Addiction | Smoke Free Methods

Smoking Addiction

If you’ve been smoking cigarettes for a long time, you’ve probably tried to quit many times and failed. Cigarettes contain nicotine, which is what people become addicted to.

It can be hard to stop smoking cigarettes, almost as hard as quitting a drug or alcohol addiction. Many people go to Rehab-International.org to get more information on how to stop an addiction, and a smoking addiction is no different.

There are many ways to stop smoking cigarettes. Some people go cold turkey, which means they stop completely without the help of any aids. Going cold turkey can be extremely difficult, but it can be done. If you want to quit, you just pick the day you want to quit smoking, and when that day arrives you throw your last pack of cigarettes away as well as anything else such as lighters and ashtrays. You also want to make sure to clean any place inside your house that you smoked so the smell of smoke doesn’t tempt you to start up again.

Other people use nicotine patches or nicotine gum in order to quit smoking. These products contain a small amount of nicotine that releases into your system when you use them. Patches or gum help to slowly wean you off of your smoking habit, as it lowers your dose with each step you use.

If you find that it is too hard to stop smoking, there are also prescription pills you can take that may help you. There are negative side effects to taking these pills, so you’ll want to discuss with your doctor before you decide to use them.

While there are many ways to quit smoking, there can only be one way that works for you. You will find out which one is best when you finally realize you no longer need that cigarette.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health, Treatment Tagged With: Cigarette, Cold turkey, Nicotine, Smoking cessation

Smoke Free E-Cigarettes; are They any Better?

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Are the new smokeless electronic cigarettes a healthier alternative to smoking?

First, let’s understand how they work. As their name suggests, E-Cigarettes are electronic vapor-based cigarettes that use cartridges of nicotine to simulate a normal cigarette nicotine content. Many painstaking details have been built in to make the E-cigarettes as close to a real cigarette as possible, including a LED light at the tip to glow when the user inhales. Some E-cigarettes even have popular brand names printed on them to make them look like regular cigarettes.

Using E-cigarettes also reduces your costs by around 65%. Each cartridge will replace eight cigarettes and only costs a third of the price.

As the user breaths in, the nicotine solution inside is drawn through the “atomizer” or heater and is vaporized. As for second hand smoke, there isn’t any. E-cigarettes just produce a harmless vapor that quickly dissipates. Normal tobacco has more than 4,000 chemicals in it, but the liquid solution that E-cigarettes use can have as few as six, most of which are normal food additives.

Despite the decrease in chemicals and the harmless vapor, doctors are concerned. Since the E-cigarettes use pure nicotine, doctors think that this will increase nicotine addiction in the average person. They also aren’t sure what the long term effects of breathing pure nicotine can have.

Nicotine use causes your arteries to constrict and makes pumping blood harder for your heart. Doctors have linked nicotine to strokes and it is known to slow healing. Nicotine is also a known cause of reproductive toxicity and hypertension.

The benefits of using E-cigarettes versus regular cigarettes is yet to be seen beyond the reduction of cost and chemical content — as well as the lack of second hand smoke. Some doctors have theorized that E-cigarettes can help smokers quit by reducing the amount of nicotine in the cartridges over time.

Filed Under: Addiction, Anti-Smoking, Health, Medication Tagged With: Electronic cigarette, Specific Substances, Tobacco smoking

My Biggest Reason to Avoid Tobacco

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As a former smoker, I often have to remind myself that there are better ways of getting through tough days than reaching for a cigarette. I originally quit because I was sick of spending a lot of money on a product that was just going to have such a negative impact on my health. The thought of dying didn’t bother me much. It was the thought of dying a painful death caused by cancer or emphysema.

These days, I still avoid cigarettes because by reading Tax News, I know that cigarettes are one of the highest taxed products. Cigarettes not only eat up our hard earned money but they tax the human body in a dangerous ways as well. Moreover, I have new reasons to quit smoking i.e. my kids. Children with parents who smoke are much more likely to pick up the habit than children who grow up in non-smoking households. Parents really do serve as role models, and everything that we do has an impact on how our little ones see the world.

