How to Quit Smoking Like a Chimney and Live Longer by Terry Clark - HTML preview

#1.Withdrawal Symptoms Quitters often Experience

Nicotine cravings are quite powerful. When you are used to the habits of smoking and alcohol drinking, your biological clock would not forget to remind you of the need to go for a smoke or for a large drink precisely at the same time every day. It is quite a powerful urge. One should know how to tackle such issues before attempting to quit smoking.

It is a really tough task to get rid of smoking when you are seriously addicted to it. The habit of smoking is something that is very detrimental to your own health. It could eat you away completely from within, figuratively speaking. To get addicted to alcohol might take time, while getting addicted to the usage of cigarettes happens easily in all individuals.

Smokers have to bear in mind one important fact - quitting smoking is very difficult when you are seriously addicted to the habit. Most smokers are not aware of this simple fact and they are really overconfident that they can tackle the issue with great ease. In reality, this is not so. The symptoms of nicotine withdrawal will not allow you to quit smoking quite so easily. Even though you really want to quit smoking you will probably be unable to do so without a lot of help.

Nicotine is an essential chemical constituent of tobacco and of cigarettes. When you get used to smoking, your body is used to getting this chemical as well. When you quit smoking, the body craves the chemical, but the natural biological processes mean it is also getting rid of the nicotine content. The body has the natural tendency to eliminate any toxic substance that affects the well being of the bodily parts as a whole.

Withdrawal of the nicotine from the blood stream and other parts of the human system happens when you stop smoking. The process occurs in sequential steps. As a result, the individual might notice a lot of symptoms. Some of these symptoms are quite hard to tolerate especially if you are among those addicts that have not attempted to quit smoking for years.

The symptoms of the cigarette cessation that occur as a result of nicotine withdrawal are called Quitter's flu symptoms. They are listed below.

* High intense craving waves for nicotine at intervals

* Increased tension levels

* High irritability

* A condition more or less like depression

* Being short-tempered

* Sometimes severe headaches

* Sometimes loss of concentration

* Drowsiness

* Sometimes postnasal drip

* Feel of tightness in the chest

* Insomnia or sleeplessness

* Eating more due to increased appetite and gaining weight as a result of it.

The earlier phase could be very challenging. Once you pass through the first week or rather the first couple of weeks then you are almost through. You should not get back to smoking again.

Coughing

It occurs in almost 90 percent of all quitters. It is just due to the simple reason that the tracheal system as a whole is trying to adjust to the new conditions. Earlier, there was frequent dumping of nicotine at regular intervals inside and hence, any repair work or replenishment work to get rid of the nicotine content completely was not possible for the internal organs of the body. Hence, the tar and other micro constituents in the nicotine get settled in the tracheal walls, linings and cavities. These get hardened in due course of time if the individual has not attempted to quit at all for years.

Heavy smokers that are addicted to the habit eventually experience thickening of the walls of the veins and arteries. When they stop smoking all of a sudden, the process of cleaning starts to happen and the deformation phase starts from within. This tends to create a lot of changes in the normal routine or behavioral pattern of the individual. Elimination of the chemicals like tar has to happen through coughing and some of the micro constituents are eliminated through excretory activities as well.

As the system becomes purer, the corresponding changes can be felt as a result of this. These include additional energy, restlessness, lack of focus, sleeplessness, and so on. These symptoms are mild and temporary though. Within just a couple of weeks you will be absolutely perfect.

#2. Why Smoking is Bad for You

It is an undoubted fact that a lot of people have tried smoking. They tried cigarettes at some point in their lives. In fact, both adults and young people can pick up the habit. What is rather intriguing is that quite a lot of these people know there are certain harmful effects of smoking. One may wonder why such people still find themselves actively engaged in the practice. It may interest you to know that many parents do smoke but don’t like to see their children doing the same. The fact of the matter is that smoking is very harmful. Thus, any effort to stay away from it on your part is good. Despite this, there are still many smokers today with little knowledge about the harmful sides of smoking.

All they see is the pleasure and fun that they derive from it. It would be worthwhile to learn about some of these effects to be able to make a well informed decision as to whether to go for it or not. First and foremost, you need to quit the habit of smoking or avoid going into it for the simple reason that it could have serious health implications. Among others, there is a condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that is very difficult to treat once present. When you have this disease, you don’t even have to smoke for a longer period of time before the damage is done. It gets very bad when you keep smoking for a longer period. This could even go on to becoming a permanent condition and give you a lot of trouble. 

