How Can I Quit Smoking?

I’ve been smoking for 6 yrs now and want to quit. Right now I can’t go 30 minutes without smoking. I smoke about a pack a day and it’s expensive habit. Anyone got any tips about how I can quit?

As with any addiction, I suggest that you first try to find out what made you smoke in the first place.
Find the reason first on what got you into the habit.
This is the most important step on quitting. Once you find out the cause and deal with it, you will be able to quit for sure. This is actually the most overlooked step in quitting.
Then, I suggest that you start by lessening your cigarette consumption. Quitting it all at once is a bad choice, this will just make your brain want to smoke more as you did not get your fix for a long time. Doing it slowly and surely is much better than doing it all at once.
Give dates on how much you are going to lessen your fixes. Say on June 12, only 1 pack a day, July 12 only 8 cigarettes and so on.
Get someone to quit with you. Be determined with your partner to kick the habit out.
Get a quitting plan with your doctor or therapist and stick to it. Whether it’s nicotine patches, special pills or any other treatment, make a strong commitment to follow it.
Reduce your exposure to stressful situations. People enjoy smoking as a stress reliever when they are put in such a pressured situation. This goes the same when you experience a lot of hardships, such as deaths of your loved ones, being divorced or simply problematic.

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Whats The Best Way Of Convincing A Person To Quit Smoking?

My aunt is around 50 and has smoked for quite some years now and recently went to the hopital because she couldn’t breath. She came back and not even a week has gone by and she already smoked 3 cigarretes in 2 days. We tried everything to convince her to quit but she doesn’t pay attention, wat else can we do?

It’s wonderful that you care so much for your aunt, however, there is no convincing a person to stop smoking. It has to be something the person wants for themselves. Your aunt has already been to the hospital and that hasn’t done it.

When my husband smoked a few years ago my son was so rude about it the he quit. It was strange to me I wanted my husband to quit but I was nice and he didn’t. My son was rude and he did. One point my son made was that his breathing space was being polluted. You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs so maybe you need to give your aunt some hard truths about how her smoking is effecting those around her as well as herself. Then pray for her and yourself if she doesn’t take criticism kindly.

The only thing you can do is to pray for her and let her know that you’ll be there to support her if/when she does decide to quit.
I’ll be smoke free 2 years January 10th, and it was nothing anyone said to me that made me stop. The cravings are fierce for nicotine those first weeks and I STILL have them periodically.

I had to want to quit myself and it was really hard. Prayer got me through it honestly.
Nicotine is a legalize drug. You crave the stuff like junkies crave the illegal drugs. Sad but true.

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Strong Link Between Smoking and Brain Haemorrhage

There is a strong link between smoking and brain haemorrhage, which is demonstrated in a new Danish study just published in Stroke, an American medical journal.

Smokers run a substantial risk of incurring a brain haemorrhage, the most serious form of stroke, where every fourth die in three months after being hit by a haemorrhage.

That is the message from a large Danish study, which has just been published in the American medical journal Stroke. The study demonstrated a strong correlation between smoking and stroke, which according to the authors should lead to increased efforts to warn against this particular disease, for instance on cigarette packages. Around 1,000 Danes are hit every year with a stroke.

“We have been well aware that smoking increases the risk of a blood clot in the brain. But it appears now that there is an even stronger link between smoking and a brain haemorrhage, which is a much more serious disorder. Thus it appears that smoking also weakens blood vessel walls in the brain, which increases to risk of puncturing, “says senior consultant at Hvidovre Hospital Tom Olsen, who is behind the study, together with statistics officer Klaus K. Andersen from Denmark’s Technical University.

Researchers examined the relationship between smoking and the risk of either getting stroke or blood clot in the brain in almost 40,000 Danes with strokes that are a catch-all term for the two diseases. It appeared that smokers are 30 per cent more likely to be hit by the much more serious brain haemorrhage than the blood clot in the brain.

