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Quitting Smoking Is Not As Hard As You Think

Have you ever wanted to quit smoking and convinced yourself than you are destined to smoke cigarettes the rest of your life? Have you ever tried to quit and gave up halfway thought the day or that same night? If you think that quitting smoking is just impossible, I would read on.

It truly is not as hard as you may think. Take it from a true one packer a day smoker or better on some days. It was like a true friend to me that I couldn’t let go. I have smoked a good thirty to thirty six years of my life. I’m not quite sure when I started smoking. I quit one time about ten years ago for a week. The big mistake I made back then was to ask a friend for a smoke so I could see what I was missing. That was a big mistake! I was back full time again and tried several times since and failed on all attempts except the last attempt.

Quitting smoking for me was always like a ritual that I attempted two or three times a year. The excuse was always the cost of cigarettes. Never did I complain about the possible ill effects that it could possibly have down the road. Sure I was aware everyday about how bad it was. I heard it on the news every day on how the smokers were getting the boot in restaurants and buildings. The worst people to smoke around were the non-smokers that quit smoking. I know, my wife quit ten years ago. I smoked outside come rain, snow or blizzard. I hope as a non-smoker I never get like that.

I was not a very pleasant person to be around when I attempted to quit. I’m sure smokers know how short tempered one can get, when one has not had a cigarette for a while. Every morning I attempted to be a non-smoker, I set myself up for failure by having a coffee and shortly after breakfast I ran around outside hoping to bump into someone who smoked. I always had a nic fit around lunch and dinnertime, only to give in to the craving over and over again. I did not last a good part of a day. I just about gave up trying to quit. I was convinced that I was going to smoke the rest of my life. I thought I was hooked for good, until one sunny afternoon around 3:oopm I had my last cigarette while I was washing my jeep.

Everybody tells me that I was ready. I really don’t know if I was ready. What I do know is there are several key things that I had to do to give it up completely, and I am not really sure of the one key thing that kept me a non-smoker two months later. I know that one of the key things that helped was telling myself once and a while that I was a non-smoker even when I knew I smoked. I would not say it out loud if people were around me that knew I smoked. They would probably think I was losing it. I told myself that I was a non-smoker for about two weeks prior to quitting. Self-preparation you may want to call it. I truly knew that I wanted to quit. Maybe I was ready.

That sunny afternoon I had one cigarette left which I smoked halfway through washing my jeep. I told my wife that I was not going to buy any more that afternoon. She heard me say that many times before. She told me to give a try and purchase some later and not to be hard on myself for a least trying. Again she repeated it was okay to buy some later. I think my wife just about gave up on me quitting as well.

The other key thing to do if you are attempting to quit is to learn how to procrastinate. That same afternoon I kept putting off buying cigarettes until bedtime. Bedtime came and it was too late to go to the store. I put it off until the next morning.

Morning came and I convinced myself that I was a non-smoker. I decided the other key thing to do was invite my weaknesses. I had coffee, which they say you shouldn’t do. I almost stopped my brother-in-law from coming over that same night because he smoked. I told my wife to have him come over, but he had to smoke outside alone. I thought about it for a moment and decided I was going to stand outside and watch him smoke. They also said not to drink beer or alcohol when you’re attempting to quit smoking. I bought myself a six-pack and drank and watched him smoke. That was the very first day. I finally quit and had no craving the next day. The nic fits were gone! The cravings were gone! The grumpiness from not smoking was gone! The wasted dollars on cigarettes was gone! It was like being born again.

The one key goal on quitting smoking for me was to convince myself a couple weeks before, that I was a non-smoker. Quitting halfway through the day was the other key thing to do. Think about that for a second. The day for me was not as long as it would have been if I quit first thing in the morning. When you quit in the morning, you have approximately 16 hours to go before you go to bed and forget about it. I quit at 3:00 in the afternoon with only 8 hours until bedtime to forget about it. It was half the amount of time to put everything to rest. I had a 16-hour jump to get the nicotine out of my system before the morning. Quitting in the morning was always tough before, because smoking and a cup of coffee was always an enjoyment for me.

