I wanted it so bad the other night. I had braved a beer (my single biggest trigger) and when my sister lit up, I could hardly hold back the words. I could see myself asking “Could I bum one?” and her responding happily, supportively even. It’s not that she wants me to smoke. It’s that she doesn’t want me to not smoke. I mean, really. Who wants to be reminded of the things they are doing "wrong"? Especially when we made it right for each other for so long. (more…)

Smoking tobacco products is responsible for the death of over 100,000 adults in the UK every year. Almost half of these deaths are from cancer. The remainder die from heart and circulatory disease or slowly and painfully from emphysema and other more chronic forms of lung disease. (more…)

Due to their addiction to nicotine, cigarette smokers are running the risk of getting lung cancer, heart disease and emphysema. This is not only in regular smokers, but in those who are breathing in second hand smoke for even brief periods of time. It doesn't seem to make sense that people see this and do not even try to quit.

Tobacco smokers often get lung cancer and rarely the cancer is killed off with treatment, but often just comes back again later. COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) has become quite common, with about 16 million people in the U.S. suffering from the disease. Wheezing and being out of breath are common symptoms. Some don't even know they have the disease. This is not really what we want our golden years to be.

E-cigarettes offer the smoker a new and different way of getting their nicotine fix. Though it increases blood pressure and speeds up your heart beat (like smoking standard cigarettes), it doesn't deliver the harmful chemicals or tar that regular cigarettes do. This is a step in the right direction. Smokers can cut down on nicotine by using if they choose to work on quiting this way. This does mean that the smoker is still getting the addictive drug, nicotine.

The American Cancer Society says that there is no proof that the e-cigarettes are more healthful or that they provide much help to those trying to stop smoking completely. The ACS also stands by the fact that there is no safe cigarette product. Alternative nicotine products are not yet taxed or regulated.

Nicotine gum and patches are an option, but they don't seem to give the smoker the actual smoking ritual. So these often cause the smoker to fail in their attempts to quit. And this is one reason a lot of smokers are going to the electronic cigarette.

The World Health Organization and The Centers for Disease and Control both feel that tobacco is the most preventable risk to human life in most of the developed countries. Many programs have been created to put the word out on the harm that cigarette smoking will do. It is up to each individual to chose to have a healthy life, or one full of chronic and potentially fatal health disorders.

I used to be a smoker, and I mainly quit by reminding myself constantly of all the advantages of being a non-smoker. I am convinced that this mental technique can work for many other struggling would-be ex-smokers too, in addition to some other psychological adaptations . Here are some tips that can really help, if they are followed scrupulously:

1) Write down a list of reasons why you want to quit smoking. Read this list whenever you feel like lighting up.

2) Decide on a date for stopping smoking, and then make sure you stop (even if you occasionally backslide after that!)

3) Tell everyone you know that you are giving up. You should find that friends and family will be only too happy to support you.

4) Organise a team effort if you can.. Find other friends/family who want to quit too, and do it together.

5) Mark off the days you have not smoked on a calendar. Look at it whenever you feel the urge to smoke.

6) Get rid of all smoking paraphernalia, i.e. not just cigarettes, but also lighters, ashtrays, etc.

7) Be ready and prepared to suffer nicotine withdrawal symptoms. They peak after one or two days, and fade over two to four weeks.

8) Tell people you don't know that you don't smoke.

9) Be prepared for wanting to eat more, but fight the urge.

10) Attend a “stopping smoking “ clinic to get support and help in stopping (your GP should be able to refer you or advise you about one of these).

Many people have used all or some of the above techniques successfully in their quitting battle, so good luck!

Hope you got something from this blog, and I appreciate your votes and comments.

Picture courtesy of www.absolutewealth.com

The first time I ever had a taste of capuccino it made me feel "grown up" and sophisticated. I was 16 years old back then. It was also the first time I had (more…)

I’ve got a little gray card laying on my table titled “My most important reasons to quit smoking.” It’s been laying there awhile now, and even though I have seriously reigned in my addiction, I haven’t “committed” to it yet. Well, maybe I have. It has been a few days. Oh, maybe I haven’t. It is Friday... This back and forth has gone on for quite some time. Years.

