Archive for the ‘help to stop smoking’ Category
You see smokers today huddled outsice their office/restaurant/bar, smoking the cigarette they crave because they can’t do it inside. Now you can relieve the cravings and stay inside among your friends.
When you are considering a program to quit smoking, it is important to understand some of the methods in which it touches base on, helping you understand the problems that you will face when you give up smoking and how to cope with them.
Not only is your own will and determination important, but the caring and support of those around you when things get rough. Some of the best stop-smoking programs include counseling, both individually or in groups, and therapy.
The therapy is different from counseling as it is in reference to the individual and how they are responding to quitting smoking. It is decided on the basis of an individual’s health, for which a smoker is required to undergo a full medical check up.
Most of these stop-smoking programs are normally spread over a period of 2 weeks. During this period, trained counselors conduct anywhere from four to seven sessions, the duration of which ranges from 20 to 30 minutes. The duration of the total program or the sessions can be modified based on the needs of the participating group and the individual involved. The programs are invariably led by people who have had considerable experience in assisting people give up smoking.
One excellent group that runs such programs is Nicotine Anonymous, which works on the same principles as Alcoholics Anonymous. Like AA, smokers can attend all meetings free of cost and have a continuous support group on a weekly basis. The American Lung Association, Health Department, and American Cancer Society also sponsor such free programs and support groups for smokers who are trying to quit smoking.
There are so many programs to choose from in regard to quitting smoking, it is best to research how legitimate they are before joining. It is never easy to quit anything, but smoking seems to be one of the worst. Looking around at all the programs, realize what you will be up against – being honest with yourself – while also looking at the options should be carefully done before beginning.
It is pretty hard to be objective about an addictive drug that is present in the body about three or four days after quitting the nicotine, but to be truthful and honest about what is going to happen and what it will take to successfully quit is what it takes.
However, before joining any such program, you need to do some research. You must avoid programs that are not ethical, or programs that use injections or pills as the only method of treatment. The programs that refuse to disclose details of the chemicals used in injections must surely be shunned. So should be those programs that charge high fees or promise instant results.
And most of all, you must remember that it takes time and patience to give up smoking. Most smokers have been at it for quite awhile, and won’t be able to quit overnight. But once you do, food will taste better and your sense of smell will be back to normal. Shortness of breath will be gone, and you will return to better health. Join a program that is well planned and willing to help you on a long-term basis for a major future goal.
Mike Singh
http://www.articlesbase.com/quit-smoking-articles/stop-smoking-programs-what-should-i-look-for-when-picking-a-quit-smoking-program-85211.html
As of March 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that about 22% of high school students and 22% of adults in America are current cigarettes smokers, making of this issue a major health concern nationwide. Awareness, however, is not enough to help you quit smoking.
Let’s face it, you know that smoking cigarettes is not a “chic thing” any longer. Advertising through the 20th century pictured men and women becoming socially successful, sensual or fascinating just for the fact of smoking “x” cigarette brand. Today all of us know that is not matter of brands, but a problem putting in risk your life.
Cigarette smoking is responsible for about 438,000 deaths in the United States each year, remaining as the top preventable cause of death in the country. Furthermore, 38,000 of those deaths are caused by secondhand smoke exposure, so even the no smoker is exposed to lethal compounds produced by tobacco when burned.
When it comes to quit smoking, learning more about health problems that tobacco cause to your family and yourself may not be enough evidence to stop smoking cigarettes. Every sincere attempt to do so, however, contributes to reduce gradually your addiction to nicotine, just one of the 4,000 harmful substances found in tobacco smoke.
There are natural products and over-the-counter nicotine replacements such as nicotine gum and patches, useful aids for getting over the addiction to cigarettes. Making realistic goals, setting a date for quit smoking, and stick as much as possible to your plans is a must for a healthy life.
Whether this is your first quitting attempt if you have been trying for years, don’t give up and start over again if your attempt fails. As one of the most powerful stimulant drugs, nicotine is an addiction that need to be admitted, explored, and combated consistently.
Never try to minimize the problem saying that smoking is something you can deal with. Reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke a day doesn’t reduce your chances of getting serious illness, including lung disease, cancer and heart stroke.
