Archive for the ‘Quit Smoking’ Category

Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known. Study after study shows that one can get addicted to nicotine as quickly as cocaine and other illegal drugs that we generally associate with crippling addictions. It is for this reason, of course, that is can be so difficult to quit smoking. One top of this physical addiction – that is, the body’s craving of nicotine – there is a psychological component: because smoking is both legal and socially acceptable in many situations, it can be difficult to avoid it completely. Any attempt to quit smoking, therefore, should involve a comprehensive plan that deals with both the physical and psychological side of the addiction. One way to address the physical addition to nicotine, to leave yourself free to concentrate on the psychological aspects of your addiction, is to use a nicotine patch.

The nicotine patch is one of the oldest, and certainly best-known, medical aids to quitting smoking. Patches are placed on the skin, and work by releasing a slow and steady supply of nicotine into the bloodstream. The idea is that the patch helps wean your body off nicotine – instead of nicotine being immediately absent from your system when you quit smoking, it is gradually reduced.

The way the patch works is to break your body’s desire for nicotine “spikes.” When you smoke a cigarette, your body receives an immidiete spike in its nicotine levels. As the level of nicotine slowly dissipates after the spike, it will eventually drop to a point where you desire to have it “topped up” again – the need for another cigarette. If you picture a graph of your body’s nicotine levels when you smoke, you would see a steady series of peaks and valleys – the peaks corresponding to the spike in nicotine levels when you smoke a cigarette. A graph of your nicotine levels when wearing the patch, on the other hand, would show a steady line: the line wouldn’t be as high as your peaks, but it wouldn’t be as low as your valleys either. The idea is that the patch goes for the middle ground, and your body slowly adjusts to not having spikes in its nicotine levels.

As you become more and more used to lower levels of nicotine in your system, you can reduce the dosage of the patches you wear, until eventually your body is nicotine free. Another good thing about the patch is that it is an extremely strong deterrent against smoking: if you smoke while you’re on the patch, your levels of nicotine will become too high and you could suffer from a nicotine overdose, which can result in sickness and even death.

The patch is a very effective stop smoking aid. It does, however, have some disadvantages: it is fairly expensive, and at the early stages of quitting it can often cost more than cigarettes did. The patch can also cause problems with sleeping if you wear it to bed – and at the same time if you don’t you will wake up with no nicotine in your system, and feel pretty bad until you put on a morning patch and it starts working. Despite these drawbacks, the patch remains the medical aid of choice for people dealing with serious nicotine addictions.

In general, an addiction to smoking can be a very difficult one to overcome. Depending on how long you’ve smoked, how much you smoke, and genetic factors, you may find it extremely difficult to quit smoking. It is a well known fact the genetic factors are at play and determine how susceptible someone is to a nicotine addiction, and for this reason some people need more than their will power to quit smoking. There are medical aids to quit smoking that help address the body’s dependence on nicotine, leaving you to concentrate your will power on other aspects of the addiction: namely, the social associations you likely have with smoking.

For many years the standard medical stop-smoking aid was the nicotine patch, which is attached to the skin and releases a steady supply of nicotine to the bloodstream. Fairly recently, though, another approach has become popular: the use of the drug Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride.)

Zyban’s development as an anti-smoking aid is a curious one: it was originally designed as an anti-depressant, and during clinical trials of the drug is was discovered that as a side effect, many smokers participating in the trails lost interest in cigarettes and found it very easy to quit. Further research revealed that the drug was an effective stop-smoking aid, and it was approved for use as such in 1997 by the FDA.

Zyban works in a completely different way from the nicotine patch. Instead of supplying nicotine to the bloodstream, Zyban alters brain chemistry in such a way that the desire for smoking is greatly reduced – many people find that cigarettes simply become unappealing after taking the drug. At no point does Zyban supply or regulate nicotine in the bloodstream.