Food for thought

Scientists believe that the study should give food for thought among smokers, and also to a greater extent focus on the risk of stroke in the campaigns against smoking.

“I do not think that there are currently many people that are aware that smoking can be an entry ticket to a brain haemorrhage. Stroke is one of the major diseases that we can all be hit by. But if you smoke the risk increases considerably to incur the most serious form of stroke, the brain haemorrhage, which often mean lifelong disability – if you  are so lucky to survive, ” says Tom Olsen.

Yet another reason to consider quit smoking pills, quit smoking hypnosis or any other quit smoking method.

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New Year 2009 Resolution: Quit Smoking!

Standing with your glass of champagne in your hand, counting down the seconds to twelve and the new year, you make a rapid status of your life. And this is when your New Year resolution takes shape. You decide you want to lose weight, see your family more often and quit smoking. But are your going to keep your New Year resolution? Hardly, for a decision to change a habit or behavior is not just something you just implements from one day to another – your decision must be given time to mature.

The key to success lies in careful planning and putting in some very specific goals that are attainable. Here are some quit smoking tips, that will guide you through the new year resolution of quitting smoking and how to keep it.

New Year resolution: I will stop smoking

You must really want to stop smoking. So think about the benefits of smoking and the benefits of giving up. Weigh your arguments against each other. If you decide to quit smoking, think of how it should be implemented.

Before you actually quit smoking, think about how and when you smoke now – your smoking habits. When you have a clear picture of your smoking habits, consider what your can do instead when you no longer smoke. Think of the alternatives – instead of a smoke break at work, you can eat a piece of fruit or go for a walk. Instead of smoking right after dinner, start chewing on your favorite chewing gum – this could be a nicotine chewing gum, if that is your preferred quit smoking method.

After you have quit smoking, your metabolism slow slightly down and you risk facing the much feared quit smoking weight gain. This can be avoided entirely by exercise, which also works well against the physical symptoms of smoking cessation, anxiety and restlessness, and when you are irritable.

Get support from others in the same situation by getting them to stop smoking at the same time, or by signing up for a smoking cessation course.

Should you take a cold turkey or gradual tapering off of nicotine products such as nicotine patch or nicotine gum? Or a quit smoking pill? If you have smoked for many years and / or have smoked several cigarettes each day, it may be helpful to use nicotine chewing gum in a transitional phase to take the top of the physical symptoms, so you can concentrate on breaking the habits that are not is so easy to change. But remember that nicotine chewing gum should not become a new addiction.

8 ways to keeping you New Years resolution:

1. You must really want it. Feel it in your heart, and not only in your head, or you might drop it again.
2. Set realistic and attainable goals. Your goal should be as specific as possible. Say for example, that you will quit smoking before March 1st, instead of just saying that you will quit smoking.
3. Focus on what you want to achieve instead of what you want to avoid.
4. Visualize the goal – imagine, for example, a more healthy version of yourself.
5. Plan carefully. You need to know what you would do in various tempting situations.
6. Get support from your environment.
7. Do not have a bad conscience, if you occasionally fall in. Blame will get you nowhere.
8. Evaluate your progress and praise yourself for the goal when you accomplish it.

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Quit Smoking with Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a treatment which originally came from China and which is several thousand years old, dating back to the Stone Age for some 8000 years ago. The detritus of stone and bone in the form of needles have been found, and archaeologists believe that they have been used for a crude form of acupuncture. The word acupuncture is of Latin origin and can be split into “Acuse” and “Punctura” which means needle stick.

During the 1800s French missionaries gets acquainted with treatment in China, and a few hundred years later, it becomes more widespread acknowledged in Europe. During the’70s, it was popular for Western doctors and medical students to visit China to observe operations which almost miraculously was performed without the use of anesthesia. At the same time the interest in the treatment blossoms in the US, and the interest has steadily grown since.

