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Nicotine in tobacco is highly - addictive. Even the habit itself is addictive. For many smokers a cigarette is associated with relaxing, calming nerves, keeping your weight low, and taking a break. Many soldiers in the U.S. Army who were non-smokers complained that the smokers were able to take more breaks during training so they could smoke. In fact, if you are a non-smoker and work in an office building it can get rather irritating to see your friends be able to go outside and take a smoke break. They are only supposed to smoke one but end up smoking two or three while outside and overextend their break time.

If you have made the move to quit smoking or if you are advising a friend on how to quit smoking then here are some tips you need to know. Some might want to use nicotine patches to help them but remember that the smokers will have to wean themselves off of the nicotine eventually.

For the smoker, set a date as to when to stop smoking. If you tell others about it then you will have a sense of accountability to them to follow through with what you said. On that day, you need to make sure all of your cigarettes are gone and you will not light up. During this time, you need to get yourself a support group. Tell people who you know are going to support you and not criticize you in your adventure. This is important because in just a short time you will become very irritable and you will need understanding and supporting friends and family around you.

When you quit, you are going to feel very short-tempered, sleepy, hungry, and a little lazy. All you can do is stay with it because if you back down now, you'll have to go through it the next time you quit. When you feel the urge to smoke, chew some gum. The nicotine patches help to curb this craving tremendously but beware that when you do get off the nicotine patches, you will have to go through the pain as well. This is why it is especially important to tell family members that you are quitting because when you get cranky (and you will) they will at least understand you.

And lastly, if you cannot make it and smoke again, don't worry about it. Just try to quit again. Most smokers never quit the first time. You will gain some weight after you quit but remember that a little weight usually does not kill someone but smoking more than likely will.


]]> Quit Smoking Advice http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=36 Sun, 12 Nov 2006 17:53:14 -0600 http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=35
The problems with smoking come with the addiction it leaves people. Once started most people find it very hard to quit smoking. This is bad considering smoking can cause various sorts of cancer in the body.

A lot of restaurants and bars have banned smoking indoors. This has annoyed a lot of smokers who used to enjoy being able to sit in a smoking section and enjoy their meal while having a cigarette. This issue has raised some serious complaint from smokers who feel like they are being mistreated.

There are two different classes of smokers out there. The first is the casual smoker. These types generally like to have a cigarette or cigar every now and then to help relieve stress or just because they want to. Most of these types aren’t affected by the habit forming parts of smoking.

The next type is the chain smoker. This person will sometimes smoke a couple of packs a day and is completely taken in by the habit. A lot of these people try to quit but just can’t break the habit. This is a very unhealthy routine to be on and can lead to serious health issues or even death.

If you decide to take up smoking, you might want to think again. Smoking, while not exactly bad, is very dangerous for your health and sometimes your social life.

Visit the Smoking Awareness Site for more information: http://smokingawareness.blogspot.com/

]]> Quit Smoking Advice http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=35 Sun, 12 Nov 2006 16:28:59 -0600 http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=34
Many parents smoke but would never approve of their children smoking at any age. But think about it. How can you tell your teenager not to start smoking when you are puffing away? If you know anything about teenagers then you know that they see right through your hypocrisy. And they will just pick up the habit to spite you. Then, when they are adults, they will realize they are hopelessly hooked. Is that enough to scare you yet?

In the United States, a pack of cigarettes from a convenience store ranges from $3.00 to $4.00 per pack. If you buy cigarettes by the carton then you might get around $3.00 a pack but it is still very expensive. So, if you smoke one pack-a-day that is $90.00 a month. Most people when they think about quitting have already gone into the two pack-a-day habit so that is $180.00 a month. How can you justify that expense to your family? Think about your kids having to do without food and clothing because you want to smoke. If you love your family then that should scare you enough to make you want to change.

Or maybe this one will scare you. If you’ve been smoking for any length of time, one day you will experience the morning cough where you will cough and cough when you first wake up. And after you are done coughing, you will light up a cigarette. When you’ve reached that point, stop and look at yourself. Your habit is so bad that you will actually continue to poison yourself after your body is telling you to stop by its coughing. It is time for a change.