The other consequence of smoking that you may want to learn about is heart disease.  This problem should not require further stressing considering how expensive the treatment is. Apart from this, you have to know that cancer is one of the most dangerous effects of smoking. This should be a great warning to anyone who’s into smoking. Not only does the smoker suffer alone when these problems arise but close family and friends are also affected in diverse ways. For instance, they are likely to be the third party smokers and be adversely affected by your habit. They do not have to be smokers to suffer from the consequences associated with it. 

In addition to all these issues, there are certain vanity reasons that may make you reconsider your decisions about smoking. Typically, many smokers suffer from bad breath. This makes it very embarrassing for them to freely express themselves in public when interacting with others. Again, there are people who have yellow teeth as a result of their smoking habits. Apart from this, many suffer from premature aging as well as wrinkles all over the body. This is certainly a problem many wouldn’t want to deal with. The point really is that a lot of money might have to be pumped into various medications and cosmetics to be able to fix such problems even if you finally say no to smoking. If you don’t want to look much older than your age, you might want to be careful about smoking.

One simply cannot talk about smoking being bad without mentioning the financial implications. It is said that on average, people spend some $30 daily on smoking; this is not a small amount of money.  Interestingly, those who purchase one pack per day are not able to identify this problem. Perhaps the best you could do is to make a careful calculation of how much you spend each day and then multiply it by the number of days in the week, the month and then eventually the year. That way, you would be able to get a perfect picture about the financial drain you are causing to yourself.

To top it up, you’d have to consider what such an amount of money could have done in a positive way. That is where reality will hit you back. So, if you have ever thought about quitting smoking, these points should be enough to help you make a good decision as to whether to quit or continue. Consider all the harm smoking does to you and to the people that you love. Be firm and make an effort to quit.

#3. What to do if You Fail to Quit Smoking the First Time

The saying “old habits die hard” holds true for the attempts to quit smoking. Yes! It is a matter of common observation that despite sincere efforts, not many people are able to get rid of the habit of smoking. This has also been proven with the help of the various researches in which it was concluded that the success rate of the first-time quitters is not very encouraging. However, this should not discourage the people who are planning to quit smoking. If you are self-motivated there is a bright chance of your being successful. Even if the various techniques do not work for you, there is still hope to get going because disappointment will not serve your purpose anyway.

Let's say you did give your best shot to get rid of the habit but did not succeed. Try any or all of the following tips and you are sure to achieve your target in the second attempt.

* Try to pinpoint your source of motivation. This is one of the most ignored factors these days. You need to realize your responsibility as an important member of your family. For example, if you’re a father, you would feel that you are being motivated by your children to be healthier. This will make you inclined towards going for the second attempt of quitting cigarettes. Similarly, if you are a husband, you may draw your motivation from your better half who would love you to quit smoking. Being a son or daughter, you need to realize your responsibility towards your parents to whom you owe your life. They deserve to have healthy children in the later stages of their lives.

* Assess your mental and physical ease when you are trying to quit smoking. This will present you with a number of positive points and you will be in a better position to weigh the good and bad effects of smoking on your personal health and hygiene. Ultimately, you will decide to give yourself another chance to try quitting smoking.

* Make the exercise a must in your routine. This will improve your general view towards life and you will be able to enjoy a natural lifestyle. Your body will become stronger and more energetic than before and you will not require nicotine to soothe your muscles. Instead, the fatigue you feel in your body will be dealt with by performing daily exercise and jogging. The body cells will be active and you will stay young and fresh till the age of 70.

* Try to look for a new hobby. This is one of the tips you might not have tried the first time. But this is surely going to work for you the second time around. If you are not fond of having an outdoor hobby, it is recommended to adopt any of the outdoor games which take most of your time. That way, you will not have time to think about being deprived of your favorite cigarette. Some of the examples of such hobbies are football, cricket, rugby, badminton and tennis. These are physical games during which your body will work out. You will not only feel fresh and active. The need for nicotine in your body will be reduced. Eventually a point of time will come when you will feel absolutely no urge to smoke a cigarette.