Nevertheless, using smokeless tobacco is another alternative to quit smoking eventually. Exercising, thinking positively and getting involved in activities held in places where smoking is not permitted are just basic but effective steps toward a brand new non-smoking day.
RD Warren
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/stop-smoking-the-easy-way-64143.html
Although smoking can become a physical craving, it is a habit that can still be effectively ended simply by using mind power. In fact, quitting smoking is one of the most common purposes that hypnosis serves in the medical world. If you have tried everything to help you quit this very dangerous habit and yet you are still hooked, it might be good for you to try hypnosis this time.
Many people sadly underestimate the power of hypnosis. Nevertheless, numerous studies have shown that hypnosis can be effectively used to attain various goals and quitting smoking is just one of them.
Hypnosis exercises can be done by yourself or with the help of a professional. Although anyone can certainly practice self-hypnosis, this exercise will take quite some time for you to master. It will also require you to hone your mental skills.
A hypnotherapist will have to be paid by the hour. You can ask for referrals from your family, friends, or your personal physician. On the other hand, in order to use self-hypnosis to stop smoking, here is what you should do:
Step 1, Find a place at home or in the office where you can enjoy some peace and quiet as well as some alone time. The best time to do this is usually right before you take breakfast or before you sleep. Disconnect your phone and the ringer and switch off your mobile phone to ensure that you will not get disturbed. Lock the door as well and inform everyone in the vicinity that you will be temporarily incommunicado.
Step 2, Think of a position where you will be most comfortable without inevitably falling asleep. If you can do this lying down then that is great but most people prefer to sit on a couch with their backs straight. Remember that it must be a position you can feel comfortable holding as long as needed.
Step 3, While some hypnosis sessions will require you to focus on just one specific goal or a single sentence or affirmation alone, you will definitely need more than that to successfully hypnotize yourself into quitting smoking. Smoking is a very hard habit to break, and that is why it needs more than a powerful sentence or two to get it completely out of your system.
Form a paragraph or two that fully and vividly describes the state of being free from smoking. Provide rich details on how wonderful it is not to be addicted to smoking. Emphasize how easy it is for you to quit this habit, and how happy you are that you have achieved your goal.
Step 4, Lastly, select an action or object that can quickly and strongly remind you of the emotions you have felt when you were able to imagine yourself into a smoke-free state. If you have made your choice, continue with the exercise while repeatedly making the action or maintaining your hold on the object. The session ends there, but the results remain to be seen.
When you feel the urge to smoke, quickly make the action or take hold of the object you have chosen to help you quit smoking. If the urge to smoke subsides, you have attained your goal!
Even with the help of hypnosis, it may be possible that you will still have a hard time quitting smoking. Do not give up on hypnosis, however, because quitting takes time no matter what method you are using. Having the help and support of your family and friends however will improve your chances of quitting smoking. Good luck on getting rid of those cigarettes!
Bill Urell
http://www.articlesbase.com/quit-smoking-articles/using-hypnosis-to-stop-smoking-now-77305.html
The problems that can appear when you give up smoking are described for the smoker to understand in a stop smoking program, and it also tells you how to cope with them. Because giving up smoking requires support and encouragement, the program provides it, and that way helps you a lot.
Therapy, both individually or in groups are included in the best smoking programs, because the therapy is decided on the basis on an individuals health, which in many cases, may vary, so, the smoker is required to undergo a full medical check up.
During a period of 2 weeks, trained counselors conduct a number of sessions, with duration of about 20 – 30 minutes. The duration of the program or the sessions can be modified depending most on the participating group.
Nicotine Anonymous is a group that runs stop smoking programs. To give the best help, the programs are led by people who have considerable experience in this area. Nicotine Anonymous works on the same principles as Alcoholics Anonymous and smokers can attend its meeting without paying anything. Such programs are sponsored by the American Cancer Society, Health Department and The American Lung Association.
To avoid programs that are not ethical, or programs that use only pills as a method of treatment it is important to do some research. Also, surely must be shunned the programs that refuse to disclose the details of, for example the chemicals used in the injections (or pills), as well as programs that promise instant results for high fees.
