December 24, 2009 Comments Off
This provides great tips how to avoid relapsing and having a cigarette during the holidays. I personally keep my electric cigarette handy for a quick puff during the alcohol fueled cravings.
Managing Holiday Parties Smoke-Free
Alcohol lowers inhibitions, and that’s not a good thing for a person who is working to quit smoking. While under the influence of alcohol, it’s common to think that smoking just one or just for tonight is okay and that we can resume our quit programs tomorrow…such has been the ruin of many a good quit program.
Look ahead at what you may be faced with when attending holiday events this year and plan a strategy to manage them smoke-free. Preparation fortifies resolve and will allow you to meet the challenges that come with confidence.
Holiday Party Tips:
- Don’t Drink. The obvious first choice is simple: Avoid alcohol entirely. Drink cranberry juice with seltzer water or another non-alcoholic beverage of choice. No one but you and the bartender will know the difference.
- Know Your Limits. If you do drink alcohol, be careful. Limit the amount of alcohol you consume and don’t overdo it. Substitute every other drink with a glass of spring water and lemon. It will dilute the alcohol you’ve consumed, keep you hydrated, and will give you something to sip on while socializing.
- Plan an Escape Route. If people are smoking close by and it begins to bother you, have a plan of action in mind. Can you explain that you’ve recently quit smoking and ask them to refrain? If not, excuse yourself for a few minutes and go to the bathroom or step outside for some fresh air.
- Don’t Go. If you’re worried about maintaining your quit program at the holiday party this year, consider simply not going. No, I’m not advocating avoiding life, I’m encouraging you to remember your priorities. Think of it this way…early on, smoking cessation takes a lot of effort and focus for most people. In order to succeed, your quit program must be in the top slot of your priority list for as long as it takes.
Smoking Cessation is a process, not an event.
Remember that release from nicotine addiction happens slowly. It lets go of us gradually — bit by bit over time. The work it takes you to navigate this holiday season smoke-free is a necessary step in clearing old associations out and making way for new, healthy habits that don’t include smoking. Keep your perspective in line with your intentions, and by the time the holidays roll around next year, smoking won’t even register as a concern.
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Take The Quit Smoking Monday Pledge
Healthy Monday encourages us to think of every Monday as a day that we can begin work anew on goals that we have for ourselves. If you’re still smoking, put your cigarettes down and get started on your quit program today.
We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program.
You can quit smoking … and we’re here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.
Image © healthymonday.org
Managing Holiday Parties Smoke-Free originally appeared on About.com Smoking Cessation on Monday, December 21st, 2009 at 06:53:16.
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December 24, 2009 Comments Off
While using an alternative such as esmokes isn’t quitting a nicotine habit it can be quit stressful.
There is no better teacher than the voice of experience, and when it comes to quitting tobacco, members of the About.com Smoking Cessation forum have valuable insights to share. An important resource for the new quitter, their stories are full of practical tips about what works when we quit smoking and the benefits we might expect to enjoy.
The personal quit stories I’ve selected to share here focus on the first six months of smoking cessation. While the journey to quit smoking is a personal one, many of us face similar challenges early on. Learning how others have managed sets us up to overcome the issues we might encounter successfully.
Settle in and do some reading — these real life success stories are sure to inspire, and if you’re still smoking, motivate you to embark on your own journey to freedom from nicotine addiction.
Reader Contributions:
Image © Stockxpert
The First Six Smoke-Free Months originally appeared on About.com Smoking Cessation on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 06:48:51.
Minimize Holiday Weight Gain
Most people will gain a small amount of weight when they quit smoking. Due to temporary changes in metabolism, we can expect an upward shift on the scale of 5 to 10 pounds. Within a few months, quit-related weight will come back off again as long as eating habits haven’t changed. For most of us though, using food as a replacement for smoking is tempting, and something we must to learn to manage as we move through smoking cessation.
The holidays present a special challenge, with all of the rich treats that go along with the season. If your quit program is new, take some time to set your priorities clearly in your mind before getting swept up in holiday celebrations that could put you at risk.
