Sunday, July 26, 2009

recovery weapon to work

Medical Advice for Stop Smoking

It is the nicotine in cigarettes that causes the addiction. However, nicotine replacement products help in smoking cessation. They deliver small, measured doses of nicotine into the body. This helps relieve cravings and withdrawal symptoms and thus help people quit smoking.

These nicotine replacement products prevent the person from inhaling tobacco smoke which contains many toxic and cancer-causing substances. Even long-term use of nicotine replacement products is not known to be associated with any serious harmful effects.

All the approved nicotine replacement products are equally effective. They are:

Nicotine Patch is available without a prescription. This patch is changed daily and worn on a different location everyday. It sends a steady amount of nicotine into the body. The nicotine patch comes as pat of an 8-week quit smoking treatment. As the treatment progresses, nicotine doses are gradually lowered. However it is not advisable for people who are allergic to adhesive tape or who have skin problems. In addition, people who experience side effects like vivid dreams must opt to wear the patch only during the day.

Nicotine Gum is an over-the-counter treatment and comes in 2mg and 4mg strengths. A new gum every 1 or 2 hours releases steady amounts of nicotine into the bloodstream through the lining of the mouth. The 4mg dose works better for the highly dependent smokers, smoking 20 or more cigarettes per day. However, nicotine gum might not be suitable for people with dentures and bridges or for people with temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) disease. When on nicotine gum, use of beverages like coffee, juice or other acidic beverages must be curtailed.

Nicotine Lozenge is also available without a prescription in 2mg and 4mg strengths. Acting in a similar fashion to the nicotine gum, the lozenge is placed between the cheek and gum tissue and allowed to dissolve, releasing nicotine into the bloodstream through the lining of the mouth. A new lozenge can be sucked every 1 or 2 hours. Consumption of coffee, juice and other acidic beverages must be stopped while sucking on the nicotine lozenge.

Nicotine Nasal Spray is a prescription only drug. It comes in a pump bottle and can be inhaled when the urge to smoke arises. This is the fastest absorbing nicotine replacement therapy. However, this product is not recommended for people with nasal or sinus conditions, allergies, asthma or young tobacco users. Side effects from this product include sneezing, coughing, and watering eyes which usually go away with continued use.

Nicotine Inhaler, also available on prescription only, delivers the vaporized form of nicotine. It is inhaled through a mouthpiece attached to a plastic cartridge but like a cigarette it does not deliver nicotine directly into the lungs. Most of the nicotine is absorbed through the mucous membranes in the mouth and the throat. Common side effects include throat and mouth irritation and coughing. People with a bronchial problem such as asthma must use this product with caution.

Various nicotine replacement therapies can be combined upon recommendation from a health care provider. In addition, it is advisable to for smokers to quit using tobacco products before starting the use of nicotine replacement products because nicotine overdose can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, weakness and rapid heartbeat.

Non-nicotine drugs that help people quit smoking are:

Zyban® (Bupropion) is approved for the treatment of nicotine addiction. It helps reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms as well as the urge to smoke. It can also be used safely with nicotine replacement products. Some of its common side effects are dry mouth, difficulty sleeping, headache, dizziness, and skin rash. People who are on other medicines that contain Bupropion hydrochloride and people who have been diagnosed with a seizure condition such as epilepsy or an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia must not take this medication. Combining alcohol with Bupropion increases the risk of a seizure.

Champix™ Varenicline is a prescription smoking cessation drug. It helps with quit smoking by easing the withdrawal symptoms and blocking the effects of nicotine if smoking is resumed. Some common Varenicline side effects include nausea, vivid dreams, constipation, gas, and vomiting. People with kidney problems, pregnant women and lactating mothers should not use this drug.

Although Nortriptyline and Clonidine are not currently approved, doctors sometimes do prescribe these drugs to help people quit smoking.

Alternative approaches for stop smoking are:

Hypnosis
Acupuncture
Acupressure
Laser therapy
Electro-stimulation
Some people claim that alternative approaches may help in reducing the symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal. However, clinical studies have not been able to prove this point.

your willpower

Medical Advice for Stop Smoking

It is the nicotine in cigarettes that causes the addiction. However, nicotine replacement products help in smoking cessation. They deliver small, measured doses of nicotine into the body. This helps relieve cravings and withdrawal symptoms and thus help people quit smoking.