The last key thing to do was just learn to say no for the remainder of the next day. The craving was not as bad as it was on other days that I quit. It must have had something to do with the time I quit. The craving was not as bad as prior attempts. The next day I could not understand why I smoked all that time. The addiction is finally gone and I do not want to pick up that cigarette to see what I am missing!

Just convince yourself that you are a non-smoker for approximately two weeks.

Finish that last cigarette half way through the day when you are doing something that you enjoy. Make sure you are in a good mood!

Do not tell anybody that you’re quitting. Just tell them you are not buying any for the rest of the day.

Learn to procrastinate for 6 to 8 hours, which shouldn’t be too hard for some of us.

Face all your weaknesses that you think will put you back on the smoking train.

Say no for one day! Say no for one day! Say no for one day!

Day three will set you free!!!

Smoking and Heart Disease

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death and disability around the world. Surprisingly, the number of people who smoke is still very high perhaps due to the little factual information they have about the dangers of tobacco use. Cigarette-smoking is one of the major causes of heart disease and the number of deaths associated with smoking has been consistently on the rise. In the United States alone, cigarettes are responsible for majority of the deaths from heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, about 440,000 of all annual deaths of heart disease are because of smoking. Just a few sticks of cigarettes a day may double the risk of the development of heart disease. Because of the harm that smoking may do for the heart, the need to quit smoking has become an important health issue that could possibly save millions of lives.

Many of the deaths and ailments caused by smoking do not occur quickly. It may take awhile before the chemicals in cigarettes takes its toll on certain individuals. Heart diseases caused by smoking can be a slow and painful process. Smokers may develop heart disease because smoking causes the body’s bloodstream to be contaminated with nicotine, the active component of cigarettes which stimulates the brain and provides a rush of adrenaline. A rush of adrenaline may provide a “high feeling” or a sudden rush or shot of energy. However, while these moments of being high are being enjoyed by a smoker, he or she may already be exposing the heart to serious risk. Adrenaline caused by nicotine may speed up the heart rate, tighten the arteries, and strain the heart. When the nicotine levels of regular smokers falter, they usually experience withdrawal symptoms that may include restlessness, irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and craving for another smoke. These smokers need to smoke regularly in order to feel normal, a condition that may lead to addiction — making it more difficult for smokers to quit smoking.

Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, 60 these chemicals are carcinogenic and are also present in secondhand smoke. Formaldehyde, arsenic, cadmium, benzene, and ethylene oxide are only some of the substances found in cigarettes — all of which can cause cancer. These dangerous components may stay in the air for hours and may harm one’s health in many ways. These chemicals may accelerate the development of artherosclerosis, a disease that affects the large and medium arteries. This condition damages the blood vessels making them difficult to relax. Smoking may also cause the artery walls to stiffen the artery walls and cause pieces of plaque to clog some arteries. Once this plaque clogs the arteries, the heart may become starved for oxygen. In the long run, these conditions may lead to the development of heart diseases like coronary heart disease and angina (severe chest pain).

The risk of acquiring certain conditions like cataract, macular degeneration, psoriasis, tooth loss, osteoporosis, and many more may be increased by smoking. However, it is never too late to quit smoking. Stopping the habit can drastically improve one’s cardiovascular fitness and overall health. Individuals who are having a hard time cutting the habit may try using quit smoking products in the market. These products, however, cannot do all the work. The best and effective to quit smoking involves determination, discipline, and commitment to stop the habit permanently. Using these products can help smokers cut the habit by making them more comfortable and complacent to adjust to life without cigarettes. Many quit smoking products are available over the counter, it is best to seek the approval of health professionals to clarify side effects and drug interactions that may be developed while under medication. With the right tools and attitude, quitting smoking and reducing the development of heart diseases can be easier than others think.

