quitting some smokers say they continue to have urges to start smoking again. Your loved one will welcome your continued support as they struggle to stay smoke-free.

How to Quit

It does not matter how a person chooses to quit smoking. Some people feel that they have to quit smoking cold turkey, while others cannot imagine the horrors of that. The gradual decrease of nicotine is the most common way for smokers to quit smoking. They gradually decrease their exposure to nicotine through decreasing their cigarette consumption and often time using a nicotine patch.

For encouragement purposes you can help support your friend or family member no matter how they have decided to quit smoking. Some important tips to help encourage the smoker's in your life to stop smoking:

1. Be positive and uplifting when you talk about their successes.

2. Acknowledge when mistakes are made but don't dwell on them

3. Support their choice in quitting strategies

4. Help them steer clear of highly charged smoking situations

5. Be their friend!

You do not have to be a counselor to be good at encouraging. Simply be there for your friend or family member as they struggle to quit smoking. Encourage them every moment you get and they will soon have control over their desire to stop smoking. Remember that every person is going to quit smoking in a different way, so be supportive of the way your friend has decided to quit smoking and don't judge them.

Quitting smoking is one of the most difficult addiction-breaking processes one can go through. For more helpful, supportive tips, articles and information sources on facing this challenge please visit us at: http://www.quitsmokingcoldturkeynow.com

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Source: Help a Friend Quit Smoking Through Encouragement

Handling Smoking Habit Cravings

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

When you quit smoking you will encounter many different types of cravings to smoke a cigarette. One of these cravings revolves around habit. After years of smoking, smokers have engrained lighting up a cigarette and inhaling the smoke into their daily routine. Often times it is the first thing smokers do in the morning and the last thing smokers do before going to bed.

Smoking cigarettes is a major part of a smoker?s daily routine. On average most smokers light up every 2 hours. The morning, afternoon, break time, 10-minute break probably exists for the smoker, etc. When you make the decision to quit smoking it is critical to your success to be able to handle habit cravings to smoke without smoking. Before I quit smoking one of my habit cravings was to smoke while driving my car. It just seemed like a good opportunity. The longer the drive the more I got to smoke. The fact that I smelt like an ashtray when I got to my destination was merely a bonus. Below are some other common situations that may cause habit cravings:

Getting into an argument with a family member or friend

Feelings of loneliness or boredom

While talking on the phone

Being around other smokers

After eating a meal or drinking a cup of coffee

Drinking alcohol

Smelling others? tobacco smoke

Completing a task

Feeling Stressed

There are many situations that can bring on the craving to smoke. In order to quit smoking find alternate habits to put in the place of smoking when faced with habit cravings. Chew a piece of gum, rinse your mouth with mouth wash, call your support network, munch on unsalted sunflower seeds, or go for a walk. It is important to have mechanisms in place to prevent you from smoking when cravings come and they will come. There is good news, habit cravings tend to come and go quickly. As you get more time under your belt, not smoking, the habit cravings will get fewer and fewer. You are developing a new healthier habit of not smoking. Keep the reasons why you want to quit smoking close, review them often and don?t give up.

Jason D is an ex-smoker and publisher of a Quit Smoking Tips website that helps people stop smoking and Manage Nicotine Cravings.

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Source: Handling Smoking Habit Cravings

Overcoming Nicotine Withdrawal Urges

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

When you quit smoking it is almost certain you will encounter nicotine withdrawal urges. When a person quits smoking they deprive the body of the nicotine it has grown accustom too. Nicotine is considered one of the most additive substances on the Earth and it takes time to rid the body of its presence and effects. So if you are in the market to quit smoking, which you should if you are a smoker, you need to be aware that there will be obstacles and one of these obstacles is overcoming nicotine withdrawal urges.

Before you actually quit smoking you should have a plan on how to deal with many of the common nicotine withdrawal urges you will encounter. Some common nicotine withdrawal urges include:

Trouble sleeping
Anxiety
Difficulty concentrating
Depression
Irritability
Cravings to smoke a cigarette
Increase in appetite

By knowing common nicotine withdrawal urges you may encounter you can develop a plan on how you are going to deal with the nicotine withdrawal symptoms. If you are concerned about not being able to overcome and cope there is still help. Nicotine cessation products such as; nicotine gum and patch can help you quit smoking by breaking the habit of smoking. Remember, you still will have to quit whichever product you choose and you will still need to overcome the nicotine withdrawal urges. Over time you can begin to wean yourself off the nicotine cessation product. Then you will be free of the drug completely.

If you are concerned about dealing with depression after you quit smoking there are prescription drugs such as Zyban or Wellbutrin that can help. These types of medications have also shown to be effective towards many of the other symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawals. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Nicotine withdrawal urges will come and go throughout the day. The longer you make it without smoking the less intense they will be. When you quit smoking you will begin to encounter urges to smoke as your body rids itself of the nicotine. Wait it out, the urge will pass. Find ways to distract yourself and try to relax. Change your daily routine if you possible and stock up on healthy food to munch on. Inform those close to you that you are quitting smoking so they understand why, at times, you start to act a bit touchy. Keep reminding yourself why it is important to you to quit smoking. You can quit and if you slip quit again.

Jason D is an ex-smoker and publisher of a Quit Smoking Tips website that helps people stop smoking and Manage Nicotine Cravings.

