Quit Smoking Blog Theme

Rethinking Tobacco Addiction - if you want to Stop Smoking Medication can be just the Thing

2010-07-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

There are numerous people around the globe who would like to give up smoking once and for all. This is expected when you factor in all the dangerous effects smoking can have on your healthiness.
Now that everybody knows what smoking cigarettes does to the body, smoking has actually lost the majority of its appeal. Nowadays women and men are doing all they are able to to kick this soiled habit. Actually one of the most recent methods is a quit smoking laser treatment.

As time goes forward, more quit smoking programs and methods show up. Though you might not be acquainted with it, there's acupuncture that is meant to help folk stop smoking. There also are patches that may be worn on the skin to deliver nicotine into the smoker's body. There are many gnawing gums that do the same thing. The purpose is to give the smoker just about enough nicotine so that she or he is ready to give up smoking, but handle the longings simultaneously. As far as quit smoking laser treatments go, this is among the latest approaches to smoking suspension. It could be precisely what you've been searching for.
This is just one out of many options available to smokers everywhere. Then again, it is something worth speaking to your health practitioner about. Be certain to ask him / her the way the process works, and what the hazards are.

This way you can decide if a quit smoking laser treatment is good for you.
Put simply, you could have to try more than one approach to smoking suspension. The more you have been smoking, the more tough it could be to stop. This as you body gets so used to the habit and nicotine obsession, which makes the giving up process intolerable for some.

Nonetheless with stronger treatment alternatives at your disposal, beating this obsession can be way easier than it was twenty years back. Particularly since this technique may be what stands between you and your next fag.

Stop Smoking Laser Treatment

2010-07-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

There are numerous people around the globe who would like to give up smoking once and for all. This is expected when you factor in all the dangerous effects smoking can have on your healthiness. Now that everybody knows what smoking cigarettes does to the body, smoking has actually lost the majority of its appeal. Nowadays women and men are doing all they are able to to kick this soiled habit. Actually one of the most recent methods is a quit smoking laser treatment.

As time goes forward, more quit smoking programs and methods show up. Though you might not be acquainted with it, there's acupuncture that is meant to help folk stop smoking. There also are patches that may be worn on the skin to deliver nicotine into the smoker's body. There are many gnawing gums that do the same thing. The purpose is to give the smoker just about enough nicotine so that she or he is ready to give up smoking, but handle the longings simultaneously. As far as quit smoking laser treatments go, this is among the latest approaches to smoking suspension. It could be precisely what you've been searching for.
This is just one out of many options available to smokers everywhere. Then again, it is something worth speaking to your health practitioner about. Be certain to ask him / her the way the process works, and what the hazards are.

This way you can decide if a quit smoking laser treatment is good for you.
Put simply, you could have to try more than one approach to smoking suspension. The more you have been smoking, the more tough it could be to stop. This as you body gets so used to the habit and nicotine obsession, which makes the giving up process intolerable for some.

Nonetheless with stronger treatment alternatives at your disposal, beating this obsession can be way easier than it was twenty years back. Particularly since this technique may be what stands between you and your next fag.

There's nothing like a graphic demonstration of the consequences of smoking to turn the stomach and the teen from the cigarette

2010-05-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Try as hard as you may, no matter how eloquent you may be, so matter how striking your description of the dangers of smoking, your words just can't beat an image of the effects of smoking on the body. For one thing, you're asking the listener to imagine something they have never seen. Similes just don't bring out the horrible damage smoking does to the human body. What better way to make the point when trying to keep our children away from tobacco and provoke our adults to drop the habit and breathe again, then by showing them the effect graphically?

The dangers of smoking can best be shown through images of the damage it does. Show them what the hairy tongue of smoking looks like, and show them one covered with cancer. There's one poster that shows both, one showing a whitened tongue in the upper half, the same tongue two months later, coated in yellow-green cancer. Another poster shows a young girl smoking, and, as if openings in her body, places where smoking is doing its damage, the brain, the lips, the heart, the stomach, the lung, all in a cancerous or weakened state. These are just some of the many pictures that can be purchased for instruction on the dangers of smoking, compelling to say the least, chilling might be the better word.

Pictures are indeed compelling, but just as compelling are samples of a tobacco polluted body. There is one product, a transparent, plastic jar half filled with a soup of tar, nicotine, and cigarette butts, a nauseating image of the cause of chronic obstructive lung disease, one of those terrible dangers of smoking that we cannot see with our bare eyes. This model depicts one year's use of cigarettes at twenty a day. One look at this thing, and you'll want to stay far, far away from cigarettes.

Perhaps the most convincing example of the dangers of smoking is a simulated smoker's lung. There's one that has a small set of transparent lungs, plastic, over an ashtray. When you burn a cigarette in the ash tray, you can actually watch this lung turn brown. Another one is an inflatable swine lung that has been stained to show the effects. Most cogent is the one that shows a healthy lung, pink and smooth, and a lung blackened by tobacco smoke. Makes you choke to see it, but it's designed to turn smokers and potential smokers away from this still cruel killer of all ages.

If you want to give the potential smoker the experience of smoking a cigarette, you can get a product that is a plastic cigarette. When the user inhales through it, it cause “air hunger” at once. Here's what you're buying into, a life of gagging.

All these products are available on the internet and are recommended, along with your speech and descriptions, to impact the endangered smoker or potential smoker with the truth about smoking, that it causes death.

Smoking Withdrawal Symptoms are a Small Price to Pay

2010-04-20T23:35:00.000-07:00

Doctors all around the world agree on one thing: the sooner you quit smoking the better your chances of not getting lung cancer and dying. It is a fact that smoking has killed millions and millions of people around the world and the Surgeon General’s 1982 announcement was that “"Cigarette smoking is the major single cause of cancer mortality in the United States." This remains true today although smoking-related deaths have gone down in 2009 according to the latest figures. This is due to more people stopping smoking and is a trend that is expected to continue. Young people are getting the word out because of school programs like DARE.

For most heavy smokers quitting cold turkey is not an appealing or realistic way to stop smoking. Smoking withdrawal symptoms are much worse when you quit all at once as opposed to a gradual quit smoking program. Many experts however will tell you that it is just like getting into a cold pool. You are better off just jumping in getting it over with. Even when you use the patch or nicotine gum or one of the newest designer drugs, you will still have smoking withdrawal symptoms, just not as pronounced.

We all know that going cold turkey will make you feel the smoking withdrawal symptoms stronger but what we are not told is that the symptoms will last for a much shorter period of time, just like jumping into the cold pool. If you can stand the smoking withdrawal symptoms then you can make a clean break.

Each year thousands of people quit smoking and a lot of them just go cold turkey. Most of these people succeed in cutting tobacco and cigarettes out of their lives for good. It is not because they have any special secret it is just that they are mentally tougher and able to withstand the smoking withdrawal symptoms without giving in.

Smoking withdrawal symptoms can vary from individual to individual but usually they are jittery nerves, hunger, and of course, a powerful craving to smoke. In a way you can really compare these smoking withdrawal symptoms to food withdrawal when you go on a diet. If you are eating a lot and then go on a drastic caloric reduction program you will feel headaches, irritation, weakness, light headedness, and other symptoms. But if you stick to the diet and don’t cheat you will get past the symptoms in two or three days. Smoking withdrawal symptoms may last a good while longer but one thing is for certain: the longer you go without smoking, the easier it gets to stop smoking.

You can do it. The health benefits of stopping smoking are many. Better heart health, circulation, blood pressure, digestion, you name it, stopping smoking will make it better. You will want to exercise more and you will have a tremendous surge in energy and mental acumen. So do yourself a favor. Whether it is with a patch or a supplement or just plain cold turkey, quit smoking today and start living again.

Benefits of Quitting Smoking

2010-04-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately so many people try smoking at some point or another in their lives. Although it is often thought to be cool at a glance, it is certainly not good for your health. Therefore if you currently smoke cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, you should realize that there are many benefits of quitting smoking. The key is to stop for a moment and take a look at yourself in the mirror. Do you really want to smoke for the rest of your life? Maybe you are just unclear on the countless dangers of smoking. So let's go over the many reasons not to smoke.

First of all, you must consider the your lungs. This is one of the more obvious benefits of quitting smoking. When you puff on cigarettes, cigars or a pipe day-in and day-out, this has a horrible affect on your lungs. Just one measly cigarette can take up to a full month to get out of your lungs. What many smokers fail to realize is that your lungs actually have to heal after you smoke a cigarette or cigar. Yes indeed, they are damaged. So one of the major benefits of quitting smoking is healing your lungs and making them strong again. Tar and toxins build up in your lungs if you smoke. This in turn causes them to deteriorate over time, and can lead to lung cancer.

There are other benefits of quitting smoking. However, many people fail to look at these. One is the damage smoking causes to your heart and colon. It's not just about your lungs. Heart disease and countless cancers are much more likely to occur if you smoke. So if you want to stop seeing a physician so regularly due to health issues, try kicking your smoking habit once and for all. Once you stop smoking you will not only feel a lot better, but you will also have a lot more energy. If you are like most people, you certainly want more energy to deal with daily work and running around. Smoking actually draws the energy out of you, making things more difficult.

Your appearance improving is certainly one of the benefits of quitting smoking. Think about all of that tar on your teeth. Did you know that smoking causes damage to your teeth enamel? Over time you can end up having to do a lot more dental work, which is never good. But do not forget about the "smoker's face." This is a common term used now days for people who smoke regularly. The elastin and collagen in the skin breaks down more quickly and causes severe aging to occur. No one wants this. Especially not with the emphasis placed on youth these days. So, one of the greatest benefits of quitting smoking is maintaining a younger and healthier glow. Finally, you don't have to smell like smoke all the time, and you can believe that you will save oodles of money by quitting.

Why People Smoke

2010-03-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

Some people are curious as to why other people smoke. Don’t they know that smoking causes lung cancer? Why would they suck and blow their lives away? Don’t they know they’ll get addicted and die? Don’t they realize that they’re blowing their yucky smoke at other people and exposing them to second hand smoking? These are common complaints that non smokers have about smokers, and why people smoke remains largely a mystery to them. Even if it’s a free country and we have smoking and non smoking sections, smoking still manages to cause controversy, because it brings up so many issues like health, science, media influence, economics, and freedom of choice.

Common reasons cited for why people smoke are the high they get from nicotine, peer pressure from others around them doing it, the glamorizing of smoking on the big screen and television, desire to lose weight and the inability to quit. It’s definitely true that these are factors that contribute to the choice to smoke, but this is an oversimplified viewpoint of cause and effect. People are a lot more complicated than that and everyone is different. We can only derive trends of smoking, not causes.

It might seem intuitive that smoking is bad for you, but technically research hasn’t shown that smoking causes cancer. This is because it’s seen as unethical to perform experiments in which people are asked to smoke and then monitored for the development of cancer. Research has suggested a strong correlation between smoking and cancer but research has often been plagued with real or perceived flaws in design, and so it remains largely inconclusive. Yet the idea that smoking is bad for you remains somewhat common sense, and it’s also inconclusive why people smoke in the first place, at least in an official sense.

Critics of smoking might have you believe that just one cigarette will have you addicted for life, but everyone’s biological makeup is different and while nicotine is highly addictive, you can’t say for sure whether someone will become heavily addicted or not. Still, it seems that many people suffer from addiction and eventually develop cancer as well. Other criticisms are directed at tobacco companies, which are accused by some of profiting off of death and minimizing the dangers of smoking. In any case, smoking is a significant part of our economy and it won’t go away anytime soon even if we want it to.

In the end, smoking is a personal choice, and as simple as it seems, that’s the reason why people smoke and other people don’t, and there will be some who suffer from it and some who don’t. It seems the best way to get along is for smokers to keep their smoking confined and for non smokers to avoid smoking areas, which seems like a form of segregation. But segregation inevitably comes with diversity and differences of opinion, the hallmark of American society.

Benefits of Quitting Smoking

2010-02-16T19:49:00.000-08:00

The benefits of quitting smoking are pretty intuitive, but the American Cancer Society would like you to be aware of just how many benefits there are. And while scientific research technically can’t prove that smoking causes cancer and overall bad health, everybody knows that it’s true because it’s a matter of common sense and more than just mere coincidence that smoking is strongly associated with developing cancer. But even if we know that it’s better to quit smoking, that doesn’t mean that it’s so easy to.

The reason it’s so hard to quit smoking is because of the addictive properties of nicotine. People can develop a physical or a psychological addiction to a drug, and with tobacco, they find themselves craving nicotine and developing an emotional dependence on it. At first, smoking gives people a high as the brain responds to the nicotine, but over time the body becomes accustomed to it and it needs higher and higher levels to achieve the same high that it used to at a lower level. They may also experience negative effects of withdrawal like headaches, shaking and insomnia, so smokers start to increase the amount that they smoke and it eventually becomes an addiction. The consequences of nicotine addiction are an increased risk of developing cancer, but there are many other consequences that are subtle but significant. You might find it harder to breathe, the smell of smoke surrounding you and pervading everywhere you go, your teeth becoming stained, impaired ability to think, less stamina, more anxiety, and less money due to spending it on cigarettes. And as you smoke, you’re also putting the people around you at risk, because other people can inhale the carcinogens and it can also be passed to an infant during pregnancy. Thus some of the benefits of quitting smoking are less risk of developing cancer, being able to breathe fresh air, your teeth looking whiter, the ability to think more clearly, more stamina, less anxiety, and money saved. When you stop abusing nicotine, you’ll realize that the benefits of quitting smoking extend to all areas of life, in terms of health, intelligence, social life and economics.

You can learn more about the benefits of quitting smoking by taking the Great American Smokeout Challenge, an event organized by the American Cancer Society which takes place on the 3rd Thursday of November. During this day, smokers quit smoking for 24 hours and participate in many activities like bonfires, rallies, athletic events, and talking with other people who are trying to quit smoking. It’s a time during which smokers can receive support and know that they’re not alone in trying to kick nicotine addiction.