Research has shown time and time again that children imitate their parents’ behaviors. That includes bad habits like smoking. You can’t simply tell them to do what you say instead of what you do. That doesn’t make any sense to an impressionable young mind. Even children that watch their own parents die of tobacco-related cancer have a higher risk of developing the habit. They have seen firsthand how destructive smoking is, and yet that modeling influence is strong enough that they start smoking.

I never want my kids to become smokers. I know that they’ll probably have a few here and there. That’s normal experimentation for curious teenagers. I wish that wouldn’t happen, but I can accept it. What I can’t accept is that something I do could contribute to one of my children living an unhealthy life. With that kind of responsibility on my shoulders, it’s much easier to pass up the opportunity to smoke, even on the most trying days.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Addiction, Cigarette, Effects, Health, Specific Substances, Substance abuse, Tobacco, Tobacco smoking

Smoking Bans: A Momovement for Public Health

There has recently been a movement against smoking, citing it as a major health issue. While the health risks to smokers have been known for some time, the health consequences of second-hand smoke (smoke that people around the smoker breathe in) are now coming to light. These discoveries are behind the recent push for smoking bans and other anti-smoking legislation.

The health risks for second-hand smoke are very similar to those of the smoker himself – asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and more. However, the risks to the smoker are those he assumes for himself. Since those breathing in the second-hand smoke have no choice in the matter, legislation has been enacted to restrict or prohibit smoking in public places in many areas of the United States.

Restaurants and bars are often the target of anti-smoking bans. These laws are said to improve the air quality for both the patrons and the for staff in these establishments. These laws were strongly resisted by these establishments, reasoning that the ban in one area will cause patrons to simply frequent a bar or restaurant in an area not affected by a local ban. (Studies done by both bar and restaurant associations have shown a decline in revenue after anti-smoking legislation has been passed. Studies done by the government and other agencies have shown no negative economic impact, and some even show a positive one.)

Benefits to public health after the enacting of anti-smoking laws have sometimes been quite impressive. Some areas have reported as much as a 40% reduction in heart attacks after the introduction of anti-smoking laws (as was the case in Pueblo, Colorado, and Helena, Montana). Other research has shown an improvement in the overall health of bar workers after smoking bans have been put in place, especially for those workers that are plagued by asthma.

Filed Under: Addiction, Anti-Smoking, Health Tagged With: Passive smoking, Smoking ban, United States

Anti smoking aids – do they really help

Quitting a bad habit like smoking can be very difficult, however it is not impossible. After you quit you will notice how good you start to feel, your food will taste better and your clothes and hair will not longer smell of smoke.

There are several products that you can buy to help you quit smoking and you just have to try them to see how they work for you. Not every product will work the same with every person. Quite a few people have success with at least one of these products.

The way to choose an anti smoking aid is to read the instructions and figure out which one is most convenient for you. The aids can be quite expensive however smoking cigarettes is getting more expensive every day it seems. Consider the price of one product an investment in your health.

The least expensive product would have to be the nicotine gum. Every time you crave a cigarette you pop a piece of this gum into your mouth. Be sure and read the instructions so that you know how many you can chew safely in a day. The gum delivers nicotine into the body thorough chewing the gum.

The next product would be anti smoking patches. You place one on your arm each morning and it delivers nicotine through your skin. There are three different strengths which are called steps. Step one is the strongest, step 2 is about half as strong and step three is rather weak. Each step you use for a number of weeks or days to gently wean you off the nicotine. One warning that goes with using this method is you can not smoke while using the patch because you could have a stroke or heart attack. This is stated on the package.

Whatever method you choose to use if it does not work try something else immediately while your mind is on quitting smoking, you will be successful.

