There are probably as many different ways to quit smoking as there are people who have quit - and that is a lot of people these days. If you are trying to give it up, you have the comfort of knowing that millions of others have been successful over the past decades and there is no reason why you should not succeed too.
If you think about it, you will see that there are always gaps between cigarettes. Even the heaviest smokers have an average 7 hour gap between cigarettes every night. Although nicotine is a physical addiction, it is also true that most people's bodies do not wake them up every couple of hours during the night to have a cigarette. So most people could go for much longer between cigarettes than they think.
Some of the most popular ways include hypnosis, medications and nicotine aids, as well as the very popular cold turkey. Going cold turkey, where you simply stop, sounds the most difficult but many people are successful with it. However, having some help can ease the pressure and help with the cravings and other withdrawal problems such as irritability.
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is something that many people find helpful in their goal of quitting smoking. A hypnotist will hypnotize you and then give you an instruction or suggestion telling you that you do not want to smoke any more, have no need to smoke again, or something similar. They will not usually tell you exactly what they say in case you unconsciously set up a barrier against the words.
A suggestion made under hypnosis can be very convincing. Some people are easier to hypnotize than others, but it is thought that once the hypnosis is successful, the command should work on anybody. It can help minimize or even abolish cravings.
You do need to want to stop, of course - you would not be spending money on a hypnotist or a hypnosis CD if you didn't. It is also best to choose a time when you are not under heavy stress.
Aids
Quit smoking aids are designed to reduce the withdrawal symptoms from the nicotine itself. They include nicotine patches, gum and inhalers. There are also some medications available from your doctor or pharmacist. It is best to have medical advice before taking any of these.
These aids can be helpful, especially if you have strong withdrawal symptoms such as bursts of anger which could have a negative effect on your life and relationships during the first few days. The success rate of these is higher than just quitting. You should not need to take these aids for more than a couple of weeks.
Just Quit
If you decide to simply stop, you will need a lot of motivation. It may help to think of all the reasons that you want to stop, and write them all down. Keep adding to them even after you have stopped.
Try to think of positive reasons - for example, 'My breath smells good now' (not 'My breath doesn't smell bad any more' - that is a negative reason). Do not worry if any of them seem stupid. Sometimes the stupidest reasons are our most powerful motivators.
It can also be helpful to use affirmations. This works a little like hypnosis except that you do it yourself. Because you are conscious, you have more resistance so you have to do it more often. Pick out some of the positive reasons from your list that mean the most to you, and repeat them aloud in front of the mirror at least three times each day. Smile while you do it!
Remember that almost every smoker wishes that they did not smoke, but there are no non-smokers that wish they were smokers! You can be a happy non-smoker too. In the end, the fact that you want to quit is more important than which you choose out of all the ways to quit smoking.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Teenage Smoking: What You Can Do
Teenage smoking is on the decrease. While around 25% of teenagers across the USA smoke either regularly or occasionally, this number is going down steadily. In New York, the number of teenage smokers was cut by half between 2001 and 2008.
However, many teenagers still do start smoking. If you are the worried parent or sibling of one of the 25% that smoke, you may not care about the others who don't. Still, it is good news - even for your kid. If fewer of his or her friends are smoking, that is going to help when he or she decides to quit.
The vast majority of smokers start before they are 25 years old, and most start in their teenage years. Some of the reasons for this are clear. Teenagers love to experiment, and they want to do what adults do - although not necessarily the same things that their own parents do. They want to be themselves as adults, right now. In order to get the impression that this is happening, they like to do things that make them feel older, such as drinking, wearing makeup, and smoking.
It is a good idea to educate children about the risks of smoking but trying to talk to a teenager who has already started, about the health problems that they may develop in 20, 30 or 40 years' time, is usually pretty pointless. It is a rare adolescent who can think that far ahead.
Think back to when you were that age. Could you ever even imagine being 50 years old? How can they be expected to care about some disease that might happen to that 'old' person that they may one day become, if they don't die of something more exciting first?
Your kids may act adult in a lot of ways, but don't be fooled. They are only a few steps along the path from being those little children for whom time was divided into today, tomorrow, next week or forever. It is much better to focus on the disadvantages of smoking right now - and preferably, let them experience those for themselves. Show, don't tell.