Are Stop Smoking Drugs Right For You?

2010-02-16T19:44:00.000-08:00

Though there are a few smokers that will tell you that they have no plans to quit any time soon, most will say that they wish they could stop and perhaps they wish that they never started. Cigarettes are very addictive, and often it only takes a few to get someone hooked for life. Many who start out young spend their entire lives trying to stop. It is a frustrating and hard journey, and some find that no matter how willing they are to quit, they can not seem to do it. This is when stop smoking drugs may be just what they need to finally succeed.

It is said that it takes the average person three tries to quit smoking. These are real tries, not just passing thoughts or when someone tries to cut down. For many, they try as many as ten or more times and still can not quit. There are many methods people use and while some work for some people, there is no clear cut plan that works for everyone. Some have success with gum, and others use patches as nicotine replacement to try to quit. For those that fail with these methods, stop smoking drugs may be the answer. They can also help someone quit the very first try.

The most popular and well known of the stop smoking drugs would be Chantix. This is something that does not replace the nicotine like other methods. This is taken for a while as the person continues to smoke. The person picks a quit date, usually a few weeks away, and then plans to quit on that day. They continue to take Chantix after the quit date. For many, this has been the only thing that has helped them to kick the habit once and for all. It does not guarantee anything, but many find it to be effective and a great jump in the right direction.

Chantix is not the only choice in stop smoking drugs out there. There are some that have been used a bit longer but are not going to work for everyone. Some can take the anti-depressant Wellbutrin to help them stop smoking. This is great for people that are depressed, and some stop smoking while they are taking it. This may have led to the discovery that it could be used to help people stop smoking as well. It will not work for everyone, but in some people, it greatly reduces the urge to smoke and some people quit while taking it.

There could be other stop smoking drugs that you can try. Talk to your doctor about your options, how long you have smoked, what you have already tried, and what you are willing to do to quit. At times, a nicotine replacement is more appropriate, and for yet others, things like hypnosis can help alone or in conjunction with one of the other ways to quit will work. Whatever the case for you, the important thing is that you try, and that you keep trying until you can quit.

Paths to quit smoking Now

2010-02-06T23:24:00.000-08:00

During the past there were masses of people who attempted smoking. You have got to bear in mind that nobody actually knew the downsides of this habit. Naturally one or two decades later adequate research results were released on the downsides of smoking. While there had been at first a first target lung cancer, now the downsides of smoking are wider. It seems that puffing on cigarettes everyday leads to heart conditions, asthma, and even liver issues. Not to mention it plays havoc on your complexion. Conveniently there are lots of paths to stop smoking that anybody can make use of. Are you a smoker? If the answer's yes, then it is time you kicked the habit.

Don't simply do it for your other half or family members! Do it for yourself and to enjoy a long and fruitful life. If you are not acquainted with methods to stop smoking, then it's time to get the thin on the latest treatments. Though you'll have heard about it before, it's still wide spread and being utilized by many ladies and men. It's Nicorette! Think along the lines of a straightforward patch that is placed on your body. It doesn't need to be taken off each time you shower. The object of this patch is to supply the drug nicotine straight into the blood vessels. The skin pores absorb this essential component so the smoker's body isn't starving for a Marlboro all the time. Put simply, the patch gives you your smoking fix in a different way, but without hurting your heart and lungs. The same idea is seen with the Nicorette gum.

When you start to feel hungry for that cigar, pipe or cig fix, you instead pop in a piece of dental gum, which eases your craving since it contains nicotine also. If you are actually looking for alternative routes to stop smoking, then you must consider acupunture treatment. While you can't do this at home, you can visit an expert that will offer you more info on this way to stop smoking for good. Rather than consuming nicotine, the acupunture needles address the smoker's lymphatic system. This in turn is meant to reduce the subject's urge to smoke.

After several treatments, many smokers never puff on another cig again.

Don't wait to discover ways to stop smoking that work for you. It's best to start immediately, and avoid nicotine once and for all. You know that it is injuring your fitness. Not to mention the massive quantities of cash you spend on this evil habit each and each year. So by beginning a smoking cessation program, you will be saving a great amount of money in the long run. Start sieving thru your many options now for kicking the smoking habit.

Health Risks of Smoking Cigarettes and Cigars

2010-01-27T17:45:00.000-08:00

In the past there were so many people that smoked cigarettes as though they had no negative impact on the human body whatsoever. As time moves on, more and more men and women are realizing that smoking is worse than anyone ever imagined. In fact, the health risks of smoking are so extreme that people all over the world are giving up cigarettes, pipes and cigars once and for all. If you are current smoking, and are pondering quitting for your health, go ahead and read on to see why quitting may save your life.

Amongst the many health risks of smoking, the number one affliction that most people know all about is lung cancer. Clearly breathing in smoke that's infused toxins for years and years is bad for your lungs. We all know this now due to modern research and science. Smoking a single cigarette can damage your lungs enough to take them one month to recuperate. Not to mention the smoke wreaks havoc on your teeth and breath. Avoid tooth enamel damage and lung cancer by quitting smoking. Regardless of your age, quitting is worth it!

Now let's talk about the impact smoking has on your heart. Many cardiovascular problems are linked to smoking cigarettes and cigars. Once again, when you smoke, you inhale toxins, which can cause serious damage to your body overall. At this time medical experts have even linked pancreatic disorders to smoking. Therefore it is best to stop smoking as soon as possible so you can preserve your health for the future. Remember the saying that each cigarette takes an hour off of your life. Keep this in mind the next time you want to smoke. Life is already short enough without cigarettes making it dramatically shorter.

Other health risks of smoking involve the liver, colon and prostate gland in men. All of these essential organs can be affected in a negative way by smoking. While the liver is subjected to toxins from smoke since it is a filter for the body, the colon is additionally assaulted by the negative components of smoke that's inhaled. Keep in mind that the colon, which is also the large intestine, has to process everything you consume each day in order to dispose of it as waste. You can help keep your colon healthy by refraining from smoking cigars and cigarettes. It is just a matter of understanding the real health risks of smoking, and knowing what treatment plans are at your disposal to help you quit once and for all. Be sure to check out helpful websites like yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com, healthline.com, and righthealth.com. Each of these useful websites can inform you of the common health risks of smoking.

Making Your Home Non Smoking

2010-01-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

If you smoke, the places where you can freely smoke are not as numerous as they once were. Thirty or more years ago, you may have seen people walking through the grocery store with a cigarette, but today there are few public places where smoking is welcome. You may or may not agree with that policy, but that is how things are going. You may soon find that you do not want to smoke in your home, even if you continue to smoke or know people who do. If you want to make your home non smoking, you and your family will breathe easier. There are a few steps to take to make your home more pleasurable for everyone.

First, designate somewhere outside for smoking for yourself or your company. This should be an area away from where people walk (like sidewalks) and where you or your guests can smoke in peace. Somewhere in the back is great if you can do that. Have something outside where cigarette butts can be put so they are not thrown out in your lawn. You can also make non smoking signs for the outside if this is something new to your friends and family. Most people respect a non smoking sign so place them on all of your home entryways.

Once everyone is aware of your new policy, you have to get use to it as well. You may know that you have decided to smoke outside, but that does not mean you can shake old habits as quickly as you can put up a non smoking sign. You may find that you absently light up while in the house. Get rid of all of your ashtrays and put all lighters or other smoking items that you use in a box near the door so you do not have access to them unless you are going outside to smoke. That will help you get use to smoking outside rather than in.

You may also find that once you enact your non smoking policy and it goes on a for a few weeks, you are going to notice the smoke smell in your home is going away, but it is still in some places that do not clear out so quickly. You may have to take some time to wash your walls if they have taken on a yellowish tint, and your furniture is also going to be of some concern. Wash what you can, including your drapes, and see what you can do to get rid of the smell. You will be happy you did. You don't have to give up smoking to enjoy a non smoking home.

You can, of course, still smoke in your own home if you wish, but you may find that you enjoy your clothing and other items being free of the smell when you leave the house. If you make your home non smoking and you smoke outside, you can still get some on your smoke odor clothing, but it will not be anything like what happens to your clothes and other possessions when smoke is present all of the time. Not only will the air be cleaner, but your family and pets will live longer and more healthy lives as well. Not bad for a little inconvenience.

Hypnosis to Quit Smoking

2010-01-20T23:43:00.000-08:00

There are many approaches to quitting smoking! It is not like it was 50 years ago. In this day and age, if you really want to kick the habit, you can. So many people started smoking in the past because they plain and simply did not know about the risks of smoking cigarettes, pipes and cigars. However, now people can't help but realize how harmful smoking can be to your health overall. It is not merely about ending up with lung cancer or asthma anymore. These days scientists know about a whole slew of disorders caused by smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products. On the bright side, you can try a new-age method like hypnosis to quit smoking.

Just so you are aware, smoking cigars and cigarettes can lead to major health problems like colon damage, heart disease, high blood pressure, lung cancer, tooth decay, and even premature aging regarding your skin. Yikes! That is a lot of bad to deal with for a few puffs on a cigarette or pipe each day. Even though many men and women realize these health concerns, they fail to quit smoking because they simply do not have the will power to get the job done. Don't feel bad! This is one heck of an addiction to kick! This is why psychology experts developed hypnosis to quit smoking. You can actually go into a psychologist for sessions and be put under.

Okay, you might be wondering how hypnosis to quit smoking can actually be effective. Well, the truth is it has been proven already. While it may not work 100 percent on every individual. hypnosis has been proven as a method to help people quit smoking once and for all. If you are uncertain, you can easily look up the data that proves this new-age method. It is understandable that nicotine patches, chewing gum, and other prescription drugs fail to assist some people with kicking their smoking habits. If you have tried all of the traditional methods, it is time you tested out hypnosis to quit smoking. This could be the one and only approach that really works for you.

Do not dismiss contemporary approaches to kicking your smoking habit before learning more. Another method is acupuncture, which has also been proven to work effectively on some individuals. A lot just depends on how your body and mind react to these modern procedures. With hypnosis to quit smoking, you are actually manipulated mentally while under hypnosis. Believe it or not, but this can have a powerful effect on your body and cravings. As for acupuncture to quit smoking, this method affects your bodily functioning, hence minimizing your cravings for tobacco and nicotine.

Smoking and Breastfeeding

2010-01-16T17:14:00.000-08:00

Well, New Year's is around the corner, and you can count on it that a lot of people are going to want to get on the wagon - quit smoking. And a large part of that audience is likely to be women - for various reasons. Most of them have to do with how women are somewhat better equipped to have children than men. For instance, smoking (or any kind of nicotine, actually) does not go with oral contraceptives, it brings on menopause more quickly, makes women infertile, makes their periods more troublesome, and makes breast cancer a more threatening possibility. Women can still learn to live with these risks for the most part, if it weren't for the problem of pregnancy. Breastfeeding and smoking alongside hardly makes anyone feel good, least of all the baby. Of course there is a lot of sanctimonious preaching out there that you could read up any time you want to be lectured, but let's have some practical thoughts in this area. As hard as they try, some women just can't quit. How does it help to just make them feel bad about themselves?

We could just, instead, talk about how to minimize the effects on the baby of smoking and breast-feeding at the same time. To begin with, it isn't a good idea to just stay away from breast-feeding if you wish to smoke after childbirth. Nicotine in the milk is not an ideal situation of course, but the nutrition and the resistance to disease that it helps the baby with, are certainly noted to bring on greater benefits than risks. If anything should make a nursing mother guilty, it should be quitting nursing, and not smoking alongside of it. Of course, when you are smoking and breast-feeding at the same time, the quantity of milk produced can tend towards the lower side; the quality of the milk tends to change too. Breast milk in smoking mothers tends to have less iodine, and less prolactin, a hormone that the baby needs to digest the milk properly. Lactation also tends to stop earlier.

So how do you minimize whatever risk that smoking and breastfeeding together bring? To begin with, you need to at least cut down. The smaller the smoking habit, the smaller the risk to your baby. Smoking right before breast-feeding or during it can actually be dangerous to your baby - can put a lot of nicotine in your milk. A good rule of thumb is to wait about two hours between smoke and a breast-feeding round. That's as long as it takes for the body to get rid of all the nicotine. But if you think about it, it just happens to be an unpleasant truth that recreational drugs, marijuana and the like are not to be ruled out as possibilities for breast-feeding mothers either. Among poorer mothers, this just happens to be a fact of life, whether or not we like it (actually, they say one in five pregnant women use it, how's that?). These drugs are really addictive, and they say that it can actually change the shape of the baby's brain. If a mother is able to be sober enough to observe proper cleanliness when mixing formula for the baby, that is far better than breast-feeding. Well this is what they call a dilemma - being in a position where he has to make a choice between two equally unacceptable alternatives. But that is life, isn't it?

Methods to Quit Smoking

2010-01-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

It is no big secret that many people still smoke. However, you may not realize it, but nearly 80 percent of the human population does not smoke. That at least gives you some idea of who still puffs on cigarettes, pipes and cigars. Regardless, the issue still remains that many people who do smoke want to quit. Many of them have already tried various methods to quit smoking, but none have worked so far. Although this certainly does not sound promising by any means, there are more and more programs and products coming out all the time that assist people with kicking the smoking habit. Obviously the key is finding the one that works for you.

Just to give you an idea, some of the common methods to quit smoking are the nicotine patch, the popular chewing gum, and various supplements offered today by licensed physicians. Needless to say, if you are interested in one of the more modern medications that can potentially help you quit smoking, you must go see your doctor in order to find out if these products are right for you. As for the nicotine patch, virtually anyone can try this method if they choose to. It simply consists of a patch that is placed on your body in order to deliver small amounts of nicotine into your blood stream throughout the day. This in turn is supposed to curb your craving for cigarettes. The chewing gum works in a similar way to the patch, but may be less convenient for some men and women.

