I started smoking when I was fifteen, in the back of my high school with my friends. We would take a break from gym class and sneak out the back door. We would steal the cigs from our parents, who were also heavy smokers back then. It was the era, the thing to do. You could smoke on the train, on elevators, on airplanes, and no one would say a word because everyone was a smoker. Now, you can't even walk down the street with a cigarette. And not because you would get fined, but because you're embarrassed that you are one of the few people still smoking. Dirty looks are cast in your direction, and then there are the inevitable people crossing the street to get away from the smoke. You would think that you had some kind of disease or crazy look on your face. 

I smoked for about twenty five years, (not heavy,  but that's not the point). A pack of cigarettes lasted me two and a half days. Not bad, but not good. I quit a couple of times over the years for whatever reason. Being pregnant was one of them. But as soon as the baby was born, I was right back to smoking. It helped me cope with being a new mother, or at least that is what I told myself. It gave me three and a half minutes to myself without having to hear a crying baby. It kept me sane. I justified it to myself. It kept me from gaining weight, I reminded myself. I liked smoking and I was going to keep doing it because nobody was going to tell me what to do.

It's only been three months, but I stopped. It wasn't hard for me to quit smoking this time. I just did it cold turkey. It probably helped that I wasn't a heavy smoker. But I felt awful that my children were looking at me through the sliding doors as I tried to hide from them what I was doing. I would hate to be the reason that they started smoking, because they saw me doing it all the time instead of spending time with them. I hated kissing them with my cigarette breath, and it was hard not to kiss them because they are so cute and I just love them so much. I felt guilty that I couldn't run with them while they rode their bikes up and down the street, because I was out of breath. I wore my hair up all the time because I didn't want them to smell the smoke on me. I changed my clothes constantly.

But my children are saving my life. If it weren't for them, I would probably still be smoking. Thank goodness for my small blessings.

I am currently recovering from the flu virus from hell, which has really knocked me out. I still have a terrible, hacking cough and continue to wheeze a bit (although it is getting a little less each day). It makes me so glad I no longer smoke, or it would no doubt be worse and take a lot longer to get rid of. It does sound like the typical smoker's cough, as if  I am on about sixty Gauloises per day! I am well used to the sound of the smoker's cough (I had a partner who was a very heavy smoker, and his coughing and his snoring were both loud enough to register on the Richter scale!)

The typical smoker's cough is a persistent one and is usually worse upon waking up, due to the build-up of phlegm in the lungs, while improves over the course of the day. The reason for the coughing is that the airways are lined with cilia, tiny hair-like cells which catch toxins in the air and move them back up towards the mouth. Smoking paralyses these cilia so they can't work properly, and instead of being caught in transit, the toxins are able to enter the lungs, where they can settle and cause inflammation. Then this in turn leads to the coughing, as the lungs attempt to clear themselves of these substances. During the night the cilia cells begin to repair themselves, as they are not at this time being exposed to the toxins in the smoke. So since their job is to catch and remove the accumulated toxins, this results in an increase in coughing on waking up in the morning. (more…)

For those who know don't me, I am a content writer and a Certified Personal Trainer. I'm a non-smoker. Writing, health, and fitness are my passions. Some in my profession are smokers. It's either because they don't want to stop (which is bad, especially in this profession) or they are having a hard time stopping.

Some smokers have approached me about training them under the false idea that they can continue smoking and still be healthy. I refused empathically, because these people are at high risk for heart disease, emphysema or lung infections. I told each of them that they can come back to me seven months after quitting, with a signed doctor’s note to begin training. The seven month period is enough time for them to get the toxins out of their system.

One of the greatest benefits of quitting smoking, is exercising. You can have a better quality of life, as well as a longer one. Some other benefits are that you will continue to be around for your children, grandchildren and your pets. Another benefit is that is the plain fact that you'll be less likely to be stricken with a wide variety of diseases. Not to mention, your family will no longer be breathing in second hand smoke.

Ten to fifteen years after quitting, when your body restores itself to normal functioning, you will be able train for and run a full marathon if you want to. That’s something exciting to look forward to.  Think the New York Marathon.  Go ahead. Dream big.

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One of the ways in which  the tobacco industry is so unethical, is that cigarettes are still tested on animals.

Even after all this time, despite everyone knowing for years about all of the health problems that cigarettes cause in humans, the tobacco industry continues to engage in this gross behavior. The dangers of smoking have been known for decades now, and tests on animals are very inconclusive (bad science) in any case. One way in which the tests are invalid, is that humans smoke voluntarily and so inhale deeper than animals who are forcibly exposed to the smoke. Clearly, the results will be skewed. Another factor here is that the upper respiratory tracts of animals (such as dogs and rats), are physiologically quite different from those of humans. The nature of the human respiratory tract is one of the factors which keeps animals from contracting lung cancer in the way that humans do.

