Why Quit Smoking?

Smoking is pleasurable, up to a point. That, after all, is why so many do it. If there were no gain, the practice would quickly die out. But a lot of meaning is stuffed into that innocent phrase ‘up to a point’. While the short term benefits of smoking cigarettes is real, the harm is equally real - and it’s potentially much more serious and long lasting.

There are several common factors that tend to lead someone to smoke. Stress, peer pressure and other psychological factors are present for virtually everyone. Substituting a toxic chemical for a healthier means of dealing with them is often viewed as simpler. But the long range consequences can be dire.

Official estimates are that 87% of lung cancer cases can be attributed to long-term, heavy smoking. The odds of stroke are 2-4 times higher for smokers than non-smokers. The risks of coronary heart disease are similar. For COPDs (chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases), such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis or asthma, the statistics are equally frightening. About 80-90% of COPD cases are among those who smoke.

The specific scientific facts took a few generations to establish. But there are now thousands of studies that correlate smoking with ill health effects. While the exact causes and links between smoking and stroke or cancer are still not fully known, the correlation is overwhelming.

The relationship, for example, between the increased build up of fatty deposits on the arteries as a result of smoking is well established. The effects on the lungs as tar builds up in the alveoli are plain to see. The hacking, reduced energy and other effects require no scientific study to know.

Several dozen carcinogenic compounds have been identified in cigarette smoke. They range from such familiar terms as tar and benzene to nitrosamines. Carbon monoxide is present in cigarette smoke, where it binds with hemoglobin to deprive the blood stream of needed oxygen.

Quitting isn’t easy. On average, only 6% succeed in stopping smoking permanently the first time they try. But it’s possible to be in that group, and to increase that number by joining it.

As with any long term health decision, it requires willpower. But that mental commitment can be aided by counseling as well as a wide range of products available today. Nicotine gum, patches and inhalers can help. Several non-nicotine alternatives are on the market, too. Anti-depressants like Zyban are an option. A newer prescription drug called Chantix has shown promise.

Dealing with the consequences of stopping smoking are trying. Weight gain is possible. Cravings are almost inevitable, for a while. But the long term benefits of quitting are real, immediate and enormous.

After a few years, the risks of stroke and heart disease return to what they are for non-smokers. The skin regenerates to a normal state. The overall energy level rises and the body and mind are better able to deal with the normal challenges of life.

Quit now and gain those advantages. The alternative is grim.

               

Stress and Smoking

Many smokers start or continue their habit in order to deal with stress. But quitting smoking increases stress itself. That double-whammy makes it doubly hard to stop. Understanding what creates stress and finding healthier ways to deal with it well help in that struggle.

At low dosages, nicotine is a stimulant. It increases heart rate and raises the blood pressure. Those biological changes interact to produce psychological ones. They’re perceived, up to a point, as pleasurable. At higher levels, nicotine induces a relaxing state.

Both those effects tend to alleviate stress. Stimulation generates alertness. That gives a positive feeling, induced to a degree by the dopamine generated in the brain, along with other changes to its pleasure centers. Inducing relaxation has a clear and direct influence on stress level.

Yet, physiologically, stress or anxiety and feeling the exhilaration of challenge are very similar. The key to the difference lies in how we evaluate the external events and the reactions to them within ourselves.

Few external events, if any, are inherently stressful. It depends on how we evaluate their potential impact on our goals and values. Yet, the facts that lead to that evaluation are real. The loss of a loved one, the risk of losing a job, even everyday situations such as someone changing lanes rapidly in front of us on the highway are all potentially stressful. There’s a high likelihood those will negatively impact what we want.

Turning to cigarette smoking to deal with that stress is, in part, substituting a chemical for a change in attitude.

We can, for example, conclude that everyone on the road is rude and dangerous. But that’s obviously an overgeneralization. Most people don’t take foolish risks on the road most of the time. The risk of lower income from losing a job can happen. But we might also get another, even better, job in a day or a week.

It’s difficult to take that positive attitude right at the moment of quitting smoking. That’s one of the reasons only about 6% of those who stop succeed long-term on their first try. One thing can help: build up that attitude before reaching for a cigarette. Work on it while engaging in the habit.

Look to events that are often associated with lighting up, even when they don’t directly involve stress. An after meal cigarette can be delayed. Delay it longer and longer each day or week. Before long, that one is eliminated from the daily nicotine dose.

Build a more long term solution to stress by saving a small part of your income each week or month. Let it lay in an account collecting interest. Small amounts build up over time and provide a cushion to fall back on if the job does disappear. That lowers the stress at the moment, but also all the time you’re saving. Knowing that money is there now in case it’s needed later reduces the stress that can come from imagining the worst in the future.