Smoking and Gum Disease

Smoking is considered as a very unhealthy vice that brings with it a wide range of side effects.  While smokers will be quick to say that smoking helps them feel more relaxed or alert. Smokers often contend that smoking is a very effective antidepressant. Still, it is undeniable that tobacco use is closely associated with lung cancer and a variety of other debilitating respiratory problems.

Another potential effect that smoking has on the overall health of the body has also been recently suggested, with some data indicating that smoking might have detrimental effects to the success of dental surgery. According to the findings of a study recently published in the Journal of Periodontology, smokers were more likely to have unfavorable results related to dental surgery than non-smokers. The study followed the dental records of two groups of people, smokers and non-smokers, and studied the overall success of various dental procedures done to them.  While smoking has always been known to have the ability to damage the gums, it was unexpected when the researchers realized that the surgical procedures done to the smoking group were in overall worse condition as opposed to the other group. This was particularly true when it came to procedures that involved the gums, which were found to be in more rapid recession after surgery if patients were smokers.

It has been known for many years that healing after a surgical procedure is impaired by smoking, but what was unknown prior to this study was that smoking also had one more detrimental effect. Long-term smoking was capable of undoing any surgical repairs done to the gums, rendering anything done during the procedure unable to stay intact for a long-term period. Theoretically, the more a person smokes, the more damage is incurred and the shorter the period that the repairs will remain. The researchers found, based on analysis of their data, that the best results were achieved if smoking was stopped for a period before and after the surgery. This was speculated to be the time needed by the gums to fully recover from any damage done by exposure to the components of tobacco.

The Journal also found that it is not just cigarette smokers that have this problem. Cigar and pipe smokers are also likely to experience rapid decay of gum repairs because of their habit. While the damage done has been confirmed, there is still no concrete data on whether or not cigarette smokers had it worse off than pipe or cigar smokers. For the time being, some believe it would be safe to warn smokers of the potential dangers as if all three posed the same risks.

Second-hand smoke was also found to have a damaging effect on surgical procedures.  Studies are still being made to determine the extend of damage wrought by second-hand smoke on dental works.   Tests conducted on rats showed that second-hand smoke was capable of undoing any repairs done via surgery to the gums, but it is still unknown just how much exposure was needed to do damage, or if the damage was lesser or greater than for actual smokers.

Is Tobacco Settlement Money Going Up in Smoke?

Tobacco companies spend more on marketing in a single day than 47 states and the District of Columbia spend on tobacco prevention in an entire year, one report finds.

The growing gap between the amounts spent by states on smoking prevention programs compared to the record sums tobacco companies are spending to market their products is affecting progress in reducing youth smoking, according to a coalition of public health organizations.

An annual report titled “A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement Seven Years Later” was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and American Lung Association.

The multi-state tobacco settlement, signed by 46 states and the major tobacco companies in 1998, calls for an estimated $246 billion to be paid out to the states over the first 25 years for tobacco prevention purposes.

While the states’ prevention efforts can’t keep pace with the tobacco industry’s marketing, some private companies may be able to pick up the slack.

“Some of the tobacco settlement money might be better spent on products that directly benefit smokers who are trying to give up the habit,” said John Chapel, president of Safer Smokes, a company that produces a tobacco-free smoke called Bravo.

The product has all of the characteristics of a regular cigarette with three key differences: no nicotine, no tobacco and few known carcinogens derived from cigarettes.

In fact, Bravo is not required by the Food and Drug Administration to carry the Surgeon General’s warning on its packs. This clinically tested product encourages smokers to quit the habit gradually because it gives them the experience of smoking a cigarette without addictive nicotine.

One of the greatest influences in starting and continuing to smoke cigarettes is the observation of friends and family smoking.