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Source: Overcoming Nicotine Withdrawal Urges

Smoking Is More Harmful To Women Than Men! So Girls! What Is Your Anti-smoking Measure?

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

Puffing away at the cigarette without any care and concern for the consequences can yield terrifying results in the long run. And if the smoker is a woman the results can be more harmful than you can ever imagine. A woman earns the highest respect when she bears a child in her womb but what if she becomes the cause of its death. The life giver becomes a life taker. Many incidents of children dying in the womb of smoking mothers have been recorded and if you do not intend to be a part of such a record then smoking cessation is the requisite which you should adopt on an urgent basis.

Now let’s focus on the inexhaustible range of illnesses that befell you once you get addicted to nicotine and are unable to get rid of the disastrous habit of smoking. What are the specific illnesses that can occur to a smoking woman if she shows unwillingness to kick the smoking habit? Well, the list is exhaustive and it incorporates vaginal bleeding, heart attacks, stroke and various cardiovascular diseases. To add more to the list of woes, women who smoke are12 time more at risk of having lung cancer in comparison to the women who donot smoke.

But how do women overcome this problem of nicotine addiction? Obviously the first requirement is to get hold of the proper information on the adverse affects of nicotine so that the mind recognizes the immense harm caused by nicotine and vows to get rid of its dependence. Avoiding the company of smokers, not visiting cigarette shops frequently and a plethora of other behavioral methods can help you quit smoking but there is no guarantee that you would be able to kick the habit just by adopting these measures.

Experimentally, it has been proved that girls, in general, are more prone to get addicted to nicotine and have a slower functional system to eliminate nicotine from their body in comparison to men. So they need to adopt extra caution to prevent them from getting trapped in nicotine addiction and if they are already addicted they should opt for supplementary anti-smoking measures capable of providing relief from nicotine addiction.

One effective medicine to induce smoking cessation is Chantix which is extensively available on online pharmacies as well as in the neighboring drug stores. The need is to consult a physician if you are unable to get rid of smoking addiction and then obtain Chantix prescription from him. Chantix, the Pfizer manufactured anti-smoking drug has got the approval of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on 11 May, 2006 as an anti-smoking treatment in adults and as such the medicine is safe and effective for you.

So, gals! Hopefully all my elaborations on smoking and smoking induced difficulties and their apparent solution have captured your attention? Mind the fact that it is you girls who are mostly vulnerable if you get hooked to the disastrous habit of smoking. So think, analyze and then act!

Charles Greg has written extensively on various smoking related issues and the anti-smoking drug Chantix. To have a glimpse of his articles visit the website http://www.chantixhome.com

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Source: Smoking Is More Harmful To Women Than Men! So Girls! What Is Your Anti-smoking Measure?

Tough Cigarette Industry Competition

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

It?s true there has always been a cigarette war out there between the most popular labels in the market as Marlboro, Camel, Winston and others struggling to get the highest sales and still don?t get ?checked? with the non-smoking regulations, lung cancer warnings and the anti-smoking associations.

So, my dear cigarette consumer you feel we are moving towards a tobacco-free world? In some European and Asian countries there is an open fight against smoking, they have risen cigarette prices to the top in order to make smokers quit the habit to protect their pockets, and indirectly their and the public health.

But in despite of all these restrictions why do customers still smoke cigarettes anyway? To collect cigarette boxes? Smoking studies say that it is not so somewhat the purported splendid taste bragged around by tobacco enterprises the world over. Smoking counts with more of a psychological appeal than a physiological only. Each cloud of cigarette smoke brings in effect that seem like-convenient matter that several computer users acquire addicted to do. In a nutshell, smoking is a matter of fun.

Obviously, the cigarette disposal on cigarette smoking thinks about this increasing trend. They increase the prices, they take cigarette taxes to the hilt, nonsmoking and ecological groups protest in the street, oncologists and ear, nose and throat doctors are speechless of giving so many preventions, but nothing. The tobacco industry is still on its place and selling millions every year.

Non-smokers might ask, why so many fighting for if they get their way? Again research could identify us that the habit of smoking is a manifestation of our innate and universal adores for self-expression. Again the scientific explanations? Well, yes they want to make us realize that everyone, whether you?re going by your mid-life crisis or at the peak of your career, does utilize a, if we may call it, residue of your childhood. We want to be carefree and get away from all the problems of our increasingly complicated life that comes with our age.

Besides from that, cigarette accessories are other obsessions fro smokers and another lucrative business for the cigarette industry. They are in quite demand right now. As well as smoking, cigarette accessories are a fashion complement and another way of self-show off. It is something that you offer to yourself. Again, to feel that proverbial pleasure after an object well realized. Utilize you noticed how so many workers does this? Petty such as it may demonstrate although computer users do become petty intermittently.

As you can see, despite of smoking banning; public places and even establishments with non-smoking areas will need them much more cigarette receptacles nowadays. One last word of advice, just a few don?t forget to direct your tons of cigarette butts in the cigarette receptacles or ashtrays, and respect the health of children, pregnant women and non-smokers, who even though do not let us enjoy fully enjoy the habit-they deserve of your respect.

Feel free to visit us: http://www.cigaretteprices.org/

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Source: Tough Cigarette Industry Competition

Why Are Cigarettes So Addictive?

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

CIGARETTES CONTAIN the drug nicotine. This drug stimulates dopamine release and elevates dopamine levels in the brain. Dopamine is known as the master addiction molecule and high levels in the brain reinforce drug abuse.