Although there are plenty of conventional methods to quit smoking, there are also less talked about therapies to assist smokers. A couple of these are acupuncture and hypnosis. With Chinese acupuncture, the smoker basically sees a professional in order to receive treatments with acupuncture needles. These hair-like thin needles are placed in the body at certain meridian points in order alter the body's needs and cravings. It sounds somewhat fantastic, but the body is a fascinating machine. As for hypnotherapy or hypnosis, this involves seeing a professional as well. The hypnotherapist will put you under and convince you why you should not smoke and that you are ready to quit smoking for good. Many people have success with this after a few sessions.

You can check out helpful sites like SmokingCessationOpinion.com, QuitAssist.com, and hypnosiscenterofva.com in order to learn more about methods to quit smoking. The last thing you want to do is put this off and just assume you can't quit. With so many new-age methods to quit smoking at your fingertips, you can certainly find one that suits your needs and lifestyle. You just have to put in the effort and look for one.

To Quit Smoking

2010-01-02T15:55:00.000-08:00

Folks in varied cultures have been smoking tobacco for hundreds of years, in rituals or, solely for the delight. Folk then didn't become dependent and didn't smoke equivalent to a pack a day. There wasn't any issue with people wanting to quit smoking.

In the latter 20th century, doctors started issuing cruel lectures on the hideous health effects of smoking, which possibly they'd just found. This sounds simply a teeny bit like the contemporary $700 bill elephant that slipped out of the sky, with no warning.

While tobacco makers are currently offering recommendation on the easy way to quit smoking, this appears a bit disingenuous, because they are still turning out cigarettes by the millions and selling them. Why has tobacco become so addictive that millions of folks that really have the incentive and need to quit smoking fail, even with nicotine gnawing gums, lozenges and patches? They can be bought at any hour of the day or night and come in a convenient, pocket-sized pack. Together with convenience and prepared availability, folks have a tendency to get stuck on 'their brand'. Some extraordinarily sophisticated selling systems are employed just for this reason.

you could even say that a lot of this product faithfulness comes from subliminal strategies, ones you are not even mindful of when you purchase. If you are a smoker, going to the mini-mart at 2am for cigarettes, aren't you frustrated and disappointed to find they're out of 'your brand' and you may have to select another. Psychologically, the other brand is just somehow not satisfying anything except your desire for nicotine.

The worst of your obsession is not because of the nicotine, but to the hundreds, in a number of cases 1000 chemical additions lacing that tobacco. Check it out, this is a well-documented fact. Given this background info, how are you to achieve success in your target to quit smoking? This is the reason why so many folks fail with the patches. This kind of product doesn't contain anything apart from nicotine. The worst of the withdrawal pains come from the unexpected disappearance of the additions. The sweats, the racing sensations, heart tremors and a lot of the irritation is a consequence of your body being deprived of those chemicals. Here is a rather unusual, but satisfactory way to quit smoking for good. Start by purchasing a pack aside from your common brand.

Wrap the pack in a bit of paper and an elastic tie. This makes it more difficulty to get at them.

You will not feel deprived, because at least you can get a dose of nicotine. When you finish that pack, get a pack of 'natural' cigarettes, which don't contain additions. Inside a day, you can begin to feel those withdrawal pains with which you can already be familiar. This is your body trying to find those additions. After 3 full days, those symptoms will go down and you may be respiring simpler.

Now, you have only to handle the nicotine withdrawal, which, on it's own isn't that bad. Drink as much water and cranberry juice particularly, to flush the nicotine from your body. If you have the inducement and resolve, this is the best way to quit smoking.

Health plans help companies entice employees to quit smoking

2009-12-27T20:14:00.000-08:00

Health plans are providing incentives for employers to offer free or reduced-cost programs that help workers stop smoking. Humana offers free coaches and a no-cost annual physical, and Michigan-based Priority Health offers classes, online smoking-cessation aids and partial reimbursement for some prescription drugs. Honolulu Advertiser (Hawaii), The (06/02)

Wisconsin health insurers to give out-of-pocket cost estimates Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Asthma resource guide for health plans Thursday, July 19, 2007

Searching for business contacts in health care? Thursday, May 29, 2008

Related News Stories Related Press Releases Priority Health Offers More Choice With Addition of Physicians and Health Care Centers to Southeast Michigan Network News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), The | Thursday, December 13, 2007

HAP ranks as No.

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Is There Real Hope, or Is It Quackery, Using Acupuncture to Quit Smoking

2009-12-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

Anyone who considers the potential in using acupuncture to quit smoking, will be interested in knowing about the Cochrane Collaboration. Everyone somehow knows what acupuncture is; there is something fascinating about sticking a hundred needles into the face and arms. Perhaps it is this morbid fascination that brings people with health problems to acupuncturists' doors, the fascinating art from the Far East. In the matter of smoking or other addiction, acupuncture is called upon for the purpose of helping with the withdrawal effects that the body goes through when a chemical that it is dependent upon is removed from the system. The Cochrane collaboration is a professional volunteer group headquartered in Oxford, England, whose aim it is to properly test medical concepts in a scientific way, minimizing any chances of bias, or statistical fault.

Using acupuncture to quit smoking has been a fascinating idea for years. The practice has certainly been shown to help with the complex problem of pain; it is tempting to consider its use in the pain in withdrawal symptoms. Acupuncture mainly works by the study of specific points in the body that are believed to be energy channels, running along the skin to the various internal organs. It is believed that needles inserted in specific points along these perceived energy channels can re-channel, repair, and strengthen the way these work, to good effect. The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) has a specific treatment system that it claims has been convincingly proved by studies at Yale.

What is it like using acupuncture to quit smoking then? Basically, a candidate accepts treatment in a group setting, 40 minutes at a time. Everyone sits in a group, and acupuncture is used. Points are located in the ear that have nerve endings that are supposed to help the body detoxify naturally, and the points are stimulated with very small needles. If this all sounds a little too convenient, the scientific group mentioned before, the Cochrane Collaboration, thinks so too. What they basically believe is that acupuncture does not have anything to offer in smoking relief; they believe that no real tests have been thought of to properly test acupuncture. Tests so far has shown that people seem to react just as well (or just as poorly) wherever you puncture them with needles. Certainly, some short-term benefits are observed; but the very purpose of a large-scale test is to take out the effects of the lucky temporary accident in scientific studies. In a large enough group, over a long enough period, acupuncture apparently is only marginally better than staying put and doing nothing.

There goes another belief system; but this only means that it doesn't reliably work for everyone. There are indeed people, isolated cases, for whom this system, as indeed any other system, works well. If things like this just did not work at all, no one would even talk about them. The bottom line is, if you believe in it, and wish to check it out, using acupuncture to quit smoking would not hurt.

Proud to be smokefree

2009-12-20T20:13:00.000-08:00

It was an experience that proved life changing because it forced her to make a serious effort to quit smoking.

Today she can proudly say she hasn’t touched a cigarette in six months.

"I truly believed I was going to die. I had unstable angina, was on morphine and couldn’t get my breath.

"I’m on loads of medication but it’s slowly being reduced and I’m making lifestyle changes.

"I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to live."

Mrs Nankervis’ health has improved dramatically since she quit smoking. Her skin is clearer and she can smell and taste normally.

She has joined a gym and has started swimming and walking regularly.

A culture-shift in the mental health environment in which she works has also helped her stay smokefree.

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World No Tobacco Day today

2009-12-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

The younger children are when they first try smoking, the more likely they are to become regular tobacco users and the less likely they are to quit, a news release said.For Kansans wanting to quit, the toll-free Kansas Tobacco Quitline (866) KAN-STOP ((866) 526-7867) provides free and confidential coaching, and assists callers in preparing a personalized quit plan. The Kansas Tobacco Use and Prevention Program manages the Quitline and provides resources to organizations, such as the Tobacco Workgroup of Communities in Schools of Harvey County. For more information about World No Tobacco Day, visit www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2008.en/. For more information about the Tobacco Workgroup, call Communities in Schools at 284-6520 or the Harvey County Health and Wellness Coordinator at 283-1637, ext. 20.

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octor says Obama in excellent health

2009-12-06T20:05:00.000-08:00

Obama has a history of cigarette smoking. His doctor says Obama has quit smoking several times and is currently using Nicorette gum to break the habit.

* A regular exerciser, Obama's resting heart rate was 60 beats per minute. His blood pressure was a low 90/60 and he has a lean, muscular build with no excess body fat.

* Laboratory studies showed a low cholesterol level of 173 and an EKG heart test was normal.

(Reporting by Deborah Charles in Chicago, Editing by Sandra Maler)

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Are you an overeater? You may be able to blame hunger-enhancing

2009-11-29T20:04:00.000-08:00

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds women who quit smoking reduce their risk of death from heart disease within five years, and also lower their risk of death from smoking-related cancers. doctors say.

Although damage from smoking is not totally reversible, this study shows women who quit still had a better chance of living healthier lives, than those who kept on smoking.

Travel Smoke-Free this Summer

2009-11-22T20:02:00.000-08:00

The smoking ban is especially timely as many families are planning their summer road trips and vacations. Smokers who are planning to quit or reduce their cigarette consumption while vacationing or on the road are likely dreading the stress associated with travel and the inevitable chorus of "Are we there yet?" from their kids. The following tips can help smokers control their cravings while travelling this summer: . Set a personal goal Make this summer the season to quit and use your road trip or vacation as an opportunity to change your routine. . Be patient with cravings When you want a cigarette, wait a few minutes - a nicotine craving usually last three to five minutes. Do something else instead of smoking; try chewing gum or drinking water. Be sure to pack enough supply for your entire road trip.

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Using A Quit Smoking Forum

2009-11-16T18:02:00.000-08:00

If you were to go out and take a poll asking people of the one bad habit they want to get rid of as soon as they can, they will probably tell you that they want to quit smoking. They will also tell you that they feel it is one of the hardest things to do, and perhaps they have tried and failed many times. It is true that quitting is very hard, and most people that do successfully quit have had to try time and time again before they got it right. When quitting, it is important to use all of the tools you can find to give it your best go. Anyone wishing to give up the cigarettes should think about using a quit smoking forum as an extra tool for success.

A quit smoking forum is just one tool that will help a smoker when they are feeling weak or fighting off the physical symptoms that come from nicotine and smoke withdrawal. These are hard things to deal with and can effect someone in many ways. For one, someone who is quitting can have a hard time sleeping for the first few weeks. They are going to have bad cravings, even when they are using nicotine replacement. Smoking is about the habit as well as the drug, so there are those things to fight through as well. Forums can offer support when no one or nothing else can.

If you are having a craving in the middle of the night, it might be very hard to wake up your spouse or someone you are leaning on for support. Instead of this, you can go to online quite smoking forum areas to find someone that is awake and willing to talk to you. You can even just go there and read through old threads and messages for support to help you avoid giving in and having a cigarette. Chances are good that if you choose one that has enough members that someone is always going to be online, even when you think it is the middle of the night and everyone is sleeping. They may be having the same problem you are and are awake and looking for support.

There are a few interesting things that you can find on a quality quit smoking forum. For one, you are going to find good articles that show you why it is a good idea to quit and what smoking has been doing to your body. These should be in a prominent place on the forums so that you see them when you log on and so you can read them easily and quickly when you get there. You can find all types of hints, tricks, and guides on a good forum.

The best way to navigate a quit smoking forum is to be too the point, polite, and helpful. If you go on with an attitude, you may get the same back from everyone else. Anyone who is quitting smoking has problems with aggression in moments of weakness, so if you start showing that everyone else will do the same. If you want to vent, do not make it personal to anyone on the quit smoking forum you are using. Instead, talk about how frustrated you are and then thank those that have showed up to offer you support. Who knows? This type of forum may be what makes the difference between success and failure when you are trying to kick the habit for good.

The walls come down

2009-11-15T20:01:00.000-08:00

It may also deter smokers who are trying to quit, from buying a pack.The banning of smoking in public places and workplaces, negative advertising on cigarette packages, and numerous anti-smoking programs have all contributed in reducing the number of smokers in Ontario. This is just another step towards making Ontario smoke-free.While retailers may feel some pain from this decision we're sure those who opt to use the powerwall space for other “impulse" items will quickly make up the difference in any lost revenue.We hope this “out of sight, out of mind" approach leads to what we eventually would like to see— getting tobacco products out of people's hands altogether.

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Mauritius urges youth not to smoke

2009-11-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

Speaking at a rally on Friday at the auditorium of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Moka, in central Mauritius where a national programme to quit smoking was launc h ed, the Minister said the aim was to sensitise young people on the dangers of sm o king and the importance to remain tobacco-free for a lifetime."We want our students and youth to adopt behaviours that protect their health and well-being, for tobacco kills more than AIDS, illegal drugs, road accidents, murder and suicide taken together," he emphasised.Faugoo added that the problem of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, commonly known as second-hand smoke, needs to be given due consideration, for non-smokers exposed to tobacco smoke run similar risk as smokers of contracting tobacco-r e lated health problems.The Minister announced that his ministry is revising the existing tobacco regulations to make them compliant to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control."We aim at reducing both the supply and demand of tobacco products on the local market," he declared.Mauritius ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2004 and a National Plan of Action on tobacco control for the period 2007-2011 has already been put in place. Port-Louis - 31/05/2008Pana < Préc .

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Quit Smoking - Prepare To Succeed

2009-11-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

For many smokers the will to give up smoking is strong yet it appears irrespective of what they do, they just cannot seem to break this devastating habit. The incapability to give up smoking causes many to secretly belittle themselves and curse their appearing weakness. For others it appears they just wake up one morning and decide to give up smoking. What makes the difference in these people? Is someone that makes a decision to give up smoking like this a more robust person than the one that still has to become a non-smoker? Let's evaluate. First off, most of the people even smokers don't truly enjoy smoking. Nicotine is very addictive, and breaking this obsession by not smoking can be very trying and tricky. So, if you are one who has still to stop smoking don't criticize or belittle yourself. Yes, nicotine is addictive, but it is an obsession that may be damaged. All these helps do have merit.