The above mentioned tips are only suggestions to all those out there who tried to get rid of their habit but did not succeed for whatever reason. The first and the foremost quality that you need to have in order to quit smoking is to be patient. The reason is that smoking is more of a psychological habit and it has to be dealt with accordingly. Give yourself considerable time to cope with your life without smoking. If you are a chain smoker, you should not expect your mind and body to accept the change abruptly. Your body needs to adjust to living without the amount of nicotine it has been fed with on a daily basis for years. Try to be patient and not to give up. Your efforts are bound to pay off in the end.

#4. What Happens when a Smoker Stops Smoking?

When you have decided to quit smoking and have started making efforts to get rid of the habit, you will observe some major changes that take place in your body. Be aware of all of these changes so that you do not come to any wrong conclusions. Some of the effects like coughing should not discourage your efforts towards quitting smoking once and for all.

When you leave smoking for about twenty minutes, you will feel the blood pressure, the rate of the heart and the temperature of the hands and of the feet reach their normal state. When you have successfully done it for about 8 hours or so, then your body will experience an even more beneficial effect. The remains of nicotine in the bloodstream of the body would have fallen greatly to just about 6.25 per cent or so. This percentage is in comparison with the nicotine present during the peak levels of smoking. You have accomplished a reduction rate of about 93.25 per cent which is a fabulous success. Still, are you done? Have you won the battle completely? The answer is still NO. There is a long way to go.

Continue marching ahead towards success. If you get tested after 12 hours of not smoking even a single cigarette then you could notice that the blood oxygen levels have returned back to normal. The carbon monoxide content will become normal as well.  After a period of 2 days, the nerve endings that were damaged earlier due to smoking will start to grow again. The senses of smell as well as taste would start to bud out more intensely. Simultaneously with the cessation anger as well irritability will be at peak. 

After 3 days of quitting, the lungs start to function perfectly. The entire body if tested would show that there is not any trace of nicotine as 90 per cent of the nicotine metabolites would have already been flushed out of the body through the urine.  The symptoms of restlessness as a result of chemical withdrawal could be noticed evidently by now. You should not try to calm down your nerves by allowing yourself a single smoke session at this crucial time. You had helped your body to change dramatically in a span of just three days. All the efforts should not go in vain just because of the temptation to smoke again.

After a period of about ten to twenty days, the blood circulation in the gums as well as the teeth would be just normal as that of any other non smoker. The time period could vary according to your level of addiction. Some people tend to smoke a couple of cigarettes a day and some might smoke heavily. They could smoke a couple packets of cigarettes or even more. Hence, it all depends on how addicted you are to the habit in the first place. In severe cases, people trying to quit might experience peak craving sensations even after a week or ten days after they had their last cigarette. It could be highly intense and could last for 3 minutes or so. Such craving sessions might occur 3 times in a day.

You should resist that by counting on the clock until the time is over. Initially, the craving would appear 3 times and then this would decrease to a couple of times in a day and then after a month or so, you would get rid of any craving sensation completely. By this time, you would have grown up to such highly matured levels, that you might not want to smoke again at any cost.  When you have reached such heights, do not ever turn back and say let me have a puff or two.

Sometimes, you might be overconfident that you would not get addicted again as you have successfully quitted in such a short time. Never take such chances even if some of your mates challenge you to do so. Attempting to regain back the habit will be totally unworthy and it would be really tough to quit again later on as you did for the first time. There are many experienced people that have written articles and books on this particular aspect. Hence, leave the habit once and for all. This will benefit you as well as all people in your society. 

#5. Using Nicotine Patches to Quit Smoking

There are different products which can help you overcome your addiction to nicotine when you attempt to quit smoking. The most widely used aids are nicotine patches. Find out how they work and how effective and safe they are to determine whether you should take advantage of them or not.

Nicotine patches contain a set dosage of the substance. They are generally divided into three groups in terms of strength - highest, medium and lowest. Heavy smokers start with the highest strength patches and gradually go to medium and low-strength ones. However, you do not have to start with the aids containing the largest dosage of nicotine if you smoke less than ten cigarettes a day. In general, it is best to consult a doctor on the optimal dosage and treatment process for you so that you can make the most out of it without experiencing any side effects.

The treatment with nicotine patches usually lasts for twelve weeks. During the first eight weeks, you need to take the highest dosage of the substance daily. Then you need to switch to medium-strength patches for two weeks. During the final two weeks, you have to use the low-strength ones. Eventually, you should be able to stay away from cigarettes without nicotine replacement.

The therapy is fairly easy to carry out. You need to place a nicotine patch on a hairless part of your body from the shoulders to the waist once a day. You have to replace the patch with a new one on the next day. It is as simple as this.

