Cigarette

Smoking can and does kill many people every year. Why do people still smoke? Besides being the cause of lung cancer – a killer disease, smoking is also becoming more and more cost prohibitive! At $4.00 + per pack, a two pack a day habit amounts to 4 x 2 x 365 = $2,920.00 per year! Yet, the money is really secondary, the real cost is the ill effect on one’s health, and by the way, it’s not only the issue of longevity; it is also the state of your present health and well being. Smoking saps your energy and robs you of a much greater sense of well-being that could be yours if only you could quit smoking (and get some exercise).

The plan I have for kicking the smoking habit is the method that I used myself almost a decade ago – I’ve been smoke free ever since! It does not involve any drug, nicotine patch or pill and is cost free. Furthermore, I quit on the first attempt, never picked up a cigarette again, and did not gain substantial extra weight – other than two or three pounds max!

Let me state straightforwardly that I am not a doctor nor do I pretend to be one. Furthermore, the plan I will present to you is neither new nor revolutionary. Again this is simple but effective way to quit smoking forever. Other approaches, I am sure, work as well as this one. Some of them may work faster. But, the main selling point I have for my approach is this: QUIT SMOKING THE EASY WAY is the EASIEST method to quit smoking PERMANENTLY!

The basic idea behind this approach is to gradually withdraw from the smoking habit over time, thus substantially weakening the addiction to the point that it loses its stronghold over the smoker’s body and mind. It is damn hard to abruptly stop a habit of say two packs a day cold turkey. It is so difficult that many smokers who try such an approach will likely fail, and many thereupon give up, resigning themselves to the long-term dangers and ill effects of tobacco addition for the remainder of their lives.
It is a lot easier, on the other hand, to cut back gradually over time and thereby reduce habit down to 5 or 6 cigarettes a day and then to stop completely. It is the difference of quitting a two packs a day habit vs. quitting a 5 cigarette a day habit. The addiction substantially loses its stronghold over the smoker. It still remains but has become a lot weaker and therefore easier to gain control over.

THE PROGRAM

1. The first step is the easiest: simply take note of how much you are smoking and especially note the frequency of your cigarettes. Keep a record of the time of each lite up. The basics of this method are to reduce the frequency of cigarettes by gradually increasing the time intervals between lite ups.

2. Now take the record you’ve created and average the time between lite ups. Of course, use common sense in doing this! You are not going to add the six + hours of sleep into the average. We want an average time interval between smokes during your waking hours when you are free to lite up. This last point is important because the average will be skewed if you average in hours when you are not allowed to lite up, as for example during work. Again, the average should be during the day and evening when there are no constraints upon your smoking.

3. Next, simply watch the clock! Keep yourself to the time interval that you have established. Do this for three days to accustom yourself to the program. Easy so far! In fact you have made a great start and have yet to reduce your smoking by a single cigarette! As easy as this is, please don’t cheat the system! If you have set the interval at 30 minutes and had to wait 2 hours to your work break to lite up, you are not allowed to smoke 4 in a row! If your interval is 30 minutes that means that from the time you put out your first cigarette to the time you lite up the next, AT LEAST 30 minutes MUST elapse!

4. Now the hard part: withdrawing! Whatever your time interval is; increase by 20%. This may sound like a lot, but it’s really nothing! If your interval was at 30 minutes; a 20% increase puts your interval at 36 minutes. So all you have to do is hold on for another 6 minutes! Come on! How hard is that! For an interval at 1 hour the 20% increase puts you at 1 hour 12 minutes! You see the reason why many people fail in their attempts to quit smoking is that they give up. This is not rocket science, since the only time you can possible fail in this is by giving in and lighting up again. I think most people who try to quit cold turkey feel overwhelmed by it. Psychologically they think to themselves that they can NEVER have another in their lives, and that thought seems overwhelming. They gradually develop defeatist attitudes thinking that it is just to hard for them or that they are not equal to the task. My system is so much easier. You don’t have to feel overwhelmed! All you have to do at this early stage is to wait an extra 6 or 12 minutes. It’s not a lifetime! Hence, you don’t feel overwhelmed! The downside of this program is that it does take longer than quitting cold turkey, but the great advantage is that it is for easier! Once you have increased your interval stay for 10 days.

