Stop Smoking :: Stop Smoking Help & Product

Getting ready to finally quit smoking

2005-11-07T04:43:00.000-08:00

So you've finally made the decision to quit smoking and this time you mean business. Well if so let me tell you what you need to do to prepare and to keep on the track.

Whether you're going to stop naturally which I recommend or using medication of some sort. It's important that you stay focused and plan before you quit smoking.

Why? I hear you ask.

Let me tell you why...

I tried to stop smoking once a few years ago. It was the first time I had tried. I didn't plan or prepare, I just decided I was going to quit. I believed the hype about patches so I just brought a couple of packs to do me the week and smoked my last cigarettes that night. In my mind it was, 'I'll quit from Monday', I'm sure you've all done that even if it wasn't with stopping smoking. Maybe it was something like 'I'll start the diet Monday' or 'I join the gym on Monday'. Why's it always Monday anyway?

Getting back to the story. Monday morning came and I was confident I would succeed. I stuck a patch on and went to work. Through out the day I felt bored and anxious. I carried on for another day but at lunch time I just cracked and had to beg for a cigarette off a work mate.

I only went for a day and a half and this wasn't down to will power but not planning and preparing myself. I could have planned for the boredom and anxiety making sure I had something to keep me busy. I could have also planned to keep away from other smokers so I couldn't get a smoke.

Here are a few things you should plan for:

Boredom Anxiety Cravings Been near other smokers Stress Drinking

Some of these can easily be overcome. Boredom can be overcome by keeping busy. Stress and Anxiety can be overcome by doing exercise (I found this to help greatly). You also aren't likely to be near other smokers when exercising. Try and keep out of the pub because when drinking your more likely to have a smoke and you'll also be around other smokers.

To calm your cravings I recommend you try hypnosis like I did when I finally quit smoking for good.

About the Author
Rob Mellor owns the www.quit-smoking-expert.com website helping normal people quit smoking in less than 40 minutes. Please visit the site for more information to stop smoking

Stop smoking basics

2005-11-05T04:21:00.000-08:00

Since ages, smoke and human life share an inverse liaison i.e. a surge in the former brings a reduction in the quality as well as quantity of the latter. The smoke that is rich in the hazardous substance called nicotine enters human body via cigarette smoking. The active smokers as well as the passive ones both suffer greatly due to smoking. Studies and surveys reveal the escalating number of human lives that smoke swallows each day. Keeping this alarming death rate because of cigarette smoking in mind, doctors have developed new therapies, the government and some non-profit organizations have initiated certain quit smoking programs to make people aware of injurious effects of smoking. This article will enumerate the various new and beneficial measures taken in this direction.

1. In order to save an individual's life from smoking, the foremost strategy is to treat the rinse out the excess of nicotine in his body. The 'Nicotine Therapies' or 'Nicotine Replacement Therapies' (NRT's) work for this very purpose. During the course of this therapy, the individual is restrained from smoking by feeding him with calculated doses of nicotine to avoid detrimental consequences. This keeps the person in a balanced state and minimizes the craving for cigarette as the dosage of nicotine is reduced gradually.

Nicotine substitution is also done via nicotine-laced chewing gums. This method to quit cigarette smoking can be traced back to 1971 when Pharmacia developed it and FDA approved of it in 1984. These gums were successful to a particular extent but lost worth when people started getting addicted to them. Apart from nicotine-laced gums, inhalers, nasal sprays and transdermal skin patch are other devices that function for the same cause. Amongst these the transdermal skin patch form of NRT is greatly acclaimed. Users put the nicotine patch to have time-released assistance.

2. Prescription drugs such as Bupropion or Zyban and Buspirone or BuSpar have proved to be of tremendous help to chain smokers in limiting smoking addiction. Basically these drugs are antidepressants and are prescribed to patients of depression. But they have also proved to be greatly effective in controlling the smoking habit.

3. Hypnosis is a psychotic therapy to lessen smoking obsession. Hypnosis purges the individual of pro-smoking thoughts and fills him with revulsion to smoking. This is possible because hypnosis takes the person in a semi-conscious state where he can be programmed to do things which the hypnotist wants him to do. Regular hypnotic treatment has diminished cigarette craving to a large extent.