Filed Under: Addiction, Anti-Smoking, Health Tagged With: Cigarette, Nicotine gum, Smoking cessation, Tobacco control movement

Smoking Ban Overview: Washington Laws

In 1985 Washington passed a bill called the Clean Indoor Air Act. This bill prohibited smoking in public places unless there was a seperate section for smoking and non-smoking. While the majority of places prevented smoking all together, some places such as bars and restaurants allowed smoking in public places.

In an effort to protect the public’s health against second hand smoke, in December of 2005 an ammendement to that law was passed. This law cracked down on the ability of people to smoke in public places such as bars and restaurants.

Here is a quick overview of the laws passed by Washington State on smoking in public places.

A ban on smoking in public places and workplaces. This ban prohibits smoking in any public facility and place of business. No longer can there be a non-smoking or smoking section.

Hotels and Motels. Hotels and motels are allowed to have 25% of their rooms reserved for smoking rooms.

25 feet rule. There is no smoking within 25 feet of public building. These buildings are defined as doors that open, windows and vents that can have the smoke of the cigarettes pulled into the building.

Private residences. Private residences are still allowed to have smoking indoors. However if that residence is used as a place of business in particular that of childcare, foster care, adult care or any other type of care for other, there can be no smoking indoors or within 25 feet of the building.

Some of Washington state is a designated Indian reservation. As Indian reservations are not under state law, they still allow smoking in public places such as casinos, gaming rooms and restaurants. These buildings have started to have designated non-smoking rooms and smoking is still prohibited outside of these buildings.

Washington state might not provide the strictest smoking bans but they do protect the general public health of the state.

Filed Under: Addiction, Anti-Smoking, Health Tagged With: Law, Public space, Smoking ban

Choosing Smoke-Free Assisted Living Facilities

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Although smoke-free laws and ordinances are becoming more prevalent, there are still some places that allow smoking in designated areas. This can even include assisted living facilities. If you are considering moving into an assisted living facility, and the issue of smoking is important to you, you may want to look for those that do not allow smoking at all or, again, only in designated areas. If you can find a place that is completely smoke-free then that would be great. If you can’t, however, there are some things you can do to protect your health, especially if you have chronic breathing problems.

Locate the designated smoking area or areas before you select your residence. By doing this, you can make sure that you select a place to live that is as far away from the smoking area as possible.

When you have found the smoking area, look to see which entrance and exit doors it is closest to, then look for doors that are further away, but still provide you access to your residence as well as other parts of the facility. Also check to see if there is a sign stating how far away smokers have to be from these doors. When you do this, you will not have to worry about being exposed to second-hand smoke.

If smoking is allowed in residences, ask if there is a particular building or complex that is completely smoke-free. Even though smoking may not occur in common areas or hallways, the smell may still be apparent in those places. If completely smoke-free buildings or complexes are available, you could choose one of those.

Ask if you can post a sign or have one posted stating that your residence is smoke-free. This will help people know your preferences concerning smoking before they ever enter your home.

Filed Under: Addiction, Anti-Smoking Tagged With: Assisted living, Death, Health, Passive smoking, Secondhand Smoke, Smoking, Smoking ban, Tobacco

Tax Increases Help in Anti-Smoking Movements

It is widely known that smoking of cigarettes is probably the most dangerous habit to ones health. Not only does smoking cause damage to oneself but it also effects others around them because of the chemicals and toxins that are found in second hand smoke.

There are plenty of anti-smoking movements all across the country that have tried to get smoking in public places and places of business banned. While these movements have helped to achieve this effect on smoking, another movement has helped get smokers to quit. The price of the cigarettes.

Over the past few years taxes on cigarettes have risen over 300%. Originally the federal tax on a cigarette was around 60 cents for a pack. Today the taxes involved with a pack of cigarettes can be as much as $3 per pack depending upon the state where the cigarettes are brought.