The earliest animal smoking experiments in the 1950s and 1960s, were performed on beagle dogs who were strapped down and fitted with face masks. The masks forced them to inhale cigarette smoke for several hours at a time. In other tests, these dogs were also made to smoke by having their throats slit and smoke pumped into the tracheotomy. They have additionally had their legs severed whilst they were still alive to test the effects of smoke on circulation and also have had their chest cavities opened up so that their coronary arteries could be artificially manipulated. There have even been tests where researchers have inserted electrodes into dog's penises to measure the effect of smoking on sexual performance! (There is plenty of evidence in humans already, on how cigarette use causes erectile dysfunction!)

One small blessing is that at least smoking tests have been banned on animals in the UK since 1997. Sadly, they still go on in many other countries, such as in Europe and in the USA. For example, in the USA the tobacco giant Philip Morris has been spending millions each year in funding these cruel and pointless tests on animals such as beagles, monkeys, rats, and mice. Lab rats are forced into tiny cone-shaped canisters which are pumped full of smoke, so that they have no choice but to inhale it. The rats are then killed and dissected to examine the damage caused to their bodies. In other tests, mice and rats have tobacco tar applied directly to bare skin to induce cancerous tumours (despite how that seems relevant to humans, who take smoke in through their lungs).

Recently Philip Morris has deemed it necessary to add new ingredients to their existing cigarettes, such as sugar, honey, plum juice, cocoa, and coffee extracts, and to test these modifications on animals. Commenting on a recent research project in which around 1000 rats were forced to inhale cigarette smoke for about six hours per day over a 90-day period, a Philip Morris spokesman said the company’s "rare” use of animal tests was to help them develop lower-risk tobacco products, or to make sure that modifications to brands did not add to the toxicity of their existing cigarettes.

"This research was not to confirm the quality of the cigarette or to see if it was safe. There is no such thing as a safe cigarette," the spokesman added. So there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth!

Maybe this will help smokers who are trying to quit, knowing that these atrocities are being inflicted so unnecessarily on other creatures.  When you feel your resolve wavering, think on this-- you are not just killing and harming yourself and other humans, you are also paying the tobacco companies to kill and mutilate all of these other innocent creatures.

It's just another very powerful reason to quit, I think you will agree.

Picture courtesy of www.globalphilosophy.blogspot.com

If you are trying to quit smoking, there are a few things that Dr. John M. Grohol, PSYD, has to say that may shock you.

So you're trying to quick. Have you picked up a book about it? Although they are a good first step (after all, you are admitting you have a problem and are seeking help to quit your habit)  the truth is not always detailed properly, and is sometimes even hidden in these books. Yes, these books are often the purveyors of white lies.

Even though psychologists agree that certain mental health illnesses don’t require treatment –- such as behavioral disorders (like phobias), some do need assistance in order to be properly eliminated. Smoking isn’t one of them.

First, Dr. Grohol says that if you know that your smoking is behavior-related, (meaning you smoke along with something else, like drinking a beer or right after eating), you cannot quit smoking using something like patches or nicotine gum. The association you built up between the two is stronger than what any form of alternative treatment can do for you.

And unfortunately, science has never really delved much into the matter. Why? Because science doesn’t work that way. What the scientific community (and funders) want, is to prove that a certain medication or assistance device works. But most people who quit didn’t do it using a patch or gum. They do it on their own, often cold turkey.

In fact, it's believed that this cold turkey group composes around 75% of the smokers who manage to quit. Shocking? Not really. They just knew what to do and and they did it.

Monitoring themselves for depressive feelings and/or urges toward the habit has worked better for many smokers, than using books or other aids.

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I’ve already written an article that speaks of the many benefits of using herbal remedies to help you quit smoking, and listed a few. Actually, there are more, and their use is a bit different. Furthermore, the ones I will be listing are natural remedies, not necessarily oils per se, like the last article, so some people may find this type of remedy much easier to work with, and maybe even less expensive as some oils do come with a hefty price – especially the ones meant to be used for oral consumption.

Also, remember that a craving for a cigarette lasts around two to ten minutes only. If you can stay focused on something else during that time and work with these remedies – especially when used as prevention – you can curve your cravings and let go of the habit that you need to stop (these remedies can help with other cravings as well).

So, without further ado, here are the ones I found while browsing the internet.

Cayenne Pepper: this spice works well at desensitizing the respiratory system to tobacco and the chemicals in the cigarette. This, therefore, makes you want it less. Please note cayenne is also good if you have cold.

Lobelia: this is a plant that has been known to help fight the effects of withdrawal and is the active ingredient in several anti-smoking products.

Ginger: this is a root that is used for digestion. People who stop smoking, at times, have stomach and digestion discomforts and issues, and this is used to reduce cramps. It is also good to help alleviate nausea.

St. John’s wort: this is an herb that has been used for a long time to promote a positive way of thinking. This is especially good at the start.

Korean or tiger ginseng: ginseng has long been used to reduce the effects of stress and to help deal with fatigue.

Peppermint: this herb is very relaxing for the digestive system, helps reduce flatulence, and stimulates digestion in general.