The idea behind acupuncture is that the body has several energy lanes each of which contains hundreds of areas which can be stimulated with needles and thus energy can be shaped and balanced so that diseases can be cured and prevented. The body’s energy balance is called “qi, and the balance of the energy consist of “Yin” and “Yang”.

It has been proved to also have a positive effect in treating the of symptoms associated with smoking cessation. Many ex-smokers reports on a good effect to receive this treatment, often when many of the other means have proved ineffective, such as quit smoking pills or other quit smoking medication. However, it is necessary that you are preparing for a smoking cessation, and that you are determined to stop – as with all smoking cessation trials, with or without quit smoking aids.

Some acupuncturists are even former smokers who after the smoking cessation has been so enthusiastic about the treatment that they themselves have taken education in acupuncture.
A consultation with a quit smoking acupuncturist might be to first have a talk about one’s smoking habits and attitudes to smoking, and together find a stop date for the smoking cessation.

After that follows the actual treatment, which should be effective against the physical withdrawal symptoms which typically appears within the first few weeks of the smoking cessation. The treatment will usually take place over 1-2 treatments with some weekly intervals, in which the needle is placed in one ear in selected points. This may vary depending on the acupuncturist and which methods he or she may be using.

If you do not like the idea of needles, however, there are other treatments than acupuncture with needles, including pressure massage and quit smoking laser light. There are many physicians, and you might be a little insecure if it is the first time you are considering this type of treatment. It may be that you’re familiar with family or friends who have tried this treatment with good results, and it would be a good idea to talk to them about their experiences.

If you go looking for therapists on the web, the check if the physician is included in a recognized organization, such as AAMA (American Academy of Medical Acupuncture) or whether there are some statements from former patients.
Finally, try to call or write the physician about the things you are uncertain of. It is in this as in all other treatments that you must have confidence in thepractitioner, just like when you go to your doctor or dentist.

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Use Quit Smoking Forum for Support

Smoking is a very difficult problem to solve without good quit smoking support, a good plan is almost always needed when you aim at a nicotine-free life. Breaking this unhealthy habit isn’t an easy task but it is not impossible either. The truth is that with quit smoking support millions have kicked the problem and now live a normal and healthy life. Many smokers simply neglect the risks involved and don’t ask for quit smoking support; they are often the victims to heart problems or lung cancer.

This happens because smokers aren’t aware of the dangers they run, and they only find balance with professional quit smoking support. Statistics confirm that half of the people that smoke may die from a smoking-related illness. Smoking harms all the body organs and it simply reduces one’s well being. Looking for quit smoking support may save your life!

Quit smoking support plans have a higher chance of success because the person will try to prepare for the upcoming problems. Many are still wondering today why it is so hard to quit smoking, the answer was given by specialists many times before, smoking is both a physical and a mental problem that can be solved with professional quit smoking support. Beyond the physical problems a quit smoking support program will help one face the psychological and the physical cravings.

A quit smoking support solution will firstly identify the mental causes that trigger the need to smoke. Nicotine is the substance that causes unpleasant symptoms when trying to quit. Its withdrawal from the system is at the root of all the quitting crisis. Many health associations providing quit smoking support and instructions have concluded that nicotine is as dangerous as heroin and cocaine in terms of addiction.

When you smoke, nicotine reaches the brain within seconds and triggers several body changes like a small release of adrenaline and dopamine. Quit smoking programs will teach you how to deal with nicotine abstinence. The dopamine gives you the sensation of relaxation and satisfaction but it last only for two or three minutes when you will need another cigarette in order to relax again.

For an increased chance to stop smoking look for suggestions over the Internet, a good place to start your search is quit smoking forums where you will probably find good advice and quit smoking support solutions. The problem of smoking is easy to identify but harder to treat, this is why an effective quit smoking support solution is always needed for achieving your purpose of quit smoking. Remember that combining several quit smoking aids, such as stop smoking medication (quit smoking pills) can greatly enhance your chances to finally be smoke free.