4. Negative Stimuli method for quitting smoking involves giving small electric shocks that injects in the person a reluctance to smoke.

5. Rapid Smoking or Satiation Smoking, as the name suggests is to induce in the addict an aversion to smoke by giving him a hefty dosage of cigarettes. He is made to smoke twice the number of cigarettes he smokes regularly. In most of the cases at the end, the person starts feeling sick of nicotine and dislikes cigarette.

6. However, none of these tough therapies can be fruitful unless an addict himself decides to refrain from smoking. 'God helps those who help themselves'. Self desire and strong will are essential pre requisites to any kind of quit smoking treatment. Self-help is the best help, so, an individual should be absolutely prepared to save his life from devastation due to smoking

About the Author
Mansi gupta writes about. Stop smoking Learn more at http://www.stopthesmoke.com

Positive And Negative Effects To Expect When You Quit Smoking

2005-11-04T05:25:00.000-08:00

Before you read the rest of this article, understand that quitting smoking can be one of the best things you can do for yourself as a smoker. You are guaranteeing a healthier life, and a longer life. Make no mistake; no negative effect you may observe when you quit smoking is so bad that you will decide to keep smoking. There are no positive effects by continuing to smoke, but when you quit, you may notice some changes that you may not have expected. Since the pros outweigh the cons when you quit smoking, I will address the negative aspects of quitting first. The first thing a smoker will notice when they kick the habit is sudden mood changes and mood disorders.

Having probably smoked for years, you have come to the point to where you end up smoking when you feel stressed, or are in a bad mood. Once you stop smoking, you will no longer have this psychological outlet. Quitting smoking can cause depression in a small percentage of people who are strong enough to quit. Your body and mind may also have a hard time dealing with the removal of such a powerful drug as nicotine so suddenly. Expect your body and mind to take about 3 to 6 months to get this need out of its system. One of the most common complaints of former smokers is that they gained weight. This has nothing to do with the fact that you quit, but rather people who do quit replace their addictive smoking behavior by putting something else in their mouth, which would be food. This also seems to be natural, and a safe outlet, when kept in control.

But what about the good things about quitting smoking? Too numerous to list here, but for starters, one will notice a drop in blood pressure and a normal, slower pulse. This can even be noticed after having quit for only an hour. Of course your risk for a heart attack will decrease and you will regain a stronger sense of taste and smell. Your lung capacity will increase, you'll find that exercise and even just walking around become easier (since you can provide your blood and muscles with more oxygen now), and you'll find that any sinus problems you may have had while smoking are now gone. But most importantly, those who quit smoking decrease their chances of getting lung cancer by 50%. In fact, the risk of any cancer decreases after one quits smoking.

About the Author
John's blog can be found online at http://www.nicocurequitsmokingpatch.com

How to Eliminate Bad Habits

2005-11-02T05:04:00.000-08:00

The thought manifests as word; The word manifests as deed; The deed develops into habit; And habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love Born out of concern for all beings.

The Buddha

A cocaine addict, a working person raising a family, a seeker practicing meditation and service, and a highly conscious sage all have the same motivation: the core drive. We all want avoidance of suffering and permanent Love, peace, and safety. What separates us is our habits. Habits rule destiny. Our life is a sequence of habits that determine our course and evolution.

We all have a mix of good and bad habits. Bad habits cause untold suffering. Good habits serve us in the cause of our liberation. To understand how we got where we are and how to change direction, we need to understand the formation and transformation of habits. The seeker will need to release the energy captured by bad habits and transfer this power to liberating good habits.

Any pattern of thought or action repeated many times results in a habit with a corresponding neurosignature, or brain groove. The brain is composed of approximately 100 billion cells, called neurons. A brain groove is a series of interconnected neurons that carry the thought patterns of a particular habit. Attention feeds the habit. When we give our attention to a habit, we activate the brain groove, releasing the thoughts, desires, and actions related to that habit.

The good news is that the brain is malleable. We can change our thoughts and behavior by recruiting new cells to form new brain grooves. Every thought and action is recorded within the interconnected nerve cells, and each repetition adds new depth to the brain groove. If we repeat a thought and action enough times, a habit is formed. Continued repetition strengthens the power of the habit. Inattention and lack of repetition weakens the power of the habit. These principles apply to the formation of both good and bad habits. Positive thoughts and actions create good habits. Negative thoughts and actions create harmful habits.