Don’t Try to Lose Weight, But Don’t Gain Either
Think maintenance as you go through the holidays, and use the 80/20 rule. If 80 percent of the meals and snacks you eat on a given day are healthy and in the right portions, you can allow yourself a few treats with the other 20 percent without throwing your diet out of whack.
The following articles from About.com Guides will help you come up with a plan of action to help you avoid gaining weight as you enjoy the holiday season.
Safeguard your quit program by thinking ahead. Remember, the key here is to manage your holidays smoke-free. Have a plan in place ahead of time and you’ll be able to enjoy yourself and stay on track
Photo © BigStockPhoto
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Take The Quit Smoking Monday Pledge
Healthy Monday encourages us to think of every Monday as a day that we can begin work anew on goals that we have for ourselves. If you’re still smoking, put your cigarettes down and get started on your quit program today.
We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program.
You can quit smoking … and we’re here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.
Image © healthymonday.org
Quit Smoking Monday Messages originally appeared on About.com Smoking Cessation on Monday, December 14th, 2009 at 06:00:46.
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December 16, 2009 Comments Off
Tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs) are known to be some of the most potent carcinogens present in smokeless tobacco, snuff and tobacco smoke.
How do electric cigarettes limit the amount TSNA inside electric cigarettes?
The electronic cigarette has been around since 2002 and recent advances in the technology used by the manufacturers have led to some incredibly neat and effective smoking replacements. The modern day E-Cigarette looks like a cigarette, feels like a cigarette, releases “smoke” like a real cigarette, however, What these new millennium cigarettes don’t have is all of the chemicals, toxins and carcinogenics found in real cigarettes.
E-Cigarette are a non-flammable cigarette substitute that uses micro-electronic technology, which provides smokers a real “smoking” experience without the fire, flame, tobacco, tar, carbon monoxide, ash, stub or smell found in real cigarettes. They even allow you to inhale and exhale a real smoke “vapor” that replicates real cigarette smoke.
“E-Cigarette smokers still get their nicotine“, explains Elicko, a serial entrepreneur and Lux Founder & CEO, “without having to suffer many of the other negative side effects of tobacco smoking. There are absolutely no carcinogenic substances and no tar. Ordinary cigarettes contain some 4,000 different chemical substances. They pollute the air, and they are hazardous to the health of others – including small children – who breathe the dangerous secondhand smoke. We are looking to supply Lux E-Cigarette to a numerous of leading casinos and clubs, and open E-Cigarette stores in majors malls around the country.”
Since E-Cigarette does not burn tobacco or ash like a traditional cigarette, it is not restricted by USA smoking laws and is completely legal to use indoors i.e. restaurants, bars, etc. There are no longer needs for lighters and you don’t have any messy leftovers to dispose of! The E-Cigarette is so much more than economical, you enjoy the traditional sensation of smoking, but avoid all of the other adverse side effects!.
The new E-Cigarette works by utilizing a very small in line vaporizer that turns the liquid inside the cigarette into an atomized smoke mist. They are fully re-chargeable and each E-Cigarette can last a full day on one single charge. They make a variety of flavors that contain a either no nicotine or a high levels of nicotine, depending upon what your intended use is.
December 16, 2009 Comments Off
Surviving the Holiday Blues Smoke Free
If you get the holiday blues, you’re not alone. Many of us experience unhappy emotions and associations this time of year, and those feelings may in turn trigger the urge to smoke.
While this may not be your favorite time of year, learning how to survive the holidays with your quit program intact will reward you a sense of strength, accomplishment and control over the challenges that life can sometimes place in our path.
Have you heard of the “E-Cigarette”? If you haven’t and you’re a smoker or even a non-smoker, you’re seriously missing out! It looks like a cigarette, feels like a cigarette, taste like a cigarette, but isn’t! It’s so much more! The E-Cigarette is really the future of smoking. This high-tech electronic smoking device provides the nicotine you crave, in a completely non harmful manner! Non-harmful to yourself and to others around you!
Michael Thomson has been a photographer for almost a year. But he’s been a smoker even longer. He says he doesn’t mind smoking, but admits that it’s caused a few problems in the past.