To work effectively, Zyban is usually taken a few weeks before you actually stop smoking. Like all anti-depressants, it takes time for its effects to manifest. Once you’ve been taking the drug for some time, you stop smoking, and if all goes well you’ll find the process much easier than an unaided attempt.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that Zyban is a prescription drug that alters brain chemistry – in fact researchers are not even exactly sure how it works, only that it does for many people. Naturally, you doctor will be consulted in your decision to take Zyban, and it is crucial that Zyban is not taken in combination with other drugs. Make sure you talk to your doctor about the possible side effects of using Zyban to quit smoking: some common side effects include insomnia, dizziness, and dry mouth. In rarer cases, more serious side effects like seizures can occur. You must also discuss with your doctor the situations in which Zyban should not be taken, like if you are abruptly stopping the use of alcohol, or have a history of seizures.

While Zyban should be approached with some caution, as long as it is properly discussed with your doctor, it can be a very effective aid in your battle to quit smoking.

With all the knowledge we have theses days, it can be very surprising to see people continue to indulge in habits that are detrimental to their health. In actual fact what this tells us is that addiction is powerful.

Our objective is to learn about smoking. How it affects you. The power of addiction and health implications involved in this habit. Currently it is estimated that over one billion people smoke around the world. Most smokers begin at an early age, generally in there teens. In the past smoking was a recreational function of the rich, but these days that is quite the contrary. Unfortunately the less educated seem to be smoking rather than the educated. The level of education, income and standard of living contribute greatly to the success of quitting smoking.

Here are some interesting statistics from the world health organization. 25.6 million people smoke in the United States.
Among whites 25.1% of men smoke and 21.7% of women smoke.
Among African Americans, 27.6% of men smoke and 18% of women smoke.
Among Hispanics 23.2% men smoke and 12.5% of women smoke.
Among Asians 21.3% men smoke and 6.9% of women.
One out of every five deaths is tobacco related. It is estimated that 400’000 Americans die each year from tobacco.

Smoking is highest among persons living below the poverty level. Education is extremely important in the fight against smoking. Education is not just telling people about smoking. What is needed is dialogue and interaction so that each individual can understand factually the implications.

I talked to a person one time who was very upset that the price of cigarettes is getting increasingly expensive. She felt she was been discriminated against. To her she is addicted and the majority are against her. She felt the fight against tobacco was an attack on her.

Firstly it is poor education that makes her feel this way. Secondly when smoking socially you also jeopardize the health of others. Thirdly the costs to the health system are enormous. Fourthly we as people take things personally. Addiction can bring pleasure temporarily but fatal consequences later. Her challenge was that she wanted to continue smoking and the majorities were making it difficult for her. So when you really get down to it she was concerned about her own pleasures above her health and the health of others.

The choices to continue smoking is yours, but understand that the costs are high for your health and the health of others. No one can deny the dangers of smoking. Quit today.

Even if no one smokes in your home, don’t forget to speak to your child’s caretakers (baby-sitters, relatives, friends’ parents, neighbors, a parent who carpools and smokes in the car) about the importance of avoiding environmental tobacco smoke. Identify other places where your child may be exposed to tobacco smoke. If your child is old enough to understand, talk with him about appropriate steps he can take himself to avoid smoke exposure.

If parents or caretakers continue to smoke, they should always smoke outside and wear a “smoking jacket” that they keep away from the child when they come back into the house. Many adults assume that if they “just step outside” to smoke that they’re protecting a child from smoke exposure. But smoke residue settles on their clothing, skin, and hair, and they bring it back inside. If they smoke several times a day, these adults are actually contributing a considerable amount of smoke allergen to a child’s environment. Smoke from a fireplace or wood-burning stove may also cause a child to wheeze.

Communication

Good communication within the family is essential to manage asthma successfully. Open, honest communication may prevent resentment among family members as well as prevent catastrophic events. For example, sometimes relatives don’t take a child’s asthma seriously enough, even when they are solely responsible for his care. They may forget to give a child his medicine or pay little attention to his asthma symptoms. They may not think that the medicine is helping, or they are concerned that the child will become dependent on it or habituated to it.

Communicating important information to responsible family members is a valuable starting point. They should understand that asthma is a chronic disease. They should appreciate the importance of avoiding common and specific asthma triggers. And they must know how to treat acute attacks.