We can use these principles to eliminate and replace bad habits with good ones. We can gradually starve bad habits to death by not giving them our attention. As we pay more attention to forming a good habit, the new brain groove slowly gains power. Eventually, the new positive brain groove dominates the negative groove, and good habits drive out the bad. Without this transformation, spiritual growth is impossible.

When we are assigned painful problems in the school of life, we need to do the homework. All too often, however, we play hooky by escaping into the pleasures of a bad habit. If we repeat this behavior, at some point we get addicted. We end up with the original problem and a host of additional difficulties associated with addiction. Addiction leads to wild emotions, mental storms, paranoia, rage, humiliation, chaotic relationships, job loss, disease, and death. We can avoid this by doing our homework, by learning how to be good pain managers. Learning how to manage our suffering is critical on the spiritual path. However, most of us slide down the path of bad habits early in our lives in our attempt to avoid pain.

Bad habits include smoking, use of drugs or alcohol, excessive eating, compulsive gambling, compulsive shopping, addiction to the internet, computer or television, addiction to sex, money, fame, work, activity, power, or dependency on others at the expense of independence and individuality (a condition known as codependency or relationship addiction). Although bad habits are pleasurable in the beginning, their eventual evolution into emptiness and torment is inevitable as they force us to act in ways contrary to our true nature. We want to express Love, compassion, kindness, patience, and courage.

To begin the process of transforming bad habits to spiritual power, we must recognize that the pain of the bad habit is worse than the pain of healing. Cultivating good habits is difficult, but it is more difficult to maintain bad habits.

There are hundreds of good physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual habits. These fall into three categories:

1. Constructive activities related to health, work, relationships, recreation, or hobbies.

2. The habits of a seeker: the spiritual methods described in this and other spiritual books.

3. The habits of a sage: spiritual qualities such as Love, compassion, forgiveness, courage, strength, and others listed in the spiritual alphabet.

The time to create these positive habits is now. Every time we repeat a thought or action of a bad habit, it maintains or gains power.

Procrastination weakens our will to the point that we think we cannot change. Before we know it, the habit has locked us in a prison of our own making. We may not even know if a habit already has enough power to imprison us for decades: we only discover its power when one day we try to stop it and find out we cannot.

Assume a virtue if you have it not. Refrain tonight, And that shall lend a kind of easiness To the next abstinence, the next more easy; For use almost can change the stamp of nature, And either lodge the devil or throw him out With wondrous potency.

Shakespeare, Hamlet

Following is a technique for replacing bad habits with good, spiritual habits:

1. Introspection

2. Avoid everything associated with the bad habit

3. Affirmations and will

4. Constructive meaningful activities

5. The habits of a seeker

6. The habits of a sage

7. Support

8. Solitude

9. Perseverance

10.Victory

1. INTROSPECTION

Make a list of the habits you would like to change. Examples of bad habits include smoking, substance abuse, gambling, compulsive eating, addiction to sex, computers, money, power, work, and codependency or addiction to people.

2. AVOID EVERYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH THE BAD HABIT

People, environment, routines, and our own thoughts are the breath that gives life to the brain groove of a bad habit. With continued stimulation, a bad habit grows, our will weakens, and we slide off the spiritual path. However, the neurocircuit for the bad habit remains dormant in the subconscious if we give it no thought or attention. We can gain power over a bad habit by avoiding exposure to everything associated with it. Stay away from the negative environment, people, and actions that supported the habit, until the new brain groove is strong. Avoid thinking about the bad habit as much as possible. We are subject to craving in an instant, if not careful. Even a passing thought or image of the negative habit can awaken desire. The more we let the idea play in our minds, the more at risk we are of recurrent addiction. Starve the bad habit to death by inattention.

3. AFFIRMATIONS AND WILL

Review the lessons on affirmations and will to see how thought power and will power can erase even the deepest grooves of long standing habits. The mind has the key that can unlock the door of a bad habit, as a single thought or visual image can stimulate craving. We need to choose our thoughts carefully. Thoughts associated with our bad habits do pass through our consciousness against our will, however. To prevent these thoughts from becoming action, we must work against them. As soon as we become aware of the unwanted thought, we can knock it out with will and affirmations. We can invoke our will at full power, deploy our favorite affirmations, and turn to good and spiritual actions. These include constructive meaningful activities, the habits of a seeker, and the habits of a sage.