This huge increase in the amount of a pack of cigarettes has caused smokers to try an quit. Financially speaking, there just isn’t enough money to cover the cost of smoking.

While taxes are one reason for the increase in cigarette prices the other factor is that of the cigarette companies. When the tax increase was passed the cigarette companies knew that there would be a massive decrease in people buying cigarettes. In order to cover this potential loss of revenue cigarette companies raised the price of cigarettes, which caused stores that sold them to raise the prices also. this was just another reason people decided to quit smoking.

While it might have been about raising more revenue through taxes. The increase of taxes on cigarettes and the price of a pack of cigarettes in general, has led a massive movement for people to quit smoking. The less smokers there are in the world the healthier our public health will be.

Filed Under: Addiction, Anti-Smoking, Health Tagged With: Cigarette, Cigarette pack, Smoking cessation, Tobacco smoking

Smoking and memory

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Having a good memory is like a gift the few people have and a lot many wish they had. With a good memory you can get ahead in academics, in you professional live and may be even it could help you in your professional life. But people who have a good memory or even an average memory take it for granted and believe it can not be taken away from them. They are so wrong. Memory like your youth dwindles with age, the older you get, the more neurons in your brain die. It is said that after the age of 30 the number of neurons in the brain keeps reducing year after year. The human brain is a complex machine that has millions of processes going on simultaneously. There are many chemicals that come in the way of memory saving and retrieval. If any of these processes get blocked, the entire process of memory crashes.

A few of these memory killing substances are nicotine, malnutrition, etc. Nicotine is dissolved in the blood thought lugs by smoking. Smokers and non-smokers do not realize that smoking causes memorizing capacity to decline. This effect is more pronounced in heavy middle aged and old smokers who have smaller memories than their non-smoking counterparts. Smoking combines with other unhealthy habits like consuming large amounts of alcohol can further aid memory loss. Not just nicotine, the same is the case with smoking marijuana. Proper research needs to be carried out to completely lay off marijuana as memory killer. But do not wait for some research to be carried out to prove that marijuana is in fact a memory killer to completely let go of it. It is better that you stay away from all kinds of psychoactive drugs which alter functions in the brain. This is just a way to keep good memories when you age gracefully.

Filed Under: Addiction, Anti-Smoking, Health Tagged With: Brain, Cannabis, Nicotine, Smoking ban

Addiction Redefined: MichaelsHouse.com

It is a familiar habit, an infallible part of your routine: you’re driving home after a tedious day of cubicle gossip and middle-manager demands. The hours were long and without reward, and you were certain they would never end. They finally did, however, and you were able to escape. Now you navigate the roads you know so well, able to control a car with one lazy hand. The other is devoted to the weight of a cigarette. The scent of smoke is thought to be a perfection. The taste is reveled in. And you are certain no moment could be better than the one you’ve just created.

Your dependence on that moment, however, is not to be celebrated.

Cigarettes are among the most common causes of addiction within the world. None could be unaware of this, but many choose still to ignore it. Obsession is to often offered to other substances (such as heroin, cocaine or opiates). This is instead considered to be merely a choice. The masses indulge in nicotine, without concern for the future consequences or their own lack of control.

And it is this that brands cigarettes as more than a pastime. They are instead a disease.

When an individual must rely on carbon flavors and shallow breaths to sustain himself, he is suffering from an addiction. The notion of stopping is forgotten (and will not be attempted without outside intervention). The idea of losing the sensation is abhorred. Cigarettes are vital, it’s argued. They must not be denied.

Such a philosophy has led to staggering statistics and useless deaths.

It is essential therefore that all who are dependent on cigarettes seek help. Organizations like MichaelsHouse.com are available and will provide programs and physicians. Support can be gained as the truth of an addiction is learned.

Understand that cigarettes are not merely conveniences. They are instead dangers and all too easy compulsions.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health, Treatment Tagged With: Cigarette, Substance dependence, Tobacco