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We know that most smokers want to quit. Ii’s nothing new. The same goes for other bad habits. But why is it so difficult to do? Why do people hurt themselves, at times their own friendships, and other relationships, for the sake of addictive and damaging chemical substances?

The truth is, bad habits are hard to break. Okay, so I’m preaching to the choir. But why are they so much work to get rid of? First, we need to understand how we create them. Exchanging them for healthy habits is what we need.

Repetition is typically the way habits are built. We don’t need to get a reward to create routine toward our other daily habits, such as showering or brushing our teeth. However, the bad habits often require an incentive to break them. Why else would we want to?

Remember hearing the word ‘dopamine’ in biology classes in high school? Remember how your health ed teacher used to say that this is why we get hooked on drugs? It’s the same thing for any pleasurable habit, which makes the bad ones hard to get rid of. Dopamine is a naturally addictive substance that our body makes to tell us that what we are doing is fun, and when the feeling stops, our body starts asking for it again, up to the point of craving it. This is why we sometimes crave something, like drugs or food, even if the feeling of hunger or the initial buzz is no longer there.

The most common cure for this sort of dependance, called cravings, is simple. It's called willpower. Yes, this is the main ingredient in your how-to-quit recipe. And, for those who have already tried to quit smoking and lacked this essential part, hope is not lost.

You see, this is a part of our inbred mechanism that needs exercise. If you feel like you currently lack willpower, start small. Self-control, like any other aspect of human psychology, is good only if it’s trained. We all have it--some of us just need to develop it, the same way we can develop self-esteem and courage.

The trick is to start small. If smoking is still much to large task to take on, try reducing the number of cookies you eat after every dinner. Work on that for a few days. Then add to it: get five minutes more exercise tomorrow; eat more vegetables the day after; smoke one cigarette less per day.

Now, some people suggest that you break your nasty habits by trying to replace them with something else. This can work for some people, but psychologists warn to stay away from any nasty habits, such as replacing smoking with sucking on a lollipop. The reason is simple: now you have another bad habit that you need to break. Instead, why not immediately replace it with something healthy, thus avoiding the need to repeat another entire process of reducing your dependancies? Instead of reaching for a candy, pick up a celery stick. Go for a long walk outside, away from any smokers (especially those you know well).

And one more tip: stay away from anyone who tried to tempt you back in, at least for the time it takes you to officially quit and feel like you are over your bad habit. You need twice the resolve to fight against both those individuals, and the tricks your own mind tries to play on you. You might as well not let yourself get sucked in by someone who does not have the same level of will power you do.

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It may seem very strange to us nowadays, but during the early history of smoking tobacco, it was initially considered to have a lot of health benefits.  Even so, there were some detractors of smoking at the time, but they were mainly in the minority. (more…)

Addiction is often considered an actual condition, as though it was a disease or illness of sorts. Others claim that everyone has full control over the addiction they got themselves in, and should all be able to stop – without medical help. Depending on how you see it, there is one (more…)

Take our freedom back? Our habit, our cigarette. I just watched this commercial on TV about the new electric cigarette called BLU. Sure, it's tobacco-less and all, but it still is a way of taking nicotine into the body. Nicotine is a terrible poison that will end up killing you.

Did you know that even more nicotine has been found in cigarettes over the last few years? But an electric cigarette is just another way to get pure nicotine (in liquid form) into your body.

You figure, you take anywhere from four to fifteen puffs per cigarette. Each puff delivers one milligram of nicotine to the brain. With twenty cigarettes in a regular pack, that adds up to between 100 and 300 doses of nicotine per day. Who knows how much you smoke with the electric acquivalent.

The dose is taken through the lungs, and within seconds of inhilation, it hits the brain. Thus the behavior of smoking is reinforced with a nicotine dose. The behavior itself is also addictive just through sheer repetition, whether electric or otherwise. So what if there is no tabacco? So you aren't exhaling smoke into another's space, and it is more socially exceptable?

Did you know that nicotine can enter the body through the skin or mucous membranes as well as being inhaled into lungs with a cigarette? This is another reason second hand smoke is so deadly. Electric cigarettes are a miraculous find toward eleviating that.

Nicotine fools the body into thinking there is more glucose in the bloodstream, which gives a smoker the feeling of not being hungry. We all know what going without meals and nourishment can do to us (like making us cranky and tired).

When nicotine hits the brain, it prevents the neurons from transfering information throughout the chain that helps it receive needed information that helps with muscle movement and energy level. Because it makes the brain release more chemicals than it would normally, it makes the person feel more alert and even relaxed. Nicotine even fools the brain into making you feel happy, due to other chemicals being released. This is a good part of the reason for addiction.

So it all comes down to this: Do you want to become even more addicted to nicotine and have a heart attack even sooner? Are you more concerned with the social aspects of smoking? Aleviate that and you're free and clear! How much more fooling is your body going to take, before it's heart breaks down and you have a heart attack? How much longer?

Or do you really want to be healthy and live longer? They say you take about seven minutes off of your life every time you smoke a cigarette. So if you smoke just one pack a day (electric or tabacco) you are losing over two hours of life each day.