These nicotine replacement products prevent the person from inhaling tobacco smoke which contains many toxic and cancer-causing substances. Even long-term use of nicotine replacement products is not known to be associated with any serious harmful effects.

All the approved nicotine replacement products are equally effective. They are:

Nicotine Patch is available without a prescription. This patch is changed daily and worn on a different location everyday. It sends a steady amount of nicotine into the body. The nicotine patch comes as pat of an 8-week quit smoking treatment. As the treatment progresses, nicotine doses are gradually lowered. However it is not advisable for people who are allergic to adhesive tape or who have skin problems. In addition, people who experience side effects like vivid dreams must opt to wear the patch only during the day.

Nicotine Gum is an over-the-counter treatment and comes in 2mg and 4mg strengths. A new gum every 1 or 2 hours releases steady amounts of nicotine into the bloodstream through the lining of the mouth. The 4mg dose works better for the highly dependent smokers, smoking 20 or more cigarettes per day. However, nicotine gum might not be suitable for people with dentures and bridges or for people with temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) disease. When on nicotine gum, use of beverages like coffee, juice or other acidic beverages must be curtailed.

Nicotine Lozenge is also available without a prescription in 2mg and 4mg strengths. Acting in a similar fashion to the nicotine gum, the lozenge is placed between the cheek and gum tissue and allowed to dissolve, releasing nicotine into the bloodstream through the lining of the mouth. A new lozenge can be sucked every 1 or 2 hours. Consumption of coffee, juice and other acidic beverages must be stopped while sucking on the nicotine lozenge.

Nicotine Nasal Spray is a prescription only drug. It comes in a pump bottle and can be inhaled when the urge to smoke arises. This is the fastest absorbing nicotine replacement therapy. However, this product is not recommended for people with nasal or sinus conditions, allergies, asthma or young tobacco users. Side effects from this product include sneezing, coughing, and watering eyes which usually go away with continued use.

Nicotine Inhaler, also available on prescription only, delivers the vaporized form of nicotine. It is inhaled through a mouthpiece attached to a plastic cartridge but like a cigarette it does not deliver nicotine directly into the lungs. Most of the nicotine is absorbed through the mucous membranes in the mouth and the throat. Common side effects include throat and mouth irritation and coughing. People with a bronchial problem such as asthma must use this product with caution.

Various nicotine replacement therapies can be combined upon recommendation from a health care provider. In addition, it is advisable to for smokers to quit using tobacco products before starting the use of nicotine replacement products because nicotine overdose can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, weakness and rapid heartbeat.

Non-nicotine drugs that help people quit smoking are:

Zyban® (Bupropion) is approved for the treatment of nicotine addiction. It helps reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms as well as the urge to smoke. It can also be used safely with nicotine replacement products. Some of its common side effects are dry mouth, difficulty sleeping, headache, dizziness, and skin rash. People who are on other medicines that contain Bupropion hydrochloride and people who have been diagnosed with a seizure condition such as epilepsy or an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia must not take this medication. Combining alcohol with Bupropion increases the risk of a seizure.

Champix™ Varenicline is a prescription smoking cessation drug. It helps with quit smoking by easing the withdrawal symptoms and blocking the effects of nicotine if smoking is resumed. Some common Varenicline side effects include nausea, vivid dreams, constipation, gas, and vomiting. People with kidney problems, pregnant women and lactating mothers should not use this drug.

Is the Thought of Gaining Weight Putting You Off?

The thought of gaining weight is a common concern for people who are in the process of deciding whether or not to quit smoking and of course this is only natural. Our health is of great importance to us but on the other hand, so is our appearance. A question people often ask themselves is - do I carry on smoking or do I quit and gain 10 pounds?

Of course quitting alone does not make you add excess body fat to your figure; it’s the extra food that you eat to compensate for doing without cigarettes. I have experienced this first hand and can fully appreciate the dilemma. Back in 2003 my children were constantly on at me to stop. This was especially true of my eldest, as she had been learning about the dangers of tobacco in school.