4. ENGAGE IN CONSTRUCTIVE MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES

Make a list of activities related to your work, chores, relationships, leisure, recreation, hobbies, and self-nurturance. These activities are a part of your repertoire of positive habits. You can use these activities to ward off the thoughts and impulses related to your bad habits. Such a list might include playing and watching sports, listening to or playing music, television, the Internet, movies, reading, writing, studying, exercise, arts and crafts, board games, crossword or jigsaw puzzles, gardening, paying bills, shopping, cooking, cleaning, taking a nap, getting a massage, and so on.

5. CULTIVATE THE HABITS OF A SEEKER

The habits of a seeker include any spiritual technique that leads to the growth of spiritual qualities. For our purposes, these are affirmations, will, surrender, contemplation, breathwork, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, mindfulness, practicing the presence of God, service, prayer, yoga, and the transformation of emotion.

6. CULTIVATE THE HABITS OF A SAGE

The habits of a sage are the spiritual qualities listed in the spiritual alphabet. These include Love, compassion, understanding, forgiveness, courage, strength, endurance, peace, and joy.

If constructive meaningful activities, spiritual practice, and spiritual qualities keep the door of the bad habit locked, craving is kept at bay. We are safe. On the other hand, if despite our best efforts, the door of bad habits opens, the seductive music of craving may bring us to the brink of relapse. If this occurs, we must surround ourselves with people who will protect us from negative actions.

7. SUPPORT

We need to surround ourselves with people who support our spiritual goals. Friends and family associated with our bad habits often try to pull us back. When we move forward, they take it personally. Moreover, we are afraid of finding new people. We must get through this fear to create a supportive network of people with like-minded goals who act as our spiritual bodyguards, protecting us from ourselves in moments of vulnerability.

8. SOLITUDE

To heal completely, we need to practice discipline when we are alone. This is a tall order. Many of us are afraid to be alone and of the unknown. With continued practice, however, we will gain the necessary courage and self-control to resist craving even when we are alone. Then we do not need bodyguards. Eventually, craving ceases.

9. PERSEVERANCE

Change is difficult. Some strong bad habits may take years to break. Tests, trials, and temptations come. Setbacks occur. Back and forth movement between old and new patterns is a natural part of the process. Do not give up. When you slip and fall, be sure to create the mental habit of gentleness with yourself, while using the remorse, regret, or disgust you may feel as an incentive to push you on to greater efforts.

10. VICTORY

Keep feeding the positive habit to make it stronger and starving the negative habit to make it weaker. Give the best of your effort, concentration, and attention to the new habit until it takes over and becomes a natural, effortless, and automatic part of your repertoire. Keep battling and you will win. Craving ceases. Peace and strength deepen. Life becomes easier and more natural.

The ego, in its drive for immediate gratification, gets us into trouble with addiction and attachment. Not only do we lose pre-existing strength, but spiritual qualities cannot grow. On the other hand, our souls yearn for Love, and are willing to pay the price of work and patience. As we practice the methods of a seeker, we reinforce the neurocircuits containing spiritual qualities such as Love, compassion, understanding, strength, and courage, until these become unconditional habits. In the end, we realize our true spiritual identity by reconditioning our brain with soul qualities. We do not have to think about our practice. We express the habits of a sage, the Love qualities, automatically, naturally, and easily.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

* In the beginning of our spiritual work, it may be difficult to get traction. We can gain momentum by setting reasonable goals, taking small steps, achieving modest successes, and building from there.

* The next step in our spiritual development is in the immediate moments of our lives. However, when we do not like what is going on, we leap out of the moment and back into an unhealthy habit. We hypnotize and narcotize ourselves in order to avoid unpleasant feelings. Instead, choose constructive, meaningful activities and the spiritual methods of a seeker to develop the spiritual qualities of a sage.

* Break bad habits of thought, attitude, emotion, desire, energy, and action so you can emerge from the past and find yourself renewed: fresh, spontaneous, and in the moment.