What should really scare you into quitting is when you step back and look at what your smoking is doing to your family. Your kids may be cut short of having you as a parent around. Or, for you parents with grownup kids just imagine you having to depend on them for care because of your smoking-related respiratory problems when you get old. Guess what? Your grownup kids will be standing in line to get your insurance benefits and whatever else you own as soon as you die. Does that scare you a little longer so you can spend their inheritance? We are being humorous but hope you get the point.

The fact of the matter really is that when you look at who you are affecting besides yourself, it should scare you and create an inner drive to quit smoking. That inner drive is without a doubt the best and most promising way to quit smoking.


]]> Quit Smoking Advice http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=34 Mon, 06 Nov 2006 21:54:36 -0600 http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=33
1. Quitting today can reduce your risk of cancer substantially. Lung cancer is the first type of cancer we generally think of in connection with smoking, but it is not the only one affected. Smoking increases a person's risk of other forms of cancer, too, including uterine cancer, pancreatic cancer, and cancers of the mouth and lips. Virtually any form of cancer can be linked with bringing tobacco smoke into the system through the lungs.

2. If you want healthy lungs, it's important to breathe clean air and not bring smoke into them. Respiratory diseases such as chronic lung obstruction are greatly exacerbated by cigarette smoking. Emphysema is also strongly correlated with smoking.

3. If you want a healthy heart and a healthy cardiovascular system, you need to stop smoking. Coronary heart disease is two to four times more prevalent among smokers than nonsmokers. If you smoke, you're also twice as likely to have a stroke. The blood vessels are also negatively affected by cigarette smoke, causing peripheral vascular disease, which is a narrowing of the arteries.

4. If you happen to be a woman in your childbearing years, there is the safety of your children to consider. Babies of smokers are more likely to die of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) than babies of nonsmokers. Smokers tend to have smaller babies, premature babies, and more cases of stillbirth.

5. Smoking can interfere with calcium uptake and bone density. Older women who smoke are more likely to fracture a hip than those who have never smoked.

6. Maybe you don't care how much smoking hurts your own health, but what about that of others? Second hand smoke has been correlated with lung cancer and heart disease in household members who live with smokers but don't smoke themselves. Children are particularly vulnerable to the ravages of other people's smoking.

7. If all the health issues associated with smoking don't convince you, think of your pocketbook! Smoking is an expensive hobby with taxes on cigarettes rising all the time. Surely there would be a more satisfying way to spend that money.

Quitting smoking today can greatly improve your outlook and life expectancy. The earlier you can quit, the better. Best is if you never start. If you have children and you smoke, think of the example you are setting for them. Statistics say that about one-fourth of all children live with a smoker. Young people lack the understanding to keep from starting smoking because of the long term risks. They are far more likely to try it, and when they try it young, they are more likely to get addicted. Your best bet in every way is to make every effort to quit smoking as soon as possible.]]> Quit Smoking Advice http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=33 Sun, 05 Nov 2006 17:43:24 -0600 http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=32
1. Attitude always makes a big difference. Make sure you are looking at kicking the habit not as giving something up but as gaining something good. You are working to gain clean lungs and a healthy cardiovascular system. You are working to gain freedom from a troublesome addiction. You are not giving up a good friend!

2. Are you willing to give up cigarettes? Sometimes we want something but not bad enough to be willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. With a habit as strong as cigarette smoking, you will need to have a great deal of desire. Even if you've not done it much, consider making it a matter of prayer.

3. Start a regular exercise program. This can help in several ways. For one thing, it will keep you occupied so that you can't smoke for a while. Second, it will help you to keep from gaining weight, which is a common occurrence when one stops smoking. Third, it will require you to breathe deeply, which will hopefully remind you how wonderful it is not to have lungs full of smoke.

4. Break your day up into smaller parts. Don't focus on getting through the whole day without smoking but on getting through the next few hours, or even just the next hour.

5. Be cautious about stressful situations. If you have a job in which you are frequently stressed or become angry, you will be desiring a cigarette to deal with the stress. If you can't eliminate or avoid the stress, it might be worth it to take a few days off to get over the worst of the cravings. Stress is bound to make you want a smoke.