“If we can get the parents and friends to use Bravo to quit gradually, we will make a difference in the years to come in reducing our overall smoking population,” says Dr. Puzant Torigian, founder of Safer Smokes.

Give up smoking!

If you ask yourself why you should give up smoking just take a look at the risks and costs of continuing to smoke. First you should know that 22% of all male deaths are due to smoking and 11% of all female deaths have the same cause. Narrowed and hardened arteries, cold hands and feet, weakened bones, peripheral vascular disease, cold skin, osteoporoses and decreased fitness are just a few smoking effects, but the risk of developing smoking related illnesses can be reduced by giving up smoking.

Chemicals in Tobacco Smoke

In tobacco smoke are over 4,000 chemicals like carbon monoxide which is a colourless, odourless gas that in large doses is lethal, but in smaller doses causes shortness of breath and increased heart rate.

Another harmful ingredient within cigarette smoke is hydrogen cyanide, a colourless gas that evens a short-term exposure can lead to vomiting, dizziness, headaches and nausea.

And let us not forget about nicotine, the reason why cigarettes are as addictive as they are (to give up smoking would be far easier if you didn’t have this little nasty in there!). In larger quantities nicotine is extremely poisonous; a person would die within minutes if you place 60g of pure nicotine on her/ his tongue.

Costs of Smoking

If you want to give up smoking, just think about the costs of smoking, and I am not just talking money, giving up can be a good idea. Besides the financial costs, smoking also has physical costs such as wheezing, reduced fertility, risky pregnancy, damaged circulation, damaged taste buds, nicotine-stained fingers, heart attack, lung cancer and the list goes on. And do not forget about the social costs like polluting the air with carcinogens, dusty and stuffy home, spoilt clothes and furniture, smoke gets in your eyes and so on.

Second-hand Smokers

Smoking also affect your love ones not only you. Non-smokers are also exposed to the 4,000 chemicals when they breathe other people’s tobacco smoke. Secondhand smoking can affect your children; they are more likely to get chest illnesses, ear infections, wheezing and childhood asthma, tonsillitis and to smoke themselves. Exposing people around you to secondhand smoke you will put them at risk of the same diseases as you.

But it’s not all doom, the minute you give up smoking your body starts to recover; your circulation improves, you breathe more easily, your skin warms up, your risk of disease starts to fall, you will have a cleaner, fresher house, you will no longer put the persons around you at risk and you will be a lot richer!

Smoking: 4 Reasons of Why You Should Quit.

Knowing the reasons of why you want to quit is an important fist step. Being clear about your reasons, can be a very powerful tool. You have probably seen many articles, telling you how to quit smoking, but without a proper motivation, they are useless. That is why instead of telling you what to do, I will tell you why you should do it and after that, it will be up to you to find the right way.

These are the 4 reasons of why you should quit smoking.
1. it kills
2. it harms people around you
3. it makes you age quicker
4. it is expensive
1. Smoking Kills.
Did you know?
-Each year, smoking kills 5 million people worldwide.
These are some dangerous chemicals that can be found in cigarettes:
Nicotine
Nicotine is a stimulant drug. Like any drug, nicotine can be very addictive. Nicotine inhalation stimulates the central nervous system, making a person more relaxed and less sensitive to pain, but in large doses nicotine acts as a depressant. One drop of nicotine can kill a horse.
Tar
Tar transports chemicals to your bloodstream. Tar gets collected in your lungs and also, stains your teeth. Tar has proven to be the major cause of lung cancer.
Acetone
Acetone is an extremely dangerous substance, it can be found in nail polish removers. Acetone is also used to make fibers, plastic, drugs and other chemicals.
A long-term exposure to acetone can cause kidney and liver damage.
Mercury
Mercury is a chemical element, also called “quicksilver”. Mercury is a toxin, easily absorbed through the skin; it attacks the central nervous system, also Mercury affects gums and teeth. A long-term exposure to this chemical, can cause brain damage and death.
2. Smoking Harms People around You.
Your smoking can harm others. None-smokers, exposed to second-hand smoke are at risk of many health problems related to direct smoking.
Did you know?
- When you smoke in public, people around you could experience: dizziness, nausea, headaches, sore throat and eye irritation.
- Passive smokers have an extremely high risk of heart disease and lung cancer.
- Each year, 20% of people dying from lung cancer worldwide, are passive smokers.
- Children of smokers have a 70% increased risk of respiratory illnesses and middle ear infection.
3. Smoking Makes You Age Quicker.
Smoking makes you look older by narrowing the small blood vessels in your skin. Your skin loses its elasticity and shininess; instead, it will look dry, old and wrinkled.
4. Smoking is Expensive
Not only does smoking damage your health, it is also expensive. Depending on where you live, smoking a pack of cigarettes a day can cost you up to $4000 dollars a year. It is a lot of money that you could spend on something more important in your life. If you think, that $4000 a year is a lot, try to calculate, how much drugs and medical care services would cost you, to get rid of all of the side-effects and illnesses caused by smoking.
So, to sum it up:
Smoking kills you, harms people around you, makes you age quicker and costs a lot of money.