Don't pretend not to notice that they are smoking. Secret smoking can lead to other problems. You can let them know that you and other family members would be happier and would worry less about them if they didn't smoke, while always accepting that right now, they smoke.
If you don't smoke yourselves, it is reasonable to ban smoking in the house for your own comfort, including in the teenager's own room. You can make them go in the backyard. This is what most adults visiting your house would probably do.
It may help to point out some of the negative effects that smoking could have on their lives right now. For example, if they enjoy any kind of sports, their performance is likely to decrease if they smoke regularly. It affects dental health too, increasing the number of cavities.
Even young smokers get sick more regularly than non-smokers. Constant colds and coughs are not very attractive to the opposite sex.
At the same time, keep in mind that they will probably quit sometime, and there is a good chance that they will do that before they develop any serious disease. More and more people are quitting every year. Any time they try to quit, be sure to give them your full support. This could involve accepting that they will be very hard to live with for a few weeks if they become more than usually irritable during this time.
Although it does have long term dangers, smoking is not the most immediately life-threatening thing that your kids could be doing. The best thing that you can do about teenage smoking is to make them aware of the disadvantages that it might give them right now, and help them if they want to quit.
However, many teenagers still do start smoking. If you are the worried parent or sibling of one of the 25% that smoke, you may not care about the others who don't. Still, it is good news - even for your kid. If fewer of his or her friends are smoking, that is going to help when he or she decides to quit.
The vast majority of smokers start before they are 25 years old, and most start in their teenage years. Some of the reasons for this are clear. Teenagers love to experiment, and they want to do what adults do - although not necessarily the same things that their own parents do. They want to be themselves as adults, right now. In order to get the impression that this is happening, they like to do things that make them feel older, such as drinking, wearing makeup, and smoking.
It is a good idea to educate children about the risks of smoking but trying to talk to a teenager who has already started, about the health problems that they may develop in 20, 30 or 40 years' time, is usually pretty pointless. It is a rare adolescent who can think that far ahead.
Think back to when you were that age. Could you ever even imagine being 50 years old? How can they be expected to care about some disease that might happen to that 'old' person that they may one day become, if they don't die of something more exciting first?
Your kids may act adult in a lot of ways, but don't be fooled. They are only a few steps along the path from being those little children for whom time was divided into today, tomorrow, next week or forever. It is much better to focus on the disadvantages of smoking right now - and preferably, let them experience those for themselves. Show, don't tell.
Don't pretend not to notice that they are smoking. Secret smoking can lead to other problems. You can let them know that you and other family members would be happier and would worry less about them if they didn't smoke, while always accepting that right now, they smoke.
If you don't smoke yourselves, it is reasonable to ban smoking in the house for your own comfort, including in the teenager's own room. You can make them go in the backyard. This is what most adults visiting your house would probably do.
It may help to point out some of the negative effects that smoking could have on their lives right now. For example, if they enjoy any kind of sports, their performance is likely to decrease if they smoke regularly. It affects dental health too, increasing the number of cavities.
Even young smokers get sick more regularly than non-smokers. Constant colds and coughs are not very attractive to the opposite sex.
At the same time, keep in mind that they will probably quit sometime, and there is a good chance that they will do that before they develop any serious disease. More and more people are quitting every year. Any time they try to quit, be sure to give them your full support. This could involve accepting that they will be very hard to live with for a few weeks if they become more than usually irritable during this time.
Although it does have long term dangers, smoking is not the most immediately life-threatening thing that your kids could be doing. The best thing that you can do about teenage smoking is to make them aware of the disadvantages that it might give them right now, and help them if they want to quit.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Ban On Smoking In Public Places
In recent years many countries have introduced a ban on smoking in public places and/or all workplaces. In many more countries that do not yet have a ban, the issue is hotly debated. Smokers maintain their right to smoke; non-smokers maintain their right not to.
Commercial interests mainly sided with the smokers. Apart from the tobacco companies themselves, many large and small businesses from coffee shops to bars, restaurants and nightclubs were concerned that banning smoking will lose them customers. Perhaps bars and nightclubs are the most affected. Smokers almost always like to smoke along with an alcoholic drink and they may be more likely to stay home and drink if they cannot do this in their neighborhood bar.