It has been found that using nicotine patches to quit smoking increases your chances of success two times. In general, the effectiveness of using such products varies from person to person. It should be pointed out that the use of patches is aimed at eliminating all cravings throughout the day. However, if the daily dosage is too low, you may still experience the urge to smoke. That is why doctors recommend keeping a nicotine gum or lozenge at hand so that you can use it to overcome sudden cravings.

Using nicotine patches for quitting smoking is generally safe in healthy adults. However, if you have medical problems, you should consult your doctor first. The treatment may not be appropriate for individuals with skin diseases, heart disease, diabetes, thyroid problems and kidney and liver problems.

The most common side effects of nicotine patches are skin irritation and rash and trouble sleeping. They are fairly easy to overcome, however. You just need to place the patches on different spots and remove them at night if you have sleeping problems.

#6. Trying Acupuncture or Hypnotherapy to Quit Smoking

Alternatives to clinical medicine methods for quitting smoking are tried by almost 26 percent of American smokers in any given year, according to statistical data. This shows that many people are keen to use these natural remedies to cure their nicotine addiction. Still, how successful are the people who have tried these methods to quit smoking? Research results are quite mixed. There are not too many positive results though. Many of the clinical experts share the opinion that these treatments could be used along with other clinical health treatments to increase cessation success rates. Smoking is like a chronic disease that is to be treated with serious care, according to medical experts.

Most people try the hypnosis method in the first place as they think it could be the easiest of all other approaches to be followed. Thanks to its ability to change the behavioral patterns of persons, the hypnosis treatment is well known all over the world. Most of the smokers found this technique to be their natural starting point towards quitting. Basically, hypnosis allows you to relax your mind sufficiently. While doing so, the hypnotherapist is able to understand the unconscious triggers in you. It is nothing but the alpha state of mind. It is just a state of mind that is the same as the one when we are deeply asleep in the night. We do not actually know what is happening around. The therapist could go deep into the memory to help you.

Some of the hypnotherapists are quite prominent and specialize in smoking cessation. The session will usually start with the case history of the patient. In that way the therapist understands the past experience of the individual that is associated with smoking. A state of relaxation is then induced in the client.  There are more than a few methods for achieving this state. Most often visualization techniques as well as guided meditation techniques are used. Various suggestions are presented to the patient to see what would best motivate the individual to quit smoking for good.

Some people associate heavy smoking with spending too much time in front of the television. When the therapist finds this out, they just disconnect the association and offer the individual some other valuable healthy routine to divert their attention. The effectiveness of this technique is found to be sufficient to cause a complete smoking cessation. Surveys and statistics reveal that hypnotherapy is a better alternative when compared to the nicotine replacement therapy, especially in the cases of patients with cardiopulmonary disorder.

Traditional Chinese medicine has offered the entire world a whole bunch of secret medicines that are of great value. One of the important techniques that are used to treat smoking addicts is acupuncture. In fact, acupuncture has a broad range of applications. A specialist is capable of curing a variety of ailments through this technique. It is a vast subject. A detailed study is needed to master the art of acupuncture thoroughly. As part of the treatment, tiny needles are used to stimulate the essential points of the body. In case of smokers, the objective is to reduce their nicotine cravings. They would not desire to smoke any more after the proper treatment.

The withdrawal symptoms in the body can be eased with the help of this technique. Hence, one could quit smoking more easily this way than by attempting cessation without any assistance. The points where the needles are placed in the individual’s body will vary from one person to the other. The common points generally selected for insertion of needles are around the ears, on top of the head and sometimes on the feet. The color of the tongue is noted down and the weakness level of the individual is evaluated and the appropriate area to insert the needles is determined accordingly. 

The results from acupuncture are quite mixed as well. It is the most sought after method. The majority of the individuals trying to quit smoking use it, according to statistics. People believe it to be a great remedy. Studies examining the actual results and effectiveness of the treatment reveal that significant reduction in smoking can be attained when other treatments are used along with acupuncture. You may want to try a medical approach such as nicotine therapy together with the ancient Chinese technique. 

#7. Top Reasons for Quitting Smoking

Before learning how to quit smoking, you have to be absolutely sure that you want to do this. You need to be motivated in order to increase your chances of success. Experts recommend that you write down all of your reasons for quitting on a piece of paper and put it in places where you can normally find your cigarettes. That way, you will have an additional stimulus to quit even when it is extremely hard to keep away from tobacco.