One part is imperative if any of these helps are to work for the person which has formerly attempted to stop smoking and failed.

This part is your perspective. Before you even begin the process to give up smoking, you will likely need some adjustments in your angle. The way to start to prepare yourself is to come to certain realizations. You can not give up because your heavy other wants you to give up smoking. Most likely fear isn't a good incentive for you either. You have developed a powerful will to resume, although you criticize yourself for it.

So, for you the call to give up smoking must be accompanied by a will that's just as powerful, if not stronger than your current will to give up smoking. Most will tell you to set a quit date at least ten days out, and do not really quit smoking till your give up date. It is also suggested that cold turkey is the most successful give up trail. During those days before your actual give up smoking target date, you are mentally preparing yourself to be free from smoking. This has got to be a robust call that only you can make for yourself. To steer you to the strength you want to effectively stop smoking, you will have to guage yourself and the genuine reasons for why you're still smoking. This isn't a straightforward task for most but once they have listed all of the true reasons, and have adopted the psychological perspective to replace smoking with other items which will supply better benefits, the job of quitting becomes far easier. Once your give up smoking date arrives, you may wish to use some of the AIDS debated above to boost your success rate.

The point is that if you have correctly done your preparation previously your opportunity for success will be seriously improved. Remember, the body and mind prosper and accommodate whatever substance you give it. You can give up smoking.

Women’s heart risks decrease quickly after quitting smoking

2009-11-01T19:56:00.000-08:00

There's good news for women who want to quit smoking. According to a new study published in JAMA, within just five years of giving up smoking entirely, womens' risk of death from heart disease or stroke starts to decrease significantly. In fact, after five smoke-free years, women reach 61% of their full potential to reduce risk of death from heart disease, and 42% of the full potential benefit in protecting against death from stroke.

For the study, researchers assessed the smoking habits of, and cause of death for, 12,483 women. They found that 64% of the deaths in actively smoking women were directly connected to cigarette smoking compared to only 28% of the deaths in former smokers.

The researchers also found that the risk of death from heart disease or stroke reduced much faster than that from lung disease or cancer.

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Disappointed at disregard for smoking ban

2009-10-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

Although my husband smokes he is very much supportive of the smoking ban here in Illinois. I quit smoking nearly four years ago and since then find it offensive to be in an enclosed area when there is smoking, whether it's a restaurant or a bar.

We arrived at the night club in Fort Wayne only to learn from the door man that they do not "enforce" the smoking ban. Once the band's lead singer lit up his first cigarette the crowd started to light up, as well. My husband asked a few groups surrounding us to kindly put them out, but that didn't stop nearly the entire crowd from lighting up.

I asked one of the security guards if he noticed or cared to enforced the smoking ban. With a sarcastic grin, his response was, "I don't see anyone smoking." As the night proceeded it was clear that the ban was not a law but a joke in Fort Wayne.

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Woman kicks the habit for more than just health

2009-10-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

Bailey starting smoking at age 12. "Back then it was cool." By 14, she was smoking a pack of Kools daily. The divorced mother of three quit during her pregnancies in the 1980s. After her first child was born, "I had an ashtray sent to my room," she says. "You could still smoke in the hospital then." She quit for a few years after the last kid, then pretty much smoked nonstop in the 20 years since. "Always menthol. The kind that crystalizes your lungs," she says. "When I've tried to quit in the past, I drove everybody else crazy. My kids would say. ‘Go buy yourself a pack.'" She'd obey. Still, she didn't want to end up like her mom, who smoked for 60 years and died of lung cancer two years ago. "Mom's death had a huge impact on me, watching her die. I held her hand while she died." She tried to quit after that.

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Give up smoking for the holidays? Ironically, this may be your best opportunity to quit for good!

2009-10-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of smokers, just like you, who have a desire to quit this bad habit. When it comes time that you decide to give up smoking, there's always that element of timing. You're going on vacation next week. You're going back to school to train for a new career. You've invited guests for the weekend. You're too stressed out at your job. You know the drill. It seems that there's always some reason that makes this a bad time to try to give up smoking. While you might genuinely want to quit smoking, it's far easier to rationalize that 'this just isn't the time' and put the whole idea on the back burner. The usual result? You put it off for a 'better time'. Here we've got a novel idea that turns that rationalization on its head – and works!

When people make an attempt to quit smoking, one of the major obstacles involves keeping your hands busy and your mind distracted from cigarettes. You may do a little housework, then give yourself a break – hey, why not have a smoke and a cup of coffee? Smokers all have 'triggers' that put a cigarette at the front of their consciousness. Coffee, tasks which require focus and concentration, the famous after-meal smoke ... these are common triggers to light up. Becoming aware of all of your triggers is helpful in any attempt to give up smoking.

Now, during the holiday season, most of us don't have time on our hands. In fact, we find our plates full of tasks to ready our homes for the holiday season, including decorating, menu planning, shopping and gift wrapping. Many of us also get the urge to clean up accumulated clutter, straighten up linen closets, lest visitors should inadvertently see such un-festive touches and think you're a poor housekeeper. Notice what all of these holiday preparations have in common: your hands are busy and your mind is sufficiently occupied to keep those thoughts of a smoke at bay. When you consider a 'right time' to give up smoking, the holidays may, paradoxically, be the perfect time.

When you want to – successfully - give up smoking, it's really not quite as simple as the 'mind over matter' concept. You've got to use a few psychological tricks on yourself to help you along. If your morning cup of Joe is the usual partner for a smoke, try switching drinks. Have a cup of tea, juice or a smoothie instead. Changing rituals is an important component. How about that 'inevitable' after-meal cigarette? Why not plan an alternate activity that immediately follows the meal. The holidays are perfect for playing board games, checkers, chess or card games. Have the game table ready to go, serving a beverage that isn't one of your triggers.

Following a rigorous housecleaning session, relax in the bath with a magazine or book. Bubble bath or herbal bath sachets help you to relax and remind you that these scents are far more attractive than a burning cigarette. Besides, it's kind of hard to smoke with wet hands!

Group family activities, such as decorating the tree, hanging lights and gift wrapping for friends and relatives helps keep you occupied – and honest.

The busier you are, occupied with activities you enjoy, the less likely it is that your mind will drift to that smoke! When you decide to give up smoking, make the first several days packed with non-stop activities. If you can resist smoking for just three days, you're over the worst. You'll find that you sleep better, breathe easier and think less and less of smoking. After three weeks, you're 'clean'.

Choosing to give up smoking during the holidays may, ironically, be the magic bullet you've been looking for all these years! As for your New Year's resolutions, that list will be one item shorter. See if this upside-down strategy doesn't work for you!

Red FM Quit Smoking Express hits the streets - RED FM to spread

2009-10-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

Red FM has joined hands with Pfizer, Salaam Bombay, and BMC to organize a Quit Smoking Express, which will spread awareness about the hazards of smoking amongst the youth. Starting from May 25th, this campaign comprising of on air and on ground elements will culminate on May 31st in the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Want to quit smoking for good? Motivation and a good support system is the answer

2009-10-11T02:07:00.000-07:00

Smoking is a bad habit. It's an invitation to dire health problems down the road, unattractive and expensive. Cigarette companies have done their darndest to encourage sales and continuation of this nasty habit, despite being legally barred from advertising in the magazine and television ads of the past. Cigarette smoking is a generational problem.

Not until the early 1970s was cigarette smoking revealed to be the culprit behind lung cancer, emphysema and COPD. By this time, there were hundreds of millions of cigarette addicts, now looking for a way out of this life-sapping addiction. Children learn by example. Many of the cigarette smoker's children took up the habit as a result. They got hooked too. Even when their parents quit smoking for good, their kids did not. “Hey, my Mom smoked for thirty years and she's doing just fine. It can't be that bad!”

No matter what generation you belong to, if you're still smoking, it will catch up to you in some very unpleasant health consequences, in the future. If you want to quit smoking for good, and make an airtight case for your kids and grandkids to do the same, you need to be motivated, educated and have a good support system to make it happen.

Motivation is perhaps the easiest step in your journey to quit smoking for good. Try a Google image search of 'lung cancer effects', 'emphysema' and 'COPD breathing'. This five minute exercise ought to knock your socks off. If you're also desirous of spreading the news, print out a few of the choicest images and share them with family members you hope to inspire to also quit smoking for good. It's a good idea to create a file folder, on your PC and in hard copy format. It's enough to turn your stomach. Share the results with your currently smoking loved ones.

If this is not sufficient motivation, use Google to collect information on the scientific facts and consequences of smoking.

Now that you're motivated, check out some of the quit smoking forums and discussion groups. You'll find thousands of people, who have been smoking for decades. You'll hear horror stories of the 'based on a true story' type that will surely bolster your motivation to quit smoking for good. You'll also discover success stories in people who managed to quit smoking before it was too late. You'll learn tricks and tips from former smokers that may help you overcome the smoking habit. Smoking forums, message groups and other smoking information venues can provide plenty of support. You'll find people just like you, still smoking, but desiring to quit smoking for good. You know that you can use all the help you can get!

When you've found several forums, message boards and quit smoking informational articles, copy and paste the most relevant remarks in your PC folder. Print it all out. Tape your motivational quotes, scientific studies and pictures of smoking members of your family on the frig, or prominently displayed around your desk.

If you want to quit smoking for good, this ought to do it! If you absolutely need to substitute food for smokes, do it! If you gain a few pounds in the process of quitting cigarettes, that's a far easier task than quitting smoking.

Quit smoking for good and take a few loved ones with you!

Smell's back no ifs, no butts

2009-10-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

Mrs McLaren-Salter, a Wairarapa Hospital orthopaedic nurse specialist, quit smoking just four weeks ago, and is emphatic she will never smoke again in her life.

"I've tried more than 10 times to give up, and briefly succeeded several times before getting sucked back in," she said.

"This time it's different. I read Alan Carr's book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking and it's completely changed the way I think about cigarettes.

Trying to ditch the smoking habit? Quit smoking helplines are awesome sources of compassionate and practical support!

2009-10-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has ever smoked for more than a year can tell you that quitting smoking is anything but easy. Most smokers acquired the habit while it was considered to be cool, in their peer group.

Before you blow the trumpet, declaring, “I'm quitting!”, you must know why you want to quit. What's your personal motivation? Give this a good deal of thought. Make a list of all the reasons that matter to you. Remember, once you've publicly advertised, to friends, family and co-workers, your commitment to quit, all eyes will be upon you.

Political correctness is certainly a two-edged sword! Once upon a time, the tobacco lobbyists were in their heyday, gaining favors via low taxation, and freely advertising their poisonous products via magazine and TV ads. The FDA looked the other way as cigarette manufacturers loaded their product with more dangerous and addictive chemicals than you might ever imagine. All included to really get you on the hook.

Then we began to hear of the link between smoking and lung cancer. It wasn't long before smoking became a social stigma issue. People who hadn't taken up the habit now had a PC social edge over these ignorant smokers, adopting the holier-than-thou attitude. This social divide only served to alienate the smoker. Some people chose to continue smoking as a simple act of social rebellion.

Fortunately, for wannabee quitters, quit smoking helplines, with a mission to actually help people quit without being judgmental, began springing up everywhere. The quit smoking helplines are a terrific front line of defense. Unlike your sister, brother or a friend, the staff on the quit smoking helplines won't tire of your calls, whining – sure, it happens – about how much you want a smoke now, at 3am! Any smoker or successful quitter knows that major troubles usually arise first thing in the morning, after meals, or in the wee hours. Like Pavlov's dog, you're conditioned to expect to give a particular response to a certain trigger.

The quit smoking helplines are designed to be like a 'buddy' system, a sort of smoker's 9-1-1, when you are biting your nails, pulling your hair and more than ready to go out to the all night mini mart for some smokes. It's funny to realize that the people who don't even know you can offer superior support. The vast majority of quit smoking helpline staff are former smokers, so they know what you're going through. They're not going to dish you lectures. They've been there, done that. They are familiar with all the pitfalls and obstacles which stand in your way and can offer practical advice and strategies to help you through a crises moment.

In addition to the quit smoking helplines, forums and message boards are another 24/7 option to help keep you 'on the wagon'. Believe me, the tree-huggers aren't going to help. You need to be in touch with people who are also victims of the cigarette scam. They know all the tricks, all of the psychological trips you face.

As an ex-smoker, here's my best advice: seek help from those who know. The quit smoking helplines can make your goal a success! To freedom from smoke!

No Smoking Signs Keep the World Healthier

2009-10-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

We look to signs to give us information and to tell us rules. On bathroom doors, there are ltle signs of men and women so we know what bathroom we should correctly go into. At stores and malls, there are arrows to sections so we know where to go. Signs help us get from one place to another. There are also signs for different stores so we know what we are shopping for. Whout signs, we wouldn’t know what to do. Everything would be a mess and unorganized and people would be doing things that they shouldn’t. A very important sign that people see a lot is of a cigarette with a red line through . No smoking signs let us know when we can light one up and when we have to wa.

Restaurants and bars are popular places to see these. Although people can enjoy a few beverages in the comfort of the establishment, they will have to escort themselves outside to have a smoke. There are no smoking signs in most places since is hazardous to everyone’s health. If you are a smoker and you light up in the presence of others you are generally thought of as inconsiderate. That’s why signs that prohib smoking help everyone to understand what is expected of them.

It is important that these signs are present wherever smoking is not permted. Otherwise, people will light up whenever they want. Seeing the no smoking signs makes them realize that they are not allowed to smoke there. It keeps everyone safe in that environment and free from the deadly smoke that destroys your lungs. Those who want to continue living healthy lives shouldn’t have to be forced to inhale something hazardous.

