Archive for November, 2009

A lot of people who smoke say they would like to quit, but are looking for ways to quit smoking that will ease the irritability, lessen the withdrawl symptoms, and make it easier for them to quit. There are so many ways to quit smoking products on the market that it can quickly become confusing. If you have decided to quit smoking, you have already made the most important step. Now you need to stick to your decision no matter what happens.

Of all the many ways to quit smoking, there is no one way that is best for everyone. That’s why there are so many stop smoking programs out there. You will need to do some research to find one that feels right for you.

Some Common Ways To Quit Smoking:

1. Cold Turkey

2. Nicotine Patch or gum

3. Herbal Products

4. Hypnosis

5. Behavior Modification

6. Acupuncture

These first two ways to quit smoking don’t have a very good success rate, so they aren’t highly recommended. People claim to have a very high success rate with hypnosis or herbal products, often combining these two ways to quit smoking. Combining multiple methods may greatly increase your chances of quitting.

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

1. Identifying the triggers that cause you to want to smoke

2. Finding other ways to deal with these triggers

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

4. 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.

Lacey Wills
http://www.articlesbase.com/quit-smoking-articles/looking-for-ways-to-stop-smoking-749731.html

If you are a smoker, you must have thought at least a thousand times till now that you should seriously give up the habit. Everyone around you – your family and close friends especially – must be goading you on to kick the butt. With all these pressures, it is no wonder that you might be seriously considering saying adieu to your cigarettes forever. But at the same time, something deters you. It is the question – Many people have tried and failed. So why should I succeed?

If that is your contention, then you must certainly read this article. It is true that several people have tried in vain to curb their smoking addiction, but the real reason why they failed was, they never had a genuine reason for giving up the habit. Think about it this way. Nicotine is a very powerful addictive and it causes a false sense of euphoria in the brain. When a person is under the influence of this addictive, how can he or she think of trivial things like health? Everyone is a diehard optimist. Diseases always happen to the other person, never to us. That is the way we think.

That is why threats about harm to health alone cannot deter a passionate smoker. When smoking – even though they are killing themselves with each fag – they will never consider the toll of health. Because at that moment, diseases like lung cancer and emphysema are something quite distant; something that has not yet come to pass.

Warning a smoker about health risks is like breaking your head against a wall – there will be no effect on the wall. Indeed, every cigarette pack contains a statutory warning about it, but in my knowledge it has not deterred any smoker from lighting up a cigarette.

Hence, a different approach must be used. The question Why stop smoking at all? must be answered in different ways. Now, you want to give up the smoking habit. OK. Do not think about the health repercussions that may occur in the future; but think of your current life. Is your life what you really want it to be?

Chances are, you cannot run a mile without huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf. If you led an active lifestyle before smoking captured you, you will surely have noticed the depreciation in your performance now. Are you living your life to the fullest? Are you smelling the roses? I doubt you are able to, with all that smoke.

Then, have a closer look at yourself in the mirror. See those premature wrinkles on your face? Those darkened lips? And, God bless you if there really are, spots on your tongue and ulcers in your mouth? Smoking causes all of these and more. Smoking may make you look macho (what an erroneous notion!), but it will take away all your good looks and your youth too.

Even if that does not work, think about your kids. Now that is one thing that you cannot shut your eyes too. If your smoking were to take you away from earth, who would give them their share of paternal love? Trust me, several smokers have given up the smoking habit, just because they cared for their kids.

So, the next time you ask yourself Why stop smoking? give yourself these answers. I am sure you would not light another cigarette with an easy conscience after that.

Peter Finch
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/why-stop-smoking-is-it-really-only-about-health-274016.html

I am not normally a big fan of propaganda no matter how noble the cause, but I have to admit that the stop smoking ads have worked. Almost all of the people I know who used to smoke have either quit smoking or tried to. The problem is that many attempts are unsuccessful. I know people who tried everything. They tried quitting cold turkey, using the patch, and using smoking cessation therapy, but nothing has worked for them. It seems like either you can quit smoking or you can’t – or so I used to think. Now I realize that the choice is yours.

You see, it took me at least three smoking cessation therapy courses before I really quit. One of them involved smoking cessation hypnotherapy, and promised to be a miracle cure. They believed that by taking responsibility for smoking out of my hands, they could make it easy for me to quit by tapping into the power of my subconscious.