Better health is perhaps the main reason why people want quit smoking. You will notice an instant improvement in your breathing, energy levels, skin, teeth and breath. You will be able to feel the benefits of quitting just days after withdrawing from cigarettes completely. The long-term benefits of complete withdrawal from tobacco and nicotine include lower risk of heart disease, cancer, eye disease and premature aging. These are as important as the immediate health improvements that you will enjoy.

Protecting the people you love from second-hand smoke is the other major reason for quitting smoking. It has been found that individuals who reside or work with smokers have a 24 per cent higher risk of developing lung cancer. This should be frightening enough for all smokers out there. You have to realize that the smoke from your cigarettes can hurt your partner, children, parents, friends and coworkers. This should give you sufficient motivation to quit.

Getting rid of an addiction is another major reason for quitting smoking. You are physically addicted to nicotine. You are psychologically addicted to the habit of smoking. Because of these factors, you are constantly looking for a cigarette. You cannot wait to get your next dose. When this is not possible, you become angry and frustrated. Imagine a life without all of these stress factors. It is true that the nicotine withdrawal symptoms are severe at first, but you will feel better every day and eventually you will be free from your addiction.

Saving money is a major reason for quitting smoking and should not be underestimated. Cigarettes are becoming more expensive by the day because governments in virtually all countries are trying to reduce the number of smokers. The reality is that even if you have a sufficiently high income, you are still spending a lot on tobacco products. Imagine what it will be like to see this money going for your own good or for another person's good. Just try to use the money you spend on cigarettes daily to make a present to a loved one or donate it to a charity and you will automatically feel better.

#8. Tips to Make Quitting Easier

Smoking cigarettes is a bad habit that affects the smoker on various fronts. First of all, the health of the smoker is badly affected due to substances like tar, nicotine and many others present in tobacco. Smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular and lung diseases such as lung and throat cancer. Secondly, it’s not only the health of the smoker that is at risk of the above mentioned and many other ailments. Passive smokers who live around the smoker also face serious health hazards. Finally, the loss of a lot of hard earned money is devastating. Big sums have to be spent on smoking and by quitting this filthy habit one can save many dollars each month that can be spent on healthy activities or go to a savings account instead. The alternatives are surely better than literally burning the money into ashes.

It is good to quit smoking. Quit it for good to save money and to stay healthy. The problematic thing is to accomplish the task of quitting. This is so because of nicotine addiction. As a result, smoking is certainly a hard habit to break. There is no single solution or method that can be proclaimed to make the mission “quit smoking” a success. Every person has a different method working for him or her, but there are few successful strategies that many people have used to quit smoking effectively.

It is all a mind game when it comes to getting rid of the smoking habit. So, instead of attempting to quit because someone like spouse, kid, friend, colleague, and sibling, etc  said so is not very likely to work. The smoker has to be convinced from inside and should set the focus on themself. Insistence of the loved ones can be taken as a motivating factor but if that is the sole factor then the chances of success are very slim. 

Once the person has decided to quit then there are two possible ways to do it. One is to stop smoking immediately just like that and the other way is to quit gradually by reducing the daily intake of tobacco so that eventually you do not smoke any cigarettes. Both methods have their drawbacks and advantages, success stories and failure incidents. For instance, quitting suddenly may force the person to go back to smoking at the next available opportunity.

On the other hand, people with stronger willpower never go back to smoking after they quit altogether. Similarly, many people try to reduce intake gradually but never manage to do it properly and their consumption increases sooner or later. Other people use the same method of gradually decreasing the nicotine intake till they manage to quit smoking altogether. People know themselves better than anyone, so the appropriate strategy should be adopted considering the personal attributes and personality traits to achieve the target of quitting smoking effectively.

In personal financial management courses the trainers often emphasize that making access to money difficult for yourself encourages saving. Meaning, if the money can be easily withdrawn then it is more likely to be spent rather than saved. The same analogy can be applied to smoking. By making the access to cigarettes difficult, one can find quitting a bit easier. If the gradual decrease method is adopted then not buying a pack but a couple of cigarettes at a time is more appropriate. Throwing away accessories like lighters, matches and ash trays also helps.

Many people recommend chewing a gum to keep the mouth busy and send the right signals to brain. Nicotine based chewi