6. Other situations to watch out for are when you are lonely, tired, or even hungry. Any of these situations can make our resolve and will power become weaker so that we are more likely to give in.

7. Identify the trigger circumstances in your life. Does a cup of coffee always seem to need a cigarette to accompany it? What about an alcoholic drink? What about the moments right after a meal? In these cases, it would be a good idea to change your routines a little. Until you have eliminated your cravings, it would probably be wisest to totally give up alcohol. It's a strong force in weakening one's resolve.

8. Here's something encouraging. If you can get through the first two weeks, you'll be through the worst of it. What's more, you will never have to repeat those two weeks again, if you don't go back to the habit.

9. Finally, the best quit smoking tip of all is to simply not give up! It's worth it. Remember, when all the discomfort of quitting smoking is over, those days will eventually become only a distant memory.]]> Quit Smoking Advice http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=32 Sun, 05 Nov 2006 17:40:21 -0600 http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=31
First, it's all right to wean yourself off cigarettes over a period of weeks, but you must decide from the start that your ultimate goal is no smoking at all. If you manage to quit completely for a few weeks and then decide just to have a puff, there is a good chance that all your desire for cigarettes will come back with a vengeance. Once you give them up, hang onto that clean feeling for good!

It might help you to do some journaling about your attitude toward smoking. Just why would you like to quit? There are many reasons. Which ones mean the most to you? Do you want to save money by no longer having to feel compelled to buy cigarettes? Are you more interested in avoiding cancer? Do you want to have stronger lungs for physical activities, so you're not always huffing and puffing? List those reasons and refer to your list often as you battle it out.

It's estimated that the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal are usually over by the time you've been off cigarettes for a month. In fact, they might only last a week or two. If you can remember this, you can encourage yourself to tough it out when the symptoms are bad. It won't last forever. Things will get better, and you'll eventually feel great!

Get some support. Maybe you'd like to join an online group that features message boards populated by others who are in the process of kicking the habit. Or maybe you can quit with a friend or family member. Support always helps when trying to change an ingrained habit. You may even be able to find a telephone counseling hotline you can call when you are severely tempted.

It helps to choose a quit date and make it stick. While you are cutting back, there are some definite things you can do to help make the resolution a reality. For one thing, try smoking a different brand of cigarettes. Make yourself smoke a lower tar brand that you don't really like. If you're smoking a brand with less nicotine, make sure you don't just smoke more cigarettes.

Here are a few more tips for quitting smoking. When you've reached your quit day, spend some time in the local library, museum, or other places where you wouldn't be allowed to smoke anyway. Exercising, drinking water, and staying busy are all good ways to stay healthy and distracted. You can fiddle with a pencil or something if you miss having a cigarette to handle.

You can do it! Just don't give up. Watch out for situational smoking cues, like when you sit down with a cup of coffee, or when you've just finished a meal. Change your tactics. Get up and start cleaning the table off instead of lighting up that after dinner smoke. The trial won't last forever and you'll be so glad you joined the ranks of non-smokers.]]> Quit Smoking Advice http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=31 Sun, 29 Oct 2006 21:13:02 -0600 http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=30
If you have tried to quit smoking in the past then you no full well the withdrawal symptoms and the sheer psychological battle it is to kick the habit successfully. The only saving grace is knowing that if you can stay of lighting up a cigarette for 30 days then chances are good that you can kick the habit for good. It just begins one day at a time.

Here are some useful tips to help you quit smoking for good.

1. Find an accountability partner. Find someone who wants to kick the habit as much as you do or better yet find someone who has already kicked the habit who you can enlist as your accountability partner. That way you now have someone who is holding you to seeing you fulfill your goal of not smoking. The great thing with having an accountability partner is you have someone there when the going gets tough and when you lose your motivation you can have someone there that can pick your spirits back up. Setup a system to track each other whether it is calling each other or meeting with each other on a regular basis. Another great tip is when you get the urge to light up you must make a call to your accountability partner before lighting up. You will be surprised how often your accountability partner can console and talk you out of lighting up when given a chance.