I have to admit that I really didn’t want to quit at first but I knew they were right so the decision was made. I substituted my cigarettes for boiled sweets and got through around half a pound of them a day. Now, here’s the thing. After about two months I hadn’t gained an ounce, in fact I’d actually lost weight (five pounds if I remember correctly).

How could this be possible? Well, I enjoyed cycling but because I smoked I had reached a certain level of fitness and was unable to take it to the next level. Now, not only did I have the stamina to cycle further I could also cover distances in far less time than previously and I felt like going out cycling more often.

I had much more energy and could run around with the kids at the park instead of sitting on a bench watching them play. Every day chores became much easier and I could get through them far quicker than before. Because I had gained a greater degree of cardiovascular fitness by quitting smoking this enabled me to burn more calories than I was taking in.

the Addiction and the Habit

If you want to quit smoking then there are two main obstacles that you will have to face and overcome. Firstly there is the physical addition you will have developed to nicotine over time. Secondly there is the actual habit of smoking itself. We are all individuals and we react to all kinds of situations in different ways but for me it was the habit that was the hardest to break.

I quit back in 2003 and I remember getting over the physical addiction quite quickly. It’s been a while but if I remember correctly it only took about a couple of weeks. It was the habit that I found really tough to shake. It was about six full months after I’d stopped smoking and I was still patting my pockets to make sure I’d got my cigarettes with me when I left the house. I would be sitting at my PC and without even thinking about it, I’d reach out for a cigarette.

Some people may say that this behaviour is all part of the physical addiction but I don’t define it in this way. My physical cravings for tobacco had long since disappeared. I was no longer on edge and I really didn't feel the need to smoke. On the other hand I was still going through the motions of a smoker. This was understandable because I’d been smoking for well over twenty years and was used to having a cigarette in my hand. This is the reason why I define this aspect as habit.

There is no getting away from the fact that if you make the decision to quit then it’s going to be tough whether it’s the addiction that you find hard to break or the habit. Just keep focusing on the benefits and keep on the right path. In time you’ll look back on the day you stopped and it will rank way up there as one of the best days of your life.

Monday, July 20, 2009

You Need to Quit Smoking

The majority of people in all honestness to themselves usually take at least two attempts to successfully quit smoking. While most people would love to quit after a single attempt, it is usually necessary to have two attempts minimum. You might wonder exactly why two attempts are necessary but the answer is really simple. For the most part the first time people start trying to quit they have an attitude that tells them it is very simple. This tends to find most consumers completely off guard, especially since it is not as easy to quit smoking as you might imagine.

Breaking the addiction to nicotine is not easy, nor is it something that can always be done in a single attempt. If you are prone to trying to quit entirely on your own with no help you will often find that your chances of success are much lower. It is almost always necessary to obtain some form of help when you are trying to quit smoking in order to be successful. This is the primary reason why it typically takes a minimum of two tries to quit smoking. No matter how many attempts you may try, it is best to plan to quit for good anytime you attempt to quit.

Being aware of how difficult it really is to quit smoking is quite significant. If you are aware of the challenges you will be in a much better position because you will have the ability to create a plan to help you quit. Knowing the challenges that you face will also allow you to create a plan that is suitable based upon the precise reason that you smoke. For example, if you tend to smoke due to stress you should be aware of what causes you stress out and look for ways to avoid the stress.

If you have a plan created to help you quit smoking before your first attempt even begins you may find that you are able to quit after a single attempt. Not having a plan before you even attempt to quit will increase the chances that it takes several tries to be successful. Creating a plan to help you stop smoking is not impossible, it merely means you need to be able to identify the problems that you could experience in your attempt to quit smoking. This means if you simply sit down and create a plan to help you deter temptations and also avoid potential problems you will have a much better success rate.

Varenicline Stop Smoking Pill

Other clinical trials show the drug's effect is more pronounced in the short-term: 44 percent of patients quit smoking following a 12-week course of treatment with Chantix, compared to the 30 percent of Zyban patients who quit, according to Pfizer. However, smoking cessation experts said the longer-term data are more applicable, given the difficulty of quitting the habit for good.

"It's not going to be a revolution, it's going to be a substantial step forward," Thomas Glynn, director of cancer science and trends at the American Cancer Society, said of varenicline. Glynn added that the greatest value will be for smokers who have tried Zyban or nicotine-replacement therapy but failed to quit.

