January 18, 2010 Comments Off
Ban on Smoking for Top Tobacco State — DURHAM, N.C. (AP)
In many states, Gary Richards would not have been able to light up a cigarette before biting into his meat-lover’s pizza, as he did at Satisfaction Restaurant & Bar this week. But in North Carolina, the nation’s leading tobacco producer, limits on indoor smoking have lagged behind those in much of the country. That changed on Saturday, when smoking in restaurants and bars was banned by law in the state that produces nearly half of the nation’s tobacco.
Tobacco May Up Pain From Jaw Disorder — NEW YORK (Reuters Health)
Smoking and other types of tobacco use may increase the pain of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ), a new study suggests. Smoking has not been established as a risk factor for TMJ development, but research has shown that among people with certain painful conditions — such as fibromyalgia and chronic back pain — tobacco users tend to have more severe pain.
Tobacco in The News originally appeared on About.com Smoking Cessation on Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 at 19:53:57.
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January 17, 2010 Comments Off
The Smoking Cessation Forum here at About.com provides some of the best quit smoking support available anywhere on the Internet. This very active community of people quitting tobacco has new members joining daily.
You’ll find answers to your questions and the support you need to quit smoking for good. Browse through and read messages as a guest, or register for free to post comments of your own.
Current Forum Discussions:
- Does it Ever Get Better, Really?
“It’s been just over 5 days since I became a non-smoker and there have been days from hell as well as days that weren’t so bad. I’ve read everything on this site that will help me understand this addiction and I am still really struggling. I know every piece of information I could possibly know about the subject….the terrible stories to do with health, the chemical addiction that our body has, how to cope with those cravings, situations not to put yourself into, and the list goes on. No matter what I read, I still could so easily pick one up and light it.”
- I Want to Quit…But I Don’t
“I want to quit….but I don’t. I have smoked for 25 years and am only 41 years old. I quit several times but never felt like it was the “real thing”. I felt that I would always return to my friend. I have tried Chantix (made me irritable), Wellbutrin (same thing) and have had some success with the patch. I would appreciate any help to move me in the permanent state of mind that I need to be in in order to succeed at quitting. I feel discouraged. I want to quit….but I don’t.”
January 15, 2010 Comments Off
An Attitude Adjustment at Two Months Smoke-Free
As time goes by, it can be easy to lose sight of the reasons why we put out that last cigarette and started smoking cessation. We forget how much we hated smoking, how it made us cough and the shortness of breath we suffered from. We start to feel sorry for ourselves, thinking about how miserable we are without our cigarettes. We romanticize about the good old days of smoking. This is called junkie thinking, and is a potential pitfall that most ex-smokers will face at some point in the recovery process. Without an attitude adjustment, junkie thinking can easily lead to a smoking relapse.
This week I’d like to introduce you to Brad, a member of the About.com Smoking Cessation support forum. Brad’s story is a great example of an aborted junkie thinking slide. Like so many others who grow weary of the healing process from nicotine addiction that can be slow in coming, Brad was in a slump and starting to feel sorry for himself. Through a chance encounter however, he found a powerful attitude adjustment that put his priorities back in order.
Congratulations Brad, and thanks for sharing your story with us here.
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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, January 11th, 2010 at 06:45:25.
January 14, 2010 Comments Off
Cigarette smoking increases a person’s metabolic rate in part by forcing the heart to beat faster. When a cigarette is inhaled, the smoker’s heart may beat 10 to 20 times more per minute for a period of time. This causes extra stress on the heart and plays a role in heart disease, the most common cause of smoking-related death.
Think about this: A smoking habit of 20 cigarettes a day puts approximately the same amount of stress on the heart as 90 pounds of extra weight would. When we stop smoking, heart rate slows down somewhat, causing metabolism to dip a bit as well. This can in turn trigger a slight weight gain.
Let’s take a look at what you can do to keep your weight under control as you move through the process of recovery from nicotine addiction.
Here is a collection of Smoke Assassin reviews from around the web. It doesn’t take long for these various reviews to give you a bad vibe regarding this particular company. Personally I haven’t ordered from Smoke assassin but was curious what type of customer experience others have had.
These are the first five reviews I found. Not one was positive. If anyone else has a better experience please comment and let the rest of us know.