Your child’s written asthma management plan should be easily accessible and understandable to all family members and other caretakers whenever they are responsible for looking after your child.

Basic information that every responsible relative and caregiver should know includes:

What daily controller medicines your child uses the name of the medicine, the dose, and when, how, and why he takes it

What quick-relief medicines your child uses the name of the medicine, the dose, and when, how, and why to use it

Where these medicines are located in your home

The symptoms of an asthma flare

What to do to treat a flare

When and how to get emergency help

Feeling and Family Members

Other members of the family are often affected by your child’s asthma. A family may not be able to keep a pet, for example, which affects all members of the family. Holding family meetings to talk about feelings or having one-to-one conversations between parents and siblings of the child with asthma can be very helpful. You can address sibling resentment by making the management of your child’s asthma a team effort with everyone doing his or her part to keep your child healthy. All members of the family should attend asthma education classes or occasionally accompany your child to a medical visit to learn more about asthma. Even when there’s little or no resentment about the limits asthma may put on your family, this team approach could be applied to help the entire family achieve a valuable goal.

Brothers and sisters may have trouble understanding why their sibling with asthma gets all the attention. When two children share a room, for instance, problems can arise. The child without asthma may not be very happy about having to keep his toys in another room or jammed into the closet each night. He may want to sleep on. the top bunk, even though his brother with asthma should sleep up there to avoid having tiny particles of dust rain down on the lower bunk.

“Why do I have to clean my room and you never make her? She always gets out of vacuuming her room!” is a common sibling complaint. A child with asthma has to stay away ftom things like dust, so her siblings may feel she’s being pampered by getting out of household chores. When the whole family has to cancel an activity because the child with asthma is having a flare, the other children will naturally be angry and resentful. This is a difficult problem for every parent. Your child with asthma probably is getting more of your time and attention than your other children because she’s not feeling well. Explain the situation to brothers and sisters as matter-of-factly and honestly as you can. This will help them realize why they all need to help keep asthma triggers down. And it will also help them understand that the sibling with asthma isn’t deliberately having flares just to ruin everyone’s day. Look for compromise solutions that fairly satisfy everyone as much as possible.

A child with asthma might not be able to help with the vacuuming or dusting, for example, but there are always dishes to wash.

Communication with a Child Who Has Asthma

As your child grows older, she may start to resent not being “normal.” She doesn’t like missing school or being away ftom her friends because she has a doctor’s appointment or is having a flare. And she probably doesn’t like being reminded to take her medicines.

Allow your child to communicate her frustrations. Help her work through these feelings by using problem solving activities that will encourage her to continue controlling her asthma. For example, ask her what happens if she stops taking her everyday medicines? Walk her through the consequences from a mild flare through hospitalization. Then ask her how it feels to be symptom free when she controls her asthma by taking her medicines.

Most children with asthma feel there is something “different” about them. It is important to discuss these feelings with your child. Allow her to talk about feelings of inadequacy, embarrassment, and other emotions without telling her that she “shouldn’t feel that way.” Instead of trying to talk her out of her valid emotions, acknowledge her feelings and show that you understand by responding along these lines: “I know you hate to miss basketball practice because you love to play.” or “Yes, it’s tough when other kids treat you differently.”

Then move on to help him figure out ways that can help him feel less different. Problem solve with your child ways for dealing with specific situations. For example, some children are self-conscious about using an asthma device at school. Carrying a spacer around can be noticeable by classmates, but a Diskus that fits into a pocket or purse may be more acceptable. Your child can easily use it in a bathroom stall without being noticed.

You could also emphasize that good asthma control will allow your child to do whatever she wants to do without needing to take out the dreaded rescue/quick-relief medicine in public. Help your child set one realistic goal at a time when discussing her asthma management. Talk about what she can do and what you will do to help her reach this goal.

Age-Appropriate Behaviors

Just as children reach milestones in physical growth and development at various ages, their acceptance of asthma as a daily reality in their lives will change with each developmental stage. It is important for parents to understand what reactions to expect. Toddlers, who often resist asthma treatment and are too young to understand its importance.