They can be bought or printed. If you are in charge of an establishment or an environment that you want to have smoke free, you will need to place a sign there to inform people that they are not allowed to smoke there. You don’t want to have to walk up to someone to let them know that they can’t smoke. No smoking signs make your job easier and they are a great way to inform all smokers that they’ll need to wa to indulge their hab.

Everyone is entled to make their own choices but there are times when ’s in everyone’s best interest if certain behavior is followed. When most smokers see a no smoking allowed sign they respect . They know that when the urge strikes them they can always take a few moments outside to satisfy their craving.

Just in case you didn't know smoking is bad for you!

2009-09-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Back in the day, cigarette companies advertised with impunity. Television, roadside billboards and magazines all promoted the smoking habit. It had not then been established that smoking led to all sorts of terrible medical conditions no one wants. It's likely that tobacco companies were in the know, but the general public was not. At worst, it was considered to be a habit of questionable merit and not very physically attractive. It wasn't always so. Remember the old movies with such legendaries as Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, striking up and puffing away in a seductive and sought-after manner that the young people were eager to emulate? Well, times have changed.

For some decades, the smoking habit has been denigrated, with smokers being declasse individuals without the sense God gave a flea, Bogart and Bacall notwithstanding. Today, there's been a complete turnaround from the advertising campaigns of old. Tobacco companies, in response to class action suits, actually have the audacity to include quitting tips on their website navigation bars.

Magazine ads and billboards are now forbidden territory for the cigarette industry. On the other hand, no smoking signs have become big business indeed. If you want to let everyone know of your distaste for tobacco, you can buy no smoking signs in any material you might imagine – metal, plastic, wood – you name it, you can get it. There are signs suited to posting at factories, home and office applications. There are no smoking signs you can place on doors, walls, and desks. For those who want to make their sentiments perfectly clear, there's a desk plaque available proclaiming the smoking rules in sizes from subtle to you-can't-miss-it. How about stickers? Engraved no smoking signs are yours at the click of your mouse. Custom designs can proclaim the rules in a friendly spirit. “Please! No smoking!”, surrounded by cute little vining plants to lessen the blow to those smokers sensitive to no smoking signs.

Want to establish strict boundaries? Go for legalese phrasing - “No smoking within 50 feet!” - that certainly makes the message clear.

What if you're dealing with non-native English speaking smokers? Never fear. You can get your message across in numerous languages.

Some states, like Arizona and Louisiana, offer free no smoking signs for business owners. You just need to fill out some forms to qualify.

For the thrifty person who wants to make known their disdain for the habit, there's downloadable clip art you can print out on your home printer and plaster all over the place.

Just to cover all the bases, you've got to consider that misled soul holding a cigarette as he approaches your premises. This eventuality is covered. You can purchase smoking shelters, outdoor ashtrays and a variety of trash containers for the safe and prompt disposal of these nasties. Surely there's not a smoker alive who needs reminding. Just in case, there's certainly no shortage of signs that unequivocally, say, no!

World Health Organization calls for ban on tobacco ads

2009-09-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

According to a WHO press release, studies show that young people are more likely to start smoking if exposed to tobacco advertising. The WHO notes that only five percent of the world population "is covered by comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship".

"The WHO appeals to member states and policy-makers to require by law a comprehensive ban on all forms of advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products," said WHO Regional Director for Africa Luis Sambo, in a statement released Saturday in Kampala, Uganda.

"In order to survive, the tobacco industry needs to replace those who quit or die with new young consumers," said WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan. "A ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship is a powerful tool we can use to protect the world�s youth."

The WHO said that tobacco companies are specifically targeting the half billion youth in the Asia Pacific region by tying smoking to the idea of a flashy lifestyle.

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Is the Value of a Smoke Really Worth it?

2009-09-21T00:43:00.000-07:00

It is estimated that one in two smokers will die of the habit. This is to say that if you want to live a long and a happy healthy life, you need to quit smoking. However, this is easier said than done. A cigarette is a product that is cleverly crafted to deliver the right amount of nicotine so that it keeps its users addicted for life before it finally takes their life. There are many reasons why you will want to stop the habit of smoking. One is that smoking is a major contributor to heart attack, stroke, various cancers and more so lung cancer and a host of other respiratory diseases. Consider also what we might call 'the aesthetic un-appeal of smokers'. While smoking is portrayed as glamorous and as a healthy habit in most advertisements, the reality is different. Smokers develop bad breath, they have stained teeth and their fingers turn yellowish-brown. Now does that look glamorous to you?

Smoking also contributes to impotence in men and smokers are more likely to develop skin problems and premature facial wrinkling. Well, if these do not seem good reasons to quit smoking, consider also its effects on others. Smoking hurts others. A nonsmoker who lives with a smoker has a 30-percent greater risk of developing lung cancer than one who lives with a nonsmoker. Children who live in households where one parent is a smoker are more likely to develop bronchitis or pneumonia in their first two years of their life than children who live in homes where there are no smokers. Pregnant women also put their unborn at risk if they smoke. Since the nicotine and other dangerous chemicals in the cigarette smoke is passed to the bloodstream and goes directly to the child in the womb, women who smoke are at a greater risk of a spontaneous abortion, a stillbirth or the child dying after birth. It has also been shown that the risk of infant death syndrome is 3 times higher if the mother smoked during pregnancy.

So how can you quit smoking? Quitting is like learning to ride a bike; it is rarely accomplished the first time, but with determination, it can be done. First, be determined in your mind that you want to quit smoking and try to analyze your habits to see why you smoke. Then, plan a quit date and put it down in writing, a sort of a commitment to yourself that ‘this day is the day I quit smoking.’ Millions of smokers have quit smoking and you can too.

'The Other' by David Guterson

2009-09-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

Despite those unprepossessing evaluations, the boys become fast friends, hiking, talking, smoking dope and getting into mischief.

After college, John William grows increasingly alienated, he spends more and more time alone in the woods. He digs a cave in a mountainside and gradually refuses to leave its isolation, even to buy supplies.

Neil treks in food, books, booze, dirty magazines and dope -- when what his friend obviously needs is professional help. Neil also keeps John William's whereabouts hidden.

When John William dies of unspecified causes (malnutrition? pneumonia? boredom? flagrant plot device?), Neil wraps the body in a cedar mat and hides it in the cave.

He says nothing about the death until rangers find the body 22 years later.

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Smoking the World

2009-09-20T01:17:00.000-07:00

It is hailed as one of the best-selling consumer products and enjoys a rapidly expanding market. Its companies boast impressive profits and prestige, but with one problem; its best customers keep dying off. Yes smoking is one of the most profitable activity and one of the most hazardous too. Smoking info has shown that over 420,000 Americans die each year of the habit. When compared to the use of illegal drugs, that is an astounding 50 times more deaths! Another amazing smoking info is that 3 million people, and obviously more, die from smoking annually. When you do the math, that is about 6 people dying every minute from smoking alone. According to the survey conducted in 45 countries, it shown that the worst is yet to come saying, “If current smoking patterns persist, then by the time the young smokers of today reach middle or old age, there will be about 10 million deaths a year from tobacco—one death every three seconds.”

However, statistics do not end there. More smoking info suggests that smoking will eventually kill half of all of smokers – a truly terrifying thought. Since the 50’s, more than 60 million people have already died from the habit. For tobacco companies this is bad for business. If 3 million die each year and many more, an unknown number, quit the habit of smoking, this means that they will need to be replaced. So what have these companies been doing to ensure that they remain in business? One of the strategies is targeted towards the liberation of women, especially in Asian lands. While smoking is an accomplished fact in the Western world, it has taken time in developing lands of Africa, Asia and Latin America. However, the tobacco companies’ efforts seem to be paying off. Smoking info and statistics have shown that more women are now smoking in these lands and the stigma once associated with smoking is dying, if it has not already done so, in many places.

Take China statistics for example. It is estimated that more than 61 percent of all adult men smoke and women are quickly adding to that figure. In fact, by comparison, there are more smokers in China than the entire population of the United States, more than 300 million. Another smoking info is that more than 1.6 trillion cigarettes are smoked each year in China alone, about a third of what is consumed in the entire world. This figure will continue to rise in the future.

Kick the habit

2009-09-13T19:45:00.001-07:00

Every year, in conjunction with the Manchester Stop Smoking Service, the club's City In The Community team visit around 140 schools across Manchester, working with over 5,000 children. Their goal - to target kids aged five to 10 at the right age to stop them falling into a smoking trap later in life. It is while still in primary school that many children fall foul of peer pressure to smoke their first cigarette - a move which could lead to all kinds of health problems later in life, including raising their risks of several cancers and heart disease. Three out of four children are aware of cigarettes before they even reach the age of five, whether their parents smoke or not. While a third of children have experimented with smoking by the age of 11. While children whose parents smoke are three times more likely to experiment with cigarettes themselves.

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Doctor who helped establish Berkeley Free Clinic dies at 90

2009-09-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

He got health department employees to run up and down the stairs for exercise and always pressed people to quit smoking, urging them to give up their "coffin nails," his daughter said.

"He was always interested in helping people to achieve and maintain good health," Cathy Leonard said. "And he absolutely practiced what he preached."

His other daughter, Barbara Leonard of Levallois-Perret, France, agreed that her father practiced the health ideals he spread to others. She said her father jogged in the Berkeley hills at 6:30 a.m. through his 90th year.

"Five days a week," Cathy Leonard added. "He took off weekends. He started off going for 3, 4 or 5 miles and later it was a couple of miles."

Dr. Leonard's accomplishments ranged from documenting.

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Mother who lent Japan's new smoking "smart card" to teenage son

2009-08-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

Some people are viewing the need to get the card as a chance to quit smoking, according to Sankei newspaper, which dubbed it "taspo shock."

Japan's smoking population, now estimated at 26 million, has been dropping every year for the past nine years. The number of cigarette vending machines has also been declining, plunging about 29 percent from as many as 616,000 in 2005.

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Now Is The Perfect Time To Quit Smoking

2009-08-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

Now is the perfect time for smokers to quit — for their health. Smoking can cause chronic lung disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth and bladder. Annual health care costs in New York state directly caused by smoking are $8.17 billion. Over half are Medicaid program costs at $5.4 billion. New Yorkers pay $904 per household on state and federal taxes for smoking-caused government expenditures. Quitting will give smokers more money in their wallets and most important, improve their health. The time is now. The New York State Smokers Quitline offers free coaching and quit plans, free nicotine patches, gum and lozenges, free tips and information and free online help. The toll-free Quitline number is (866) 697-8487. More information is available on the Quitline Web site at www.nysmokefree.com.

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Learn How to Quit Smoking Today

2009-08-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

Young people do all sorts of stupid things in their lives, and I was no exception. The worst thing I ever did to myself was accept a cigarette that was offered to me by a friend. Before I knew it, that one-time experiment led to a pack-a-day habit that burdened me for 15 years. Then one day, I smartened up and realized that compromising my health wasn't worth the few minutes of pleasure that a cigarette gave me. I wanted to learn how to quit smoking once and for all in order to rid myself of the disgusting habit.

There are lots of different cessation methods out there, but I was able to eliminate a few right from the start. For instance, many people have reported success with hypnosis. Apparently, just having a therapist talk about how to quit smoking while they're in a highly suggestible state is enough to get some folks to stop cold turkey. But hypnotherapy is not something I could get into, so I'm not even going to bother. If it's up your alley, though, then by all means go for it!

Another method that has been successful for smokers is gradually reducing their nicotine intake with the help of patches and gum. These aids have been around for a long time now, and are ideal for those who are scared at the prospect of going through nicotine withdrawals. Read any book on how to quit smoking and you'll see numerous warnings about the likely withdrawal symptoms you'll experience. But with patches and gums, you can still get your daily dose of nicotine without having to smoke. This gives you a chance to wean yourself from the rituals of lighting up and handling a cigarette without having to deal with withdrawal right away.

If you ask your doctor about how to quit smoking, he or she might recommend a prescription drug. There are a few on the market, including Zyban or Wellbutrin. This is essentially an antidepressant that has been effective at reducing nicotine cravings in people interested in figuring out how to quit smoking. This is actually the method that I chose, and despite being extremely skeptical of the pill's efficacy, it truly worked for me!

But I know many smokers don't want to use any drugs at all, and would prefer an all-natural method instead. This is understandable, as patches, gums, and prescription pills are quite a bit more expensive than natural techniques. If you want to try going the all-natural route, then stock up on St. John's wort or make an appointment with a hypnotherapist.

Discovering the different options available to you is the first step in the quitting process. From here, you have to figure out how to quit smoking in a way that fits your personality and lifestyle so that you have the best chance at long-term success.

South students get lesson on dangers of smoking

2009-08-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

Daisy Rattan, said more formal training of health care providers was needed which could assist in helping people to quit smoking.

Afterward several students won jerseys, caps and knapsacks for answering questions based on information presented during the seminar.

A Nurse Warned Me Not to Take Chantix

2009-08-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

Stacey started taking Chantix in May 2007 to quit smoking and it almost worked; she decreased her smoking but she hadn't bargained for the side effects that started on the second day. "I was feeling really unhappy but never contributed it to Chantix," she says. "I thought it was because my son moved out--he went off to college. Then I started arguing a lot with my husband and he said my behavior was 'different'. I started sleeping until 11 in the morning—I normally get up at 6am and walk the dogs. Instead I got up at 5.30 and just let them out—they would run around the yard—and I would go back to bed. Even my mum tried to get me up but I stayed in bed. I was arguing with everyone; I argued with my son about stupid stuff. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong—everyone just needed to leave me alone.

