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E-cigarettes More Effective Than Nicotine Patches!

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A recent survey has suggested that e-cigarettes are just as effective as traditional nicotine patches in helping smokers to kick the habit. The research examined the number of people who gave up smoking for more than six months without lapsing. The survey revealed that this was achieved by a slightly greater number of people using e-cigarettes than those who opted for nicotine patches or a dummy e-cigarette which contained no nicotine. Read more

You’re in Control Now

Now that you have quit smoking you must feel that you have taken your life back. That you are now in control. Here are some things to consider, think about and remember: Read more

Coping

In the past, as a smoker, you have often solved everything with a cigarette. Happy, mad, or sad. But now you know the toll this choice has madeon your body and your life. You’ve made a sound decision to stop but it is not going to be easy. Better to know what is ahead and how to handle it.

Stress: This is mental, physical and emotional strain we feel caused by anxiety or over-work. Read more

Youth Unemployment and Tobacco Use

(A Trilogy)

A few weeks ago, I was alarmed at discovering the truth about the ten million jobless youth in the U.S. (a number greater than the population of New York city). Regardless of nationality, ethnicity or religion, being jobless is bound to have grave consequences for every youth’s well-being, and/or the life of that person’s family. 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.

 

 

Creative Commons Image via Flickr

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