5. By now you get the idea! Increase the interval again, by another 20%. You may find this a bit harder than the first interval increase, but essentially it s the same deal. If you interval started at 30 minutes it went to 36 minutes at the first increase. This increase brings it to 43.2 minutes. Round up to 44 minutes. Consider this: after this step you would have decreased you habit by 40%! Going from 36 minutes to lite up to 44 minutes is simply waiting an additional 8 minutes. If you are craving a cigarette by then just convince yourself to hold on just a few more minutes. Develop strategies for taking your mind off of it for that brief time. Eat a snack. As you cut back to lower levels of smoking though the method of increasing time intervals you may find it getting a bit tougher. If you do, just increase the number of days before the next interval increase. The basic method is really the important lesson; the specific timing between stages can vary. Most importantly: NEVER GIVE UP! The remainder of the program is fairly predictable: increase intervals by 20% steps – or less if you begin to find it tough going – until you are down to 5 or 6 cigarettes a day. Once you have hit that point; stay there for at least ten to 15 days. You should then be able to stop smoking completely and forever!!!

The following is an illustration of how it may work for a 2 pack a day smoker. While the key is focusing on increasing the interval between cigarettes, each % of increase in time interval should = a corresponding decrease in the amount of cigarettes smoked daily.

40 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 32

32 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 25.6 (round down) 25

25 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 20

20 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 16

16 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 12

12 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 9

9 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 7

7 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 5

Final step is to quit all together! The final step is the hardest because it is at this point that you finally commit to not smoking not just for the next interval but for the rest of your life! Yet, it ought to be a lot easier at this point than it would have been at the outset if you were to quit cold turkey. Still this is definitely the toughest point. Personally, they way I handled this is though physical exercise. This helped me a great deal to take away the last bit of craving in that crucial period. Another substitute is food or munchies. If you just eat then naturally you will gain a few pounds. Personally, I think a few extra pounds aren’t a bad trade off for what could be a killer addiction. Actually, if you eat a little more and you exercise the calories may balance out more or less.

If you spend 10 days for each step, you would be able to quit in 90 days. If you find this tough along the way you may stretch the time-line. If you stayed on each step 20 days that is still only about 180 days or so; 6 months. That still isn’t bad for the goal of staying smoke free for the rest of your life!!!! Again, this is not meant to be the fastest way to quit smoking. However, this is probably the easiest way to stop and stay stopped. I would recommend this method to anybody, but this is especially helpful for those who have already tried and failed at other methods.

Roger Leblanc
http://www.articlesbase.com/quit-smoking-articles/quit-smoking-the-easy-way-31379.html

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Alright.
Now here, I am not looking for the, "OH, YOU SHOULD JUST QUIT NOW" sort of stuff.

I enjoy smoking my cigarettes.

Is it dangerous to smoke prior to an adult Tonsillectomy?
What are the chances of having clotting issues?

If it is extremely dangerous, how many days or weeks in advance should I take a break from smoking?

I would recommend giving up cigarettes for 10 days before the surgery. Having tonsils out at as an adult is very much more of a blow to the system than if you were seven years old. There are ways to give up, such as the nicotine patches. My father gave up after having a wad of cigarette paper
lit in front of him, having the flame beaten out and smelling the smoking paper. Disgusting.

He still died of lung cancer eleven years later aged 67.
Having a couple of drinks a day is healthy. Having a few cigarettes a day is not. Most people smoke at least twenty to thirty.

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Many experts believe smoking is only about 10% physical addiction and 90% psychological. Your body will recover fairly quickly from nicotine withdrawals with the worst symptoms usually subsiding in about three days or less. But your psychological dependency on cigarettes can be much more difficult to overcome.

One way to combat this is to do a bit of self-analysis before giving up cigarettes.

Make a list with two columns. Label column one “Why I Started Smoking” and label column two “Why I Want To Quit Smoking.”

In column one, list all the reasons you can remember as to why you started smoking. Was it peer pressure? Rebellion? Did you think it made you look cool? Did it make you feel like a grown-up? Really try to remember the exact reasons why you started smoking and write them all down.

Now look over that list. Do any of those reasons still apply in your life today?

If you’re like most people, you will see that your reasons for becoming a smoker are no longer valid, and are easily outweighed by the risks to your health and your family’s well-being.