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Smoking Cessation & Risk of Death; Childhood Traumas & Adult

2009-08-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

On the other hand, quitting smoking can, over time, reduce the excess risk of illness and death associated with smoking. This risk reduction begins immediately after smoking cessation, but it appears to take approximately 20 years before all of these smoking-related health risks disappear entirely. The lesson is simple, really. You are much better off, health-wise, if you never start smoking. However if you are already a smoker, quitting (and quitting right now) will allow you to begin that long but worthwhile journey back to the level of health risk that you would otherwise have enjoyed had you never started smoking in the first place.

CHILDHOOD TRAUMAS & ADULT SUICIDE RISK

The experiences that we have during the pivotal developmental years of our childhood can have an enormous impact on our adult lives.

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Blue Cross Marks 10-Year Anniversary of Victory Over Tobacco Industry

2009-07-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

These policies are aimed at supporting adults who want to quit smoking and keeping young people from ever starting to use tobacco.

Despite such positive changes, tobacco use continues to be a major health concern. "With approximately 600,000 adult smokers in Minnesota and nearly $2 billion spent in our state annually to treat health conditions caused by tobacco use, we can't rest on our laurels," said Dr. Marc Manley, Blue Cross' vice president and medical director for population health. "The tobacco industry is still very powerful. As long as the industry continues to create new products and new marketing tactics that adapt to changing social norms, there's more work for us to do. We remain committed to connecting people to help so they can quit smoking, building workplaces and communities that support healthier lifestyles, and focusing on those who are hardest hit."

Blue Cross will mark the tobacco settlement anniversary by hosting a day-long Prevention Minnesota conference at the Minneapolis Marriott Southwest in Minnetonka on May 8.

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Quit 4 Live program promoted

2009-07-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

In an effort to help students either quit or not start smoking Timiskaming District Secondary School has introduced a "Quit 4 Life" program at its school. In supporting students in their attempts to quit, Kelly Graydon-Milette, a Child and Youth Worker at TDSS along with help from Co-op students run weekly support meetings based on Quit 4 Life, a youth cessation program. All students who are interested in quitting, or who are just looking for quitting information are welcome to participate in the program. "We average about 10 students, but I'm hoping by running this program yearly there will be more awareness and higher participation in the program" Kelly Graydon-Milette said. Some of the reasons for quitting or not starting to smoke the group touches on include health, cost of tobacco, barriers and what causes someone to smoke in the first place.

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Check out the online quit smoking groups and succeed!

2009-07-16T22:43:00.000-07:00

While you may be a highly disciplined person in every other area of your life, when you decide to quit smoking, you face one of the most difficult challenges to self discipline. It's easy for people who have never smoked to say “What's the big deal? You just decide to quit smoking and then do it!” This sort of statement can be not only irritating, but discouraging. It's not so simple, as your previous attempts to quit the habit may have demonstrated.

Now, with the additional, hefty taxes on tobacco products – with more in the offing – smoking has become financially unfeasible. More pressure.

It's a statistical fact that more people succeed when they have access to a support group. While there are quit smoking groups you can attend locally, they don't usually have daily meetings, you've got built-in excuses not to go (it's raining, I'm tired, low on gas to drive there, etcetera). On the other hand, online quit smoking groups are there 24/7 and the members come from every walk of life and from around the world. Due to the sheer diversity of people you'll meet in the online groups, the amount and quality of support you'll receive increases exponentially. You'll get insights on what works and what doesn't from others who are in the same boat. Some members stick around, even after they've quit, to offer encouragement. If they succeeded, so can you!

So, despite your holier-than-thou non-smoking friends and neighbor's discouraging remarks, there are some considerable difficulties in overcoming smoking. You'll find that the members of online quit smoking groups know just where you're coming from. Let's take a look at some of the common difficulties smokers have when trying to ditch the habit.

Not only are you addicted to the nicotine, but also to an array – can you say 500-1000 – chemical additives contained in cigarettes. If you've only had the habit for a few years, it may be marginally easier to kick the habit. Why? In the majority of smokers, the worst factors of this challenge are psychological. For example, the typical smoker has a number of mental triggers which precipitate an automatic 'time to light up' response. You leave work, get in your car and light up. Your morning coffee? Gotta have a cigarette. Calling a friend for a lengthy conversation? Light up and bring the ashtray. The list of triggers goes on and on.

If you can make it past the first three days, most of the nicotine and chemicals are flushed from your system, which gets you past the physical addiction. The gotchas come in the psychological addiction. Every member of your online quit smoking group has experienced every variant of this type. Someone has experienced your particular bugaboo and can offer you some tips and tricks on putting that one to rest.

No one is going to be chastising you for having given in and lit up. They've all been there, done that. You'll just have to get back on the train with renewed determination. The toxins in that one cigarette can be flushed right out in a day. Drink lots of water and juices. Now you're back on track.

The key to success is sticking with your online quit smoking group. Don't ever give up. You will succeed, be free, have more cash and make new friends!

The compulsion to use marijuana is a form of addiction

2009-07-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

Is it addicting and do people go through a withdrawal when they stop smoking? Thanks.

A: Actually, this is two questions: is marijuana addicting and do people experience a withdrawal when they stop smoking it. I say this is two questions, because a drug can be addicting, despite it not causing a withdrawal syndrome when a person stops using the drug. Cocaine, for example, is highly addicting, but stopping cocaine does not lead to a withdrawal syndrome.

To answer your question about whether marijuana is addicting, I must first define chemical addiction, which is the compulsive use of the chemical, seeking to use more and more of it, and being unable to stop. Often with addiction, there is the preoccupation with using the drug, and more and more is spent on getting and using the drug..In this regard, marijuana can be addicting as many people report compulsive use and an inability to stop using it.

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GUEST COLUMNIST Your choice life or death

2009-07-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

She first began smoking at the age of 12 or 13. She is still smoking today. She has tried to quit many times but the addiction is so strong it's very hard to quit. The success rate is about one out of ten who attempt to quit. She has had acupuncture, hypnosis and smoking cessation, used patches, shots behind the ear, and has tried medication to stop smoking. Nothing has worked so far. The nicotine is just so addictive. Now her health has begun to deteriorate. She has been diagnosed with vascular calcification.

I have her permission to tell this. Vascular calcification can be caused by smoking and it is a disease of the elderly, not someone in their forties.

We have been talking to each other through e-mails and over the phone. Through out our conversations, she has expressed over and over her desire to quit this awful habit.

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Quit Smoking through Hypnosis

2009-07-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

I was raised in a pretty conservative family setting, so I was always a little bit suspicious of hypnotists. Nonetheless, I knew that my suspicion was mostly a superstition. People tend to be scared of things they don't understand, and even pretty smart educated people are no different. When I was trying to stop smoking, I thought it might be an excellent time to try out hypnotism. Getting hypnosis to quit smoking would not cost a lot, I figured, and it would let me get rid of my addiction with very little work. If it didn't work, I could always try something else. All in all, it seemed like I had nothing to lose.

The interesting thing about hypnosis to quit smoking – or any other addiction hypnosis for that matter – is that it works mostly because people believe in it. Being hypnotized does not stop your body from physically craving nicotine, and it doesn't stop you from having positive associations with it. The key is that, when you are under hypnosis, you believe that you will is not your own. If the hypnotist tells you that you no longer like to smoke, you will unconsciously decided to play along rather than contradict what he is saying. It's kind of a silly system my opinion, but it really does work.

The hypnotist explain all of this to me the first day. It was funny to me that going into my hypnosis to quit smoking, he would tell me that hypnosis was not real, but he explained that it helped put people at ease. People have so many superstitious beliefs about the power of hypnotism that sometimes he runs into tough cases who are sort of afraid to go under. By explaining how he does hypnosis to stop smoking, he is able to establish a more even, cooperative relationship with his patients. This makes them feel more comfortable with him, which in turn makes them better hypnotic subjects.

I had assumed that being hypnotized meant that you always forgot what happened, but apparently this is not the case. His hypnosis to quit smoking started with a standard induction where he made me feel sleepy so that I was unable to open my eyes. I was still aware of what was going on, but somehow I just didn't feel like moving. I remembered everything – that induction, the suggestions he gave me to quit craving cigarettes, and the process of waking up. Yet even though I remembered it, it still worked on me. Since then, I haven't craved another cigarette. I don't know if it works for everyone, but It certainly worked well for me. If you are trying to give up cigarettes, hypnosis to quit smoking really is worth trying.

Variety store owner hopes to trade cigarette displays for booze

2009-06-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

He does not believe more people are quitting smoking, but thinks they are just going elsewhere to buy contraband cigarettes.

"That's what I think is the most important issue at this point," he said.

Smith said the ban is a "tough, new law that we feel will protect youth and prevent the kind of impulse buy that drives some teens to start smoking. It's an important health issue and we're glad that several stores have decided to take their power walls down even before they had to."

Mall said the MLHU is anticipating a 95 to 96 per cent compliance rate in the London area. Tobacco control officers have already been visiting stores and sending out letters educating owners about the upcoming ban.

Under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, which has been in effect for two years now, London's compliance rate is slightly higher than 88 per cent, which is the province-wide compliance rate, Mall said.

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We all know that cigarette smoking is bad for our health

2009-06-20T03:51:00.000-07:00

By now, everyone on the planet is aware of the dangers of cigarette smoking. Nevertheless, more than 3000 kids start the habit every day! Fighting the battle against cigarettes has long been a case of the tobacco industry versus common sense. However, at the same time, since common sense does not prevail, our Congress continues to attempt to legislate behavior (rather ineffectually) while the tobacco industry spends hundreds of millions of dollars fighting the legislation.

Early in 2009, legislation was passed which almost doubled the price of tobacco. This legislation went into effect April 1, 2009. Perhaps the rationale was that, if tobacco products became so costly, particularly in a bad economy, people would simply not be able to afford to poison themselves – or, at least, not as liberally. The trouble with this enforced type of behavior modification is that cigarette smoking is addictive. Attempts at quitting result in short tempers. Do they really suppose the person who has just been laid off is going to quit smoking while trying to land a new job? Not likely. Chances are they'll reduce their food budget before quitting cigarettes.

The positive result of such legislation? Government coffers grow. While these taxes are supposedly funding new programs to help reduce cigarette smoking and fund even more legislation to ban smoking in public places, we've all seen the efficacy of other such government efforts.

The government's latest move to put a damper on cigarette smoking has empowered the FDA with the authority to approve what ingredients may be allowed in tobacco products, mandate changes, eliminate toxins and disallow new tobacco products. Now, on the face of it, this may sound like a good thing. Nicotine is a toxin and the primary addictive substance in tobacco.

However, what's less known is that there are between 500 and 1000 'additives' to cigarette tobacco which are also addictive and also toxins. Shouldn't the legislation have put some real teeth into this FDA authority, requiring all of the additives be removed, thus approving a much less addictive product that people might actually be able to beat?

When I was much younger and commensurately naive, I thought that the FDA was supposed to regulate food and drugs in a manner that provided the consumer with safe products. Now I know that pharmaceutical companies put out drugs that, while passing FDA approval, are later found to have side effects with devastating consequences which go unnoticed for years. The FDA allows additives, growth hormones and antibiotics to enter our bodies through various approved foods. So why should we believe the FDA will do any better with cigarette 'safety'?

Taxation and attempts to legislate behavior seem more an issue of revenue and politics than real solutions to the cigarette smoking problem. Perhaps if the funding were used for classroom coursework for kids, with documentaries of patients on oxygen tanks and a few images of what cigarette smoking does to your lungs, the money might be well spent.

After all, if President Obama, an educated and intelligent man, still smokes, it seems that it's the future generation we should be targeting. In his remarks on the bill, President Obama said “... For over a decade, leaders of both parties have fought to prevent tobacco companies from marketing their products to children and provide the public with the information they need to understand what a dangerous habit this is.”

When this latest piece of legislation passed, the primary author of the bill, Representative Henry Waxman (D-California) made this statement: "I think we are today at the last gasp of the tobacco industry's efforts to protect their profits at the expense of the health and lives of the American people and to get children to take up this habit." The last gasp.

Stop Smoking

2009-06-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

Let us accept it if you havent received the caution by this point, you will not. It might be really innocent if you assume that lung cancer only has effects on certain folks with a genetic factor or those over sixty five years old. Only one Marlboro can leave negative marks on your lungs for a month. Do not be ignorant as you are putting your wellbeing in jeopardy.

With the proof of health worries in relation to smoking, it is clear that you only need common sense. However, in truth, it does not occur that way. You need some inducement like fear before you start to think about about giving up smoking.

To the contrary, some smokers continue to smoke even if they have cancer of the throat.

They puffing their way thru holes on their necks.

Smokers have such a tough time in the future with their body than a non-smoker. It causes plenty of issues on the life of the smoker and those around him.

To stop smoking isn't particularly easy as you been doing it for long and when you are prepared to give up you are dependant. We are able to also go for non-nicotine cigarettes, the body patch or go for actual prescription by a doctor. Think about the more helpful and better things that you can purchase with the cash. About eighty percent folks retort back to smoking after once leaving it and only twenty percent successfully accomplish the task. Some folk are not able to keep on with the smoke termination programs because they are saying that they are dear. Seem as if it a better solution to spend on your fitness rather on an illness any way. So, you can see that there are some hard core smokers that cant quit smoking. Remember that when you are diagnosed as having lung cancer, nothing much can be done. If the tobacco makers place these caution labels on their products, do you continue to need evidence that smoking is good for health? Study the medical books or paper clipping. Do not they mention that smoking is the major reason for respiration issues like asthma and bronchitis? I want to bring another point. Though you do not smoke, but being around with smokers also makes you a passive smoker. Does not they contain powerful tobacco scent? I believe it's a good move that regimes are banning smoking in some areas. Do not you suspect it is about time to stop smoking?

Cannabis addiction almost destroyed me

2009-06-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

I tried quitting, just smoking on weekends, leaving my cannabis with someone else so I wouldn't be tempted, and not buying any. But for five years the longest I went without was a few days. I couldn't do it alone."

