The Importance of Quitting Smoking and How to Do It

Quitting smoking is hard. Those who have been addicted to cigarettes know that one of the most difficult things to do in life is to quit smoking. If you have been smoking for a while, there is a great chance that you have tried to quit smoking at some point in your life. You know how dangerous smoking is to your health, but since you have been addicted to this habit you just cannot throw away this habit.
What you should also realize is that you are not the only person at risk when you smoke. Second hand smoking is very dangerous, so the more that you smoke at home or at work, the more that you are risking the health of your friends, relatives, and colleagues.
Smoking can also ruin your relationships with your loved ones, friends, and colleagues who might be turned off by your unhealthy habit.

There are actually endless reasons for you to start considering to quit smoking. However, how exactly would you be able to suddenly give up something that has been your addiction for the past couple of years, or for perhaps, even decades?
One of the best ways for you to try as you start to quit smoking would be to tell everyone that you are putting a stop to your habit. Tell your friends, colleagues, and family members that you are quitting smoking. This will be your control measure and in effect, you are encouraging those around you to support you in your endeavor. The more encouragement you get from those around you, the more likely that you will have an easier time in quitting. Of course you should also have to deal with your smoker friends, who will naturally discourage you in pursuing your plan. Make sure that you would stay focused on what your goals are.
You should also penalize yourself for every cigarette you consume. It can be very unpleasant but this is effective in making sure you get rid of your addiction.
Regularly remind yourself of the many benefits of quitting. You should always bear in mind that quitting smoking would give you a longer life, and thus more years to spend with your loved ones. If you are feeling the urge to light a cigarette, make a visualization of you suffering from smoking-related diseases like lung cancer.
Also, keep in mind that you will be will be saving tons of money when you stop smoking. Estimate how much you are saving, and then buy yourself something, a gift perhaps, out of the said amount.
If you are married and have a family to take care of, imagine for a moment, what they will be thinking about you. Have you ever thought about the ideals your children will be learning from you? Now imagine for a moment, what will happen if you were to make an effort to quit smoking. The positive effect that this will lead to is incalculable.
Let this be a motivation to quit smoking today and live a healthier and happier life.

Althaf Ahmed at Ask Medical Questions

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Smoking Statistics to Help You Stop Smoking

If you are looking to quit by using smoking statistics in your arsenal of weapons against nicotine, then you are going to want to print this article and carry it around with you.
In this article I introduce a series of less commonly known smoking statistics that will really get you thinking. By the conclusion you should have a good list of smoking statistics to help you stop smoking.

One of the most powerful tools used in the fight against smoking is statistics. They are used to convince smokers to quit, persuade non-smokers to join the fight against smoking and they even have the power to convince councils and governments to make new laws and regulations governing smoking.
Statistics are never 100% accurate because there are too many variables involved such as:
Who are the people collecting the statistical information?
What exactly are they trying to find out?
What methods are they using to collect the statistical information?
Which groups in society are they getting the statistical information from?
What methods are used calculate the statistics?
Many people say that statistics are not a good way of judging something because of these variables. This may be true for some subjects, but when it comes to smoking I totally disagree.
Although statistics about smoking are not always accurate, they still paint a detailed picture of the smoking landscape. There have been many studies conducted all over the world on the subject of smoking, each coming up with their own set of data and statistics.
Although some findings may differ there are always common themes: Addiction, disease and death.
Here is a selection of the more commonly found statistics from numerous statistical studies:
Cigarettes contain over 4000 chemicals and toxins
Over 1 billion people in the world smoke
Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death
Smoking kills about one in every 10 adults
Smoking is responsible for over 5 million deaths a year, that's about 13,500 a day
Every 8 seconds someone dies from a smoking related illness
Every cigarette takes approx 5 minutes off your life
Half of all those who smoke over a long period will die from a smoking related illness
Smoking is the major causes about 90% of all lung cancers. Other parts of the body where smoking commonly causes cancer include the mouth, nasal cavity and sinus, digestive tract, pancreas, liver, stomach and kidney.
Smoking is responsible for approx 30% of all cancer deaths
Second hand smoke (smoke from tobacco that is breathed in by non-smokers) causes thousands of deaths worldwide every year.
The most common reasons for people starting smoking include; peer pressure, social acceptance, stress, life problems, family history of smoking, low economic status, wanting to feel mature and independent.
80% of smokers start the habit before they turn 21
Around 100,000 children worldwide start smoking on a daily basis
Most smokers in developed countries actually want to give up but feel they can't because of their nicotine addiction
The above statistics can be found in a number of different studies, even when you factor in all of the different variables. This is why I think you can trust smoking statistics even when they may not be 100% accurate.
If you are a smoker please don't become a part of one the statistics mentioned above, become a part of a statistic that I haven't yet mentioned. Become one of the 5% of smokers who manage to quit every year.