The results of that course of smoking cessation therapy, however, were not so good. As a matter of fact, although initially it helped me to quit smoking, eventually I did quite the opposite. Over the long run, I was actually smoking more after the hypnotherapy session.

That is when I realized that smoking cessation therapy doesn’t work – at least not for me. A lot of people swear by smoking cessation therapy, but I needed a more independent method to quit smoking. You see, a smoking cessation treatment did not give me responsibility over my own actions. I did not want someone to babysit me, to coach me, or to talk me out of smoking. I wanted to do it on my own. When I was ready to do it on my own, I did not need smoking cessation therapy.

One of the best things I ever did was to quit smoking cold turkey. I used no patches, no gum, no therapy, and no support group. It was my decision and my decision alone to quit, and so it should be my responsibility and my responsibility alone. My smoking cessation therapists always advised me that I should set reasonable goals for myself.

They told me I should quit one step at a time by tapering down. But, when I followed the smoking cessation therapy advice, I found that I was always tempted to have one more cigarette than I should. Once I knew that I should have none, however, there was no room to talk myself into one.

Ann Marier
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/tried-everything-else-now-try-smoking-cessation-therapy-111752.html

I often hear smokers say they will stop smoking when the time is right…..If you are still reading this article, then perhaps your right itme to stop is now!

When I get a call about smoking cessation therapy, I’m usually asked, “how much will it cost to stop smoking“? I respond, “A lot less than it will cost to keep smoking, and I don’t just mean the money”.

Do you really want to stop???

If you truly want to stop smoking, then maybe your first port of call should be your doctor’s practice. They will have trained nurses to help you with counselling, patches, gum and advice. This approach might work for you, but for the people who turn to their Hypnotherapist for help, this approach obviously hasn’t helped (and I see lots of them). If this is you, read on………

First of all, please remember that any well trained and qualified Hypnotherapist, really wants you to stop-smoking, they know what smoking does to people, and to their loved ones when they become ill and perhaps die. One in every two individuals who smoke will die of a smoking related disease, perhaps as young as 65 years, the average age of death for a smoker. In fact, a person dies in the UK of smoking related diseases ever five minutes….just think about that….More deaths than accidents, AIDS, drug abuse & alcohol all rolled up together….and if that isn’t enough, there are those countless numbers who need to have amputations, and those who struggle on with breathing difficulties and wheezing and coughing for a long time before the habit finally finishes them off.

Did you know that it was in the 60’s that tobacco and cancer where first linked together….no not the 1960’s….the 1760’s….yep, you heard correctly, the 1760’s. In 1761 a London Doctor called John Hill found that tobacco in the form of snuff caused pollypusses (small tumours) in the respiratory tract of many who used it.

Now just take a look at what you breath in when you take a nice long drag on your cigarette….

Information on Constituents of Tobacco Smoke

Nicotine is the most widely known chemical in tobacco smoke, but many people are amazed to discover that there are well over 4000 other chemicals produces when tobacco burns. Most of these have incomprehensible names and really only known to scientists and chemical analysts. Lister below, though, are some of the more well known ones.

CADMIUM

CARBON MONOXIDE

CARBON DIOXIDE

AMMONIA

PROPANE

METHANE

METHANOL

NICKEL COMPOUNDS

BENZENE

ISOPRENE

HYDROGEN SULPHIDE

ACREOLIN

ACETONE

HYDROCYANIC ACID

HYDROGEN CYANIDE

CREOSOL

METHYL NITRATE

NITROGEN OXIDE

DDT

PYRIDINE

TAR

FORMALDEHYDE

BUTADIONE

NICOTINE

In addition to these chemicals – given of purely as a result of the tobacco leaf burning – there are various additional unwholesome substances that may be present as a result of the plantation environment and the conditions in which the harvested leaf is stored and shipped.

Ok, That’s the bad news…but if you do stop….here are the benefits….

After 20 minutes, your blood pressure drops to normal and temerature of hands and feet return to normal.

After 8 hours Carbon monoxide levels in the blood drop to normal and oxygen levels in the blood return to normal.