AFFIRMATIONS

I can eliminate any bad habit.

I expand my will power through practice.

With my expanded will power, I escape from bad habits.

One by one, I eliminate all bad habits.

Nothing can stand in my way.

Nothing can touch my will.

Nothing can shake my resolve.

My will power grows stronger each day.

My mind is set.

Nothing can stop me.

I will succeed.

Old friends who would have me indulge my bad habits are out.

With will and thought, I conquer every bad habit, one at a time.

I am not my bad habits. My true self is free to be warm, compassionate, loving, and kind.

I am stronger than any negative desire or temptation.

No matter how many times I fail, I will rise and conquer.

As I strengthen my body through physical exercise, I strengthen my will with mental exercise.

With will and thought, I cast out this bad habit from the neurocircuits in my brain.

With will and thought, I cultivate the habits of a sage: Love, peace of mind, compassion, and strength.

EXERCISES

1. Make a list of your good and bad habits. Which habits would you like to change now?

2. What barriers keep you from changing your bad habits?

3. Make a list of constructive, meaningful activities that you will use to avoid bad habits.

4. What spiritual methods would you like to practice?

5. What spiritual qualities would you like to develop?

6. What will you do when craving for a destructive habit returns?

7. Practice the ten steps for replacing bad habits with good and spiritual habits.

8. Keep a log. Each day you can inspect the status of your habits. Give yourself credit for your successes. Recognize your slips, but do not dwell on the bad habit; this only reinforces the associated brain groove. Instead, cultivate the mental habit of being gentle with yourself while you focus on the good habits you are creating. In the next section, we will study five techniques that comprise a morning and evening spiritual program. These techniques are progressive muscle relaxation, breathwork, contemplation, meditation, and prayer.

About the Author
Dr. Philip Shapiro is a psychiatrist, practitioner of yoga meditation, and author of Healing Power: Ten Steps to Pain Management and Spiritual Evolution. He established the Northwest Institute for Healing Power, www.philipshapiro.com

Quitting The Habit - How To Choose The Right Method?

2005-11-01T06:18:00.000-08:00

Once you have made the decision to quit smoking, you should choose a method to help you overcome the habit. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, so it's a good idea to examine all of them before deciding.

No matter which method you choose, it is important to have the support and encouragement of family and friends. You can quit smoking on your own but you are more likely to succeed if you have moral support from the people around you.

For most people, the desire to smoke comes in waves. One way to deal with those waves is to pick up the phone and talk to someone who knows that you are trying to quit. This has the dual benefit of offering some distraction as well as getting encouragement in your battle against tobacco.

Ways to Quit

Cold Turkey - If you have a great deal of willpower and a strong desire to quit smoking, you may be able to do it cold turkey. Quitting cold turkey means that you simply stop -- no intermediate steps, just going from your regular habit to no smoking at all.

Certain individuals that metabolize nicotine relatively slowly are more likely to succeed by quitting cold turkey. This is because they are not as physically addicted to nicotine as other smokers are. People with a higher dependence on nicotine may find they need to use a nicotine substitute such as patches or gum.

Slowly Cutting Down - Rather than quitting cold turkey, some people prefer to gradually reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke each day. In order for this to work you need to have a plan to reduce your smoking by a certain amount each day and a goal for the day when you want to be completely smoke-free.

There are many strategies you can use. You could smoke one less cigarette each day; you could delay smoking the first cigarette of the day by a greater amount each day; or you could limit your smoking to a certain number of cigarettes within a three hour period.

Nicotine Substitutes - Either of the above methods could be supplemented with the use of a nicotine substitute like gum, spray or patches. This helps reduce the craving for nicotine which is behind the desire to smoke. The brain has become accustomed to regular doses of nicotine so by supplying the nicotine by other means quitting the habit becomes easier.

Before using a nicotine substitute consult with your doctor concerning any health risks that may be associated with it. Nicotine substitutes are available in the form of chewing gum, nasal spray, lozenges, inhalators, or tablets that are kept under the tongue. Patches can also be worn on the skin to provide a constant supply of nicotine to the bloodstream throughout the day.

Zyban - Zyban is an antidepressant drug that has been proven effective reducing nicotine withdrawal symptoms. It is available by doctor's prescription.