Because it takes time and patience to give up smoking, it is important to join a program that is well planned, and is willing to help you on a long-term basis.
Stop Smoking Clinic: A stop smoking clinic helps the smoker by advising him on how to give up. Being stuffed by both counselors and therapists helps the smoker, in his several counseling sessions (either one to one, or in groups), twice or thrice a week, by letting him interact with the counselor at any point of time.
In any stage counseling proves useful, but, in the beginning, when all smokers experience great withdrawal symptoms like emotional distress or abnormal weight, proves to be even more useful, because it provides the emotional support that the smoker desperately needs.
Several clinics help the smokers by putting them under different therapies, based on the smokers likes and dislikes, that help effectively control the withdrawal symptoms. Based on those likes, and dislikes, they are advised to use either nicotine patch, nicotine inhaler or nicotine gum or tablets.
Also, a part of the program is taken by regular exercise, because the exercises make the smoker feel healthy, and reduce his urge for a smoke. A good advice given by the clinics is that the smoker to pick a simple new hobby or interest to keep him busy, and taking his mind of the smoking thing.
Because the risk of going back to smoking again exists even if the smokers have finished the program, the clinics stay in touch with the smokers. The patients receive pamphlets by mail, which provide useful information, or are asked to attend seminars. For many reasons, people consider this phase of treatment more important than the actual quitting.
Because the clinics have trained counselors and mix therapy with counseling, most of them enjoy a high success rate.
George Wood
http://www.articlesbase.com/quit-smoking-articles/choosing-a-stop-smoking-program-and-clinic-76969.html
Everyone could use a little healthier life style. With all the junk food, fast food and eating on the run, health is deteriorating. To top it off many people smoke and partake of other non-healthy habits.
Years ago doctors told individuals that cigarettes could be used to calm nerves, help lose weight and just generally help with anxiety. They had no idea how harmful cigarettes actually were. These people exposed not only themselves to the harms of smoke, but also their children. It has only been recently that the surgeon general has begun cracking down on cigarette manufacturers and doctors have started suggesting the cessation of smoking immediately.
Relatively few businesses allow smoking on their premise any longer, many night clubs have restricted smoking to only outdoors. With the world for smokers closing in and opinions changing it has put great pressure on those that smoke.
Some smokers can lay down cigarettes and never pick up another. Other people taper off and struggle for years with cravings and desires. While everyone is different so is the manner by which they need to quit smoking. Between pills, patches, staples and a host of other manners some have been able to quit, but generally turn to another habit. These habits range in seriousness, but none of them are good in excess.
There is one method that is not necessarily aimed at nicotine cessation, but does work. Hypnosis is a technique that is used by a trained professional to induce a suggestible state by the patient. During this suggestible state individuals can change cravings, feelings and behaviors. There are several different types of hypnosis, one of the most effective is stop smoking hypnosis. The hypnosis session is aimed at changing the internal scripting that allows the unconscious to give the feeling of need for cigarettes. This is achieved by changing the scripting inside the brain, replacing it with a productive script.
Quit smoking hypnosis is the same but may focus more on the behaviors that precede or follow having a cigarette. For example, if the smoker has developed a habit that they smoke each time they are in the car, eventually this becomes a habit. Quit smoking hypnotism can help the smoker find another way to cope with not having a cigarette in the car.
Instead it may be suggested that the person chew gum, drink water or have another more productive habit. This is a great way to keep busy and allow the mind to wander else where.
Smoking hypnosis has been proven effective by thousands of smokers. As the word gets out the popularity will grow. There are no pills, staples or any other side effects that you need to worry about interfering with medications or other areas of your life. Hypnosis is completely safe and certainly a good way to quit the most addicting habit of your life.
Nicotine is very harmful and cessation will not only do wonders for your health, pocket book, but also the individuals around you. Second hand smoke has been proven time and time again to cause painful ear aches, worsened asthma, upper respiratory infections along with other issues for children. Children should never be subject to cigarette smoke.
Another great thing about stop smoking hypnosis is the fact that you can change other behaviors and things in your life at the same time. Just because you are working on smoking cessation does not mean that you can not work toward a feeling of good health and well being.