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Quit Smoking Symptoms

When you start a smoking cessation, you will experience a number of changes, also called the cessation symptoms or quit smoking symptoms.
It is quite natural, since your body for a longer period have become accustomed to be exposed to toxic substances in the form of nicotine, tar and the like.  When you quit smoking, and thereby stopping adding poisonous substances to your blood, your body begins a purge of the poison, and that is what we call smoking cessation symptoms.

The quit smoking symptoms you may experience varies significantly from person to person, but it is important that you prepare you for the coming onslaught. The cessation symptoms you suffer from will give you an excuse to try to justify that you start smoking again. You must fight against this negative process and stick in your decision to stop smoking.

One thing that is important to remember before you read further, is that I will list the most common cessation symptoms, and you will most likely only be able to recognize some of them, but do not worry, it’s perfectly normal.

The most usual stop smoking symptom, is your almost irresistible urge to start smoking again, your body will almost shout to get another injection of nicotine, and your internal dialogue will be divided between your desire to escape your addiction, and the desire to end the unpleasant symptoms.
This symptom is not so hard to get through, just some steadfastness, and you will be over the worst after the first 3-4 days.

You might also see that you are a little ill, in the form of frequent coughs, small colds, and other lung chest discomfort symptoms, it is again quite naturally, because your airways cleans out, and restore the natural function, while that your immune defense works hard to purge the poison from your body.

Your intestines will also make “sounds” as a symptom of a smoking cessation, you can even get an attack of constipation, you must understand that smoking affects many parts of the body, while smoking also consumes a lot of your body’s energy which could otherwise be spent on many other things, and so many functions in the body have suffered from smoking.

You will most likely also see an increased appetite, and a greater desire to put something in your mouth, and if you absolutely must give into the temptation, go for fiber-containing foods, as it facilitates bowel function, coarse bread, nuts, grains and prunes could also be fine things to eat, and remember in the beginning of your smoking cessation to drink plenty of water, all things could help ease the symptoms of your smoking cessation.

Headaches can also be a smoking cessation symptom, which brings along a lack of focus and concentration, and you will see that you are easily irritated.
Experts believe that the headache is caused by changes in blood / oxygen ratio simultaneously with a change of blood sugar levels, caused by lack of nicotine which all alter normal brain environment. With time, these levels return to a normal mode, you must simply arm yourself with patience, plenty of water, and maybe use a few headache pills against the pains for a while.

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What Happens When You Quit Smoking ?

When you start a smoking cessation, you will experience a number of changes, also called the cessation symptoms.
It is quite natural, since your body for a longer period have become accustomed to be exposed to toxic substances in the form of nicotine, tar and the like. What happen when you quit smoking is that you are stopping adding poisonous substances to your blood, your body begins a purge of the poison, and that is what we call smoking cessation symptoms.

But remember that many of the quit smoking symptoms can be avoided by using a quit smoking pill or other quit smoking medication.

The symptoms you may experience varies significantly from person to person, but it is important that you prepare you for what happens when you quit smoking. The cessation symptoms you suffer from will give you an excuse to try to justify that you start smoking again. You must fight against this negative process and stick in your decision to stop smoking. Using a quit smoking pill or other quit smoking medication might be a good idea if the symptoms of the smoking stop gets too severe.

One thing that is important to remember before you read further, is that I will list the most common cessation symptoms, and you will most likely only be able to recognize some of them, but do not worry, it’s perfectly normal.

What happens when you quit smoking?
The most usual stop smoking symptom, is your almost irresistible urge to start smoking again, your body will almost shout to get another injection of nicotine, and your internal dialogue will be divided between your desire to escape your addiction, and the desire to end the unpleasant symptoms.
This symptom is not so hard to get through, just some steadfastness, and you will be over the worst after the first 3-4 days.

