INCLUDE_DATA

Posts Tagged ‘addictions’

Stop Smoking: You Have to Really Want It

by Gordon Taylor

How often have you told yourself that you need to quit smoking? No doubt you’ve lost track of how often, if you’re anything like the majority of smokers. The problem is that quitting isn’t as easy as starting.

Everyone is aware of the adverse effects that smoking has on your health, the most serious of which is lung cancer. If you have nicotine in your bloodstream, there will be a rise in your blood pressure, rate of blood circulation and heart rate. Smoking is considered to be one of the leading causes of heart attacks, and it also contributes to hardening of the arteries.

Some people, however, aren’t aware that cigarettes can be an addiction. Nicotine is a drug. It might not be a banned substance, but it’s certainly addictive. You’ll experience constant cravings for it. A lot of people say they aren’t able to quit. Dealing with the symptoms of withdrawal is too difficult. Erratic emotions, putting on weight and anxiety are a few of the symptoms.

Lots of people question whether there’s a program to quit smoking for good that’s of any use. Yes, there is, however, you have to be truly committed to making it work. You can find any number of programs that will guide you through the process of cutting loose from your addiction and enjoying a smoke free life. But you have to really want to quit in order for them to work.

Many people who have successfully been through one of these programs say they feel much healthier than they did before. Their breathing is unlabored and they have much more energy. But it’s very hard to stop, and even more difficult to avoid sliding back into old habits. But ultimately, there are few who would say that it wasn’t worth the fight. Your life should mean more to you than that cigarette you think you need. In the end, you’ll find that you don’t need it as much as you thought you did.

Quitting smoking is a mind game. You have to tell yourself that you’re through with cigarettes. Success will depend on how well you convince yourself. When you decide to stop smoking, will power plays a leading role.

Once you’re determined to stop, there are several methods that you can choose among. Check into them thoroughly. Each program has its individual methodology geared to different personality types, so you’re bound to find one that you can follow. It’s a big challenge but one that is well worth taking up. If you choose to quit smoking, it’s a move that will have a huge impact on your life.

About the Author:

Popularity: 14% [?]

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Breaking your Smoking Habit

by Amber Eamen

One of the hardest things to do in life is to quit smoking. The habit of smoking itself is often cited by most people as being the hardest part. Try replacing your smoking habit with a much healthier habit to aid in quitting smoking for good. Also, it’s important to remember that it will take time to get use to your new healthy habit just as it took time for you to get use to smoking.

If you are determined to quit smoking, you have made an impressive start. However, if you have decided to quit on your own, you are doing even better. Sounds strange does it? You would be surprised at just how many people decide to quit smoking by being informed by their doctor, spouse, parent, sibling or friend that they will be quitting. In order to successfully quit smoking for good you need to decide for yourself to quit. If you have actually made this decision on your own, you are doing an amazing job. If you are letting someone push you into quitting you are just setting yourself up for headaches, hassles and complications that are easily avoided.

A developed pattern in the way one smokes is something every smoker has. If you start smoking a pack a day, this becomes one of your habits. Breaking your smoking habit wil be easier if you start out with small steps. Success wil come if you change your habits slowly. Instead of smoking your usual cigarette after a meal, try brushing your teeth. You may realize you like the fresh mouth over the cigarette tasting one and this soon becomes a healthy habit. Chew gum or suck on hard candy if you are not able to brush your teeth after a meal.

If there are any specific circumstances that always trigger a cigarette craving, you should work to avoid the situation. If it is something that you absolutely cannot avoid, such as dinner times, you need to create an alternative habit that you replace smoking with. For example, if you always smoke as soon as you get to your car after work, you might want to consider carpooling with someone who does not smoke, taking a different route home, stopping for groceries, jamming to some music or even taking a bus. Anything you can do to shake up your normal smoking routine is good.

There will of course be times that it is quite difficult to break the habits. If you find yourself in a position where you cannot avoid a typical smoking situation, you need to create a way to deal with it. Some people use nicotine gum whenever they are faced with a smoking situation. Others find that the stop smoking sticks are beneficial. These sticks can allow you to hold a pretend cigarette that just provides your hands with something to do. If you find these quite useful then you know that your problem is your hands are idle, finding something for your hands to do might help a lot.

Trying to quit is a very difficult process. Many people take weeks if not months to quit smoking completely. If you are struggling far too much with the idea of completely quitting at once you may find it is much better for your own situation to slowly cut back on your cigarette consumption. Regardless of the precise method that you choose, it can take a minimum of 2 weeks to start adapting new habits. This means that any new behavior you adopt in your quest to stop smoking must be repeated continuously for at least two weeks before you will start to see a real difference in your lifestyle. Giving yourself plenty of time to work on your new habits is essential and will set you on the road to success.

About the Author:

Popularity: 14% [?]

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Take a Pill to Quit Smoking

by Gordon Taylor

There’s a wide array of products available that claim to help you stop smoking. The problem is, though, that smoking involves both psychological and physical dependency. That doubles the effort required to stop smoking. In their attempts to end their addiction, people have tried everything from hypnosis to patches to laser treatments. All too often, however, people return to their old ways.

However, there’s a new solution that seems to offer more promise to smokers who are trying to quit. It’s a quit smoking pill available by prescription only, and it’s called Chantix. It’s an FDA approved drug that was developed by Pfizer. When taking this medication, smokers stand a much better chance of quitting for good. This medication has shown impressive results to date with its brand new way of combating the addiction to nicotine.

Before Chantix came on the market, doctors would frequently prescribe Buproprion to help smokers quit. This drug is more commonly known as Wellbutrin and is a popular antidepressant medication. Studies on Wellbutrin revealed that it contributed towards a lowered desire for nicotine in the brain. This led to reduced dependency on the cigarette high in many people. Of course, that made it much easier for them to quit.

However, Wellbutrin is really meant to treat depression, not to curb cravings for nicotine. So researchers decided to pursue other options. They utilized what they had learned from the use of Wellbutrin as an aid to stop smoking.

Chantix is the result of these research efforts. This new medication acts on nicotine receptors in a somewhat different way than Wellbutrin does. Chantix causes the release of small quantities of dopamine into the brain. Dopamine is a natural chemical which signals a state of contentment to the brain.

When this chemical works on the nicotine receptors, the brain believes that nicotine has been released into the bloodstream. So it doesn’t send out any distress calls that it needs nicotine. This translates into less severe withdrawal symptoms for the smoker.

Perhaps you’ve tried every method available to help you quit smoking for good, with no success. If so, you should take a look at this new medication. There are lots of success stories for this medication, and they have been generally achieved without discomfort. Of course, you’ll have to talk to your doctor in order to get a prescription. That will be a perfect opportunity to learn more about the drug, its benefits and possible side effects. And don’t neglect researching the subject yourself.

About the Author:

Popularity: 15% [?]

Technorati Tags: , , , ,