Many people use hypnosis to explore their past and rid of feelings or wishes that they have carried through out their lives. For example, if a parent or relative has passed and you have always wished to have said something a good way to put closure to this is to visit that time again in your life. The hypnotist can guide you through that process and help you put closure to that part of your life. So hypnosis can work for more than one area of your life.
Quit smoking hypnosis is safe and a great way to improve your life. Every time you experience hypnosis you awake to feeling relaxed and refreshed. Hypnosis can really enhance your life!
David Wells
http://www.articlesbase.com/quit-smoking-articles/stop-smoking-by-hypnosis-125204.html
There is nothing more valuable than stop smoking advice. According to advice from the Mayo Clinic, if we are thinking of quitting smoking or giving up tobacco products, we have to begin a completely new lease on life – “The better trained we are, the higher the likelihood of success.” Preparation will become our first big step, as it prepares us for the emotional distress that follows when we give up smoking. And believe me, the longer we have smoked the more distress we will have.
This is the time to begin listening to advice around us. Several sources of advice are: the anti-smoking clinics, self-help groups, family members, and friends. Through them, we will learn how make a plan, set a date, and choose the right treatment to take.
Some advice can keep us away from products whose efficacy is doubtful, or help us compare their results for helping smokers. These include various combinations of herbal supplements, vitamins, and homeopathic aids. Many smokers swear they work, and they may have – for them. But for me, it has always been best to accept the help of a professional counselor or a friend who has given up smoking. You can also ask your local doctor for help.
All of these individuals can advise you on the advantages and disadvantages of using different forms of nicotine replacement therapy. Based on this advice, we can then choose nicotine gum, a nicotine inhaler, or maybe a nicotine patch. Among other things, I have found out the importance of removing ashtrays, lighters, or any other objects that can remind me of smoking.
We can even consider an anti-smoking pill like Zyban or an anti-smoking shot that many programs recommend. We can even use some of the non-medicinal alternatives that help people to quit smoking. For instance, we can join a smoking cessation program where a counselor will use behavioral therapy to help us understand why we began smoking and stayed smoking so long, and then let the counselor help us overcome the habit. Similarly, hypnosis can increase our negative feelings about smoking, strengthening our resolve to quit. Our counselors can also tell us as to how acupuncture can help us combat withdrawal symptoms or why filters that reduce nicotine and tar are not effective solutions.
You especially stand to gain if you failed the first time. Most people that quit previously did so by stop taking their medication too early. Most people who use the free telephone quitlines know this was a bad idea before they quit, making this system the best way to stop smoking. The ACS, or 1-800-ACS – 2345 line helps people find “quitlines” help in their state or area. When smokers relapse into smoking again, they need to review their reasons it happened, and then work on a better plan for the next time around. A smoker’s goal is to find their own support system and their own techniques.
Mike Singh
http://www.articlesbase.com/quit-smoking-articles/stop-smoking-advice-can-work-wonders-56076.html
Have you seen pole-vault jump? The jumper carries the pole in both hands at the start of the jump, gathers speed, leaps up in the air, and at a particular moment, upon reaching the top level of the jump, he leaves the pole, to jump all alone to the other side. He is the victor and he no more requires the pole. He has given up dependence on the pole, at the pinnacle of his glory. Stop smoking aids are to be treated in the same fashion. They are there to aid you. They can never be the permanent part of your personality.
What then is the permanent part of your personality? It is your strong will power to quit smoking! There is no substitute to your will power. All stop smoking aids are mere playthings in front of the glow of your will power.
The power of Nicotine is strange and great. Notwithstanding the relentless campaign against it, health warnings of all types, rising cigarette prices due to high taxation, awareness campaigns, stop smoking aids on the rampage in the market, smoking still maintains the level of popularity. Many new recruits join its bandwagon in thousands everyday. What a strange product! It celebrates funeral marches and birthday celebrations on the same day!
Thousands die every day all over the world, becoming the victims of the smoking related diseases. Thousands take up to smoking for the first time every day.