"My bet is that it will work as well as they do and, from the look of things, a little bit better," he said.

Varenicline latches on to the same receptors in the brain that nicotine binds to when inhaled in cigarette smoke, an action that leads to the release of dopamine in the pleasure centers of the brain. Taking the drug blocks any inhaled nicotine from reinforcing that effect.

The drug also slows the release of dopamine, which cuts the craving to smoke that occurs when nicotine's effect wears off, said Pfizer research chemist Jotham Coe, who invented the drug.

"It's a shield and at the same time, it stabilizes you and prevents you from having the lows, which lead to craving and withdrawal, but at the same time, it shields you from the highs," said Coe, a former 2 1/2 pack-a-day smoker who quit smoking a first time cold turkey and then a second time with the help of nicotine gum.

One in five American adults, or nearly 45 million people, smoke. An estimated 32 million of those smokers would like to quit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking kills nearly 440,000 Americans a year.

"Tobacco use, particularly cigarette smoking, is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States and is responsible for a growing list of cancers, as well as chronic diseases including those of the lung and heart," said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs.

Quitting, as any smoker will tell you, isn't easy. Fewer than one in 20 smokers can do so without help, Schroeder said. With help, whether it's a drug, counseling or both, the success rate rises at most to roughly one in five, he added.

Both the FDA and European regulators recently shot down attempts by Sanofi-Aventis to gain approval for rimonabant, or Accomplia, as a stop-smoking aid. Both have recommended that the drug, which blocks the same pleasure centers in the body activated when pot smokers get the munchies, be approved for weight loss.

And at least two vaccines are being developed that could block nicotine from ever reaching the brain.

The FDA does not recommend that Chantix be used with other smoking-cessation products. Its most common side effect is nausea.

Ways to Stop Smoking

Behavior modification is one of the ways to quit smoking that has worked for many people. So what is behavior modification anyway? It includes:





Identifying the triggers that cause you to want to smoke


Finding other ways to deal with these triggers


Avoiding places, activities, or people that you associate with smoking


Creating new habits or routines that aren’t connected to your former life as a smoker



These changes will help ease the withdrawl symptoms, while giving you the assurance that you have a plan in place, and help you break the mental connection between smoking and your daily activities.



Something many people have done to help them kick the smoking habit is to figure what it costs them to smoke and plan what to do with the money they save by not smoking. Just think, if you spend $5 a day for cigarettes, after a year you would have saved $1825. You should be able to think of something nice to do with that money, right?



It can be difficult to stop smoking, so prepare yourself by choosing one of the many ways to quit smoking that is right for you. Commit yourself to quitting and get your game plan together. Stick to your decision to quit, no matter what happens. Quitting smoking may well be one of the biggest accomplishments of your life.

Quit Smoking Before Everyone

Definitely there are health as well as non-health related effects due to smoking. Very vital organs like lungs, heart, eyes get damaged to such an extent that effects can not be reversed if time passes and at last only wait and watch situation remains. Each and every part of human body gets affected due to smoking. Lung start crying for fresh air, heart starts complaining lung to provide oxygen, eyes starts complaining that they are unable to see clear objects and so on.


A smoker can see money going out of their wallet due to this habit. A smoker pays extra for insurance, gets less for car sale, wastes a lot of money in smoking and pays hefty hospital bills. There are so many such incidents which empties wallet. If this habit persists, money quits smoker and smoker starts begging for a puff.


Employers find it very serious that there are measurable amount of productivity loss due to smoking. A smoker wastes productive hours going out for smoking. This gets multiplied with number of cigarettes. Smoker loose concentration when there is any urge for nicotine and tries to escape for smoking. It costs money for employers and they dislike it. Many organizations don’t allow smoking near premises. Also they degrade performance appraisal of smokers.


There is a very serious long-term effect of smoking due to teens smoking. Here DNA signature gets altered and next generations get lung diseases and this is worst. Future generations can complain their parents and grandparents of diseases supplied by them which they have not generated.


Society also treats smoker as alien in society. Due to this type of dislikes, a smoker becomes unwanted entity and all starts cornering smoker and it happens after sometime that smoker feels themselves out of society and in long term they loose track of their career growth and normal way of living.