Combining Cigarette Smoking and Nutrition

Cigarette smoking is considered by many medical professionals as a dreaded habit because of the health conditions that may be developed by engaging this activity. It is has been strongly linked to health conditions like heart disease, emphysema, lung cancer, and other cardiovascular ailments. Cigarette smoking is responsible for nearly 440,000 of more than 2.4 million premature deaths in the United States and is one of the leading causes of death around the world. The effects of smoking on cardiovascular and circulatory health have taken the “limelight” for many years. What is forgotten is that nicotine and other toxic substances in cigarettes actually drain the body of several essential vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin C absorption is adversely affected by smoking. Vitamin C is one of the human body’s most important antioxidant. Antioxidants are substances that protect the body’s cells from harmful molecules called free radicals. Free radicals may damage cells and play a role in the development of heart, disease, cancer, and other diseases. Antioxidants are linked to the prevention of a number of diseases and certain cancers. The more an individual smokes, the more Vitamin C one may lose from the tissues and the blood. However, smokers need more Vitamin C to prevent further cell damage that are caused by smoking. To achieve this, smokers need to increase their intake of this vitamin by about 2000 milligrams per day.

The only real solution to lessen the damage of cigarette smoking is to quit the habit. Individuals who want to quit smoking may use over-the-counter or prescription quit smoking products. However,  patients should seek the approval of doctors to know the side effects and drug interactions that may be developed while under medication. Doctors may prescribe the medication that is suitable for one’s overall health.

Rather than search for the perfect quit smoking drug, individuals who want to quit smoking may try to improve their lifestyles and incorporate activities like exercise, meditation, and other activities. By doing this, they may reduce stress and provide the same rewards that nicotine may bring. Many smokers claim that they light up a cigarette to achieve a state of “highness” and reduce stress. Maintaining a stress free lifestyle is essential in quiting habits like smoking and improve one’s quality of life. If these adjustments do not work, doctors are always there to help smokers achieve their health goals. Effective communication between smokers and doctors is essential in cutting the habit. With the right tools and attitude, quitting cigarette smoking is an achievable goal.

Become a Millionaire – Stop Smoking

So you want to be a millionaire? If you smoke or are thinking about it – I will give you at least $1 million reasons not to start. For the sake of discussion, I am going to use me as an example. I have smoked for over 20 years and frankly I enjoyed it. It wasn’t until I finally got it through my head about the health risks to me, my family and the rising costs that I finally decided to quit.

You all know or should know about the health risks and I will not rehash it. What I want to talk to you about is the financial impact. I smoked 2 packs of cigarettes per day and on a good Friday night out on the town it could sometimes be as much as 3 packs.