From the outside, it can be difficult to understand how a drug which prompted James to feel acutely lonely and confused could come to control his life.

He explains: "At the start it felt really pleasurable. During the first five years, even before the addiction really took hold, it's unlikely that any amount of nagging would have stopped me.

"Cannabis has a subtle way of raising your senses, offering you a slightly altered perspective on life and the everyday nine to five routine. Music sounds better and colours are more vivid. You can see beauty in an ugly city; things which other people are immune to.

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Editorial: Smoking ban puts students rights at risk

2009-06-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

Discounted nicotine patches could be offered, as well as assistance programs and classes to help students quit smoking.

No one will argue smoking is good for this campus, but denying students the right to make that decision on their own destroys the mutual respect this university should strive for.

Editorial Board
Ashley Gebb, managing editor
Olga Munoz, news editor
Mike Murphy, opinion editor
Ryan Van Fleet, sports editor
Leslie Williams, entertainment editor
Cari Radford, features editor
David Flannery, photo editor
Genny McLaren, chief copy editor
Chelsea Accursi, online editor

Related links
University considers smoking ban
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Heat on anti-smoke campaigns

2009-05-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

REDESIGNING quit-smoking programs to make them more effective for Aborigines is one of the top priorities for reversing high rates of cancer in indigenous communities.

Researchers say tobacco-control programs have been "inadequate and ineffective" and reducing tobacco use "is crucial for decreasing the burden of cancer (and other chronic diseases) in indigenous Australians".

Essential steps include improving health services targeting indigenous Australians, and ensuring that Aborigines are involved in these services.

Experts from the Menzies School of Health Research and the Institute of Advanced Studies at Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory say Aborigines are "more likely to have cancers that have a poor prognosis, but which are largely preventable".

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Social networks may help you kick your smoking habit

2009-05-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, those in a social network who quit smoking can strongly influence others in the network even if they don't personally know them.

The study lead by Nicholas A. Christakis of Harvard Medical School, and James H. Fowler of the University of California at San Diego, found that entire networks of smokers appear to quit simultaneously after analyzing detailed records kept between 1971 and 2003 of about 5,124 participants who took part in the Framingham Heart Study. Many of the subjects had social connections that allowed researchers to study a bigger network of about 12,000 people.

What researchers found after studying these records is very valuable. It appears smokers are motivated to quit when someone close to them stops smoking.

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Kicking the habit

2009-05-17T19:17:00.000-07:00

OK, I guess I've made it far enough that I can publicly confess that after 31 years, I have quit smoking (hopefully for good).

I've tried so many times in the past that I vowed never to gloat about it in print until I had gone a significant amount of time without a smoke.

I think six weeks is significant enough, especially since the longest I had ever gone in the past was five days.

I started smoking when I was 13, enticed into it by friends who made it seem cool. By the time I was 16, I was smoking a pack a day and had pretty much kept it up until I smoked my last cigarette on April 9.

So what made the difference this time? I'm chalking it up to three factors:

1) I didn't try to do it alone this time. This time, I tried nicotine patches, and I'm amazed at how well they worked.

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Turkey widens smoking ban to most enclosed areas

2009-05-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

"I cannot quit smoking, I'll only quit when I go to my grave. I have to smoke."

According to the World Health Organization, nearly two-thirds of the world's smokers live in 10 countries led by China and India and followed by Indonesia, Russia, the U.S., Japan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Germany and Turkey.

Turkey is also among the world's main tobacco growers along with China, India, the U.S. and Brazil, and one of the top exporters. Several major cigarette producers blend Turkish tobacco in their products.

"To smoke like a Turk" is a common expression in many European countries to describe someone who smokes a lot, and hookah smoking — a legacy of the Ottoman era — has experienced a revival with several hookah cafes opening up in major Turkish cities over the past decade.

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Stop-smoking drug risks outweighed by benefits

2009-05-03T19:14:00.000-07:00

He says 30% of smokers already have some psychological imbalances and that quitting smoking will often unmask those symptoms.

CHANGING BEHAVIOUR
Dr Pipe recommends sitting with each patient and identifying with him or her tangible benefits that smoking cessation will have on their health. They should also be made aware of varenicline's stimulation of nicotine receptors, which gives them the feeling as though they've just smoked a cigarette. "Some patients might think 'that was easy' after the first few weeks and then quit the treatment," he says. "They need to be told why they're feeling the way they are and reminded to stay on the 12-week course."

Counselling patients about picking a quit date and simple behavioural strategies and techniques will help too, says Dr Selby.

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2009-04-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

'Our shared goal is to motivate smokers to quit and build expectations and confidence that the best response to the tax increase is to quit smoking altogether,' says Iverson.

Building off of the exceptional work that has already taken place in the Lower Hudson Valley over the years, the Tobacco Control Partners will continue in their efforts to motivate smokers to quit through their key community initiatives and to help prevent youth from starting. Along with their partners ' POW'R Against Tobacco, POW'R to be Tobacco Free Cessation Center, Reality Check Youth Action Program and Tobacco-Free Schools ' they will continue to work within their communities to reduce the number of smokers.

The New York State Tobacco Control Program's goal is to have one million fewer smokers by 2010.

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Nutrition Wise: Constipation, Post-Smoking Weight, Soy Nuts

2009-04-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to avoid weight gain after you quit smoking. Two or three 10 to 15 minute blocks of activity can burn enough calories to compensate for a drop in metabolic rate. In addition, by reducing stress and improving mood, regular exercise can decrease emotion-based eating. Many people find that snacking on small amounts of food several times a day is helpful as well. Eating more frequently can help people avoid rapid drops in blood sugar, which can stimulate cravings. The key is to choose balanced snacks, not just sweets or chips. Q: What causes constipation? A: Constipation involves straining to pass small, hard bowel movements. It can make you feel bloated and uncomfortable. It is usually caused, or at least made worse, by poor diet and lack of exercise.

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With smoking, motivation is key

2009-04-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

The increase in the price of cigarettes will motivate people to quit smoking and motivate children not to start smoking. This tax increase will spur more than 140,000 New Yorkers to quit for good, prevent more than 230,000 children from smoking, save more than 37,000 New Yorkers from smoking-related deaths and produce more than $5 billion in long-term health care savings for taxpayers. If you are ready to quit smoking, there are resources to help. Quitting smoking is a process, and a good plan is part of the process. Set a quit date: This is the day you will be tobacco-free. Decide if you would like to use medication, like the nicotine patch or the nicotine gum to help keep you from having withdrawal symptoms. Work with your health care provider to assist you in making medication decisions.

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TV stars urge youth to quit smoking

2009-04-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

"There are still many young people in Taiwan who smoke, and we hope that through this activity, they will realize that quitting smoking would prevent various illnesses," Yeh said.

The stars from the TV talent show "Star Boulevard," which is in its third season, urged young people to say "no" to smoking. They shared their insights, saying it was "immature as well as uncool to smoke."

Pan Ssu-ching, the only member from the show who smokes, said: "I felt under stress to hear what everyone said about smoking, and I'm definitely quitting smoking now. I have full confidence that I can quit!"

Bollywood roots

2009-04-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

What if a Bollywood celebrity tells you to quit smoking? In all probability, it would at least leave an impression in your mind. It is with this belief that we decided to talk to a few well-known celebrities with World No Tobacco Day round the corner (May 31). As the world continues its quest to clear off all the tobacco smoke from its atmosphere, this is what the celebrities had to say.

Arjun Rampal: I tried to give up cigarettes many times. But the sad part is, as they say �a smoker has never quit�. But I am trying hard. While in college, I tried one cigarette without realizing that it could turn into a habit. And once someone develops a liking for cigarettes, it�s very difficult to come out of it. So, stay away from it.

Vivek Oberoi: I have actually given up on smoking because I felt from within.

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Cigarette purchases decrease

2009-03-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

About 35 percent of Oklahoma smokers said the price hike had encouraged them to quit smoking.

But smokers who were most affected by higher prices were people with annual incomes below $50,000, Wiener said.

"The findings emphasize that the decision to smoke or not to smoke is similar to any other purchase decision. It is strongly influenced by price," he said.

The study also noted that the number of Oklahoma middle-school students who smoked or experimented with smoking had fallen during a five-year period that ended in 2007, Wiener said.

"All the data suggests that the tax increase might have kept people from starting smoking," he said.

"It seemed price had the biggest impact on people for whom smoking is just a recreational or casual thing.

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Matthew Fox admits to smoking struggle

2009-03-25T19:07:00.001-07:00

Fox vowed to quit cigarettes at the start of the year but admitted that his hectic promotional schedule made it difficult to stop smoking.The actor said: "I went out to promote the movie Vantage Point and ended up travelling to nine countries in three weeks. It was incredibly stressful and I smoked a bit."Fox recently claimed that he is the only Lost actor to know how the show ends.

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Burn Limit: Legislature requires self-extinguishing cigarettes

2009-03-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

Connecticut is poised to join several other states, including Massachusetts, New York and Vermont, in requiring all cigarettes sold here to be self-extinguishing. Beginning July 1, cigarettes sold in the state must be made with what is known as Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity — they go out on their own. The law is designed to help reduce the risk of fires caused by an unsupervised cigarette. Careless smoking is listed as one of the leading causes of residential fires, behind candle burning and cooking equipment, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The act, passed last year by the General Assembly, will not affect the cigarettes in any other way except how they burn. They will be the same price and contain the same amounts of tar and nicotine. There will be a stamp on the package that states it is fire-safe compliant.

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Hospital scare leads teen to quit smoking

2009-03-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

"I was going through a very rough patch about a year ago and I took up smoking," she said.

"I started at a couple a day and soon it was up to 20.

"I ended up in hospital with pneumonia because of it."

In an effort to improve both her life and her health, Jess signed on to the Wynyard High School's anti-smoking program.

Under the program some students are sponsored to use quit therapies.

"I started on the patches for a couple of weeks but I ended up going cold turkey," Jess, whose sponsor is Murchison MLC Ruth Forrest, said.

Jess understands it's only early days but is determined never to smoke again.

"It's hard to turn down a cigarette when your mate offers you one," she said.

"(But) you feel so much better."

Ms Forrest said it was encouraging to see Jess had stopped smoking and was involved in the school's Co- Pilots community mentoring program.

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Tobacco consumption kills 15000 Nepalis every year

2009-02-23T18:19:00.000-08:00

If anyone tries to quit smoking without any preparations, it causes physical symptoms like palpitation, restlessness and insomnia.
People should develop confidence and strong will power to quit smoking and they should make certain preparations,� Dr. Shrestha said. Smoking has adverse impact on non-smokers and they are referred to as passive smokers, so until the FCTC is fully implemented we won't be able to save those types of smokers, he said.

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Combo of methods help smokers quit

2009-02-18T18:57:00.000-08:00

Health experts say a combination of quitting methods is the key.

More than half of all smokers in North Carolina will quit smoking this year. But chances are it won't last more than a day. Even with the threat of disease and death, any smoker will tell you, it's not that easy. Just ask Jayne Poplin.

“Mainly because of stress and habits that we develop, and you know it's really hard for you to break habits," said Poplin.

Along with the addiction, the fear of gaining weight kept her from quitting. State health experts say both are big reasons why it takes smokers five to seven times to stop for good. Others feel the impact by more than just second-hand smoke. Smoking-related illness leads to higher costs for everyone.

India: Health Minister Tells Bollywood Stars To Stop Smoking

2009-02-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

India's health minister, Anbamani Ramadoss has told Bollywood superstars to stop setting a bad example by smoking in public.

He added, " I would like to make an appeal, not only to Mr Shah Rukh Khan, but also to Amitabh Bachchan and to all the other personalities. that children are being affected."

Mr Ramadoss, who has been campaigning for a ban on smoking on screen, said he was 'very concerned about (the) alarming rise of incidences of young people getting addicted to tobacco.'

The minister said his plea was for an end to smoking in public but also in films.

"There shouldn't be any smoking scenes in movies, we have statistics showing that 52 per cent of children have their first puff of cigarette due to celebrities smoking on screen."

At least 2,200 people die daily from tobacco-related diseases in India, a nation of 1.1 billion people boasting the world's highest number of cinema attendances.

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Will Obama's former smoking impact health

2009-02-01T11:58:00.000-08:00

These risks did not simply disappear when he quit smoking in February 2007. (Let me be clear, this is not an appeal to puritanical values — nor an endorsement of a candidate. This is about the long-term and sometimes irreversible consequences of smoking cigarettes.)

Yes, Obama claims to have quit — and by doing so, he did reduce his risk of smoking-related disease. But the science tells us that it is naive to think that quitting after years of smoking returns you to the state of health of a never-smoker. In fact, after enough smoking, some health effects are irreversible. How long and how much one smokes determines the extent of health risk after quitting. More than half of all lung cancers are diagnosed in ex-smokers. And it's not just lung cancer. Ex-smokers face long term risks for pancreatic, esophageal, bladder, and kidney cancers, to name a few.

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Smoking Ad

2009-01-24T19:35:00.000-08:00

You've probably seen the new public service announcements that feature a man in a playground encouraging people to stop smoking. Did you know the man in the ads still smokes despite the fact that he had seventeen blood clots, two heart attacks, strokes and two amputations. The man is named Skip LeGault. He agreed to do the public service announcements (psa's) because his sister asked him to, and despite the attention and criticism, LeGault insists he isn't a hypocrite. He said, "Why am I still smoking? Because I thought I wasn't going to win life... I thought it was all over for me"But all that's changed. Skip now talks to kids about the dangers of smoking-- in classrooms and seminars. He says he found new purpose for his life. LeGault has Berger's disease...caused by smoking.

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If you MUST smoke, eat veggies and drink tea

2009-01-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

It would be better if they quit smoking, according to Zhang. Yeah, yeah, we know. "However," he says, "it's not a bad idea for everyone to eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more tea."