You might also see that you are a little ill, in the form of frequent coughs, small colds, and other lung chest discomfort symptoms, it is again quite naturally, because your airways cleans out, and restore the natural function, while that your immune defense works hard to purge the poison from your body.

Your intestines will also make “sounds” as a symptom of a smoking cessation, you can even get an attack of constipation, you must understand that smoking affects many parts of the body, while smoking also consumes a lot of your body’s energy which could otherwise be spent on many other things, and so many functions in the body have suffered from smoking.

You will most likely also see an increased appetite, and a greater desire to put something in your mouth, and if you absolutely must give into the temptation, go for fiber-containing foods, as it facilitates bowel function, coarse bread, nuts, grains and prunes could also be fine things to eat, and remember in the beginning of your smoking cessation to drink plenty of water, all things could help ease the symptoms of your smoking cessation.

Headaches can also be a smoking cessation symptom, which brings along a lack of focus and concentration, and you will see that you are easily irritated.
Experts believe that the headache is caused by changes in blood / oxygen ratio simultaneously with a change of blood sugar levels, caused by lack of nicotine which all alter normal brain environment. With time, these levels return to a normal mode, you must simply arm yourself with patience, plenty of water, and maybe use a few headache pills against the pains for a while. As noted earlier a quit smoking pill can actually reduce a lot of the symptoms.

So, what happen when you quit smoking might sound like very negative, but remember that this is only for a short period and the quit smoking side effects are very positive on your health for the rest of your life.

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Quit Smoking Weight Gain – Can It Be Avoided?

How do I avoid the famous Quit Smoking Weight Gain?

Wheter you quit smoking with the help of a quit smoking pill, quit smoking acupuncture or some other quit smoking medication, you have to think about the quit smoking weight gain. The reason why some gain after a smoking cessation is usually the following:

• By smoking you keep your metabolism artificially high. When you quit smoking, your metabolism slips back to its natural level, and the body released its artificial stress condition.
• In addition, cigarettes provides a false sense of satiety.
• If you have smoked about 20 cigarettes a day, you put your hand to your mouth around 200 times in one day. This movement and putting something in your mouth may very well be missed by you body and mind, and therefore desire to replace it with something else. One obvious replacement is food!
• You might feel empty inside, because you miss the cigarette – your “good (?) Friend”. This emptiness you might now try to fill with food.

The solution can be found in the combination of healthy food and exercise. Until now, the cigarettes had control over your life and your weight. Now is the time to take control back again.

The food craving demands attention:

• Be aware of what and how much you put into the mouth.
• Keep yourself occupied with something in your hands (see also the answer to restlessness).
• Chew on a tooth pick or a “cheat cigarette” with menthol in it. Cut the carrots, pale celery, apples or other fruit and vegetables in small appetizing pieces and eat them.
• Eat sugar free candy.
• General speaking: eat about 25 grams less fat every day.

The exercise requires a little planning:

• Take your bike instead of car.
• Sign up for an exercise class.
• Borrow the neighbor’s dog for a daily walk.
• Stand up a little more often at your desktop.
• Exercise about half an hour more per day.

It is normal to gain 4-8 pounds in connection with a cessation. Most lose them automatically again after approx. 6 months. You must be as much ad 55-65 pounds overweight before you are close to the hazards of smoking! So do not fear the Quit Smoking Weight Gain and remember that the quit smoking benefits far exceeds the weight gain.

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Quit Smoking Timeline – The Cessation Day By Day

Here is a small overview of the quit day by day – your quit smoking timeline.

But first of all, I must remind you of a few things you should do in the days leading up to your smoking cessation. A really good idea is to bring together much of the last days of cigarette butts, in a glass jar or similar, and fill it just over halfway up with water. So if you are in an emergency where you are close to fall in, you can take a little sniffer, the smell in itself should give you a little extra time to regain the decision to stop … It is very disgusting, I can promise you.