2. Now that you have an accountability partner your next step is to quit smoking cold turkey. Forget about all the nonsense of quitting by reducing your smoking or nicotine intake over a period of time. Not only is it just giving you more reason to keep with the addiction it just doesn't work well. If you quit smoking cold turkey then the reality is that you know if you are cheating or not by whether or not you are lighting up. It's simple to keep track by your accountability partner because you either smoked or not. The alcoholic or addicted gambler now full well that if you do have a problem you don't keep doing it but to stop it today. The best time to quit smoking was yesterday the second best time to quit smoking is today so why not start today. It's not too late.

3. The key to helping you quit successfully cold turkey is to now replace your habit with something else. This is your chance to choose a habit that is beneficial for your life instead of one that has been detrimental. This is your chance to start a new life for you in a stance and hopefully you are making this decision before a serious health scare. If not than you know full well the urgency of making this quit smoking attempt work. Some great habits you can think about taking up is taking up a fitness class, not only will this be great in improving your health but you get a chance to meet up and be around health conscious people which can rub off onto you.

4. If you need help use nicotine replacement products. If you are struggling with the nicotine withdrawal instead of lighting up a cigarette and falling of the wagon look into nicotine replacement products instead. There are many great products on the market today ranging from gums to patches. The idea is not to create a new dependence on these nicotine substitutes. Instead of buying the gum or patches and using it to systematically reduce your nicotine addiction, use it on a need to use basis.

5. Take up breathing exercises to clear your lungs and reduce your withdrawal symptoms. You have possibly spent years destroying your lungs with the toxic smoke it's time to do your bit to help your lungs. Breathing exercises not only help you to utilize your maximum oxygen efficiency but buy pumping your body better with oxygen it also acts to reduce your nicotine addiction. Great breathing methods include yoga and tai chi. Why not take up a fun class and take your mind off your cigarette addiction.]]> Quit Smoking Advice http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=30 Tue, 17 Oct 2006 02:28:24 -0500 http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=28
This fact is encouraging, as former reports addressing smoking cessation for teens had been dismal. This short-term response may give doctors a foundation to help teens with longer-term quitting.

Thomas Glynn, Director of Cancer Science and Trends at the American Cancer Society, reported that five million adolescents in the United States currently smoke. Of those, he states, "about 70 percent say they want to stop." Mr. Glynn also noted that historically, it was believed that it would be easier for teens to quit, because they hadn't been smoking for as long as adults. Studies suggest that is not the case.

The level of addiction that adolescents face is no different than that of adults. Like older smokers, teens can become solidly addicted to nicotine in as little as several weeks. One can conclude, therefore, that it is no easier for them to quit.

In one study, a group of colleagues interviewed more than 500 teens wanting to quit smoking. The study excluded more than half of the participants, including those suffering depression and those without parental consent. The final focus group included 211 teens that smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day, and had been smoking for at least six months before the start of the study. One hundred and forty five of the participants were male, and all were from the San Francisco area. Each of the teens included in the study had made at least one previous attempt to quit smoking.

The teenagers participating in the study were assigned to one of two groups. One group received the nicotine patch alone, while the other received treatment with the nicotine patch and the antidepressant buproprion, which has been shown to help smokers quit.

The nicotine patch was given for eight weeks in a tapering dose, with the starting dose dependent on the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Those also receiving buproprion went on a nine-week treatment program. Both groups also went to weekly counseling sessions.

At the end of ten weeks, 28 percent of those using the patch alone had quit smoking, while 23 percent of those receiving both the patch and buproprion had quit. However after 26 weeks, 7 percent on the patch alone were still not smoking, while 8 percent on both medications were still abstinent. Killen noted that even those who went back to smoking were still smoking far less than they had been at the start of the trial. Almost all of the teens taking part in the trial cut their smoking to a few cigarettes per day or per week.

Researchers believe that the bottom line from this study is that teenagers can be helped in quitting smoking. Teens can stop smoking, but they need help to be successful. It's no easier for teenagers to quit smoking than it is for adults. Smoking cessation therapies and medications can provide the help they need.

