Ways to Stop Smoking

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Quitting smoking is important for your health and for the health of those around you. It is also an expensive habit! Deciding to quit smoking is much easier than actually quitting, however. There are several ways you can try to quit smoking including medication, patches, gum and going cold turkey.

If you’ve decided to quit smoking, talk to your doctor. Several different brands of prescription medication can help you get over the addiction, craving and withdrawals. Not all of these, however, are covered by insurance and they can be quite costly. You can find a local doctor through Canada 411.

Nicotine patches work to replace the body’s need for nicotine through a slow release patch instead of a cigarette. Quitting smoking is only one part chemical addiction. The other half of the addiction is the actual physical process of smoking. These patches won’t help you overcome the physical act of smoking, but they can help to wean you off of the chemical addiction.

Nicotine gum is another option to help you quit smoking. These unpleasant tasting gums give your body a low dose of nicotine to replace that which you’re craving. You’re also giving yourself something to do other than physically smoking.

Quitting smoking cold turkey works great for some and is a terrible ordeal for others. If you have the willpower to forcefully deny yourself both the chemical and physical addiction of smoking, that’s great, but you’re in the minority.

Quitting smoking isn’t easy, and many people quit smoking only to start again later. It may take quitting many times before you actually succeed for good.

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Drug for Smoking Cessation Could be Dangerous

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There are several new drugs out that can help someone with smoking cessation. It relieves the craving feeling that smokers get when trying to quit, making it easier for them to stop smoking. Among all the new smoking cessation drugs is one called Wellbutrin (Bupropion).

 

Wellbutrin has helped people stop smoking and it’s helped some with depression, but do the benefits of taking it outweigh the side effects? This remains to be answered. The side effects of Wellbutrin can be nasty, while there are people who glide right through treatment without incident.

 

The following list (from WebMD) of side effects isn’t conclusive or without omissions. First are the common side effects.
  • Severe feeling of restlessness
  • Severe anxiety
  • Severe dry mouth
  • Infrequent bowel movements
  • Dizziness
  • Chronic sleep loss
  • Sweating more than usual
  • Shakiness
  • No interest in food
  • Weight loss
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Stomach cramps
Not-so-common side effects of Wellbutrin include but are not limited to:

 

  • Cannot focus thoughts
  • Hallucination
  • Confused
  • Extra happy, energetic beyond normal
  • Delusions
  • Paranoia
  • Suicidal tendencies or thoughts
  • Loss of reality
  • Loss of normal personality
  • Thoughts of hurting/killing others

There’s a long list of uncommon side effects, these are just a selection – alone, even one of those would be scary, but these are experienced at the same time, for some patients. People have been hurt, they’ve hurt others and some have even gone to jail because of these uncommon side effects, and truthfully, they aren‘t that uncommon.

 

Be informed, Google any new medicine you get, read up on it and know what you’re taking. Talk to the doctor and ask about side effects while in his/her office.

 

 

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Quitting Smoking with the Patch

Quitting smoking with the patch can be relatively easy — but at times, very difficult.  Many state or city governments are now providing patches for free or for little cost, they are available in generic brands and they are available in any drug store, over the counter, with no prescription.  Talking to your doctor, however, may be a good idea to set up a plan for quitting smoking and seeking his or her guidance on the subject at hand.

Once you receive your patches, make sure to follow the guidelines as much as possible.  You should start out on the highest dose possible, so it resembles your current cigarette intake.  There can be many issues that arise from the oral fixation of smoking, and with the patches, you can have a tough time getting over that right away.  However, you can try to suck on a lollipop or use straws when you drink to wean yourself off of this very easily.  If you still need that oral aspect of getting nicotine, you may want to try an e cigarette instead of patches at first.

Slowly, after a couple of weeks or until you feel confident with taking the highest nicotine possible through the patches, you can start to lower your dosage, slowly at first.  Getting over smoking the physical cigarette is the toughest challenge, lowering the nicotine may just be easy!  Of course, there are many other things in the cigarette other than nicotine, like chemicals and toxins, so your body is getting over those as well — so don’t be alarmed at the shock your body has experienced in the past few weeks.

Eventually, you can wean yourself completely off nicotine patched, but still keep some lying around in case of emergency.  Try to stay out of stressful situations when you may be craving a cigarette and you can eventually be smoke free in no time!

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National Tobacco Control Program

The CDC has an Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) which has implemented a program called the National Tobacco Control Program. This program provides guidelines, funding, and proven practices to help implement local and state programs targeted on reducing smoking in adults and prevention in youths.

OSH has established several documents which outline guidelines, goals, information targeted populations, and implementation of local programs that are used by all funded agencies. These practices are outlined in several documents, which cover implementation of state programs, local and community based programs, youth prevention programs, educational intervention programs, and communication programs.

Additionally, the National Tobacco Control Program has four main goals and four main components of the program. The four main goals of the program are to reduce and alleviate second hand smoke exposure, promote the choice for individuals to quit, prevention of smoking in youth, and to identify and address issues and problems in certain population groups that encourage smoking or prevent access to resources for quitting or illnesses caused by smoking.