The fact that the ban has been introduced in so many countries in spite of strong lobbying by commercial interests is a sign of the growing strength of feeling among non-smokers about being subjected to second hand smoke. The number of smokers in most Western countries has been steadily declining over the past few decades as the health risks have become more and more widely publicized. As the number of non-smokers grows to a large majority, they are more strongly voicing their feelings against the air that they breathe being polluted with tobacco smoke.
Results from many countries have shown that contrary to expectation, most businesses have not suffered from the ban. While there may be fewer smokers in coffee shops and bars, there are more non-smokers taking their places.
The Ban
The ban, of course, is really just another step in a gradual change from a situation 50 years ago where almost all buildings were constantly filled with smoke. It used to be that you could not clearly see a movie from the back row of the theater because of the cloud of tobacco smoke that hung in the air. Slowly, smoking sections and non-smoking sections were introduced in most premises and on public transit, then some began to be entirely non-smoking.
In most countries that have instituted a smoking ban, the result is that no smoking is allowed in any indoor location where people work, or where the public are admitted. The definition of 'indoor' may vary but might include any building with at least 3 walls, or anything that has a roof, regardless of the number of walls. Temporary structures like tents may or may not be included.
In some cases, if a smoker is running a business from home that involves staff working there or clients visiting, the smoker's own home may have to be smoke-free.
It might be thought that smokers would just go ahead and smoke in these places despite a ban. It is true that many people do things that are illegal, especially where addiction is concerned. However, smoking is a different issue because it affects non-smokers too. In any public place there will be non-smokers who will police the ban by challenging anybody who does dare to smoke, and because they are now the majority, they are able to do this very effectively.
Commercial interests mainly sided with the smokers. Apart from the tobacco companies themselves, many large and small businesses from coffee shops to bars, restaurants and nightclubs were concerned that banning smoking will lose them customers. Perhaps bars and nightclubs are the most affected. Smokers almost always like to smoke along with an alcoholic drink and they may be more likely to stay home and drink if they cannot do this in their neighborhood bar.
The fact that the ban has been introduced in so many countries in spite of strong lobbying by commercial interests is a sign of the growing strength of feeling among non-smokers about being subjected to second hand smoke. The number of smokers in most Western countries has been steadily declining over the past few decades as the health risks have become more and more widely publicized. As the number of non-smokers grows to a large majority, they are more strongly voicing their feelings against the air that they breathe being polluted with tobacco smoke.
Results from many countries have shown that contrary to expectation, most businesses have not suffered from the ban. While there may be fewer smokers in coffee shops and bars, there are more non-smokers taking their places.
The Ban
The ban, of course, is really just another step in a gradual change from a situation 50 years ago where almost all buildings were constantly filled with smoke. It used to be that you could not clearly see a movie from the back row of the theater because of the cloud of tobacco smoke that hung in the air. Slowly, smoking sections and non-smoking sections were introduced in most premises and on public transit, then some began to be entirely non-smoking.
In most countries that have instituted a smoking ban, the result is that no smoking is allowed in any indoor location where people work, or where the public are admitted. The definition of 'indoor' may vary but might include any building with at least 3 walls, or anything that has a roof, regardless of the number of walls. Temporary structures like tents may or may not be included.
In some cases, if a smoker is running a business from home that involves staff working there or clients visiting, the smoker's own home may have to be smoke-free.
It might be thought that smokers would just go ahead and smoke in these places despite a ban. It is true that many people do things that are illegal, especially where addiction is concerned. However, smoking is a different issue because it affects non-smokers too. In any public place there will be non-smokers who will police the ban by challenging anybody who does dare to smoke, and because they are now the majority, they are able to do this very effectively.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Benefits Of A Smoking Ban
The benefits of a smoking ban are widely debated now as more and more countries institute a ban on smoking in workplaces. Of course this does not only mean offices and factories, but any indoor place where people work, including airports, malls, coffee shops and bars. Here we consider the benefits to both non-smokers and smokers.
Benefits for Non-Smokers
The benefits for non-smokers of this type of ban are very clear. They get to escape the second hand smoke that used to be present in all of these places, affecting their comfort and their health.
Many non-smokers have always hated that the day after an evening spent in a smoky nightclub and bar, their hair would smell and their clothes would require cleaning. In addition, during the evening a non-smoker in a smoky place may suffer from irritated eyes, a cough, and possibly shortness of breath and asthma. In the past these were seen as disadvantages that non-smokers had to accept if they wanted to spend an evening out with their friends. Now, this is no longer true.