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Laser Therapy For Quitting Smoking

Many smokers have become disillusioned with trying to quit smoking. They are constantly bombarded with advertising promising "the miracle quit smoking cure" only to find out that the product is either a scam or does not work in the long term. It is therefore not surprising to see the popularity of unconventional methods on the rise.
One such example is laser therapy.

Laser therapy has only been introduced in recent years and is method where certain pressure points of the body are targeted. A low level laser (no stronger than a light bulb) is beamed onto such points and this said to help reduce the effect of withdrawal symptoms. This is similar in principal to other unconventional but more ancient methods such as acupuncture and reflexology.
When we smoke endorphins are released in the brain. This gives us a feeling of pleasure that we want to experience again and again. That is how we get hooked onto smoking. Laser therapy is said to release these endorphins, mimicking the act of smoking. Smokers have even said they walk out of the clinic feeling like they have just smoked a cigarette. This 'nicotine mimicking' can last for as long as 9 months. It is said that cravings and withdrawal symptoms will be very minor during that time. The theory is that quitting will become much easier.
Other pressure points can also be targeted which will help individuals to control other parts of the quit smoking experience. These include weight control, stress reduction and a general feeling of wellbeing.
While many will vouch for the effectiveness of laser therapy there is no solid clinical testing that has proved that the method works. This has understandably lead to controversy with some wanting the method to be stopped. Their argument is that this is false advertising and it will not help anyone to genuinely quit.
Even the clinics who use the lasers admit that they only help smokers deal with their physical nicotine addiction. Using the laser alone will not help smokers to quit. Many clinics will offer a quit smoking program alongside the lasers. These programs help the smoker deal with the psychological and behavioural aspects of their habit.
If this is the case than the question must be asked, "Is the laser even necessary?" If a smoker was to deal with the psychological aspect of smoking, wouldn't this make the whole quitting process easier for them anyway? It makes me wonder if the laser is more of a confidence booster than an actual cure. If a smoker was to think the lasers were curing them would this help them to quit? I certainly think it would.
Without any proven testing for laser therapy I could not see myself ever trying this method. Even though there are no side effects, I would need more a lot more convincing before I handed my money over to a laser therapy clinic.

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Smoking Ladies

Females have more effects due to smoking than males. Females can suffer from childlessness due to smoking. A recent study demonstrated that female smokers have double chances of childlessness than non-smoking females. Smoking decreases the number of oocytes (eggs) in female reproductive internal organ. An experiment was done on animals, which showed that nicotine was the main cause of decrease in oocytes.



Smoking women witness abnormal functioning of fallopian tubes, which carry eggs from ovary to the uterus. Smoking disturbs the physiological levels of reproductive hormones, increases the pelvic inflammatory disease and reduces embryo implantation. Babies born to smoking females develop ectopia problems. The rate of respiratory diseases increases in babies of females, who smoke. Sudden death of babies after the delivery is mostly a scenario with the smoking females.Heart disease is the most common cause of death among females.

Smoking is the main cause of the heart diseases. Heart diseases take more lives of females every year than all other types of cancer combined. Smoking increases the blood pressure, which causes strokes. Every year in the United States, about 160,000 deaths are due to strokes and out of them 100,000 were females. Strokes not only lead to death, but may also make the person permanently disabled. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is another disorder seen in smoking females.Studies indicate that women are more susceptible to the harmful effects of smoking than males.

This studies report that respiratory disorders, deteriorating health, reproductive disorders and lung diseases are more in smoking females, than smoking males. The female teenager of a smoking parent has a higher chance to develop asthma, bronchial diseases at the early age of 18. Globally, cigarette smoking is the main cause of respiratory diseases, reduced lung function and lower grade of Self-Rated Health (SRH). Female smokers have larger reduction in expiratory lung function, than male smokers.