“Once, at a wedding, the bride freaked out because I was smelling like smoke. She was already stressed from the wedding, the photograper reaking of smoke didn’t make things better I guess”. One day both he and Susan, his girlfriend and fellow smoker, simply decided they needed an alternative. “We were tired of coughing, being tired all the time, the yellow teeth and constantly smelling like an ashtray all the time. We tried quitting a few times, but it was really hard. A friend ours recommended we try this electronic cigarette, so we decided to try it out”.
These so called “E-Cigarettes” are starting to gain rapid popularity among people who wish to continue the sensation of smoking without the harmful effects of combustible cigarettes or couples like Michael and Susan who are in the midst of trying to stop smoking, and using it as a means of weening off the cigarettes.
December 7, 2009 Comments Off
Interesting smoking stories from around the world. It always amazes me how American Tobacco companies are thriving in every other market in the world.
Chinese Smoking Deaths Seen Doubling in 10 Years — Reuters
Smoking deaths in China, home to the world’s largest smoking population, will double to two million a year by 2020 if the country does not do more to reduce tobacco use, health experts predict.
Water Pipes No Safer Than Cigarettes — Healthday News
Water pipes are no safer than cigarettes for smoking tobacco, researchers say. A new study found that people who smoke tobacco with a water pipe inhale carbon monoxide and nicotine, which puts them at risk for heart disease and nicotine addiction.
Reynolds Offers Buyouts to Manufacturing Workers — Associated Press
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., maker of Camel cigarettes, said Friday it is offering buyouts to about 1,800 workers at its North Carolina factories to cut costs.
Tobacco in the News originally appeared on About.com Smoking Cessation on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 06:25:31.
Having a plan and making a commitment to stop smoking is the first step to actually stopping the use of tobacco. The method that is used may be cold turkey, medication, or the use of an alternative such as esmokes to quit gradually. Some people find that when they quit using tobacco in steps, they have greater long term success.
Some people have issues with a patch or medication when they are trying to quit tobacco. They may be allergic or have other reactions to the concentration of nicotine on their skin. When this is the case they must either try to stop cold turkey or find a way to cut back on their tobacco use with a creative alternative.
Making a plan that includes attention to the entire body can be an effective way to stop smoking. A person loses many vitamins and nutrients that are vital to a healthy body when they smoke. In addition, their organs and body are being damaged by the many chemicals in tobacco. Individually most of these chemicals would be dangerous for a person to ingest, but they are ingested on a daily basis with tobacco.
A diet and exercise program will greatly assist with replenishing the bodies deficiencies. Most people crave food when they stop smoking. By having healthy snacks and treats throughout the home and work area a person will be eating the foods that will help their bodies. One of the cravings that people have when suffering withdrawal is sugar. By using healthy alternatives for sugar, a person will not gain the weight that they would otherwise.
Many people find that by including supplements in their diet they can rebuild the strength and healthy glow that they had prior to smoking. Websites offer vitamins and holistic remedies made especially for people who are trying to quit smoking. These compounds contain the vitamins and minerals that the body lost through the years that were spent using tobacco.
Another effective method for people who are trying to quit by cutting down is to time smoke breaks. To start this technique you first need to know the times that you currently smoke. If you smoke a cigarette each hour of the day, then, move the time to one cigarette each two hours per day. When that is comfortable, move to every three hours, and so on. This is not a “fast” way to quit smoking, but it is effective.
There are many methods and techniques available for stopping tobacco use. Some of these incorporate diet, exercise, and herbal remedies to help with withdrawal. When you are trying to stop smoking you will need to find the technique that works best for you and has the most long lasting effects.
It is important that you not give up when you are trying to quit using tobacco. While just stopping may work for some people, if it doesn’t work for you that does not mean that you can’t quit. You may need to try several different methods to find the one that works best for you.
Most of the effective tobacco cessation programs involve reducing the amount of nicotine that goes into the body. When there is an issue with using one of these methods, you will find that esmokes is an effective alternative. The cigarettes provide different levels of nicotine so that a person can stop smoking easily and with fewer obstacles.
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