The four main components of the program address several areas such as prevention, marketing, policies and regulations, and evaluation. The components are specifically intervention programs for communities and specific populations as well as counter-marketing efforts, initiating program policies and regulations, and finally monitoring and evaluating achievement and progress.

Through this program, several states and communities have established and implemented effective programs of their own. The programs all center on the same main components and goals. All programs are designed to improve education on the harmful effects of smoking, educate the public, and focus on prevention, and resources and tools to encourage individuals to quit smoking, improving their health and overall quality of life. This national program shows an initiative to improve overall health in those who do smoke and educate the public on the harmful effects of this habit.

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The negative consequences of smoking in the workplace

Although many individuals who do smoke, no longer do so in indoor settings, they still smoke at the work environment. Smoking at your place of employment can have negative or unintended consequences. Research has proven that smokers demonstrate below average work performance and productivity throughout the work day. Smoke breaks decrease the amount of time an employee can spend on work related projects.

Additionally, people who smoke have a tendency to be sick more often resulting in more sick days used by smokers than by non-smokers. This decreases productivity and job performances. Despite the arguments that smokers will present as to why they take smoke breaks while on the clock, their productivity at work is on a downfall regardless of the profession.

As of recent, employers are finding new ways to get their employees to break the habit of smoking. New ways include the offering or implementation of smoking cessation classes that are solely funded by the employer’s corporate office as well as limiting the time that smokers utilize to take a cigarette break during working hours.

However, despite the simplicity of the employers expressing how easy it is for their employees to quit smoking and attend cessation classes, there is still difficulty in getting employees to take the bait and reap the benefits. Some employees feel that it is their natural right to smoke when they want when at work, however do not see the set-backs that it is bringing to the business that they are employed at.

Overall, smoking in the working environment has several negative affects including reduced performance and productivity, while exposing colleagues to second hand smoke exposure. While some work places are implementing incentive programs additional resources might be necessary to aid those individuals who lack the drive or motivation to quit smoking. Employers can refer to local community resources and advisors who develop and implement cessation classes to find other resources for their employees.

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Consider Your Environment When You Quit

ContentWhen you commit to quitting smoking, there are a number of obstacles that you will face. Preparing yourself for these obstacles can help you to overcome them as they arise. One of the hardest things to face may be spending time with other smokers while not smoking yourself. Consider your environment and the people you spend time with to help you to stay on the right track.
Different states have different laws about smoking in public areas and specific venues will have their own regulations. As a person trying to quit, you can use these regulations to your advantage. If you plan to go out for dinner and drinks this weekend, consider planning your outing only at places that do not allow smoking. Many places will even ban smoking outside on the patio or near the front door. These are even better for someone trying to quit because they remove all temptation. Think of this as a safe space where you can be free from seeing or smelling any reminder of your former addiction.
Likewise, if you decide to spend time in a place that allows smoking, be prepared to be faced head-on by your addiction. When you were a smoker, you may have spent every Sunday watching football at your favorite bar where everyone had a few cigarettes while during the game. By choosing to go back to that bar, you will be surrounded by the sights and smells of others smokers. You may be offered or even encouraged to smoke by your peers there. If you were accustomed to smoking while drinking, engaging in one behavior without the other may be particularly challenging.
When you have first committed to quitting or may be at risk of losing your resolve, plan ahead and avoid environments that will encourage you to pick up your old habit.

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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.

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From Smoking to Rehab

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In the face of all the other dangerous substances one could be abusing, it seems absurd to consider that cigarette smoking can be as dangerous as drug use itself. This is due to the fact that cigarettes and nicotine are considered the gateway drug, or starter drug. It is now known that some people can be genetically predisposed to addiction, and the seemingly innocuous cigarette may lead to the abuse of far more deadly substances.

Consider the social setting. Many young people begin smoking cigarettes in their teens, when they first fall prey to peer pressure or the need to fit in and belong. This need to belong is carried over into other social settings where drugs and alcohol are introduced. The teen who has already displayed an inability to resist, falls prey easily to the use of these other substances and it may not be long before they’re addicts.

In addition, the physical addiction to nicotine awakens within some the feelings of euphoria and withdrawal that perpetuate the addiction. The euphoria of the first puff on the cigarette is easily replaced by the first high of stronger drugs. Once alerted to the ease of addiction, one’s willpower and ability to resist future temptation become compromised.

Once the art of smoking a cigarette has been mastered, it’s not a far leap to marijuana. Your lungs are already accustomed to the burn of the smoke, and the marijuana high is quickly sought after on a regular basis.

The usual progression of addictions begins with nicotine followed by alcohol, and marijuana by the average age of 14. From there it is not difficult to progress to more sophisticated drugs or even pharmaceuticals. The message here is just to not start smoking. While that won’t guarantee you’ll never become a drug addict, your chances of staying out of rehab facilities like those listed at Rehab-International.org are that much greater.

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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.

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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.

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