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Conquering The Smoking Habit

Most smokers sincerely want to quit. They know cigarettes threaten their health, set a bad example for their children, annoy their acquaintances and cost an inordinate amount of money. But nobody can force a smoker to quit. It's something each person has to decide for himself, and will require a personal commitment by the smoker. What kind of smoker are you? What do you get out of smoking? What does it do for you? It is important to identify what you use smoking for and what kind of satisfaction you feel that you are getting from smoking. Many smokers use the cigarette as a kind of crutch in moments of stress or discomfort, and on occasion it may work; the cigarette is sometimes used as a tranquilizer. But the heavy smoker, the person who tries to handle severe personal problems by smoking heavily all day long, is apt to discover that cigarettes do not help him deal with his problems effectively.



When it comes to quitting, this kind of smoker may find it easy to stop when everything is going well, but may be tempted to start again in a time of crisis. Physical exertion, eating, drinking, or social activity in moderation may serve as useful substitutes for cigarettes, even in times of tension. The choice of a substitute depends on what will achieve the same effects without having any appreciable risk. Once a smoker understands his own smoking behavior, he will be able to cope more successfully and select the best quitting approaches for himself and the type of lifestyle he leads. Because smoking is a form of addiction, 80 percent of smokers who quit usually experience some withdrawal symptoms. These may include headache, light-headedness, nausea, diarrhea, and chest pains. Psychological symptoms, such as anxiety, short-term depression, and inability to concentrate, may also appear.

The main psychological symptom is increased irritability. People become so irritable that many say they feel "like killing somebody." Yet there is no evidence that quitting smoking leads to physical violence. Some people seem to lose all their energy and drive, wanting only to sleep. Others react in exactly the opposite way, becoming so over energized they can't find enough activity to burn off their excess energy. For instance, one woman said she cleaned out all her closets completely and was ready to go next door to start on her neighbor's. Both these extremes, however, eventually level off. The symptoms may be intense for two or three days, but within 10 to 14 days after quitting, most subside.

The truth is that after people quit smoking, they have more energy; they generally will need less sleep, and feel better about themselves. Quitting smoking not only extends the ex-smoker's life, but adds new happiness and meaning to one's current life. Most smokers state that immediately after they quit smoking, they start noticing dramatic differences in their overall health and vitality. Quitting is beneficial at any age, no matter how long a person has been smoking. The mortality ratio of ex-smokers decreases after quitting. If the patient quits before a serious disease has developed, his body may eventually be able to restore itself almost completely.

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Ten Simple Steps to Quit Smoking With Hypnosis

1. Believe you can quit. Studies have shown that belief that you can quit is the most important trait in successful quitters.
2. You must be motivated. Ask yourself on a scale of 1 - 10 (Ten being the most) how motivated you are? If you are not at least a 7, you are not ready. If you are not quite ready, write a list of the reasons you want to quit, and put it on a bulletin board. Also, write down all the health risks involved with from smoking (Smoking-related diseases claim an estimated 430,700 American lives each year, cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer, about 8.6 million people in the U.S. have at least one serious illness caused by smoking.)

Source: American Lung Association
3. Create a Plan. Choose an date and write it down on your calendar. It is helpful if the date you choose is a special day, like a birthday or anniversary. Make an appointment with a local Certified Hypnotist. Each day before your Quit Date, write in your calendar (__ days till I quit smoking), mentally prepare yourself that you will be quitting on that day. Like many thousands before you, choose a safe and natural method to quit smoking. Hypnosis is the most effective method according to MedScape Medical News. Plan to have water, gum, and healthy foods to offset your smoking triggers. Find a support group, friend, or a quit buddy who you can share your experience with.
4. Work with a local Certified Hypnotist on the day of your Quit Date. Show up for your appointment. Throw away all your cigarettes, ashtrays, any other related paraphernalia. Listen to your Hypnosis CD at least once day for a few weeks. Hypnosis will help you with your triggers, and give you tools to help you reinforce your decision to quit.
5. Make a list of all your triggers. I smoked when I felt, bored, stressed, with coffee, after a meal, in my car etc.. Make a second list of all the activities you will do instead of smoking. Healthy dis-tractors like reading a book, going for a walk, working in your garden, taking a deep breath, chewing gum, lifting weights, riding a bike, listening to music, drinking water.
6. Use Daily Affirmation and place in on your fridge, mirror, or at your desk. Say them to yourself 10 times each morning, afternoon, and evening. I am Happy, Healthy, and smoke-free, Everyday I choose to breathe fresh air into my lungs. Today I am a proud and healthy non-smoker.
7. Tell a Spouse, Friend, or co-worker that will hold you accountable If you are held accountable by someone else it may help you to quit. Signing a contract, may make it more official. Find a support group locally or online.
8. Daily Exercise. If you do not currently have an exercise regiment, start off by walking 10 minutes each day. This will help you release any daily stress.
9. In the beginning, reward your self each day with with a healthy and safe reward. Some inexpensive reward ideas are flowers, a book, and an apple.
10. Don't give up! This is one of the best decisions you have made in your life. 1000's of people do it everyday, you are no different. Write a list of the reasons you quit, and the benefits you enjoy from being a non-smoker, and keep them with you at all times in your wallet or purse.