Whatever your child’s age, keep in mind that her reactions and behaviors will change as she grows and develops. Your expectations about her responses to having asthma will need to be flexible enough to adapt to her feelings and behaviors. But one constant remains: as her parent, you will always need to support and encourage her in managing this disease.

Ask a hundred people, ‘Will you gain weight when you stop smoking?’, and virtually all will say, ‘Yes’. 

And yet…..virtually all ARE wrong.

If I asked you the question now, what would you say?

But before you answer, please read this article…….AND find out the real truth about smoking and weight gain……..and THEN answer.

The Old Willpower Method

This is important. Get this clear in your mind.

When you stop smoking, it does not mean that you HAVE TO gain weight.

There are two parts to this problem and it is important that you understand BOTH of them.

First, I need to be honest with you…… 

Yes, in the past, people DID tend to gain weight when they gave up smoking. 

But this was BECAUSE most people tried to give up smoking using the old Will-Power Method alone.

These people believed that when they gave up, they would feel terrible. 

They were then told that the ONLY way to deal with these cravings was to endure them………and hope that, with time and persistence, they would go away.

They were advised above all…… to use their Willpower and FORCE themselves not to smoke. 

And……finally, they were told…. to eat snacks or nibble this or that - ANYTHING, in fact to keep them busy and their minds OFF smoking.

Why eat? 

Because the feeling or the ‘hunger’ for a cigarette is very similar to the feeling you get when you are hungry.

And so, in the past, people ate in the terrible mistaken belief that by eating, they could satisfy their craving for a cigarette and that it would help them keep their minds off smoking.

But of course it didn’t work…..

….And the MORE the feeling came back….. the MORE they ate in the belief it could help them.

 
‘Your present is NOT dependent on your past’

So we all have to accept that there was some validity for people gaining weight in the past when they tried to quit.

But that need not be the cause today.

Remember the CAUSE was not giving up smoking but HOW these people went about the process of giving up smoking.

If you look closely at how they went about it, you’ll see that….People ate TO NUMB their cravings. 

Remember, when you give up smoking, you too will get these selfsame feeling/craving – ‘I want a cigarette.’ 

And you will experience similar feelings when you realize that you cannot have one.

But unlike the old Willpower Method, you will not eat extra in order to ESCAPE or NUMB these feelings.

Why?

Because, as we explain in our course you will want to WELCOME and ACCEPT these feelings. You will WANT to transmute them. 

These FEELINGS/CRAVINGS are NOW the KEY to your success.

Please underline this: The Old Way (Willpower method) was to hate and fear these cravings to smoke. 

You were told you had a big fight on your hands, that these feelings would be unpleasant and overpowering. 

And because the feeling you get when you want a cigarette is similar to how you feel when you are hungry, of course, you believed that by eating, you could satisfy these feelings or at least alleviate them.

But all you did was to temporarily block off these feelings.

By eating, you give yourself an excuse not to have to deal with and really feel these feelings. 

You put off the evil day……..and started to put on the pounds!
 
Never forget that when you give up smoking, you will CONTINUE to have these empty, restless, insecure cravings for the first two or three weeks….. 

But now, for the first time in your life, LET yourself have these feelings, these empty sensations in your body. Actually feel them, moment-by-moment in your body. 

CALL THEIR BLUFF!.

Sure, you will get the temptation to eat extra – to compensate – to ‘fill’ in the feelings you believe you are now lacking.

These desires are natural, normal. 

They are not bad in themselves. And they are ONLY TEMPORARY.

Just feel them! Yes, it takes courage not to run away and try to escape by eating extra. 

If you will just have patience and stay with these feelings, you will discover your moment of truth – that these cravings are no big deal and that you can easily handle them. 

You don’t have to eat to escape from them.

Please underline: 

The belief that you will automatically gain weight if you stop smoking is a myth. 

However, there is one other issue we must deal with in regard to weight gain before we proceed. 

This is the second part of the problem we mentioned earlier…….. 

Increased metabolism? 

Again and again, get this clear in your mind: Giving up smoking does not automatically  have to lead to weight gain. And even the latest studies seem to confirm this.

