Will Blogging Help Me Quit?

I’ve been smoking for a long time now. There have been time when I’ve smoked happily without a thought of giving up, times when I’ve vaguely considered giving up, and times when I’ve really, really wanted to quit. Read more

4 Reasons to make 2020’s New Year’s Resolution the Switch to E-cigarettes

Another year is ending and the night of the great decisions is slowly approaching. The 31st of December has always been, and will always be the best time to start making plans for the better and brighter future. Without exception, every January, those who smoke are determined to give up on this filthy habit. However, as most of them have failed to go through with this decision countless times, why not take into consideration a slightly different approach? Read more

A New Thinking Process to Get Started

I’ve decided to try something different. I always thought of quitting as such a difficult and negative process. Well, who would want to do that when you’re constantly thinking of it in such a hateful way? So I’ve decided to think of it in a positive manner. I mean, after all, it’s a good thing I’m quitting right? Read more

Triggers and Practicing Mini-Quits

One of the best things to help a person quit smoking is to begin to understand what the triggers are, that make you want to have a cigarette. It’s a good idea to start a log. Some like to do more of a journal. It’s up to you. When do I smoke? Why? Where? Do you smoke first thing in the morning? After you eat? In the car? At work? Keep a log of these times and why for about two weeks. Your body (brain) is either craving some nicotine or urges come at other times when you are angry, tired, hungry, etc. Get to know when it happens and why. Read more

Teen Smokers

Experts say that the number of teens that have tried an e-cigarette has more than doubled from 2011 to 2012. A sad finding when there was actually a decline in teen smoking after 1997 and now with the introduction of e-cigarettes there is a big increase. E-cigarette smoking with teens has doubled from 3.3% in 2011 to 6.8% in 2012.

The attraction seems to be the flavored cartridges with options from fruit to mint. Called “vaping” by users it is a $5 million market last year and is expected to atleast double that this year. The e-cigarettes is a battery-operated product made to look like a regular cigarette or cigar that can contain varying amounts of nicotine, or none at all. This then turns the nicotine or other chemicals into a vapor that users inhale and keeps them from being exposured to the smoke of regular tobacco burning cigarettes which can release carcinogens into the lungs. It is hard to say whether the e-cigarette is actually safer than the regular cigarettes because no studies have given any conclusions as yet. One recent study found that e-cigarettes can cause increased resistance in the airways, making it harder to breathe, within minutes of inhalation of the vapors, while other studies have suggested the products can help smokers to quit. Read more

Writing Dreams and Quitting Smoking

As a freelance writer, one of the things I do these days involves writing short stories for ShortStoryGuy.com. Everybody’s got a dream and right now the biggest one that I have is to write a full blown novel. Writing short stories is a refreshing start and having someone go over and challenge your work is something I really enjoy. BreathingHappy.com and the rest of the Goodblogs network keeps me afloat as I have five kids that I need to provide for. For that I’m really thankful. I used to think that I won’t be able to quit smoking because I have to write.

The circuitous dilemma that this creates in writing for a website about quitting smoking is not lost on me. What’s worse is that I used to think that I needed cigarettes to bestow upon me that creative capability like it was some sort of magical amulet. The quintessential notion of a haggard looking smoke belching man on a keyboard has made a very strong impression on me. But in reality, smoking has just weakened my mental and creative faculties. Thankfully, e-cigarettes have broken that powerful spell.

As a longtime smoker and I’m pretty sure FireWife86 and the other smokers here could attest to what I’m saying, craving for something helplessly is very much akin to Romeo slobbering and slaving beneath Juliet’s heels. It’s like having that paramour that you’ve been bewitched with. Not that I know how that feels of course. I used to do anything to grab a cigarette. Now the mere acrid and putrid stench of tobacco smoke just peeves me. The triggers have changed. I am slowly but surely having more control over my thoughts and words.

Unlike before when I was compulsive with the things that I write, I’m beginning to see the pristine value of the right word and the ‘right’ sequence of events. Whereas I used to view words as stones that one throws up in the air, I now see them as keys that have the power to unlock something beautiful, something great and something undiscovered. There’s a lot I need to work on and I’m raring for a duel with myself, with words and with the rabid thoughts that are raring to come out.

 

 

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Children Experiencing Divorce & Increased Risk of Smoking

Divorce is very stressful on all involved. Kids suffer in many ways when their parents divorce, even though there may be some things about their lives that improve from having parents separate who are not getting along. Unfortunately, a new study shows some additional negative outcomes for children going through these trying times. A study from the University of Toronto found a strong correlation between people whose parents divorced when they were children, and smoking. Read more