Nicotine also stimulates the release of another substance called noradrenaline. Nicotine addicts become accustomed to high levels of these substances in the brain. They experience pleasure, elation and alertness as a consequence of drug use. Normally, nicotine is reabsorbed or quickly broken down by the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO). However, a cigarette is engineered so that the action of the enzyme is blocked and nicotine is unleashed and unabated.

TRIPLE CAUSES OF ADDICTION

Ultimately, nicotine changes the structure and function of the brain. It elevates dopamine levels, smokers have 25 per cent less MAO(A) and 40 per cent less MAO(B) than non-smokers. For the triple whammy, cigarettes are treated with ammonia that increases the absorption of nicotine 100 fold than tobacco in its natural state. Experts agree that it is similar to freebasing.

Symptoms of nicotine dependence begin days to weeks after occasional use, often before the user begins smoking one stick each day. When a person quits smoking, dramatic changes in their brain rival the magnitude and duration of similar changes seen during withdrawal from cocaine, heroin and amphetamines. Many tobacco addicts want to quit but find stopping very difficult. Here are some interesting facts:

■ 70 per cent to 80 per cent of smokers want to quit.

■ 40 per cent of heart attack smokers relapse within days of hospital discharge.

■ More than 50 per cent of heroin and cocaine users, and alcoholics, rate smoking as harder to give up.

CONSEQUENCES OF TOBACCO USE

A vast amount of human suffering is caused by tobacco use. Cigarettes contain other harmful chemicals including cancer-causing tars. Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) is harmful to non-smokers who share the smoker's environment. Children of parents who smoke show increased incidence of asthma, chronic bronchitis and middle ear infections.

Women who smoke during pregnancy severely damage the foetus. Cigarette smoking is one of the most common causes of erectile dysfunction in men. It increases 10-fold death and illness from cardiovascular diseases among diabetics and hypertensives and women who use oral contraceptives. Ninety-five per cent of all lung cancers are caused by tobacco smoking, whether active or passive.

TIME TO QUIT

If you are a smoker, your best investment is to quit. Quitting is a risk-free investment which guarantees both financial and health benefits. The only possible losers are the tobacco companies. There are three main methods of quitting once you have made up your mind to do so. They are:

■ Cold turkey - stopping abruptly on the appointed day.

■ Tapering off - set a day for quitting and reduce consumption until the day arrives.

■ Postponing - set a day for quitting and reduce the hours of smoking by a fixed amount of time each day until the day arrives.

You may need professional help to manage your cravings and other symptoms of withdrawal. However, drink plenty of water, walk briskly for 20 to 30 minutes each day, breathe slowly or deeply for two to three minutes and eat fruits and other low-calorie snacks to curb your appetite.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy is available to help your smoking cessation programme. Remember, a strong desire to quit will co-exist with the feeling to continue. Experts advise that at these times you should pity smokers and not envy them.

Stop Smoking Now!

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Source: Why Are Cigarettes So Addictive?

How I Quit Smoking - After Failing to Quit Smoking at Least a Dozen Times

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

Yes I did eventually quit smoking - been a nonsmoker for over 25 years now. But just so you know - my will power sucks. I'd tried and failed to quit smoking so many times I was embarrassing myself. At least a dozen times I tried to quit smoking and blew it. Every time. Almost a couple times a year over several year's I'd try to quit smoking (New Years being one of them - of course).

This was back over 25 years ago, from the early 70's to the late 70's. Most of the time I'd last 2 - 3 weeks.

Once I had quit smoking for a couple weeks --- things were tough of course, the urges and cravings, but I was doing ok dealing with them. Naturally, I was a lot more moody than normal, got angry more often and more easily. But I was getting through ok, till one night while I was working, I looked outside the window from the store I was working at to check my car - and it wasn't there. My car had been towed. That was what shoved me over the edge - that time.

Naturally the first thing I did when I found out my car was towed was walk over to a cigarette machine, drop my money in and buy a pack of cigarettes. Like that was going to help right? But there I was smoking again.

There were time's I'd quit and thought "well I'll just smoke one, and that's it" - but of course "one" today, turned into "two" the next. And before I knew it, I was back to a pack and a half a day.

It was always a problem sitting back and drinking a cup of coffee or a beer - I was always so used to having a cigarette in my hand! I'd been smoking a lot longer than I'd been drinking coffee or drinking beer! (Having started smoking in 4th grade.) All I could think about was how uncomfortable it felt!

I was uncomfortable after meals because I was used to settling down into the couch in front of the tv with a cup of coffee and a cigarette! So that was a double whammy! Now I had trouble relaxing after meals - because the cup of coffee was missing something - missing the cigarette in my other hand!

Then there was going to the bar with the guys from the shop. First of all "everybody was smoking"! Then if you're like I was you'd get a beer and play a game of pool! But every time I'd try to quit smoking I was always uncomfortable because I didn't have that cigarette in my hand! My whole life became uncomfortable!

One time I even lasted a full month without a cigarette! I remember that day I blew it like it was yesterday. It was about 7 in the evening, starting to get dark - and I was sitting on a friend's back porch waiting for them to get ready to go out. And I wanted a cigarette.