The greatest benefit must be for non-smokers working in these places. Formerly they had to work all day or all evening breathing in tobacco smoke, year after year. Now they are completely free of that.
Benefits For Everybody
Apart from questions of health, the ban benefits everybody in reducing the risk of fire. A large number of fires are started by cigarettes that have not been properly extinguished. Fires in nightclubs and on public transit systems are much less likely if this type of ban is in place.
Does The Ban Benefit Smokers?
The argument for the ban in relation to smokers is that it will help them smoke less or quit, and so even though they may not like it, it is better for them.
Smokers are usually skeptical about arguments like this which remind them of many they have heard before. For example, the high taxes on tobacco products in many countries were supposed to help smokers quit, but generally they don't. Very few people give up smoking because of the cost. They are much more likely to give up something else that is not addictive, so they can afford to keep on smoking.
The ban, however, works in a different way because in most cases it does break the habit of smoking in certain circumstances. A guy who always liked to smoke with a beer will certainly smoke less if he has to leave his friends and go outside in the rain every time he wants to light a cigarette. So the habit of always having a cigarette with a beer is broken.
The ban also means that it is easier for a smoker who is trying to quit, to stay quitted. Most smokers do want to quit. One of the most dangerous times for a recently stopped smoker is when they go out and have a few drinks in a situation where other people are smoking. Their will power is lower because they are a little drunk, and they are seeing and smelling people smoking all around them. Take away the temptation and it is much easier for them to get through the evening without having a cigarette.
It seems very likely that the ban will help smokers to smoke less and to quit. It also helps to change the image of smoking, from something that every cool person did 50 years ago, to something that only a few pitiful addicts do. The tide of social pressure has definitely turned toward non-smoking in most Western countries, and this probably helps more smokers to quit than any other consideration, even their health.
Benefits for Non-Smokers
The benefits for non-smokers of this type of ban are very clear. They get to escape the second hand smoke that used to be present in all of these places, affecting their comfort and their health.
Many non-smokers have always hated that the day after an evening spent in a smoky nightclub and bar, their hair would smell and their clothes would require cleaning. In addition, during the evening a non-smoker in a smoky place may suffer from irritated eyes, a cough, and possibly shortness of breath and asthma. In the past these were seen as disadvantages that non-smokers had to accept if they wanted to spend an evening out with their friends. Now, this is no longer true.
The greatest benefit must be for non-smokers working in these places. Formerly they had to work all day or all evening breathing in tobacco smoke, year after year. Now they are completely free of that.
Benefits For Everybody
Apart from questions of health, the ban benefits everybody in reducing the risk of fire. A large number of fires are started by cigarettes that have not been properly extinguished. Fires in nightclubs and on public transit systems are much less likely if this type of ban is in place.
Does The Ban Benefit Smokers?
The argument for the ban in relation to smokers is that it will help them smoke less or quit, and so even though they may not like it, it is better for them.
Smokers are usually skeptical about arguments like this which remind them of many they have heard before. For example, the high taxes on tobacco products in many countries were supposed to help smokers quit, but generally they don't. Very few people give up smoking because of the cost. They are much more likely to give up something else that is not addictive, so they can afford to keep on smoking.
The ban, however, works in a different way because in most cases it does break the habit of smoking in certain circumstances. A guy who always liked to smoke with a beer will certainly smoke less if he has to leave his friends and go outside in the rain every time he wants to light a cigarette. So the habit of always having a cigarette with a beer is broken.
The ban also means that it is easier for a smoker who is trying to quit, to stay quitted. Most smokers do want to quit. One of the most dangerous times for a recently stopped smoker is when they go out and have a few drinks in a situation where other people are smoking. Their will power is lower because they are a little drunk, and they are seeing and smelling people smoking all around them. Take away the temptation and it is much easier for them to get through the evening without having a cigarette.
It seems very likely that the ban will help smokers to smoke less and to quit. It also helps to change the image of smoking, from something that every cool person did 50 years ago, to something that only a few pitiful addicts do. The tide of social pressure has definitely turned toward non-smoking in most Western countries, and this probably helps more smokers to quit than any other consideration, even their health.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