The power of your adversary is known, which only means that you have to make strong preparations to defeat him. Surrender is not the alternative. It is difficult to stop smoking, but it is possible. The target is well within your reach. The path is difficult, but there are many aids to help you en-route. Rehabilitation centers run, mostly free, by the governmental and non-governmental organizations give many therapies, lecture programs, counseling sessions to help you quit smoking.
Another important aid in terms of human resources is the support from your family members and friend circle. “A friend in need is a friend indeed” Isn’t it? Your present urgent need is to quit smoking. Let your friends and family members create the proper environment for you to initiate and maintain your efforts to quit smoking.
Fortunately, plenty of stop smoking aids are available in the market. The cravings for nicotine can be met with these aids. Some of them are nasal sprays, inhalers, lozenges gum and nicotine patches.
They are so designed, that a small amount of nicotine is let in your bloodstream, so that you can get your nicotine cravings. The advantage of this type of nicotine is that they don’t contain the poisonous gases and tar found in cigarettes.
Hypnotherapy is one of the popular aids to help you quit smoking. It tackles your craving at the right spot -the exact source- your sub conscious mind.
Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/stop-smoking-guide-availing-stop-smoking-aids-94613.html
Everyone knows that smoking is a terrible habit. Aside from the obvious health risks, smoking makes your teeth yellow, makes your clothes stink, and it turns you into a social outcast. If you’ve already made the decision to stop smoking, good for you! Now it’s time to take the next step and establish a support system to help you maintain your smoke-free lifestyle.
People who stop smoking by way of techniques like hypnotherapy often think that they’ve kicked the habit for good. It’s important to know that even the most proven stop smoking programs aren’t guaranteed to last. You need to have help you can turn to on a daily basis.
It’s time to assemble your personal stop smoking support group. Establishing this group is easy. You already have a network of friends and family members who are anxious for you to quit. The help you need is waiting for you; and best of all, this is a free stop smoking resource!
Anyone who has tried to quit knows that one person can’t do it alone. You need help to stop smoking and to stay smoke-free, and the best help you can have isn’t sold in any form.
Believing that you are harming yourself, and exposing your loved ones to the dangers of second-hand smoke, is enough to make you want to quit. If those who care about you are ready to help you through the process, you may find that it’s easier to make it happen. Read on to learn how the support of friends can really help, and how to make your group as helpful as possible.
Seek the Naggers
Partners, coworkers, family and friends will often nag about smoking until the smoker is ready to scream. The problem with nagging, however, is that can backfire. The pressure causes the smoker to become more angry, nervous and anxious to be able to escape with another smoke. Quitting smoking is hard enough without incorporating the stress of arguments over the subject. Explain your concerns to all of the “naggers” in your group. Tell them that if they truly want to help, they should offer support and not sniping.
Be Responsible to Someone
Smoking cessation is more difficult when you try to sneak in a cigarette now and then without anyone knowing about it. By making yourself responsible to another person, you are going to have to actively lie about your smoking. It’s one thing to sneak in a smoke, but quite another to tell an outright lie when someone you care about asks if you’ve had a cigarette. Make yourself responsible to one person, and make sure it’s someone who will check up on you every day.
Hypnosis Support
The stop-smoking product or method that you chose to use isn’t important. What matters is that you are becoming smoke-free. For this reason, it’s important that the people in your group also support your methods. If you chose to use hypnosis, you may encounter people who question its effectiveness. Those who doubt that hypnosis treatments (or whatever method you choose) really work should be asked to keep their opinions to themselves. If you lose faith in the hypnosis process because you hear negative comments, it’s only going to serve to make the process less effective.
Take Advice With Caution
As soon as you announce that you’re quitting, you’ll be bombarded with advice from other smokers and non-smokers on how to kick the habit.
Remember that not every system is effective for every smoker, and what works for some may not be best for you. Listen to the advice and show your friends that you appreciate their input, but don’t discard your own common sense. You are the best judge of what you can or cannot accomplish.
Your friends and family will be thrilled that you’ve made the decision to stop smoking. Remind them that your value their patience and support, and will need to rely on their help and encouragement along the way. They’ll be happy to lend a hand.
Jennifer Taylor
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/support-to-stop-smoking-88123.html