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Quit Smoking Checklist

If you are planning to quit smoking there are some things you can do to prepare for the big day. The first thing you should do is write up a quit smoking checklist to help you stay on track.
This is a list to help you get going:
* Be certain you are 100% ready to quit.
* Set a quit date.
* Write down your quit date.
* Tell everyone you can think of that you are quitting and tell them the date you have chosen.
* Make a list of all of the negative possible health consequences of smoking; i.e., lung cancer, heart disease.
* Make a list of how your body is feeling; i.e., coughing, fatigued.
* Keep the quit smoking checklist with you and read it often.
* Before you quit smoking, eliminate cigarette triggers such as coffee or alcohol. Eliminate them one at a time.
* Write down all of the reasons you want to quit.
* Start increasing your daily water intake.
* Eat tons of fruit and vegetables and keep snack bags full of cut-up vegetables that you like and will actually eat.
* The night before your quit date, dispose of ashtrays, cigarettes, cigarette butts, lighters, etc.
* Take it one day at a time and know you will have some uncomfortable moments, but they will pass.
* Even if you aren't a journal writer, write in a notebook every day about how you are doing, etc.
* When you are having a craving, talk to someone, call someone and talk until the cravings ends.
* Have several supporters available to you and talk about quitting as often as you need to. It helps tremendously.
* Begin a walking routine and invite a friend (more talking about your quit smoking journey on your walks).
* Add things to the quit smoking checklist if any come to your mind.
* Have some light hand weights ready and when a craving strikes, lift the weights slowly until the craving is over.
* Know in your mind you will succeed. If you fall off the wagon, know you aren't a failure, and just start over again.
Are you tired of cigarettes controlling your life? Do you want to quit smoking and avoid cigarette cravings? Visit Bailey Kirkfield's site on hypnosis at home for an effective, inexpensive, fast and safe option to help you kick the habit for good.

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How to Prevent Weight Gain After Quitting Smoking?

One of the drawbacks of quitting smoking is weight gain. Many people that I have spoken to in fact give this as a reason to continue smokong. Think for a minute and read the US Surgeon General's report on the many benefits of quitting smoking. The chances of getting heart attacks, strokes or cancers almost falls to baseline 10-15 years after quitting. Is this not reason enough to quit smoking today? Dealing with post-quitting weight gain is relatively more simple than putting one's own life at risk from these killer diseases. Here are some simple suggestions to deal with the weight gain that might follow quitting smoking.
1. Don't quit smoking during holiday periods. One is highly likely to eat more then. 2. Stay away from alcohol. Do not resort to alcohol as a solace. Alcoholic drinks have a lot of calories, so avoiding them will help you control your weight. In addition, drinking can weaken your willpower, especially if you are the kind of person who smokes when you drink. 3. Do not go hungry as a means to keep weight in check. Eat at least 3 healthy meals a day so you don't get hungry. For some people, eating smaller healthy meals more than 3 times a day works better. And eat more whole-grain foods, vegetables, salads and fresh fruits. They stay with you longer and help keep you from getting hungry. 4. Professional help is always at hand in almost every city around the world. Nutritionists, fitness instructors, and therapists can all help you control your weight when you quit smoking. 5. Ensure that regular physical activity is a part of your life. Walking is a great exercise that most people enjoy and can do. It may help to walk or exercise with a partner or group. 6. Weigh yourself at least once a week using the same weighing scale. Keep a pencil and paper near the scales, and write your weight down. That way the extra pounds won't "sneak up" on you. 7. Never forget to remind yourself every day of how much healthier you are after quitting smoking. Remember, looking good is much more important than how much you weigh. Smelling clean and smoke-free, having fresh breath, having fingers and teeth free of yellow tobacco stains, and feeling healthier all make you more attractive. 8. A big reason people gain weight is that they reach for food instead of a cigarette after they quit. When you have a craving for a cigarette or food, remember that cravings usually last only a few minutes. Do something else to occupy your time for those few minutes. 9. Instead of eating candy or other food to replace the cigarettes, try chewing on a drinking straw, toothpick, a pencil or coffee stirrer. 10. If you must have something sweet in your mouth, eat fruits or try sugar-free gum or candy. 11. Come up with something else to keep your hands busy so you don't use them to eat. For example, take up knitting, beading, doing crossword puzzles, sudoku or just anything else that can keep you busy till the urge passes off. 12. It is not uncommon for people to resort to psychological binges when under duress. Find other ways to deal with those times. Go for a walk, take the dogs for a walk, or even vacuum the floor or help in some household chores.
Remember quitting smoking is far better than gaining a few pounds after quitting. And weight gain is a far more easy issue to tackle than not deciding to quit smoking.
For all the health reasons why one should quit smoking visit hubpages.com/hub/Top-Reasons-To-Quit-Smoking and for some sure-shot remedies that can help you to quit smoking in as less as seven days visit naturalremedies.weebly.com