In a large study in the UK involving over a thousand women quitting up smoking – no clear picture emerged.

Some women gained weight, others experienced no change whatsoever while other women actually LOST weight!

However, in regard to the women who gained weight – the average gain of between 5 to 10 pounds over a number of months was generally attributed to metabolic alterations i.e. the change in their metabolic rate.

Let’s look at this carefully as a lot of people, especially women STILL use this as an excuse not to give up smoking. 

 

The effects of smoking 

To help us, let’s try to understand the effects of smoking on your weight…….. 

First of all, smoking DOES burn calories. Up to 200 a day if you are a heavy smoker. Thus smoking can increase your energy expenditure or metabolism. 

What does this mean? 

It means that when you quit smoking it can cause slight weight gain for certain individuals (unless we take appropriate action!) because their body begins to work more efficiently and their body’s metabolism slows and food is digested more efficiently. 

Is this bad news if it applies to you? No. it’s not. 

Please consider this…..

An average candy bar contains 300 calories. If you were to stick to your regular eating habits but eat just six fewer candy bars (or equivalent calories found in some other food item) per month, you could easily prevent yourself from gaining even a single pound. 
It’s that easy!  

All it means is that you’ll have to learn how to , as Kristy Farley points out  ……..outsmart the pounds!

But first, get this clear in your mind again and again. 

When you give up smoking and do not RUN AWAY FROM or try to NUMB your cravings by EATING, YOU WILL NOT GAIN WEIGHT when you stop smoking.

The only weight gain some of our readers should be aware of is a slight weight gain of up to 5 pounds due to the change in their metabolic rate. 

However, you can EASILY even avoid that by taking the FOLLOWING SIMPLE ACTION…….  

……Outsmart the Pounds!

To ward off gaining ANY extra pounds when you quit, follow these simple steps and improve your general health at the same time.

Remember, if you are a heavy smoker, smoking will burn up 200 calories a day so……

• To burn an estimated 200 calories used by smoking, for example, walk briskly for 45 minutes or swim laps for 30 minutes each day. 
• Or eliminate 200 calories of food intake, and you’ve used up the extra calories from not smoking. What does that translate to?
• 2 lite beers (220 calories) 
• 20 regular potato chips (220 calories).
• 4 chocolate sandwich cookies (213 calories).
• 2 tablespoon of butter (200 calories) 
• 2 oz. of cheddar cheese (220 calories). 
• 1 small order of McDonalds fries (210 calories). 
• 1 hot dog and roll (250 calories). 
• 2 frozen waffles (240 calories).
• 1/2 cup macaroni and cheese (205 calories).  

 

One benefit of quitting, however is that as your body realizes the benefits of not smoking, your energy levels will increase, and you will begin to feel better physically. 
A moderate increase in physical activity can keep weight gain to a minimum so…..Exercise daily. 

A daily moderate workout not only distracts you from smoking, but also helps reduce tension and stress. Endorphins released in the brain during exercise actually make you feel better. Exercise also increases metabolism, helping you burn more calories. 

And …..here’s a great fact from the New York Times:

‘The good news is that the very fear of gaining weight is also the #1 deterrent to avoiding weight gain.

The great news is that studies show that at least 25% of all former smokers so fear weight-gain they actually LOSE weight once they’ve quit!’  

Essential  Summary

If you do not RUN AWAY FROM or try to NUMB your cravings to smoke by EATING, YOU WILL NOT GAIN WEIGHT when you quit smoking. FACT.

And even if you are one of those who may experience a slight weight gain of up to 5 pounds, due to metabolic changes- that is the easiest thing to remedy! FACT

Follow our simple advice – and you will not gain even an extra pound! 

But the important thing to remember here is this: 

It was the Old Way of giving up smoking that caused people to gain weight in the past. 

It was the terrible idea that you must use Willpower to FORCE yourself not to smoke. 

And the idea that you could use substitutes like food to BLOCK or to ESCAPE from these cravings.

But our approach to giving up smoking is the exact opposite.

We want you to FACE and WELCOME ALL the cravings you get when you stop.