24 Hours Chance of heart attacks begin to decrease.

48 Hours Nerve endings start to re-grow and smell and taste improve.

2 weeks – Circulation improves, Exercise including walking becomes easier. Lung function can increase by up to one third.

And there’s a lot more good news for you if you really want to stop. If you have the desire, why not contact your local hypnotherapist but make sure they are qualified, insured and experienced in smoking cessation therapy. I suggest you look for membership of at least one of the main UK Institutes and Associations which include:

British Institute of Hypnotherapy

Genaral Hypnotherapy Register (Registering arm of the Hypnotherapy Standards Council)

National Council for Hypnotherapy

Association for Professional Hypnosis and Psychotherapy

Hypnotherapy Association

Ensure that your therapist has a good knowledge of the health risks to smoking as well as the relevant skills and experience to offer you a first class stop-smoking session. If you know anyone who gave up with Hypnotherapy, ask them for the details of their therapist.

Good luck with kicking your habit…If you would like to speak to me about stopping, please call me on 020 8658 4290, or email alancrisp@yourtruth.co.uk. I will always be pleased to hear from you and I’d love to help you stop-smoking.

Alan Crisp DHP

Clinical Hypnotherapist in Beckenham

Alan Crisp
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/time-to-stop-smoking-62670.html

 

Everyone knows that smoking is a terrible habit. Aside from the obvious health risks, smoking makes your teeth yellow, makes your clothes stink, and it turns you into a social outcast. If you’ve already made the decision to stop smoking, good for you! Now it’s time to take the next step and establish a support system to help you maintain your smoke-free lifestyle.

People who stop smoking by way of techniques like hypnotherapy often think that they’ve kicked the habit for good. It’s important to know that even the most proven stop smoking programs aren’t guaranteed to last. You need to have help you can turn to on a daily basis.

It’s time to assemble your personal stop smoking support group. Establishing this group is easy. You already have a network of friends and family members who are anxious for you to quit. The help you need is waiting for you; and best of all, this is a free stop smoking resource!

Anyone who has tried to quit knows that one person can’t do it alone. You need help to stop smoking and to stay smoke-free, and the best help you can have isn’t sold in any form.

Believing that you are harming yourself, and exposing your loved ones to the dangers of second-hand smoke, is enough to make you want to quit. If those who care about you are ready to help you through the process, you may find that it’s easier to make it happen. Read on to learn how the support of friends can really help, and how to make your group as helpful as possible.

Seek the Naggers
Partners, coworkers, family and friends will often nag about smoking until the smoker is ready to scream. The problem with nagging, however, is that can backfire. The pressure causes the smoker to become more angry, nervous and anxious to be able to escape with another smoke. Quitting smoking is hard enough without incorporating the stress of arguments over the subject. Explain your concerns to all of the “naggers” in your group. Tell them that if they truly want to help, they should offer support and not sniping.

Be Responsible to Someone
Smoking cessation is more difficult when you try to sneak in a cigarette now and then without anyone knowing about it. By making yourself responsible to another person, you are going to have to actively lie about your smoking. It’s one thing to sneak in a smoke, but quite another to tell an outright lie when someone you care about asks if you’ve had a cigarette. Make yourself responsible to one person, and make sure it’s someone who will check up on you every day.

Hypnosis Support
The stop-smoking product or method that you chose to use isn’t important. What matters is that you are becoming smoke-free. For this reason, it’s important that the people in your group also support your methods. If you chose to use hypnosis, you may encounter people who question its effectiveness. Those who doubt that hypnosis treatments (or whatever method you choose) really work should be asked to keep their opinions to themselves. If you lose faith in the hypnosis process because you hear negative comments, it’s only going to serve to make the process less effective.

Take Advice With Caution
As soon as you announce that you’re quitting, you’ll be bombarded with advice from other smokers and non-smokers on how to kick the habit.
Remember that not every system is effective for every smoker, and what works for some may not be best for you. Listen to the advice and show your friends that you appreciate their input, but don’t discard your own common sense. You are the best judge of what you can or cannot accomplish.

Your friends and family will be thrilled that you’ve made the decision to stop smoking. Remind them that your value their patience and support, and will need to rely on their help and encouragement along the way. They’ll be happy to lend a hand.

Jennifer Taylor
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/support-to-stop-smoking-88123.html

 

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