It is a common human behavior that people realize things only if they feel it by themselves. So it is important that smoker realizes surrounding impact by themselves. If a smoker does not take cigarette in the morning hours and goes in an area where other smokers are smoking, then they can realize how others feel about him/her. Smoker can find other smokers coughing during smoke; they can feel smell coming out of smoker body and all external effects can be felt. Similarly other non-smoker may be having feeling about the smoker. If this realization is there with smoker then they can take their immediate action to prevent future damages, so that they can live a life which a non-smoker enjoys.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Smoking Does Effect You in Many Ways

Withdrawal symptoms happen to most people who go through the process of quitting.Even though they may be short lived,they can be rather intense and can sometimes become too much for the person to bare.If you can make it through the first two weeks your ability to
quit greatly increases.Once you make it pass this point most withdrawal symptoms disappear.

There are two different types of withdrawal symptoms:physical and mental. In the first two weeks physical symptoms can be hot flashes,sweating,and cold sweats.You can also start getting stomach cramps as well as feelings of being nauseous and there are also some people who experience more headaches and migraines.Once you quit smoking you might potentially experience flu symptoms or symptoms similar to that of a cold.These could include sore throats, problems with your sinuses,a bit of coughing as well as other symptoms associated with the flu. All these symptoms are just the body adjusting to no nicotine.

You may start to feel emotional symptoms.This includes becoming more prone to throwing tantrums which can happen at any time.You can also feel very irritable,experience very intense feeling such as anger.You are more likely to get things mixed up and confused,due to the fact that you can not concentrate,because of all the emotions that your body is going through.You will probably become very anxious over nothing.Becoming depressed is very likely during this time of stress.

The good news is that after two or three weeks all these symptoms start to gradually go away.If you are having a difficult time with this,you may need to try stop smoking with hypnosis remedies.

People have found out that working on the mental side is a great benefit to help quit smoking.The mind is what tells you that this is not working and convinces you that you'll be better off to just smokeinstead of trying to quit.Don't give into these thoughts,because if
you've made it two weeks,you've made it through the hardest part,and it only gets easier from here.Before you give in and start back,look at what "Smoking Effects"does to the body. Good Luck!

Icig Electronic Cigarette Testimonial

I looked on the Internet at some competitors and started to see some carts around at malls and checked them out. I was turned off by the sales people at the mall carts and the packing of the other products seemed a little cheesy. The other Internet items seemed a little unprofessional.
ICIG is the only electronic cigarette that came with two whole units and it was the best price. I had a couple of questions so I went online to ICIG.net and got the phone number. The customer service was amazing. He answered all my questions and was very helpful.
That was it. I liked everything I had seen in person and was impressed with my findings. The customer service was awesome. I was ready to buy. I went back to ICIG.net to order and it was so easy. There were four colors to choose from, eight flavors to choose from and I could get high, medium, low or no nicotine. I received my ICIG in three days!!! I took them out of the box and they were ready to go! I was able to start enjoying my ICIG immediately. I put one on the charger and started using the other one right away.

It was so easy. I needed to order some more cartridges before I ran out. I thought that I would try some of the other flavors and stock up. Back to their website, place an order and poof…cartridges were here in three days, again. I thought I might need to stock pile a bit in case I didn’t get my order in time but the turn around time from ordering is awesome. There’s nothing better than getting the best product out there. But knowing that I got the best price, great customer service and continued excellent service gives me that warm fuzzy. ICIG electronic cigarettes are definitely the best thing out there!!! What are you waiting for???

Fatal Attraction

Local addiction experts aren't surprised. Alcohol and substance abuse is an increasing problem among young women. Biological differences in body size, fat-to-muscle ratio and hormones cause substances to affect women differently from men, and emotional differences draw women to substances down different pathways. Heart disease, strokes and cancer kill and cripple millions of women every year, and substance abuse is the leading preventable factor in all three.

The Price

On average, the life expectancy of a woman who smokes will be shortened by 15 years, while a man will lose 13, according to Casa. Lung cancer now kills more women than breast, uterine and ovarian cancers combined, and cigarettes cause 80% of lung cancer in women. Smoking also raises the risk of pulmonary diseases (emphysema, chronic bronchitis), cervical and stomach cancers, ovarian cysts and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Smoking while on oral contraceptives increases the risk of heart attack by a staggering 1 000%.