The next step is to study the effect of flavonoids on cell lines and animals in the lab to figure out how they protect against lung cancer. The components, he says, block the formation of blood vessels that feed tumors and stop cancer cells from growing. Next, he wants to study which plant foods protect best, and the daily amounts that offer the best protection.

Having said all that, it's time to say it again. Smoking is bad. Just quit.

-Susan Brink

No butts: sharp rise in ex-smokers

2009-01-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

They all quit between April and September 2007 - around the time of the July 1 ban in England.The figures represent a 28 per cent rise in the number of people giving up and a 29 per cent increase in the number of people setting a quit date through NHS Stop Smoking Services compared with the same period in 2006.These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.

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Anti-Smoking Poster Boy Defends His Habit

2009-01-04T23:16:00.000-08:00

New York's poster boy for smoking cessation still smokes. But, he defended his actions to NewsChannel 9 Monday.

The State Health Department is using Skip Legault's story in their public service campaign to stop others from smoking. It's a shocking look at what smoking can do. Legault's had 17 blood clots, two heart attacks, strokes and his right leg amputated.

Skip Legault agreed to do the PSA's because his sister, who works for the St. Lawrence County Health Initiative asked him to. It's hard to find people with this many health problems still living.

“I was so close to dying that I think I just thought I just wanted to die," Legault says.

It came out a few weeks ago that Legault is still smoking. Truth be told, he never claimed not to be.

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Bar Owners Abandon Fight Against Smoking Ban

2008-12-28T22:38:00.000-08:00

The owners of four Valley bars who tried to circumvent Arizona's smoking ban have reached an agreement with the state to stop their efforts.

Attorney General Terry Goddard and Department of Health Services Director Susan Gerard said Alfonso Larriva and Alfonso Ruiz will pay the state $10,000 and take steps to bring their bars -- the Metro Sportz Bar, the Maverick Saloon, River City Pockets and the Boomerang Bar and Billiards -- into compliance with the Smoke Free-Arizona Act.

Larriva and Ruiz were cited as May for violating the act after they claimed they were exempt because they had installed vents in their walls or replaced windows with vents so their bars could no longer be defined as ``enclosed" areas where smoking is prohibited.

The two also had failed to post the required ``No Smoking" signs and remove ash trays.

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Tobacco unit needs extra $1ma year

2008-12-21T14:05:00.001-08:00

While the Health Ministry promotes smoking cessation under its Quit and Win program, financing the scheme was an area that needed serious consideration if the program was to be successful, Mr Corerega said.

If the State considers addressing the issue of helping smokers quit, future revenue generated from the sale of cigarettes could be directed to other forms of economic development, he said.

Interim Education minister Filipe Bole said it supported the Health Ministry's efforts to control smoking in designated areas.

"Smoking addiction starts early. Many young smokers think that they can quit easily but, it does not take them too long to find out that they are already addicted. According to the National Substance Abuse Advisory Council (NSAAC), in Fiji, 22 per cent of 13-15 year-olds smoke their first cigarette before they are 10 years of age," he said.

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Top stars must stop smoking in films: Anbumani

2008-12-15T23:31:00.000-08:00

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has urged Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan to desist from smoking in their films.

"The movies are most responsible (for encouraging smoking). When I said movies should not have smoking scenes we have statistics which show that 52 per cent of children have their first puff of a cigarette because of movie celebrities," he said.

"..I have already made appeals to Shahrukh Khan...I would like to make an appeal to him and Amitabh Bachchan and all other personalities," Mr. Ramadoss said in an interview to Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate programme. He was also critical of Mr. Khan for smoking at a cricket match.

Questioned on his pet theme of pictorial warnings on cigarette and bidi packets, he said, "I am sure they would be very effective.

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Brumby's fresh plan to curb smoking rates

2008-11-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

She said research shows displays sway two groups of people those trying to quit smoking and young people. "If someone is trying to quit and they walk into a store, people will see cigarettes and feel the trigger to purchase it and give in to it."

Health authorities say eight out of 10 long-term smokers start as teenagers tripling their chances of developing cancer compared with those who start smoking in their mid-20s so it is vital to limit their temptation.

AMA Victoria president Dr Douglas Travis said arts projects featuring smoking undermined other government efforts to reduce smoking rates.

"What it serves to do is to create the image that smoking is normal, smoking is cool, all of those things we've been trying to get away from," Dr Travis said.

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Helping our readers get healthier

2008-11-17T21:03:00.000-08:00

The month-long I'm A Quitter campaign involved running daily stories on readers who vowed to stop smoking, a roll of honour for quitters and daily quit tips.Smokers were also offered advice on the best stop smoking aid for them and a smokefree zone was created online for potential quitters.Working with Portsmouth City Teaching and Hampshire primary care trusts people were also offered vouchers for quit aids such as nicotine patches and chewing gum.Portsmouth City Teaching Primary Care Trust stop smoking service co-ordinator Pam Recknell smoked 20-a-day for 40 years.She said: 'The campaign worked really well. 'We had lots of referrals to the pharmacies which really helped – the more referrals we get, the more chance we have of getting people to quit.'On the whole it was fantastic. 'Anything that gets people into the NHS stop smoking service has got to be a good thing.'It definitely had an impact on the number of people signing up to stop smoking.'Deputy director of public health and wellbeing Imogen Stephens said: 'The campaign was a good idea.

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Don’t curb our creative liberties: Shah Rukh

2008-10-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

Mumbai: Actors should not be asked to curb their "creative liberties," Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan said. He was responding to Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, who said he and Amitabh Bachchan should stop setting a bad example by smoking in public and in films as "children have their first puff of cigarette due to celebrities." "As filmmakers we should have creative liberties because cinema is all about make-believe," Mr. Khan said. He, however, said he agreed with Dr. Ramadoss on his concern over an increase in young people taking to smoking.

Dr. Ramadoss had said Mr. Khan should not have smoked in the stands while watching a cricket match in Mumbai and that he and Mr. Bachchan could learn a thing or two from Tamil film actor Rajnikant, who accepted the Minister's suggestion to quit smoking on screen.

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Those wanting to amend the Independence smoking ordinance continue to ...

2008-09-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Ordinance supporters, however, remain skeptical that the group will succeed.

Members of Citizens for Small Business have placed copies of their petitions at bars around Independence. The organizers, through the initiative petition process, seek to amend the ordinance to allow smoking in establishments deriving more than 55 percent of their revenue from alcohol sales.

The current smoking ordinance, which went into effect in March, prohibits smoking within enclosed areas of public places, including bars and restaurants.

Amendment supporters insist the ordinance is hurting small bars, especially those near neighboring cities that do not enforce smoking ordinances. By late this month, supporters must collect 3,451 signatures, or 5 percent of the registered voters in the general city election of April 2006.

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Smokers face cig-butt fines

2008-09-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

It means smokers will be given a last chance before being fined. If they continue to flout the law they face £50 fines. Businesses that fail to prevent smoking can face fines of £2,500. Bolton pub boss Nick Hogan has been defying the smoking ban and has become a frontman for `smokers' liberties'. The landlord, who is due in court on January 28 on five charges of failing to prevent smoking on his premises and four of obstruction, said litter fines for smokers were `absurd'. He said: "Fining smokers for dropping butts outside pubs is yet another attack on people's liberties. "You may as well smoke in the pub and pay £50 than go outside of the pub, drop the fag end and pay £75. This is also a sly cash generator - we already pay council tax to keep the streets clean."

What do you think? Have your say.

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Highlands fire raises mulch safety questions

2008-09-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

In fact, State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan issued an April advisory — "Smoking Causes Outdoor Fires" — urging smokers to properly dispose of their cigarette butts and encouraging businesses to provide the proper receptacles.

Mieth said the agency typically sees a spike in these fires in the springtime as homeowners and business owners spruce up their landscaping. As smokers have increasingly gone outdoors to smoke, more fires have begun outdoors.

Last year, 2,063 fires in Massachusetts were caused by smoking, and of them 1,097 were tree, brush or grass fires, the advisory said.

The state already has a law on the book penalizing smokers who start fires by flicking cigarettes out their car windows, but the struggle is connecting the person to the cigarette, Mieth said.

She said the fire marshal has advocated for more comprehensive sprinkler laws that aim to preserve life before property.

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Failure to Quit Smoking Attributed to Genetics

2008-09-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

Explain to interested patients that various therapies are available to help people quit smoking, but the success rate remains low.

Note that this study looked at the entire genomes of participants in clinical trials of smoking cessation methods, comparing those who succeeded with those who did not.

Explain that the researchers found a large number of genes that are expressed differently in successful quitters than in those unable to stop smoking.

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Metropolis City Leaders Give $1000 to Quit Smoking

2008-08-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

"It's a hard habit to break, but we will give them support, and hope they do quit," Mayor Billy McDaniel said.

To make sure the employees follow through on their pledge, a consulting firm will administer random nicotine tests throughout the year.

"I think it will help productivity because it takes away that stoppage of work to smoke," Officer David Koch said. Kock works for the Metropolis Police Department, and has been a smoker for almost 40 years.

"I think we have three or four people sign up but some of them backslid a little bit already," Kock said. "I don't plan to start smoking again."

Mayor McDaniel says the incentive is funded by grants from the Illinois Risk Management Fund.

"The citizens of Metropolis will not be out any money. The incentives are paid 100% by insurance grant money," Mayor McDaniel said.

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Teenage smokers risk badly wired brains

2008-08-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

Parents may now have another reason to worry about their children smoking. Nicotine may cause the teenage brain to develop abnormally, resulting in changes to the structure of white matter - the neural tissue through which signals are relayed. Teenagers who smoke, or whose mothers smoked during pregnancy, are also more likely to suffer from auditory attention deficits, meaning they find it harder to concentrate on what is being said when other things are happening at the same time.

Leslie Jacobsen of Yale University School of Medicine and colleagues used diffusion tensor imaging, which measures how water diffuses through brain tissue, to study the brains of 33 teenagers whose mothers had smoked during pregnancy. Twenty-five of the teens were daily smokers. The team also studied 34 teens whose mothers had not smoked, of whom 14 were daily smokers.

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Vanity used in quit campaign

2008-08-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

The Cancer Council Queensland believes the program could be used in conjunction with other stop-smoking initiatives to get people, especially women, to quit.

"This technology has the potential to be a strong strategy for smoking cessation," said CCQ tobacco programs team leader Karen Donnelly.

"We would be very interested in the outcomes of the research (and) it is computer based and that would appeal to young people," she said.

Smoking was inserted into the program's ageing formula after a survey of young people suggested computer morphing as a way to deter bad habits.

Smoking actually increases the amount of enzymes that break down collagen (the skin component responsible for keeping skin supple and firm), cosmetic physician Dr Van Huynh-Park said.

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Dirk's view of College Station

2008-07-26T01:06:00.000-07:00

At the time, Dirk temporarily had quit smoking and was dipping snuff instead.

The Baylor Bear referred to an 11-3 victory the previous Saturday over the lackluster Red Raiders.

The Boo Bird is talking about Tech coach Rex Dockery and A&M coach Tom Wilson. A&M won the game 41-21, and Tech went on to finish the season at 5-6 in Dockery's third and final year.

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Gwen stops smoking at 81

2008-07-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

A PENSIONER who smoked for more than half a century has told how she quit the weed in time for her 80th birthday.Gwen Ingham, first started smoking at the age of 21 but two months ago she stubbed out her last cigarette and she has not looked back since.Previous attempts to quit had failed and she claims her success this time round was down to drop-in sessions laid on by Suffolk Primary Care Trust.She said: “I'd tried to give up before but I hadn't succeeded, so I am very pleased with myself to have done it this time and will definitely stick with it.Mrs Ingham is using nicotine patches and sweets to help her quit. She said: “I kept getting bronchitis and had to keep going to my doctors for antibiotics. Then it hit me that it wasn't fair that I should get all these antibiotics when I hadn't done anything to try and help myself."The pensioner from Bury St Edmunds said she read about the stop smoking service in the newspaper.She said: “The people there are very good - if it hadn't been for them, I would never have been able to do it.

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Brumby's fresh plan to curb smoking rates

2008-07-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

AMA Victoria president Dr Douglas Travis said arts projects featuring smoking undermined other government efforts to reduce smoking rates.

"What it serves to do is to create the image that smoking is normal, smoking is cool, all of those things we've been trying to get away from," Dr Travis said.

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Helping our readers get healthier

2008-07-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

Alley Cats purr in rain

2008-06-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

"Both of us quit smoking for a year, then we found out she was going to Baghdad and we started smoking again."

Adds Scot, "I'll quit when she comes home." Ali's homecoming is scheduled for January 2009.

Until then, Scot wears two dog tags with Ali's name -- a Christmas present he covets close to his heart.

The Wests are fortunate this time of year, not just as race fans but to have the Indy 500 as a pleasant distraction from worrying about Ali.

"It takes my mind off of it," Meri said.

"But then I reach for a refreshing beverage and the dog tags clang together and I'm back there," Scot said. "I think about her."

Campaigns against Tobacco, giving out Warnings on Fake Cigarette

2008-06-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

There are simple tests to detect the dependency on tobacco, a quit-smoking arrangement has been done and contacts of services where smokers can seek aid have also been mentioned in the pamphlets.

"Numerous studies among youth show that tobacco use in this group is prevalent, and increasing. Lifetime prevalence of cigarette smoking and use of other tobacco products among medical students was 28 percent and 22 percent respectively," Kumar said.

"Among the male students of Delhi University, 28 percent of the surveyed samples were found to be smokers. The stress scores were significantly higher among smokers than non-smokers."

The kiosks which would be having pictures of fake cigarette packets, would be placed in 5 prime locations in Delhi and the NCR areas and street plays with some participatory games would be conducted during the campaign.

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