You can imagine me sitting there arguing with myself - saying (to myself) "I'm an adult - I go to work everyday - I pay my own way - If I want a cigarette I can have a cigarette and nobody can stop me!" It's embarrassing to admit it - but, yes - I talked myself right back into my pack and a half a day smoking habit yet again.

By this time I'd been studying what felt like almost every self-help guru's book, how to succeed, mind mastery book out there - almost every book of this type I could get my hands on - for over 10 years. And 4 mind sets that I knew were important to me about smoking cigarettes started come together in my mind.

I knew it was stupid to smoke cigarettes - I knew the risks, the cancer, emphysema, the damage it does to your skin - making you look older than you are. How it was destroying my lungs - filling my lungs up with tar year after year.

I thought about how I wouldn't have to worry about the cancer, emphysema, and other damage I was doing to myself by continuing to smoke cigarettes if I didn't smoke. And how lousy it was that I even started this habit of smoking cigarettes in the first place.

I spent time thinking about all the good stuff that would happen - all the money I'd save, that my body would start recovering from the 20+ years of being a smoker when I did quit smoking cigarettes. I'd stop smelling like I'd just walked out of a bar. I'd stop putting my family in jeopardy from the 2nd hand smoke.

And finally - what if I could somehow feel like I'd never smoked before, after I did quit. I remembered all the times I'd tried and failed to quit smoking - and I certainly didn't want to go through that again - when I did try again to quit. But what if I could somehow - when I tried again to quit - if I could somehow make myself feel like a person who had never smoked a cigarette before - in their life.

So after spending some time mulling over all this I came up with a plan and followed through with it for 60 days. A plan to bring all these considerations together and - hopefully - instill them in my mind. What happened after that 60 day exercise went way beyond anything I'd ever imagined. And if you can instill these same concepts in your mind you have a chance to have the same thing happen to you.

I had just walked out of a restaurant in Flint, Michigan from lunch. I took what was left of my pack of cigarettes, crushed them in my hand and tossed it into a nearby trash can - it was the prearranged day that I'd decided to quit - again. I didn't know what would happen, I didn't know how long I'd be able to last this time, but I was going to give it a try anyway - one more time.

What happened next is still with me today more than a quarter of a century later.

Right after tossing that pack of cigarettes away I had a thought, "I'd sure like to have a cigarette". Then BAM! Totally out of the blue I got hit with an overwhelming rush of thoughts and emotions that went flying through my head in a flash. It was so intense it actually snapped my head back.

The best description I've been able to come up with, about how it felt, is this...imagine a huge dam, picture the Hoover Dam - exploding into millions of pieces - and imagine all those millions and millions of gallons of water rushing, crashing down the valley below - ripping away everything in its path. That's how powerful it felt. And it was totally unexpected!

Also totally unexpected was this - my smoking habit was completely washed away. Like it had never existed. It wasn't like I'd quit - it was like I had never, ever, smoked a cigarette before in my life!

Since that experience I've never had another thought about smoking another cigarette. No cravings, no urges, nothing. The anger I'd always had to contend with before never occurred. It was just "normal" not to have a cigarette. Since that experience, I've never had any problem sitting down and enjoying drinking a beer or cup of coffee, finishing a meal. And not once have I ever considered smoking another cigarette since that day. It's always just felt "normal" not to have a cigarette.

If someone lit up a cigarette around me it had no affect. People could smoke around me all day long - and often did - and my mind was totally oblivious to it. Like the cigarettes didn't even exist. For all intents and purposes cigarettes actually DIDN'T exist in my world.

Somehow I was able to instill all the concepts described above in such a way that I came out of it feeling just like I had never smoked, like I had never lit up a cigarette before in my life. Just the dream I was reaching for.

So if you've tried and failed to quit smoking before - even if you tried and failed a bunch of times - don't let that stop you from trying again. Remember how many times I'd tried and failed to quit smoking. More than a dozen times! If I can do it with my lousy will power - than you can to! This may be just the time you walk away from cigarettes for good and quit smoking permanently!

About The Author:

Joseph Casey developed a powerful system "The Breakthrough System for Becoming a Non-Smoker" and "The Secret Silent Litany" - now even if you've tried and failed to quit smoking time and time again - even if you have lousy will-power - you have the tool's to make you feel like a "life-time non-smoker"!

After failing to quit smoking over a dozen times he discovered 4 powerful mind-sets and a unique delivery system, that destroys your smoking habit and makes you feel like you never lit that first cigarette - instantly!

To find out more click here http://quit-smoking-breakthrough.com/ATrueBreakthrough.htm

Tired of trying and failing to quit smoking? Tired of all the struggle? See what happens when you take will-power out of the picture with this easy way to quit smoking. Or click here for other ways to quit smoking.

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Source: How I Quit Smoking - After Failing to Quit Smoking at Least a Dozen Times

What Is The Best Method To Quit Smoking?

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

The best way to quit smoking is through your will power. You may say, easier said, than done! The only person in this world, who will not fail you, is 'thy own self'. If that rule is applied here, you shall have your last puff, when you decide about it.

Why this highest taxed commodity, attracts highest numbers of people? It is such a strong personalized habit, no cut and dry formulas can be put forth, to quit smoking. How deep is your cigarette trench? Are you consuming the cigarettes or the cigarettes consume you? Who will be the victor in the emerging battle?