Smoke Assassin is a complete ripoff. I ordered the exact same model directly from China for $12.99 plus about $7 shipping. Not many decent retailers sell them because they’re basically throw-away models (not much vapor, taste funny, etc.)
If you’re able to, return it. If not, keep it in a box – possibly place a voodoo hex on it – and buy yourself a 901, J-510 or maybe a J-118. I think The Rain Main over at esmokeronline.com is having a sale on the last two, and I think Phil at e-smokeytreats.com just got a shipment of all three.
The radio advertisement stated a feel trial for the cost of shipping and handling- 9.95. The web site and print advertisement also stated that the free trial included everything needed to try the product including 4 cartridges, the equivalent to 6 packs of smokes.
After they have your credit card information than they try to sell you additional products- when I declined it was explained to me that I could not get the free trial without purchasing the 69.95 cartridges or the 99.95 set of cartridges. Which would automatically be renewed every month on my credit card until I called to cancel.
When I realized that I was not going to be able to order my free trial for 9.95, I asked to have my credit card cancelled. I was put on hold for 20 minutes. I held on. The customer service rep who I spoke to assured me my credit card would be cancelled and even agreed that the advertisement is misleading and he has more problems because of the advertisement.
The Smoke Assassin program is interesting in its concept but fails utterly in execution. First of all, the program costs more than smoking cigarettes. This is absurd considering the sheer number of effective stop smoking products and programs that are significantly less expensive.
Secondly, the Smoke Assassin program doesn’t address the issue of nicotine addiction. Because it doesn’t provide the smoker with nicotine, nor does it replace the nicotine with an alternative, the Smoke Assassin program is virtually the same as going cold turkey (which has a high failure rate, reported at 70%-90% failure. For these reasons, the Smoke Assassin system is not recommended.
I already had several 401s in hand and some 510s on order, but when I heard about the free trial for the Smoke Assassin while listening to the Howard Stern Show, I thought, why not! So I called and ordered one. About $10 to have it shipped to the house and took about a week to get it in.
First of all, beware, when you order the free trial, you’re going to get put on an automatic cartridge mailing plan that I believe costs around $70 per month! Why do I “believe” it costs so much?
Because when I ordered it, the operator who took my order spoke so friggin’ fast long to fit all the bull**** it, I didn’t fully catch what she was saying. I knew, however, that I was going to cancel the subscription service as soon as I received the hardware, I didn’t really care.
So last week, it came in. I believe it’s a 8084 or DES084 mini. It came with a single battery, atomizer, 4 refill carts, and charger all in a simulated cig box, there were also 20 extra carts in separate boxes all zero nicotine. Not a great way to vape off analogs. I tried it out. Nothing great. No better or worse than my 401s. I actually like the flavor of the carts that came with my 401 much better.
The charger that came with it however was not a single piece as shown on their website (actually, nothing looked like it is on their website) but a wired USB charger. When I plugged it in, no lights, but a really bad smell. A smell I know all too well, the smell of burning electronic components.
I called them up and told them about it and they said they were going to send out a new charger. Still nothing. I’ll update you if I get one.
Hope this helps.
January 12, 2010 Comments Off
Years of smoking taught us to react to literally everything by lighting a cigarette. When we were happy, we’d celebrate by lighting up. When we got angry, smoking would calm us down, or so we thought. Tired? Smoke a cigarette to stay awake. Hungry? Feed yourself a smoke. The list goes on.
Between the physical addiction to nicotine, and the mental associations that tie what seems like all of our activities to cigarettes, it can feel as though we’re chained to the habit with links of steel.
POLL: What triggers the urge to smoke for you?
1) First thing in the morning with coffee
2) Alcohol
3) Other people smoking
4) Anger
5) Boredom
6) Fatigue
7) Depression 
After meals
January 8, 2010 Comments Off
Saying goodbye to an addiction that has held us prisoner for decades involves more than just recovery from the physical need to smoke. For most of us, letting go of the habit signals a powerful emotional release as well.
Over the years, About.com Smoking Cessation Forum members have contributed personal accounts of the psychological liberation that smoking cessation brings, and they’ve done it in the form of goodbye letters.
Fix yourself a cup of tea and settle in for a little inspirational reading today.
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