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How to Quit Smoking in Three Easy Steps

Nicotine addiction is a serious dependency which requires a serious approach.
Each time you try to stop smoking and fail, it becomes more difficult.
Physically your body builds up a resistance and psychologically you begin to see yourself as a failure - someone who cannot beat the addiction.
While some people can stop without assistance, they are in the minority. Most people need help and support.
Studies have shown that you will save a minimum of $50,000 in medical bills over the next 20 years when you quit smoking
If you smoke 1~2 packs a day, you will be able to save approximately $30,000~$70,000 over the next 20 years by succeeding in your efforts to stop smoking " You can buy a House with that Money!"
Medical research shows that on average you will live a minimum of 7 additional years if you quit smoking "Enjoy 7 More Great Years of Life"
You will be able to earn additional income as a result of the reduced sick time that you will need (studies show that smokers get sick much more often than non-smokers)
You will regain your health - medical studies show that health benefits begin as soon as 1

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The Many Quit Smoking Products and How They Work

Today, store shelves are stocked full and plenty of advertisements abound for the many different types of products available that are designed to help one stop smoking and overcome an addiction to nicotine. Here are a few of those products, some available only with a prescription while others are able to be purchased over-the-counter, and how they work to help the mind and body deal with both the physical and emotional aspects of quitting smoking.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

Nicotine replacement therapy encompasses several separate products all with the very same purpose, to gradually lessen the amount of nicotine a person has in their system. This allows one to wean themselves from the drug slowly in order to minimize the sometimes severe effects of nicotine withdrawal.
The most common forms of NRT are nicotine gum, which is usually used for up to 12 weeks, and the nicotine patch, a small, clear, transdermal patch, meaning it's worn right on the skin, that releases tiny amounts of nicotine through the skin and then eventually into the bloodstream. Both of these products do not require a prescription and are designed to give relief when cravings strike suddenly.
There are also lozenges, inhalers, and nasal sprays available for smokers interested in nicotine replacement therapy. Lozenges are used similarly to the gum and come in two dosages as well as in a variety of flavors. Inhalers contain a nicotine vapor within a cartridge, not unlike those used for treating asthma, that is depressed to release the vapor into the mouth and held there to be absorbed through the lining of the throat and mouth. Nicotine inhalers aren’t used to inhale the vapor down into the lungs, but they still do help smokers having difficulty replacing the hand-to-mouth motions that come along with smoking.
Nicotine nasal sprays are beneficial to those who require more instantaneous results as they enable the nicotine to reach the bloodstream faster than the other forms of NRT and also may be used several times in one hour, gradually decreasing the number of doses. Available by prescription, nicotine nasal spray is generally used from eight to 12 weeks and shouldn't be used by those suffering from allergies, asthma, or sinus conditions, which, unfortunately, many smokers already have.
Prescription Drugs
Available only by prescription, there are a few different drugs for quitting smoking, the most common being bupropion and varenicline, which are both in pill form and taken orally, usually once per day. These drugs are designed to block certain receptors in the brain from receiving signals and the ensuing satisfaction it receives from the nicotine and chemicals within cigarettes, and also reduce the intensity of cravings from withdrawal.
Stop Smoking Laser
This relatively new addition to the world of stop smoking products uses pulses of light that are absorbed into the skin for the purpose of stimulating endorphins within the brain, which are chemicals the body naturally produces that help to reduce stress, increase energy, and just make us feel better in general.

Some other products designed to help people overcome their nicotine addiction include books, tapes, and CD's or DVD's with programs and information about smoking and how to quit. Some of these will feature step-by-step programs to follow and chart your progress, while others utilize subliminal messages or even hypnosis and the power of positive suggestions.

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