If you are a marginal case, if your day is done with a few cigarettes, cold turkey may well suit you. To what degree you are addicted to nicotine? This is the deciding factor. But if you require 5 packets of cigarettes per day (50 cigarettes), you will have tough time in negotiating the quit-boat! This path has led to the smoking-salvation, for about 5% of the people, who opted thus.

Let?s take it that you are not a compulsive smoker, and you go for a cigarette, when you are under stress. You need something in your mouth for psychological relief. And your option is cigarette. In that case, think of any other alternative. You need to try the chewing gum. But eventually don't cultivate the habit of both- chewing gum as well as the cigarette!

If you are not sure about your will power, do believe in the will power of someone else, to control your will power. That is possible by hypnotherapy. In this method, your subconscious mind is targeted in your artificially articulated unconscious state, and certain vibrations against your smoking habit, are transmitted to you. But, you will carry the feeling throughout your life that someone else is responsible for your quitting the smoking habit. Doesn't matter, a friend in need is a friend indeed!

Price factor has not deterred you from smoking, but you need to constantly give the auto-suggestion to your mind, that you can save lots of money, by quitting smoking. Even if it has a marginal effect on reducing your smoking, this point is worth a serious consideration.

Use combinations of quitting methods to get rid of smoking forever. You need to find a suitable nicotine replacement alternative and half the battle is won. Join group counseling sessions, where you are told and retold many a damaging effects of the smoking habit. This will definitely have profound effects as for your relations with the cigarette habit.

Can the anti-smoking drug zyban, drag you from the hard influence of cigarette? When nothing else works, try that option as well!

To get more information on quit smoking, stop smoking medication and stop smoking forever visit http://www.stop-smoking-updates.com/quitsmoking/

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Source: What Is The Best Method To Quit Smoking?

Nicotine Patches: Are They For You

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

The idea's appealing. During the withdrawal period when you body's craving nicotine, a self-adhesive strip time-releases it into your body through the skin. This helps keep away the side effects of nicotine withdrawal - the irritability, depression, insomnia and feeling of loss that many smokers feel.

Usually applied to the skin between the neck and the waist, the patches are generally available in 21, 14 and 7 milligram doses. The dose you get is based on your body weight and smoking habits. One cigarette holds around one gram of nicotine so one 21 milligram patch daily should satisfy a pack a day smoker. In practice, the patches are worn for 16-20 hours at a time. If left on overnight, the nicotine patches can cause sleep disturbances and vivid dreams.

Nicotine patches seem ideal and Yahoo reports that using patches can double the chance of successfully quitting. Also, research findings show that patches can greatly lesson the pangs of nicotine withdrawal in the short term. Sounds promising.

The problem is that many smokers wanting to stop see the nicotine patch as a magic bullet, something that will make the whole process of quitting effortless. Unfortunately, tobacco addiction is a many-headed monster and a one-pronged approach seldom works. Cigarette addiction has mental and social ramifications as well as the physical addiction of nicotine and these need to be handled too.

In addition, wearers of nicotine patches have reported a range of unpleasant side effects including dizziness, headache, stomach upsets and vomiting. These can be the results of an overdose and are often temporary.

Plus, nicotine patches are not for everybody. They are strictly forbidden for anyone with a range of physical problems including chest pains or recent heart attack, stomach ulcers, thyroid conditions, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney or liver diseases among many others. They are also contra-indicated for pregnant or breast-feeding women. Nicotine patches are not allowed for people taking certain medicines, too.

So what does all this mean for the smoker considering using nicotine patches.

First, you should always check with your doctor first. He will determine whether your physical condition and current drug regimen permit the use of patches.

If you get the go-ahead, you can expect some tingling when you first apply a patch. Always choose a hairless area of skin and you should vary the location of the patch every time you apply one. Any rash, palpitations or breathing problem should be reported to your doctor immediately. Remember, nicotine is a powerful drug.

It you miss a dose, don't apply a double dose to make up for it next time.

So how long do you have to keep wearing the patches? If you are doing well, you can try changing to a lower dose after two weeks or so. Nicotine patches can be used for up to five months but it depends on the symptoms.

For the average smoker, craving falls rapidly two weeks after the last cigarette. Irritability usually fades after three weeks or so. Increased appetite can last up to ten weeks. You have to play it by ear.

Ultimately, quitting cold-turkey is the best way. The enemy nicotine is eliminated from the body from day one. But for those who need support, nicotine patches can be a valuable part of a quit-smoking program giving confidence to the smoker apprehensive about giving up a habit that's been part of his life for years or decades.

Just make sure you check with your doctor first. Clearly patches are far from perfect but if used with care and as part of a comprehensive program, they can be a key item in the quitters' toolkit.

Lloyd Morgan is a writer on health matters and reformed smoker. For more resources to help you quit smoking, please visit: smokefree.ampawan.com

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Source: Nicotine Patches: Are They For You

Quitting Smoking: How Long Do The Cravings Last

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

Statistics say that over 70 per cent of smokers want to quit. So what's stopping them? For many, the thought of going through lengthy withdrawal symptoms is enough to send the hand snaking towards the Camel pack. In reality, the pangs are far less than people fear. But how long do they last?

Giving up smoking is like getting addicted in reverse so it's important to understand the nicotine addiction process. Scientists used to think addiction was a long drawn out process taking up to a year. Now they've come to recognize it begins with the first puff when nicotine enters the brain.