So let’s move on to column two…

Why do you want to quit smoking?

This one may seem obvious, but it can be a bit complicated. You really need to take some time and think about this. Don’t just list the obvious health reasons. You’ve been reading the Surgeon General’s warnings for years with little effect, so you need to come up with reasons that truly have meaning for you.

The things most people write down will NOT help you quit smoking…
– I don’t want to get lung cancer. – I don’t want to have a heart attack or a stroke. – I’d like to live long enough to see my grandchildren grow up.

Those are all good reasons to quit smoking… but they deal in “possibilities” rather than in specifics.

Sure you MIGHT get lung cancer, you MIGHT have a heart attack or a stroke, you MIGHT die young and miss out on seeing your grandchildren grow up.

Or, you MIGHT NOT! You’re not likely to break a strong psychological addiction based on what MIGHT happen. Your mind will work hard to convince you that it won’t happen to you! Instead, list health problems that you are already experiencing.

Your list should point out things in your life that you are unhappy about and are STRONGLY MOTIVATED to change. In order to break your psychological addiction, you need an arsenal of new thoughts and desires that are stronger than your desire to smoke.

Here are the types of things you want to put in column two…

Why Do I Want To Quit Smoking?

1. Health Reasons
– I get so out of breath when I exert myself even a little bit. Just vacuuming the house makes me pant and gasp.
– My feet are always cold. This could be due to high blood pressure and poor circulation associated with smoking.
– I have a nasty wet cough and I have to blow my nose way too often. Mucus build-up is the body’s reaction to all the toxins and chemicals in cigarette smoke and could be a precursor to serious respiratory disease. Even if I don’t get cancer, I don’t want to be one of those people who has to tote oxygen bottles around everywhere.
– I’m always tired. Could it be that my body is using up all its energy trying to eliminate the toxins and chemicals from cigarettes?

2. Vanity Reasons
– Smoking causes premature aging and drying of the skin. I don’t want to look like a wrinkled up old prune!
– My fingers, fingernails and teeth are all tobacco stained. Disgusting! How embarrassing.
– When I get on the elevator after a smoke break at work, everyone wrinkles their nose and tries to edge away from me because I reek of cigarette smoke. I feel like a pariah. It’s embarrassing to always be the big “stinker” on the elevator. I feel like I have no self-control.
– My breath is awful. Kissing me must be like kissing an ashtray. I spend a fortune on breath mints.

3. Financial Reasons
– If I save all the money I used to spend on cigarettes, I’ll have enough to take a vacation in Cancun every winter!
– I could use the money to pay off my credit cards!
– I could donate money to my favorite charity or sponsor a child. My cigarette money could make the world a better place!

4. Family Reasons
– My family can stop worrying about me.
– My spouse will have to find something new to nag me about.
– My children will be proud of me and hopefully they’ll never start smoking themselves, having seen first hand what a nasty destructive habit it is.

5. Cleanliness Reasons
– The walls used to be white. Now they’re a nasty dirty-looking brown.
– I stink, my car stinks, my house stinks, everything I own reeks of cigarette smoke. I can’t even lend a book to a non-smoking friend because they can’t stand the smell of smoke permeating the pages.

Do you see yourself in any of the items listed? You may have many more reasons of your own. Find as many compelling and emotional reasons to quit smoking as you can think of and write them all down.

If you can re-train your mind to think of smoking as a silly and self-destructive thing to do, then you’re almost sure to succeed.

Paul Wolbers
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-to-beat-cigarettes-with-psychology-51531.html

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I know both of them are really harmful to our lugs and brain. One side smoking make you feel tired after you take it which can cause less efficiency while working and also makes you cough after a long time if not quit. On the other hand, smokess tobacco can cause lung cancer, gum cancer but at least it won’t hamper your efficiency of working. This the infomation I have and I want to know more so need your help. Which one do you think is more dangerous and defective for health.

This is a really tough question, which do you prefer: tongue, cheek, mouth and/or esophageal cancer or lung cancer? Hmmm…sounds like you should just chew gum, buddy!!

Neither is a "good" idea and neither is a correct choice. Smokeless tobacco does hamper your work efficiency, you have to carry a cup around to spit in all the time. I just think you need to consult your doctor about help with tobacco use cessation. Your health is more important than a choice like this.