Ok.. here it comes. Two packs of cigarettes per day at an average cost of $3.50 per pack multiplied by seven days equals $49.00 per week or $2555.00 for one year. Now lets take a teenager at age 18 who starts to smoke and lets also assume they were to stop at age 65 on retirement which is 47 years. 47 years x $2555.00 = $120,085.00 spent on cigarettes at todays prices.

Now a hundred and twenty thousand dollars is in itself not enough to make you rich but you could buy some pretty nice stuff for that amount. The magic is in a little thing called compound interest. Assuming that instead of smoking – You took that same two packs per day or seven dollars and invested it in a mutual fund. Let’s also assume that you invested it in an index mutual fund which over the lifetime of the stock market has averaged 10% per year. After 47 years you would retire with $2,730,489.02. That almost $3 Million dollars. How is that for an incentive to not smoke?

What about the rest of us who have smoked for 20 plus years? A man or woman who quit at age 40 under the same scenario who save $282,615.51. Now that’s not a million dollars but it would still buy a pretty nice home. What is even more astounding is that these figures are based on today’s prices and don’t even account for inflation over the same amount of time.

Even if you are not interested in investing the money saved from smoking then think about this: $2555.00 applied one time each year to a $200,000.00 mortgage would cut 10 years off of a 30 year loan. You would be paying your home off in one-third the time.

The bottom line: If your health and family aren’t enough to make you stop – Think about why your not living next door to the rich and famous. I hope this gives you food for thought about all the extras in life you are giving up by smoking.

Smoking and Impotency

It has to be one of the most over worked and hyped cliché in TV and Movie history. The “beautiful couple” have just finished a session of mad passionate love making and the man lies there and casually lights up a cigarette inhaling languorously while she looks adoringly on from across the exquisitely designed pillow.

Looks and sounds great eh? Hey where do we sign up I hear men cry across the globe.

Well actually not so fast guys. It has subsequently been medically proved that (as they say) if you want to “smoke” in the bedroom then you shouldn’t actually smoke at all.

Yes folks, the evidence is in and the jury have returned. There is now indisputable evidence that smoking actually is one of the causes of male erectile dysfunction or impotency as it is perhaps more widely known.

Why is this so?

Well here in a nutshell (if you pardon the pun) is the reason why.

Smoking is known to accelerate atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. When the blood vessels in the pelvic area are narrowed, that contributes to reduced penile blood flow hence increased “inefficiency” and therefore increased incidences of impotency.

Smoking and Mortality Rates

Many health professionals are encouraging smokers to quit smoking because of the harm that it may bring to their health. Smoking continues to be one of the major causes of illness and death around the world. Medical studies show that smoking-related ailments may kill close to 50 percent of all smokers and impair the health of countless individuals. The average expectancy of long-term smokers may be reduced to eight to 12 years compared to non-smokers. One of the major causes of death among smokers is lung cancer. In the United States, lung cancer ranks second after heart disease for males, and third after heart and cardiovascular disease for females.

Lung cancer is a smoke-related ailment that is caused by smoking or inhaling secondhand smoke, exposure to environmental pollutants like asbestos and radon gas, and family history of lung cancer may increase the risk of developing lung cancer of certain individuals. Smoking marijuana is also considered another factor that may contribute to the development of lung cancer. In addition to these causes, individuals whose lungs were damaged by other lung conditions may also increase their lung cancer risk.  Among these causes, smoking is the major source of this ailment and has taken the lives of about 80-85 percent of lung cancer patients.

Most lung cancers originate in the cells that line the bronchi, a caliber of airway in the respiratory tract that transfers air into the lungs. It may take years before lung cancer develops and hamper the function of the lungs. Shortness of breath could be the early signs of lung cancer because tumors may block movement of air through the bronchi and the lungs. In addition, tumors may also hamper the normal movement of mucus up into the throat, this may cause mucus buildup and lead to infection. If not diagnosed and treated in its early stages, lung cancer may spread to other parts of the body.