Nicotine is a psychoactive drug causing changes in brain chemistry. Researchers have found that nicotine takes over the reward pathways. These are an part of an area of the brain that rewards good and useful behavior with a feeling of pleasure. It does this by stimulating the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

The brain learns the intake of nicotine is good and remembers the sensation of smoking as pleasant. Nicotine actually causes changes to brain chemistry. So when the smoker quits and nicotine intake is stopped, the brain needs a period of adjustment to get back to normal. During this period, the ex-smoker feels the pangs of need for tobacco.

Though the blood is free of nicotine within less than 100 hours of the last cigarette, only when those brain changes are undone is the ex-smoker truly free from the physical addiction to nicotine. This is a gradual process and much is done in two to three weeks or so. But the physical component is not the only danger.

Mental addiction is another facet of smoking that makes quitting so difficult. This means associating smoking with regular activities, places and situations. It makes up the 'habit' aspect of smoking. Examples are morning coffee, after lunch, with a beer in the pub. All pleasurable daily routines associated with lighting up a cigarette.

During this crucial period vigilance is required as the craving to smoke can flare up out of the blue. So what to do when this happens? The pangs of nicotine withdrawal can be likened to an itch waiting to be scratched. So the thing to do is to scratch without using cigarettes. Green tea and herbal teas such as valerian are useful when the pangs come. Another option is the draw on a menthol inhaler. And any form of activity especially exercise is good. Ideally the ex-smoker to be would prepare a grab bag of techniques in readiness. And hypnotherapy can be effective in the treatment of mental addiction

The magic day arrives when you go to bed and realize the thought of a cigarette hasn't entered your mind all day. This should happen by day 90 at the latest and is a wonderful feeling. Six months after taking the last puff, you'll be free.

Understanding the addiction process is a key factor in quitting successfully. Make the decision to quit now and find a method that suits you.

Lloyd Morgan is a writer on health matters and reformed smoker. For more resources to help you quit smoking, please visit: smokefree.ampawan.com

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Source: Quitting Smoking: How Long Do The Cravings Last

Quit Smoking By Meditation or Medicine

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

Some one tells me that ?I have a stop smoking rhythmic tape that I listen to and meditate to every morning........ 30 min of deep breathing and listening to the message that says 'I will quit easily' and ' i will love being XX smoke free?" I do that too.... forgot to tell you guess I better do it more than once in the morning now. But if I ask how a person can forget everything if he has lot of work in a day?. And how he cans walkup early in the morning if he has duty to very late night I prefer some medicine to him that he can take any where and any time. Because one day I read one post at the forum that one person is told that ?I've been trying for years to quit, and sometimes quit for a few months, or even for a year once, but I always return.

Then it occurred to me. Maybe there's ways to at least reduce the dangers while I continue to smoke. I once heard certain vitamins are important for smokers, and somewhere else I heard that 2 or 3 minutes of forced coughing every morning clears the lungs of built up toxins.? So I prefer the medicine because only medicine can destroy those vitamins that compel to you for smoking.

Below, some tips to help you quit smoking are listed. First and foremost, set a quit date and quit COMPLETELY on that day. To prepare for that day:

* Identify the times you are most likely to smoke. For example, do you tend to smoke when feeling stressed? When you are out at night with friends? While you are drinking coffee?. When you are bored? While you are driving?. Etc.

* Keep a diary to help you determine such risky times. Record each time you have a cigarette, including time of day and what you are doing.

* Make a plan about what you will do instead of smoking at those times that you are most likely to smoke. For example, drink tea instead of coffee; tea may not trigger the desire for a cigarette. Or, take a walk when feeling stressed. Remove ashtrays and cigarettes from the car. Place pretzels or hard candies there instead. Pretend smoke with a straw.

* Let all of your friends, family, and co-workers know of your plan to stop smoking and your quit date. Just being aware that they know can be a helpful reminder and motivator.

* Prior to your quit date, start reducing your cigarette use, including decreasing the number and strength of the cigarettes. DON'T do this simply to make your diary "look good," however.

* Get rid of all of your cigarettes just prior to the quit date and clean out anything that smells like smoke, such as clothes and furniture.

Smoke Controlling Drugs:- Zyban is a best smoke controlling drug and it comes as a tablet to take it orally. It is usually taken twice a day and may be taken with or without food. It is important to swallow Zyban Tablets whole. Do not chew, divide, or crush tablets

Some information that help you to stop smoking:- Avoid alcohol or drink it only in moderation while taking Zyban. Alcohol may increase the risk of having a seizure while taking Zyban. However, if you usually drink a lot of Quit Smoking By Meditation or Medicine?

Alcohol, talk with your doctor before stopping. Suddenly stopping may increase the risk of having a seizure. Talk to your doctor about alcohol use before starting treatment with Zyban. Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Zyban may cause dizziness or drowsiness. If you experience dizziness or drowsiness, avoid these activities. source:-http://prescribe-drug-information.blogspot.com/

I am a software engineer and i get this all the information from the www.medical-health-care-information.com, www.epsdrugstore.com and put these all the information at my personal blog prescribe-drug-information.blogspot.com and you can get all the inforamtion fromhere

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Source: Quit Smoking By Meditation or Medicine

You've Made The Decision To Quit Smoking, Now Where Can You Get Help To Make Sure You Succeed?