Consider quitting altogether-I guarantee you’ll feel better God bless!

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Obviously there are economic and social factors that preclude an outright ban on cigarette smoking. However, can you think of a plan to eliminate smoking over the course of many years?
Centurion: Relax. The question is, "Is there a way to accomplish such a mission?" A little jumpy, aren’t you?
PEOPLE: This is not intended as a debate over the pros and cons of smoking. This is strictly a strategy question.

Propose bills that would allow landlords to NOT allow their tenants to smoke in the units.
Make cigarettes SO expensive because of taxes that people would NOT buy them.
Ask family members of people who passed from lung cancer or other smoking related deaths to allow the family member’s images be used for a nationwide commerical, targeting smokers.
Institute fines for not disposing of cigarette butts properly.

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I need to prove to my mother her hair is falling out from cigarette smoking. She won’t quit and i think if there is a website that proves it she will attempt to stop smoking!

I’ve heard of it causing wrinkles, breast cancer, lung cancer, emphysema & a lot of other things, but not hair falling out. Sorry……Tell her to have her thyroid checked.

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I just put hookah tobacco in a cigarette and i want to know is it safe? will it taste like cherry’s?

eh, why would you want to? sounds gross. Its most likely not safe, since ya know, theres that whole lung cancer, blood clot, bad circulation thing, but whatever floats your boat..

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Thanks for all positive comments.

Tobacco is a very dangerous drug. It is legal and widely used.
Thousands of people die every year as a result of smoking cigarettes, cigars and pipes. The combined effects of nicotine, (the main drug in tobacco) and other gases which enter the lungs when smoked, greatly increases the chance of disease and ill-health. Tobacco is a stimulant drug giving smokers a ‘lift’.

Smoking has been directly linked to lung cancer, heart disease and other major illnesses, as well being dangerous during pregnancy for the mother and unborn child.

It is also recognised that secondary smoking or passive smoking can put the health of others at risk. This is one of the reasons why smoking has been so widely banned in public places.

One of every ten deaths around the world is caused by a smoking-related disease. There are over 4,000 chemicals in a single cigarette, some of which are highly poisonous. Examples include naphthalene, which is used in moth repellent; acetone, the main component of nail polish remover; butane, a constituent of lighter fluid; and formaldehyde, used in embalming.

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I’ve never been a regular smoker in my life but I enjoy smoking a couple of cigarettes when I go out for a drink. I may also smoke a cigarette if I’m really depressed or stressed. I often go for weeks of months without smoking and in general I don’t find smoking more than a couple of cigarettes enjoyable. I have been smoking like that for about 4 years. How much does that habbit actually harm my health?

Everyone if different. George Burns was a very heavy smoker (actor who died at age 100) Others die young of lung cancer —some who have never smoked (due to their own smoking or second hand smoke.)

Smoking is also a dirty habit. It makes you smell as well as your clothes. Let’s not forget the cost- wow. It also annoys most around you. It will also be the cause of more expensive health ins. It makes you less efficient at work and that and the effects on your health can cause you not to get hired. Quite a few employers feel this way as health ins. is already outrageously expensive.

If you’re a guy try sucking on a pipe. Guys and gals go for gum. Amazingly chewing gum has a few health benefits. Even if it has sugar in it it still helps to clean your teeth.

You can get mega hooked on them any time. For guys it damages your sperm, for gals it causes birth defects especially slow and inadequate growth. It damages other parts of your innards too. The damage is NOT easily corrected if at all.

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I’m wondering if anybody knows of data to show the contribution of cigarette smoking to CO2 emissions. There is the burning of tobacco that contributes directly, plus all indirect consequences from CO2 emissions from growing, processing, and transporting tobacco. products.

Although, pollution caused from cigarette smoking is nil. There is a radioactive interaction when it is inhaled into the lungs producing a radioactive gas. The name of it slips my mind, It sounds like plutonium but it is not plutonium. That is actually what causes the cancer. It causes more cases of lung cancer than radon. If smoking in a building, that gas and nicotine can last for hours contained in a poor ventilated area. I had to do some research with this because of learning radiation safety and reading chest x-rays.

As far as the CO2 goes, we exhale that anyway. But there are other gases that the cigarrette produces that is harmeful. This pollution is not as bad as a trip to the store in a gas guzzeling car.

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