Of course the quit smoking symptoms described below depends on whether or not you use quit smoking drugs, like quit smoking pills, quit smoking acupuncture or similar. But the stop smoking benefits – they are guaranteed.

Quit Smoking Timeline – Day 1
Then you’re on the road, you maybe feel a little strange, but it is quite normal, remember that it is a new feeling for you not to smoke all the time. Quite a few feels, as if they are about to be sick. You might also find it hard to concentrate, but remember that it is quite normal, and enjoy that your blood pressure, your blood circulation and your skin temperature is already normalized, and the risk of heart attack is diminished.

Quit Smoking Timeline – Day 2
Most are experiencing day 2 as being very restless, thinking often of smoking, and is probably also a bit annoying to be near. It is again quite normal and is just your body’s signals to you that it is starting to getting weaned from nicotine, your blood flowing also virtually unimpeded through the body again, and it can affect you in many ways, but you just have to push it to side, this should not be so difficult at this time.

Quit Smoking Timeline – Day 3
Today you will again begin to taste the things you put into the mouth, and could scents several shades … but physically it is here it begins to be difficult, your mind and your ego will try to fool you into thinking that this is the wrong decision you have taken, and your body will “scream after nicotine” …
Try instead to take a walk or a run, you already are in a better conditioning, and it would be good for you to get the pulse a bit raised.

Quit Smoking Timeline – Day 4
Now your body really starts reacting to the lack of nicotine, and many have constipation, or the opposite, it will be hard to find peace, and your throat and lungs started to become cleaner, and will probably cause you to cough slightly in the next day, it is a healthy sign, remember that your throat, have been really greasy in, and sticky for a long time, and you are not accustomed to a full functioning throat … Just hold out, in a few days is the worst is over. Your body is becoming detoxed, and you are well on track to become a non-smoker for the rest of your life.

Quit Smoking Timeline – Day 5
From this day there will be longer between the feeling that you just need a cigarette, and it becomes increasingly easier for you to stick with your decision … You can also enjoy than you are now breathing a lot easier, and now your senses, smell and taste senses are almost perfect and the level of a non smokers senses.

Quit Smoking Timeline – Day 6 and 7
Less symptoms every day and your smoking cessation is becoming much easier, 7 days is actually a full week, and now is the worst over, and so you release emotional energy which can be used for anything other than worry over a cessation.

Quit Smoking Timeline – Day 8 – 10
Now you are at a stage where smokers are starting to smell awful, all while you begin to smell better … Your breath will be fresh, and your voice will now also be clean and clear in tone. Now you’re almost home free …

Quit Smoking Timeline – Day 11 – 12
Now you should start getting brighter and more beautiful teeth, unless you consume large amounts of cola, coffee or wine. Your skin now has a brighter tone, and is significantly nicer to touch, at the same time the morning coughing releases you completely, now your throat is almost normal, and only very sensitive people feels some morning cough or similar.

Quit Smoking Timeline – Day 13 and 14
Now you can actually say that you are free of smoking, if you’ve quit for 2 weeks, and should no longer have any physical reasons to start again, and you will generally have more energy, simply because your body is not burdened daily of having to extract extra poisons of your blood, your immune system is in much better shape, and you will now easily avoid colds and the like. Cigarettes will now take up less and less in your universe, and as long as you understand that just one small cigarette, yes just one or two wheezing involves an imminent risk that you find yourself back in the smoker role again, you are good.

Quit Smoking Timeline – Weeks and months after …
It will be reasonably easy, although not entirely disappeared after 3 to 6 months, to feel you do not smoke, but remember now, former smokers can only in thousandths of all cases be party smokers, most smokers who have returned 1 -3 Years after a smoking cessation treatment, were some who would smoke a little on holiday or for a couple of festivals, and suddenly they were back in dependency … Do not let yourself fall into the trap, stay off smoking the rest of your life, you will only regret it if you try.

Good luck with your smoking cessation!

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