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

You know it?s bad for you, but it?s just so darn hard to quit right? Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, so no wonder it?s not that easy to kick the smoking habit. But if you are serious about quitting tobacco products, there is a wealth of stop smoking programs available to help you. It isn?t always easy but it?s definitely not as hard as it seems. Especially now that you can find stop smoking programs that fit every possible need. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, give it a try. You?re running out of excuses.

Let?s go straight to the highest rated stop smoking programs. Group therapy, hypnosis, acupuncture, laser therapy, prescription medication, cessation shots, nicotine gums or patches, non-tobacco cigarettes and herbal cures are amongst the top systems available. Group therapy involves attending meetings and counseling sessions with a support group that discusses their fight to stay away from smoking. The impact is psychological and can help to reduce the stress and relieve the depression associated with quitting tobacco products.

Hypnosis is considered by many to be a breakthrough in stop smoking programs. A counselor will give you audio tapes or CDs that contain anti-smoking material. You are to play these tapes or CDs to yourself while doing other tasks in the day or overnight while you sleep. The principle is to give firm root in the subconscious mind to the idea that smoking is harmful and you must stop doing it at once. The success depends on your propensity to be hypnotized.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese art that involves pricking needles into certain body parts to stimulate nerve endings and promote the thinning of blood vessels and proper flow of blood. Further, the practice is said to relieve stress by releasing endorphins or ?happy hormones? that encourage feelings of happiness and wellbeing. For the more squeamish, scientists have devised similar stop smoking programs that replace the needles with low intensity lasers. The procedure is totally painless and non-medical, meaning that you don?t take any medication.

Prescription medication generally addresses the depression and cravings that go with the process of quitting smoking. These stop smoking programs involve anti-depressants and mood elevator drugs, which help cope with mental and emotional stress. Further, cessation shots are now available that act in the same manner but claim to work in a shorter time period. Nicotine replacement treatment is amongst the most popular stop smoking programs. Nicotine patches or chewing gums release small doses of nicotine into the body so that you can stage out the quitting process instead of going cold-turkey.

Non- tobacco cigarettes replace tobacco with other herbs that are not addictive and are purported to have no side effects. These are more psychological stop smoking programs than physical ones, since the cravings are not addressed but the habit is allowed to continue. It works best for people who are not heavily addicted and just wouldn?t know what to do with their hands if they weren?t holding a cigarette. Herbal cures also work to calm the mind and relax the body. Lobelia or Indian tobacco and mimosa are popular.

You can learn how to give up smoking with our Free 5 day Stop Smoking Tips course, which you can find at http://www.freestopsmokingtips.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Vine

Source: You've Made The Decision To Quit Smoking, Now Where Can You Get Help To Make Sure You Succeed?

Handling Smoking Habit Cravings

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +1300

Smoking cigarettes is a major part of a smoker?s daily routine. On average most smokers light up every 2 hours. The morning and afternoon, 10-minute break probably exists for the smoker, and evening. When you make the decision to quit smoking it is critical to your success to be able to handle habit cravings to smoke without smoking. Before I quit smoking one of my habit cravings was to smoke while driving my car. It just seemed like a good opportunity. The longer the drive the more I got to smoke. The fact that I smelt like an ashtray when I got to my destination was merely a bonus. Below are some other common situations that may cause habit cravings:

Getting into an argument with a family member or friend
Feelings of loneliness or boredom
While talking on the phone
Being around other smokers
After eating a meal or drinking a cup of coffee
Drinking alcohol
Smelling others? tobacco smoke
Completing a task
Feeling Stressed

There is good news, habit cravings tend to come and go quickly. As you get more time under your belt, not smoking, the habit cravings will get fewer and fewer. You are developing a new healthier habit of not smoking. Keep the reason why you want to quit smoking close, review them often and don?t give up.

Jason D is an ex-smoker and publisher of a Quit Smoking website that helps people stop smoking and Manage Nicotine Cravings.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_D

Source: Handling Smoking Habit Cravings

Smoking Disease ? Smoking Causes Disease Nicotine Doesn't, So Consider This

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +1300

As nicotine provides the addiction in smoking if you get nicotine without the smoke you can give up easily.

In fact, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) will double you chances of staying off cigarettes, so let?s look at how it can help.

Smoking kill?s nicotine does not

The World Health Organization has estimated that tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, of which nicotine is just one.

Cigarette smoking contains various poisons. In addition to tar, there is also carbon monoxide ammonia and arsenic in fact, least 43 of the chemicals in tobacco smoke are known to cause cancers.

Nicotine only provides the addiction and does not cause disease, so if you can get it without smoking then you can stay off cigarettes and derive some health benefits.

Is Nicotine Really healthy?

Yes!

In fact, nicotine is actually part of the food chain and we consume it everyday in numerous foods such as: Potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, cauliflower, eggplant, chili peppers, and even some teas.

It is known to improve mood, concentration and memory and is the subject of intense medical research to treat numerous diseases including depression, Alzheimer?s and Parkinson?s disease to name but a few.

There are several Nicotine products that give you nicotine without the smoke and they include patches, gum and puffers or inhalers.

All are designed to give you a measured dose of nicotine.

Pure Organic nicotine

Drug companies are working to realize a nicotine drug which will have no other added chemicals.

The first one is already on the market and is aimed as a smoking alternative for smokers when they can?t or don?t wish to smoke.

The product is nicotine in water.