I know that listing my reasons is an important step in my commitment, but I couldn't think of any. Oh, sure, I am excited about not stinking, about nicer skin and hair, about breathing deeply. But there's more to it than that. "Better health" didn't really encompass all the wonderful gifts that would come into my life the less I smoke. 

While I was brushing my teeth the other morning, mentally congratulating myself on the fact that I hadn’t smoked a cigarette in a few days, and feeling mighty fine about it, on every level, my Most Important Reason came to me. It’s a little... ah, shall we say ‘non-traditional?’ but it will work for me because it means something to me.

My most important reason to quit smoking is because it clouds up my ‘magic’.

I personally think we all have a little magic in us, and I don’t mean the Harry Potter kind. I mean our sense of self, our intuition, our belief in what our bodies and minds are capable of and the manifestation of that belief in our daily lives. I get to live a little magic each day. When I come to an intersection and I don’t have to stop my bicycle because the traffic seems to “magically” part like the Red Sea, and I can pedal safely to the other side, that’s magic, for me. When I do my meditation in the morning and I get a clear message, that’s magic. Or when I ask for a clear sign or message about a big decision and I get one, that’s magic. Or when I ask for a windfall of money, and I get it a few days later, that’s magic. All these little instances of the “higher” self within me impacting my real life, are my magic. And when I smoke, they get cloudy. They don’t happen as often, or as easily. I feel more negative about everything, so it’s harder for me to create and enjoy the beautiful, positive things happening in my life.

Smoking robs me of my magic. Just a few days quit and I can already feel myself getting lighter, stronger, more joyful, finding more magic. And I can’t wait to see what I can do when I’ve been clear and bright for months. Or years. Now THAT really will be magic.

Most women want to do what's best for their baby during pregnancy. However, sometimes the rules seem a little stringent. No drinking? No smoking? Not even a little? There's a good reason for these rules however.

First, if you have ever tried to cut back on smoking, you know that it's nearly impossible. It's so tough to limit yourself that you would be better off putting that energy into quitting. In addition, smoking can have very adverse effects on your little one. 

Prematurity has been linked to smoking during pregnancy. A baby that is born even a few weeks early can suffer from a number of health issues. Babies need the full 40 weeks in utero to fully develop, though a baby born after 37 weeks is considered full term. Any earlier than this and your infant could suffer from immature lungs and many other problems. A preemie will also have to stay in the hospital for several weeks or even months. It's very difficult 

In Belgium, a smoking ban was enforced and saw a drop in premature births. While the connection between preemies and their mothers smoking, the ban helped prove this.

Other issues faced by some pregnant women who smoke include babies being born below birthweight, babies with cleft palates or lips, placenta problems (placenta previa and placenta abruption) or even stillbirths. Women who smoke are more likely to have ectopic pregnancies, as well, where the embryo implants outside the uterus.

One of the biggest issues is that your baby is exposed to nicotine and all the other goodies in cigarettes. While the placenta is designed to act as a filter, it doesn't stop everything from getting through. Many of the chemicals in your cigarettes will pass through to your baby and be in his bloodstream. 

Ideally, you'll be able to quit before getting pregnant. However, this isn't always the way things work. If you find yourself pregnant while you are still smoking, you can all but eliminate the effects on your baby by quitting as soon as possible. It isn't easy, but you'll know that you're doing the best for your child.

Today, I finally bought an e-cigarette. Since the website has a particular brand that it is promoting, I will not mention the name of the one I bought. I purchased the e-cigarette, along with my regular supply of Marlboro Lights Gold that I routinely buy every grocery day. The decision was impulsive, it's true. The thought process that lead me to it was simpler. It only cost 250 pesos or $6, more or less. But Danny, what about the health consequences?

I didn't do much research, as price and taste were the only things on my mind. Now before you criticize me, I'd like to tell you that the same thing is on my mind whenever I purchase my regular cigarettes. The same thought process subliminally courses its way from my head to my fingers which then reaches for my wallet. The formula was simple: A + T + Hq = Buy Affordable (A) + Taste (T) + Help me quit (Hq) =Buy.