Alcohol is also dangerous: women get drunk faster than men and more easily develop related diseases such as brain damage, liver disease and depression. Young women who have more than one drink a day are also five times more likely to have sex and a third less likely to use protection than those who don't drink.

Slightly fewer women use illicit drugs than men, but women are nearly 50% more likely to be prescribed a narcotic, anti-anxiety or other potentially harmful medical drug - and nearly twice as likely to become addicted to them.

Genes

In women, genes account for about 66% of the risk for alcohol dependence, reports Casa. But the family link may be less genetic than behavioral. Patterns of substance abuse may be learnt or copied.

Mind

According to Casa, low self-esteem doubles the risk for using these substances, and women may be particularly prone. Many also smoke and use drugs 'to help them maintain an unhealthy low weight', reports Casa. Women are also more likely than men to respond to stress with substance use and because women are likelier to experience depression they are also more likely to turn to drugs.

Family

The poorer your relationship with your parents while growing up and the more difficult it is for you to communicate openly, the greater your likelihood of trying drugs. A family that smokes or abuses alcohol or drugs also makes you more prone.

How to Quit Smoking

You’ve made the decision to quit smoking you say? Make sure you really want to quit this time. Decide you’re going to quit no matter how scary you think it will be or how much you think you’ll miss smoking. Some people say “I really would like to quit but (you can fill in the words here)….” It’s a definite decision to want to quit. Your have to feel it! Know it! You have to be able to say honestly to yourself ---yes, I can do this!

Secondly, you need to consider that there may be difficult times in the beginning stages of quitting smoking. But there may NOT be. How can I say that? For me personally, I sort of sailed through quitting smoking. After 28 years of smoking just about every day (that’s 10, 220 days!) I quit seemingly with little effort. It’s true. It wasn’t difficult for me. I’ll explain in a moment how it happened in my situation. Oh, I remember how great smoking was! And even though I didn’t think about quitting smoking hardly ever (because it was too painful to even THINK of giving up smoking), in the innermost part of me, I wanted to not be a slave to cigarettes anymore. 28 years was enough.

Lastly, and the most important in my opinion, is to incorporate some quiet time---whether it’s prayer, meditation or yoga---into your daily and/or hourly life. I say this because you need to calm your mind down or it will be full of negative and scary thoughts about quitting smoking. Personally (and this just sort of happened in my situation without any work on my part), the morning that became the first day of my not smoking ever again---I remember how there was a calmness about me (I really think it was Divine help if you were to ask me) that seemed to come out of nowhere. When the thoughts started coming into my mind like “it’s time to have your cigarette now. It’s bedtime”, I wouldn’t let the sentence finish. I would hear in my mind “it’s time to have your……” and I’d gently let my mind rise to a peaceful place and deliberately not finish the sentence. I did this for days, then weeks. Finally one day months later I realized I hadn’t thought of smoking for an entire day.

I also want to say that, know you can do hard things. So what if it’s hard? You can do it anyway. You must have realized by now that the difficult things in life are usually---or always---the most rewarding? But, hey, it wasn’t difficult for me and you could experience something similar to what I did when I quit smoking.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Stopping Smoking - What Can Go Wrong

This isn't because it's actually a difficult process, however. It's hard because nobody really knows how to do it. Most people think that you can cure a smoking addiction by taking some sort of magic pill (be it in the form of a gum, patch, doctor-prescribed thing, or otherwise), but nothing could be further from the truth. Let's examine a few of the wrong ways to go about quitting:

1. Nicotine Replacement Therapy
Nicotine replacement therapy works by giving you a supply of nicotine that you don't need to smoke to get. While this seems like a great idea, it doesn't curb your want for cigarettes, it merely stops your want for nicotine. When you want a cigarette, you don't tell yourself that you want some nicotine, you want a smoke!

2. Nicotine Blocking Medication
Nicotine blocking medications work by preventing your body from receiving the enjoyable effects of smoking a cigarette. This has a leg up on replacement therapy because you can still smoke, but it doesn't stop your want to actually hold the cigarette and go through the smoking process.