The advantage for smokers is when they cant or don?t wish to smoke they simply take a few sips of water. It?s convenient, refreshing and gives an additional benefit:

Users get the added benefit of water for hydration.

This method looks set to rise in popularity and more products delivering pure organic nicotine look set to hit the market in the coming years.

Nicotine an image change

Nicotine has suffered from an image problem due to its association with smoking however with current medical research findings people are starting to see the health benefits as well.

Expect to see more products soon as medical research continues into nicotine?s potential health benefits.

NEW ORGANIC NICOTINE DRINK!

A new drink is available containing just nicotine and premium grade water. With a refreshing lemon flavor, its a great smoking alternative, when you cant or don't wish to smoke. Visit our website, get our low price trial offer and see for yourself at http://www.smokefreechoice.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Price

Source: Smoking Disease ? Smoking Causes Disease Nicotine Doesn't, So Consider This

How to Finally Quit Smoking

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +1300

More than four hundred and forty thousand people die in the United States each year from smoking. Smoking is directly responsible for causing lung cancer, heart disease, strokes, and pregnancy complications, not to mention contributing to overall poorer health. So why do so many people still smoke? Because trying to quit is one of the most difficult things to do. However, you CAN do it with a little help and determination.

If you smoke and have tried to quit, you know how difficult and painful it can be. Many people actually try a number of times before they are successful. What makes it so difficult is the fact that nicotine is an incredibly addictive drug, on the same level as cocaine or heroin.

Switching to low-tar and/or low-nicotine cigarettes is a tactic that many people try, thinking that it will be less harmful. However, because nicotine is so addicting, switching will only make you puff harder and more often on each cigarette. Your only choice for your body?s health is to quit completely.

In spite of the many risks associated with smoking, some smokers, particularly women, believe there are also risks associated with quitting. These perceived risks, gaining weight, increased stress, and damaging relationships with friends who do smoke, can reduce a smoker?s motivation to quit resulting in a lower chance of success.

What can help motivate a smoker to quit? Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you will ever do. Consider the following:

REASONS FOR QUITTING

*First and foremost, you will live longer and you will live a healthier life.

*Your risk for developing heart disease, cancer, lung disease, stroke and other health conditions will diminish significantly.

*Your family will no longer be subjected to breathing in your smoke. Secondhand smoke kills!

*If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, stopping smoking will improve your baby?s chances of being healthy.

*You will be amazed at how much better you will feel and how much better you will be able to taste and smell.

*You will save money. (The price of cigarettes today means you will save a lot of money!)

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE READY

When you are ready to quit, follow the steps below. They will increase your chances of success and help you kick the habit for good.

*Set a quit date and stick to it. Period.

*Change your environment. You MUST do this to succeed.

1. Get rid of every ashtray you have, in your home, your car, your office, everywhere.

2. Do not allow anyone to smoke in your home, ever.

3. If you associate any particular item or event with smoking, such as having a cup of coffee, eliminate those things for a period of at least a couple of months.

*Change your behaviors.

1. When you have the urge to smoke, participate in activities that will distract you like going for a long, leisurely walk with a friend or family member, clean house, play with your kids, call a support person to talk you through the tough time.

2. Change your routine. Drink hot tea instead of coffee, instead of eating in front of the TV, eat at the kitchen table with your family.

3. Try some soothing stress reducers like taking a long hot bath, starting an exercise regimen, or reading a good book.

4. Plan something different or enjoyable every day, whether it is a solitary activity or something to do with family or friends.

*If you have made previous attempts to quit and failed, analyze those attempts and try to deduce why they did not work.

*You will have a better chance of success, if you enlist the support of others.

1. Tell everyone you know, your family, friends, and co-workers that you are going to quit and ask for their support.

2. Ask them not to smoke around you and not to leave cigarettes laying around.

3. Find out what kind of support programs your local hospital or health care center offer.

4. There are medications that can double your chances of success. Ask your doctor for advice.

*Drink lots of water to help flush the toxins out of your body. Drinking a lot of water will also help fill you up so you will not be so inclined to overeat.

*Once you quit, DO NOT TAKE ANOTHER PUFF, EVER! Keep yourself away from as much temptation as possible.

BE PREPARED FOR DIFFICULTIES

Many people have relapses within the first couple of months after quitting and many people try to quit several times before they are successful at it. Do not be discouraged and give up if this happens. Set a new date and start over but DO NOT GIVE UP! Below are situations that may challenge you:

*DO NOT BE AROUND OTHER SMOKERS unless you have to. Being around other people who are smoking when you are trying to quit can be a painful experience.

*DO NOT GET DEPRESSED. There are many ways to uplift your spirits. Count your blessings, congratulate yourself for quitting, and find something to do that you enjoy.

*AVOID DRINKING ALCOHOL. It can lower your chance of success.

*DO NOT WORRY ABOUT WEIGHT GAIN. The most common concern for many people who are considering giving up smoking is weight gain. Do not ever use this as an excuse.

While most people usually gain around 10 pounds after they quit smoking, there is no reason you have to. Follow a healthy eating plan and get 20 minutes of physical activity every day.

Follow the tips above. You CAN quit smoking!

Chris Chenoweth, author of the DO-IT-YOURSELF HOME, HEALTH & MONEY GUIDE, writes articles pertaining to diet, exercise, health, and business.

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Source: How to Finally Quit Smoking