 The sales lady didn't even do a good job of trying to sell it to me. “Sir, since you already opened it, you're already going to buy it,.” she said in a matter of fact way. I was like, “Ummm, okay. I just wanted to try it but okay.” It tasted like burning plastic. As an experienced smoker, this was my initial impression of it. I promptly told the sales lady my opinion. “Sir, that's because the butt of the cigarette is made of plastic.” I sometimes wish that I could do that trademark Elvis Presley smirk. (See "Pawnshop Chronicles", starring Brendan Frasier.)

I had my own, but it didn't quite have the same desired effect. She promptly got a bottle of some liquid, sprinkled it in the opened red cartridge, and gave it back to me. I tried it again. This time, it tasted like chocolate. What a trick.

Initial impressions: It had too many wires and stuff. Now it only has one set of wires that could be plugged in a USB port, but for me, that's too much. Okay, I guess it needs to be charged. The e-cigarette is as heavy as 10 real sticks. Now, I work a green collar job. As a gardener/farmer, I oftentimes carry a pack of cigarettes with me whenever I work. Sometimes you'd find me like a duck with a stick on its mouth squatting on the mud, puffing smoke like there's no tomorrow. Such an image would no longer apply now that I have my e-cigarette. I'd look far more sophisticated.

It makes a funny wheezing sound whenever I sip it. I don't know whether this is a feature or an advantage, but I certainly wouldn't want the person sitting next to me think that I'm on something. I could compare the sound it makes to my asthma inhaler. Come to think of it, maybe they should include a ring tone, so wenever I sip it, would play the Game of Thrones theme song or something. It doesn't make me feel like a dragon. I am a pretend dragon. One of my triggers are people. I smoke when I am around people who stress me out. That's my weird defense mechanism. The e-cigarette does not make me feel like I'm a dragon. Because of its weird wheezing sound, it makes me feel like an asthmatic.

I have to buy mosquito repellants. One of the weird reasons why I smoke while working on the garden is I have this strange belief that the smoke from my cigarettes repels mosquitoes. I don't know if it really does that or if it just makes the nerves of my skin dull, but for me it works that way. I doubt that the vapor from the e-cigarette would kill the mosquitoes. It does not provide me with that “artificial warmth”. Remember when I said that smoking makes me feel like a dragon? That's also because the heat of the cigarette makes me feel warm inside. The e-cigarette does not achieve this. But In all seriousness, I still like it. If my little experiment works and I am somehow weaned from real cigarettes, I'm hoping that I could finally quit both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. The thing that's working for me right now is that whenever I feel that pull, I could just reach in my pocket and grab my handy dandy e-cigarette.

Read the ridiculously funny e-cigarette manual.

Mental strength starts with learning, not training. Do you know that the less you know, the higher risk you are to expose yourself to health issues? Consider this: a child takes his first drag. Nicotine is addictive. He now is eager to taste it again. Riddle me this: (more…)

Where is your support group? Is it an organization, where you have to become a member, pay a fee to sit in a class, have a buddy-buddy system that assist you on your journey? Well… Yes and no. Your support group isn’t only them.

An important part of your support group can be a notebook that you express yourself in. Your support system can include new activities you’ve gotten involved with to take your mind off of smoking, the alarm clock that gets you up at a specific hour in the day that you feel you may be most productive, your electronic cigarette, nicotine patch, or gum that you tend to seek out when you need a drag.

YOUR TOOLS FOR A BREAKTHROUGH ARE YOUR SUPPORT GROUP

If you invest the time and energy to focus on using your tools, you and your ambition will become habitual partners. Where you will lose the habit/urge to smoke, you’ll refocus your habits and urges on these tools.

Your support group is you’re self-talk. At first try to talk yourself out of it smoking a quick drag, and then talk to your significant other about why you’d like to smoke. It's important to xpress the need. Speaking on what you feel in the moment will allow your brain to collect alternative treatments, or will allow the person you are speaking with to help you decide on what else will "fix" you in a more productive or healthy way. The people around you are your support group, and if not, bring people around you that will support you or simply observe healthy strangers and feel inspired to quick smoking. A nice walk in the park can do the trick. Perhaps it's scenes like elderly couples feeding birds, mothers chasing their children, or witnessing these strangers enjoy life with energy that you won’t have if you smoke your lungs out. Believe it or not, this will provide you with the support you need. Support groups are every day things and everyday events, and they really are with you everywhere you go. Let the world be your buddy system.