Hypnosis - Hypnosis has also been used to help overcome nicotine cravings. It seems to be most effective in those who have a strong desire to quit.

Acupuncture - As with hypnosis, acupuncture works best with people who are committed to quitting smoking. Both acupuncture and hypnosis may work by reinforcing the commitment to giving up smoking. There is no evidence that they are any more effective than other methods.

About the Author
Julia's blog is online at http://www.smokingblogonline.com.

How To Quit Smoking

2005-10-31T03:31:00.000-08:00

One of the most vicious diseases in today's times is smoking. It makes a person baffle for air 3 times more than a non-smoker. It has very many repercussions on the life of the smoker and those around him. It leads to lung cancer and various heart diseases like asthma and emphysema. We should thus abhor this deadly disease and quit smoking.

Quitting is not easy But to actually quit smoking is not easy, because it is an addiction. However there are very many ways and methods that help us to quit smoking for instance we can opt for acupuncture therapy or aromatherapy. We can also opt for non-nicotine cigarettes or go for precise prescription by a doctor.

But first and foremost we need to decide in our heart to stop smoking and should also fix a day for the same. Inform your family about your decision and seek for their help and assistance. Throw away all the cigarette packets, ashtrays and lighters. Stop buying any more cigarettes. Rather think of the more useful and better things that you can buy with the money thus saved. Ask the other family members also, who smoke, to stop smoking. Keep yourself busy. Exercise regularly and meditate occasionally. Eat healthy food.

After doing all this you may still feel severe urges to smoke. You may also actually retort back to it, but that's no problem, just be persistent and bring back your decision on to the right track after this break, because most of the people are successful only after 2-3 attempts.

Be prepared for withdrawal symptoms About 80% people retort back to smoking after once leaving it and only 20% successfully accomplish the task. People retort back due to many reasons. Some say they feel agitated. Others say that the aroma when someone lights up is irresistible. But most of them do so due to the fear of symptoms that appears after that last puff viz. weight gain, aggressive thinking, dry throat, fatigue, muscle cramps, constipation, dizziness, hypersensitivity to stimuli, etc. but these are all just temporary symptoms and disappear in a few days. In fact after the initial bout is over the blood pressure, heart rate, pulse arte all get back to normal. You thus need to keep your will power strong and stick to your decision for a few more days.

Some people are not able to continue with the smoke cessation programs because they say that they are costly. But this is a wrong perception because they are not costlier than the price spent for buying cigarettes. And then isn't it more logical to spend on your health rather on a disease.

About the Author
Rob Mellor owns the www.quit-smoking-expert.com website helping normal people quit smoking in less than 7 days. Please visit the site for more information to stop smoking

Why Zero Nico Really Works

2005-10-30T02:21:00.000-08:00

Zero Nico is safe and easy to use. Each patch contains a dose of the most effective herbal ingredients, formulated to alleviate the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal while cleansing the system of all smoking-related toxins. To break free from smoking, you need to break free from nicotine. Unlike other stop smoking patches, Zero Nico's all-natural formula eliminates, rather than replenishes, the level of nicotine in your body, helping you break the habit.
Kick the Nicotine Habit Naturally
It is a well-known fact that withdrawal from nicotine is very unpleasant. In fact, it is the single thing that causes even the most committed quitters to go back to smoking. What makes the Zero Nico patch so amazing is that it combines the all-natural healing properties of a unique variety of traditional herbal formulas to completely and naturally eliminate your body's need for nicotine. Try Zero Nico, and take the first step to claiming your life back. Order the stop smoking patch today!
Consider the Benefits of Quitting
Stroke risk is reduced to that of a person who never smoked after 5 to 15 years of not smoking.Cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus risks are halved 5 years after quitting.Cancer of the larynx risk is reduced after quitting.Coronary heart disease risk is cut by half 1 year after quitting and is nearly the same as someone who never smoked 15 years after quitting.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk of death is reduced after you quit Lung cancer risk drops by as much as half 10 years after quitting.Ulcer risk drops after quitting.Bladder cancer risk is halved a few years after quitting.Peripheral artery disease goes down after quitting.Cervical cancer risk is reduced a few years after quitting.Low birth weight baby risk drops to normal if you quit before pregnancy or during your first trimester the benefits of quitting.