 We want you to transform them. You now know that by allowing and opening to every feeling and desire WITHOUT judgment or resistance you can MAGICALLY transform how these feelings FEEL, moment-by-moment in your body. 

They can actually be experienced as enjoyable sensations – and thus you will feel no compulsion to use food to escape from these cravings. 

 
So why continue EVERY DAY to….CONGEST your lungs with cancerous tars. To CLUTTER up and POISON your blood vessels. And to SENTENCE yourself to a lifetime of…..

* Filth* Bad breath* Stained teeth* Burnt clothes* Filthy ashtrays* And the foul smell of stale tobacco….
 
 ……all because of the mistaken BELIEF that if you stop smoking, you must gain weight.

Go on….show the world by your own PERSONAL EXAMPLE that it is a LIE!

Because it is!

And as you show them, ENJOY fully all the great immediate benefits you’ll experience when you stop….. 

• You’ll feel stronger, younger, healthier
• Your complexion will be better. 
• Your teeth and fingers will no longer be yellow.
   
• Your eyes will look healthier, more alive and vibrant.
• And your clothes and breath will no longer stink of stale smoke.  

You’ll feel f-r-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c !! 

Now……what is your answer to that Question, ‘Will you gain weight when you stop smoking?’

To quit smoking naturally and to learn how to enjoy it – go to our free 10 day online course at www.quitsmokingonline.com  

 

Quit smoking lazer therapy has been touted as a simple pain free and successful way to stop smoking. However there is some controversay over lazer therapy to stop smoking.

But first, what is quit smoking lazer therapy?

Laser therapy to stop smoking has been around for quite a number of years. It is, according to those who practice it, the application of low level lazer to the acupuncture points in the body to stimulate the nerve endings which in turn produce endorphins.

And this, it is claimed, is a way to help smokers to kick those cigarettes and stop smoking. The release of endorphins help relieve the stressful effects of nicotine withdrawal and make it easier to kick the tobacco habit. The physical cravings are reduced and the stress of the addiction withdrawal are reduced.

This low level lazer treatment is combined with counselling in most cases, and it is the overall treatment which results in tobacco addiction sufferers being able to quit smoking according to those who offer low level lazer treatments for stopping smoking.

It is claimed by some practitioners that one half hour lazer therapy session can be enough to be successful for getting a large number of people stopping smoking. Others claim no more than a few sessions should be sufficient.

It is, of course, quite expensive to undertake this quit smoking lazer therapy, given that the actual amount of face to face time is quite limited.

I don’t intend to tell you here whether quit smoking lazer therapy works or not. That’s for a number of reasons, particularly that I don’t have sufficient evidence to tell you either way. However I do intend to alert you to the fact that there is quite some doubt over the technique, and there are those who maintain that it does nothing at all to assist people to quit smoking.

Unfortunately it seems that there is little published and publicly available scientific evidence on the efficacy of using low level lazer therapy for stopping smoking. Although the lazer clinics claim scientific evidence it is difficult to find any, and they do not offer links on their websites to the papers published by the scientists who have studied this lazer therapy. The author has been unable to find any authoritative published studies, and there are plenty of others who claim this lack of any supporting evidence means that, currently at least, lazer therapy to stop smoking has to be viewed as unproven.

For example, in 2006, the US consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen petitioned the FDA to stop 5 US quit smoking lazer treatment companies from claiming that low level lazer therapy is successful in helping people stop smoking. It is not approved by the FDA as an anti smoking treatment, although it is as a pain relief treatment.

And I document on my website a range of other sources all of which suggest that stop smoking lazer therapy is a fraud or close to.

Even the companies which market lazer therapy will admit to it being “experimental”.

For those in the grip of a serious nicotine and cigarette addiction it isn’t easy to find a way forward to combat that addiction and to stop smoking successfully. However anyone who opts for lazer therapy as a means to stop smoking should understand that it isn’t currently scientifically proven to work.

Millions of individuals around the world smoke everyday. This is because people who start or continue to smoke have psychological addictions that don’t allow them to kick the habit very easily. Below are some insights into the psychology of smoking and why people either start or continue to smoke.