Look for ways to reevaluate situations that cause stress. No one becomes stoic overnight. Nor is the attitude that ‘nothing matters’ helpful, either. Some things do and should matter. But slowly building confidence in one’s ability to meet challenges successfully reduces the odds and frequency of stress.

That program eventually reduces the felt need to smoke, and increases the odds of being able to quit permanently.

               

Dealing With Weight Gain When You Stop Smoking

One of the common effects of quitting smoking is weight gain, usually from 5-10 pounds, sometimes more. But, though common, it’s not inevitable.

Weight gain from a stop-smoking program can have a number of causes.

For many individuals, it’s a natural response to cravings from nicotine withdrawal. They substitute food for smoking. Increase the amount of calories taken in, as snacks add up, and sooner or later you’ve gained several pounds.

At the same time, people coming off a long-term cigarette smoking habit don’t often immediately enter an exercise program. For a while, the effects of smoking linger on. The fatigue, shortness of breath and other common conditions of smoking don’t disappear overnight. Starting a healthy exercise program is tough enough for anyone. For smokers, the change is even more substantial.

There are also purely physiological effects. Smoking, at low dosages, elevates the heart rate. That stimulating effect plays a role in keeping weight off. But, longer term, the build up of fatty deposits in arteries and other changes induced by smoking will outweigh them.

For most people, the combination of increased food consumption and little or no exercise is the double-whammy that puts on the pounds.

Fortunately, that problem is solvable. As you start your stop smoking program, start on other lifestyle changes as well. Plan a healthy diet, outline an age-appropriate exercise program.

Like any other issue in a stop-smoking program, or life in general, some willpower is required. Popping a piece of fresh fruit is a good way to stave off the cravings for a cigarette. But be sure to balance out that extra consumption by cutting down somewhere else. Resist the urge to substitute high calorie foods in large proportions to compensate for the desire for a cigarette.

That will be particularly difficult the first two weeks as the compounds introduced by smoking are flushed out of the body. That’s a good time to lay out that diet and exercise program. It’s short enough that only modest weight gain is likely during that period.

Drink lots of water during this time. It will show up as extra weight on the scale. But it’s easily flushed out later when you taper off, so the effect isn’t permanent. It also has other added benefits. Extra water helps the body more quickly remove the remaining contaminants from smoking. And, it’s a zero-calorie way to react to cravings. Water isn’t fattening.

The main struggle will be, as it is for anyone concerned with diet and health, to maintain the commitment to a long term goal. It will help to visualize the results. Aid your willpower by imagining a healthier, better looking you. Think of not having shortness of breath, from smoking or obesity. Think of having more energy and being able to accomplish your other goals more easily.

Stay on track and you can quit smoking without gaining weight.

               

Stop Smoking Laser Therapy

Stop Smoking Laser Therapy

By Rene Knops

Stop smoking laser treatment is a well know method since over 20 years. It is a common practice designed for people trying to quit smoking.

Stop smoking laser therapy is based on the ancient acupuncture. In ancient times, people used needles to stimulate certain points of the human body and thus stimulate hormone secretion. Nowadays low-level lasers substitute the needles. The laser stimulates the nerve endings and increases the endorphin secretion.

Laser therapy is completely painless. Most people describe the feeling as a warming, even tingling feeling. After each session, people feel relaxed and happier. Their smoking cravings are greatly reduced and the depression that goes along with the ceasing process is gone.

Prices for Stop smoking laser therapy are relatively low nowadays. The costs may vary of course but they are usually about $500. If you calculate how much money you are spending on cigarettes, you will see that the cost of the laser treatment is neglectfully low. Moreover, smoking damages your health so badly that you will need a great amount of money to try repair the damages later.

Any stop smoking laser therapy has two stages. The first stage is meant to help detoxification. This usually happens within the first two days of the therapy. During the rest of the course, the lasers are used to reduce he depression rate and the nicotine cravings.

Laser treatment is a non-medical procedure. However, it is not considered appropriate for people who experience specific medical conditions. Pregnant women, people suffering from epilepsy or cancer are not suitable for a stop smoking laser treatment. You should always consult your therapist before undertaking stop smoking laser treatment. If this treatment turns to be inappropriate for you your doctor will be able to prescribe you other medication to help you quit smoking.

It is important to remember is that stop smoking laser treatment does not guarantee that you will actually quit smoking. Smoking habit has two faces – physiological (your body is accustomed to certain substances found in cigarettes’ smoke) and the psychological (connected with your perception of smoking, your habits and lifestyle). Laser therapy can help reduce the physical symptoms of the smoking habit. The rest – you should fight yourself. Stop smoking laser treatment can give excellent results if combined with a behavior treatment, more exercising and the support you can get from your family and friends. The good thing about it is that it is a non-medical treatment so you will not need to take any medications.

Rene’s website helps light and heavy smokers to quit smoking forever. Please visit the site for more information on Stop Smoking Laser

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