Learn more to quit smoking

Does Nicotine Gum Work?

Nicotine gum treats the physical symptoms of a smoking addiction. Instead of craving the nicotine spike from smoking a cigarette, chewing nicotine gum gives you the same delivery of nicotine without all of the cancer-causing bad stuff.

Sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? There are two major problems with it, though. First, people end up addicted to nicotine gum, which puts you in a similar boat to smoking. Granted, you don't have all of the health problems, but you still end up addicted to something, and nicotine is bad for your body.

The second and far more important problem is that nicotine gum doesn't treat the real cause behind smoking addiction: mental addiction. As a smoker, you are trained to want cigarettes based on certain mental triggers, such as when you're out with your friends, when you're stressed, etc.

Nicotine gum doesn't do anything for the mental addiction, which is why nicotine gum doesn't end up working. To actually quit smoking and not look back on it, you need to tell your mind that it doesn't actually want cigarettes, not just replace them with something else.

If you don't solve the mental addiction behind smoking, you're never going to quit smoking. Everyone says that quitting smoking is hard for a reason: very few people actually stop smoking and become non-smokers. Most people become smokers that just aren't smoking because they're denying themselves cigarettes, which is why so many people relapse into smoking.

Learn more to quit smoking

Quitting Smoking: It's Easier

You've probably seen advertisements for nicotine patches and phone therapy programs. You don't want quitting smoking to turn into an alcoholics anonymous type deal, you just want to stop the whole mess so you can go on with your life.

As great of an idea as those programs might sound to the people who create them, they fall a bit short when it comes to actual results. Nicotine replacement doesn't work because it doesn't actually help you stop your urge to smoke, it just gives you the byproducts of smoking to try to help you cope.

Phone programs and online programs make you feel like there's something terribly wrong with you, and that's not the case. You're able to quit smoking any time you want, you just have to know that you want to quit smoking.

Remember, you don't smoke because you want nicotine, you smoke because you enjoy smoking and that's the critical flaw with all of these programs. The way to make quitting easy is to discover that, in all reality, you don't like cigarettes. They aren't enjoyable, it's just something that you've been trained to do with time.

Learn more to quit smoking

Clear Your Lungs And Stop That Cough

Almost everyone knows by now that smoking is not the healthiest thing to do, but do you know why smoking is bad for the lungs? The answer is actually very simple Each time you take a puff on your smoke, your lungs fill up with toxic chemicals, tar, and nicotine from your cigarette. And this is only one of the reasons why smoking is bad for you.

And regrettably, most of the toxic junk stays in your lungs after you exhale. In fact, more than 60 percent of these toxins stay in your lungs after you exhale. And over time, these toxins build up inside your lungs. And this is the second reason why smoking is bad for the lungs.

Excluding your brain, your lungs are the most delicate organ in your body. If your lungs are healthy, there are thousands of minute air chambers and passage ways. Each time you take a breath, life giving oxygen is pulled into your lungs. After entering the lungs,, oxygen is passed to the red blood that are coursing through your blood stream in exchange for carbon dioxide. When you exhale, this waste carbon dioxide is expelled from your system. This is the process of breathing and it takes place over 17,000 times each day.

In order to complete this process, the minute air chambers in your lungs must be kept clear and free of impurities and sediments that can block the minuscule air passages and hamper the oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange. In order to keep the chambers clear, your lungs contain a lot of of minute hair like stalks called cilia. The cilia clear your lungs by constantly sweeping impurities and waste out of the passage ways to clear your lungs and keep them clear.

Each time you inhale on a cigarette, noxious substances and chemicals are drawn into your lungs. If you just smoke the occassional cigarette, the cilia can easily clear your lungs. But if you chain smoke, the cilia will not work as designed and can no longer clear your lungs as they were intended to do. Over time, more and more of the tiny cilia are impaired, this makes the cleaning process even more difficult. Over time, toxins from cigarette smoke start to seal the tiny air passages.

Because there are fewer healthy cilia, they are no longer able to clear your lungs. So your body resorts to an alternative process in an attempt to clear your lungs; a cough. This smokers cough is your body's way of assisting the cilia to keep yopur lungs clear.

Learn more to quit smoking