1. Peer pressure: Peer pressure is a very common reason why people begin or continue to smoke. Young kids or adults who start smoking at a young age, often do so because they have been pressured by their peers.

2. Independence: Some young people start smoking because they want to be seen as adult-like. They may feel that smoking allows them to be their own person.

3. Friends and Family: Individuals who have family members or friends who smoke, have a higher probability of smoking then people whose family and friends do not. The same is true for other bad habits or addictions such as alcohol or drug use.

4. Celebrities/Role Models: Some people begin and continue to smoke because celebrities that they look up to or aspire to be, do so. They may believe that it looks cool, sophisticated or mature.

5. Advertising: Cigarette companies spend millions of dollars attempting to get people to purchase their product. To encourage people to spend their money on a product that will likely kill them or make them ill, they advertise on billboards and television with splashy, catchy and attractive campaigns. Many people give in and purchase.

6. To Lose Weight: Some individuals, especially females, start or keep smoking because they believe that it will help them stay slim or lose weight. One of the most common reasons that women resist quitting smoking is due to the possibility of weight gain.

7. Stress: Many people quickly grab a cigarette when they fell stressed or nervous. They believe that it helps to calm their nerves. Fear that they won’t be able to handle the stressors of everyday life without cigarettes, keeps many people from quitting.

8. Habit: For other individuals, smoking simply becomes a routine part of one’s life. It becomes just like eating breakfast and going to work.

There are many psychological reasons why people begin and continue to smoke. Common reasons include peer pressure, advertising, weight loss, stress relief and because family members and friends close to the individual do so. In order for individuals to quit

smoking, both the physical and psychological reasons must be addressed and reconciled.

The impact of smoking addiction on a person is completely contrary to the influence of smoking cessation on the same individual and this difference is strikingly visible in the immense relief a person undergoes after he successfully gets rid of the addictive effect of cigarettes. Moreover, with regard to the tremendous suffering that befalls an individual after he falls in the grip of cigarette addiction, it is worth mentioning that prevention of diseases such as erectile dysfunction, cancer of the lungs, throat and various other similar ailments becomes an easy possibility after a person successfully induces smoking cessation!

Hello guys! You would definitely not be fortunate enough to experience the tranquility and the feeling of well being that quit smoking rewards an individual if you are unable to induce smoking cessation through your own will power. A consistent chain smoker who has been unable to trigger off smoking cessation even with the help of remedies like nicotine replacement therapy (nicotine patches, gums and lozenges) and other procedures should not lose hope as now he has another option in the form of FDA approved smoking cessation medicines. There are effective drugs in the market such as Chantix that would provide you respite from nicotine cravings without making you vulnerable to any of the nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

To feel oneself as an indispensable part of the modern hip lifestyle or to exude manliness or for other such apparent reasons, a person gets addicted to smoking without knowing that this mistake is bound to cost him his own life. And when the push comes to shove, a wealth of smoking addiction symptoms become visible, more specifically he starts to loose his appetite; he no longer remains physically attractive and other similar harmful occurrences follow.
If your life is similarly at stake, you should immediately undergo clinical examination at a physician’s place and if the doctor recommends Chantix for you, you can utilize the drug in accordance with his instructions. If you love life than opt for smoking cessation without wasting any more time!

Smoking is a physical craving for nicotine – and to stop smoking means you need to deal with the problem as a psychological issue. Any hypnosis sessions to quit smoking involve suggestions, positive affirmations, and hypnotherapy techniques to help you give up smoking as they put you into an altered state where you are much more susceptible to suggestions.

The positive thoughts are burnt into the smoker’s mind during the session that the smoker has with the hypnotherapist. A sense of disconnection from your present surroundings is a hypnotic trance, if you feel that you are awake and alert. People are said to be in a sense of increased attentiveness, and things can take root more easily – such as the suggestions to stop smoking.

A smoker who visits a hypnotherapist is advised to look into the future – into a situation where there is no cigarette is his hand. The smoker is encouraged to think positively and is made to believe that he can give up smoking. He is repeatedly told of the benefits that result when the cigarette is stubbed out, until the smoker’s mind becomes conditioned to the idea of not smoking.