Another study in the same journal found that adult women who used nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking had a harder time than men in staying off cigarettes. Women's abstinence rates dropped between three and twelve months, and after a year, men were more likely than women to remain smoke-free.

Nicotine replacement patches can be a good option for teenagers wanting to quit smoking. With your help and support, your teenager can kick the habit and remain smoke-free.

Christopher Anderson contributes to several web sites, including http://reviews-guide.com and http://reviews-source.com

]]> General http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=28 Thu, 28 Sep 2006 21:18:02 -0500 http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=27
You have better chances of staying in perfect health all round the year, by quitting smoking. You may not need the doctor. He may remain just one of those friends.

You have given up smoking, and you are a good role-model for your children. If you are a smoker, the chances of your children picking up the smoking habit early in their lives are real.

In these days of rising prices, smoking costs quite a sum. If you smoke 20 cigarettes per day, you are spending $ 2000 a year on an average.

Naturally, with nicotine less breathing, with no smoke coils, you live in a better atmosphere, both for you and the people around you. You will have good hunger and enjoy the food better.

Smoking is the cause of many skin irritants and now they start to disappear one by one. You begin to wonder where the wrinkles have disappeared, and how quietly the original glow of your skin is restored.

You will travel on buses, trains and by air in confidence. That ?No smoking? board will no more haunt you. Your concern about the environment of Nicotine is such a powerful agent that it is not willing its deep friendship with you. You have to find the alternatives. Think of, and follow a nicotine replacement therapy. If you are able to resist the temptation of nicotine, you have won major part of the battle. The substitutes for nicotine are lozengas, ihhalers, gums and patches.

Make a habit to attend counseling sessions about giving up tobacco, be present in such meetings and discussions, and try to participate in any type of activity that negates smoking.

Persistence is the watchword. If you possess it, you can quit smoking immediately and remain in that state, for ever.

http://www.stop-smoking-updates.com/quitsmoking/ & Quit Smoking provides detailed information on stop smoking, how to stop smoking, anti smoking, quit smoking and more.

]]> Quit Smoking Advice http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=27 Mon, 25 Sep 2006 18:26:56 -0500 http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=26
Many non-profit organizations conduct free quit-smoking programs in a routine manner. These organizations have the good of society at heart. American Cancer Society is one such organization. It has online programs, so that a large number of people all over the world are benefited by them. Their literature is authentic, motivating and contains many a quit-smoking tips. Negative effects of smoking are discussed in detail. They have a 24 hour hotline which means you can speak to them regarding any of your problems any time during the day.

As direct effect of nicotine is on your lungs, the American Heart and Lung Association also provides many free quit smoking sessions. Accomplished and knowledgeable counselors manage the hotline and render all possible help to you in your moments of crisis. You get free tips to quit smoking online. They have a listing of affordable quit smoking products.

With your will power to quit smoking, take the help of a variety of free quit smoking methods. Your cigarette craving is bound to beat the retreat, be sure. Chew a tooth pick, let your hands that introduce you to the cigarette smoking habit and remain busy. The mouth is busy in any case, dealing with the toothpick. In the meantime, continue with some nicotine replacement quit smoking products, so that your mind remains switched off. It doesn't think about smoking!

In your enthusiasm to quit smoking, don't buy all and sundry products, and cheap over the counter products. You need to have a well drawn out strategy and wok according to a plan. Free stop smoking help techniques are meant to free you from the addiction. You are not following them simply for the sake of enumeration

Quit smoking cigarettes are another tool. You will have the psychological satisfaction that you are 'smoking'. The smokers are mostly depressed people. Some anti depressant medications are also doing good rounds to help you quit smoking.

The herbal cigarettes, herbal inhalers and acupuncture are some other tools that promise you freedom from smoking habit.

Your enemy nicotine is hiding in a deeply entrenched trench. You have to attack from all fronts to flush him out!

http://www.stop-smoking-updates.com/quitsmoking/ & Stop Smoking Techniques provides detailed information on stop smoking, how to stop smoking, anti smoking, quit smoking and more.

]]> Quit Smoking Advice http://www.stopsmokingcritique.com/blog/index.php?itemid=26 Fri, 22 Sep 2006 08:47:58 -0500