Once this happens, the smoker’s subconscious mind spurns the idea of smoking whenever the urge arises. This session may be followed by a few more sessions later on, depending on the progress achieved by the smoker. The smoker is also given a CD that carries stop smoking messages. The entire idea is to reinforce the value of giving up smoking.

The hypnotherapist argues that withdrawal symptoms are caused mainly by conditioned responses. The smoker does not make an honest attempt to give up smoking because he consciously believes that it is very difficult to give up smoking. That is why there is no guilt involved when a smoker fails in his attempt. His mind tells him that it was a difficult proposition, and pats him for at least trying.

The hypnotherapist tries to break this mindset by generating new conditioned responses that are positive, and gives the smoker the confidence to give up smoking. A conditioned response may be as simple as pressing the finger with the thumb and holding them together for about half a minute. The smokers are also told to take three deep breaths and drink a glass of water whenever there is an urge to smoke. Invariably, they dilute the smoker’s urge to light a new cigarette.

Smoking cigarettes is a habit that is hard to get over with for most people. Just like any other form of addiction, smoking cigarettes causes your body to develop a dependency on a particular chemical, in this case nicotine. Nicotine patches can help you get rid of smoking cigarettes but it doesn’t get rid of your dependency on nicotine and that’s why it doesn’t work for many people as it still essentially the same.

So what do you need to do? Easy! All you need to do is what rehabilitation centers have been doing for years – get rid of your dependency on nicotine. But how?

Believe it or not, the human body is capable of healing itself and putting itself back to normal operation. All it needs is time to heal. In other words, you need to give it a rest but unless you isolate yourself, doing that is not easy – but it can be done!

Start with motivation.

Find a reason for you to quit smoking. It can be your children, your partner, your parents, your friends or yourself. Think of how you smell when you smoke. Think of the future of your loved ones if your health begins to deteriorate. Think of how they will feel. Think of the example you’re setting for your kids. Think of the second hand smoke that your loved ones are inhaling. These begins to motivate you.

The next step is deciding…

After finding the right motivation or motivations (you can have more than one), tell yourself that you WILL stop smoking. This is a very important step if you really want to quit the nasty habit of inhaling smoke and nicotine into your body. Telling yourself that you will stop smoking reinforces your motivations and tells your brain that you don’t want it anymore.

Then do it.

After you’ve motivated yourself and after you have decided to stop smoking, the next thing to do in the list is to actually do it. Throw away your cigarettes. Don’t even take “one last puff” as that will defeat the purpose of doing it. Get rid of your cigarette lighters and matches. Throw away your ashtrays and clean your house to rid it of the smell of cigarettes. Then have a good hygiene. Take a bath, brush your teeth and gargle mouthwash. Visiting your dentist is also great. If your dentist is a smoker then find another one.

Lastly, maintain it.

This is the hardest part. A surge of emotion can lead you to do all that I’ve mentioned before but maintaining it would be the toughest. As your emotions begin to fade, you will find yourself going back to the bad habit primarily because your body has not been given enough time to heal itself yet. Usually, it takes a month or two for it to totally heal. Sometimes even more. This makes maintenance very important.

Some of the stuff you can do to maintain your decision and actions is to reward yourself. Buy yourself some icecream. Go to the park, watch a movie with your family. Face the mirror and tell yourself how you like much better now. Smile in the mirror – a simple smile reinforces your actions. Keep on rewarding yourself but NEVER reward yourself with smoking, even with a single puff or with anything related to it. I’ve seen people in the maintenance period fail simply because they “smoked just one puff” to reward themselves. That one puff tells your brain that smoking is good because you considered it as a reward and the cycle starts all over again.

There is an audio book that will guide you through these steps and remind you of what you need to do. It’s not expensive so I recommend buying it as it will help you a lot. Think of it as taking the extra mile that makes you a winner.

There you go. If you follow these simple steps then you will soon find yourself healthier and wealthier because you chose not to smoke and took action.