Finding help to quit smoking

Finding the right combination of things to help you stop smoking is as individual as you are. Medication can provide support in your effort to stop smoking by easing withdrawal symptoms, reducing cravings, and improving your chances of successfully quitting.

Medication therapy

Smoking cessation medications are most effective when used as part of a comprehensive stop smoking program monitored by your physician. Talk to your doctor about your options and whether an anti-smoking medication is right for you. U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved options are:

- Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Nicotine replacement therapy involves "replacing" cigarettes with other nicotine substitutes, such as nicotine gum or a nicotine patch. It works by delivering “small and steady doses” of nicotine into the body to relieve some of the withdrawal symptoms without the tars and poisonous gases found in cigarettes. This type of treatment helps smokers focus on breaking their psychological addiction and makes it easier to concentrate on learning new behaviors and coping skills.

- Non-Nicotine Medication

Non-nicotine medications help you stop smoking by reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Currently, bupropion (Zyban) and varenicline (Chantix) are the only two medications that don’t contain nicotine which are approved as smoking cessation aids. These anti-smoking pills are intended for short-term use.

Non-medication therapies

There are several things you can do to stop smoking that don’t involve nicotine replacement therapy or prescription medications:

- Hypnosis

A popular option that has good results. Hypnosis works by getting you into a deeply relaxed state where you are open to suggestions that strengthen your resolve to quit smoking and increase your negative feelings toward cigarettes. Ask your doctor to recommend a qualified smoking cessation hypnotherapist in your area.

- Acupuncture

One of the oldest known medical techniques. Acupuncture is believed to work by triggering the release of endorphins (natural pain relievers) that allow the body to relax. As a smoking cessation aid, acupuncture can be helpful in managing smoking withdrawal symptoms.

- Behavioral Therapy

Nicotine addiction is related to the habitual behaviors (the “rituals”) involved in smoking. Behavior therapy focuses on learning new coping skills and breaking those habits. The American Lung Association offers a free online smoking cessation program that focuses on behavioral change.

- Motivational Therapies

Self-help books and websites can provide a number of ways to motivate yourself to quit smoking. One well known example is calculating the monetary savings. Some people have been able to find the motivation to quit just by calculating how much money they will save after they quit. One person saved enough money to pay his annual car insurance premiums.

Quitting smoking didn’t work, now what?

Two steps forward, one step back is a common pattern when you’re trying to replace unwanted habits with new positive ones. Having a small setback doesn’t mean you’re a smoker again. Most people try to quit smoking several times before they kick the habit for good, so don’t beat yourself up if you start smoking again. Turn the relapse into a rebound by learning from your mistakes. Identify the triggers or trouble spots you ran into and create a new and improved stop smoking plan.  

• 
  You’re not a failure if you slip up. It doesn't mean you can't quit for good.
• Don’t let a slip become a mudslide. Throw out the rest of the pack. It's important to get back on the non-smoking track now. Remember, your goal is no cigarettes - not even one puff.
• Look back at your quit log and feel good about the time you went without smoking.
• Find the trigger. Exactly what was it that made you smoke again? Decide how you will cope with that issue the next time it comes up.
• Learn from your experience. What has been most helpful? What didn’t work?  
• Find a quit buddy. You can quit smoking together and gain strength from each other.
• Are you using a medicine to help you quit? Call your doctor if you start smoking again.
• Some medicines cannot be used if you are smoking at the same time.
  

BAD BREATH AND SMOKING

When you smoke, nicotine will build up on your teeth, gums, tongue and it has a drying effect in your mouth, the moisture decrease in your mouth will limit the washing effect of the saliva as it acts as a natural mouthwash on oral bacteria.

There are many sources and causes of bad breath other than smoking, the most common cases of bad breath is caused by problems coming from within the mouth, for instance poor oral hygiene or even gum diseases.

There are people that have some degree of bad breath after they sleep, it is commonly referred to as morning bad breath. This case of bad breath is normal since the mouth stagnates and gets dry overnight. However this bad breath will clear away when the flow of saliva is restored, most likely after taking breakfast.

Also drinks, foods or medicines can lead to bad breath; the chemicals in the food can get into the blood streams and will then be breathed out from the person’s lungs. The most commonly know is the smell of garlic or other spicy foods and also alcoholic drinks. This bad breath is temporary as the smell will wear off after some time.

What will also cause bad breath is the deposition of food debris, plaque and also gum diseases. The smell of the already smoked cigarette is in itself bad breath.

It is normal that the more you stimulate less saliva production you are also increasing your chances of having bad breath, additionally when you have periodontal or dental problems you will have bad breath, smoking contributes to a lot of these damages for instance mouth ulcerations or other mouth diseases caused by smoking or deposition of nicotine.

To keep yourself free from bad breath due to smoking, it is advised that you note that cigarettes or cigars contain tar and nicotine that will build up on tongues, teeth or even the cheeks, aside from that it should be noted that smoking irritates the tissues of your mouth, this will tend to dry your mouth as saliva is inhibited, this in turn will increase the growth and build up of bacteria.

If you cannot quit smoking, it is good to observe good oral hygiene to get rid of the bad breath. After smoking it is advisable that you use mouthwashes that will get rid of the bad breath.

Since smoking inhibits saliva production, a smoker should drink plenty of water so that the mouth will not be left dry. A dry mouth is a favorite place for odor-causing bacteria.

A permanent solution to getting rid of bad breath is to totally quit smoking; this cannot be done once thus you should do it step by step. This should however not make you live with the bad breath, there are these solutions: regularly brush your teeth, always clean your tongue, use antiseptic mouth washes and floss your teeth to get rid of the food debris that will decompose and lead to bad breath.

Health Risk : Smoking and Heart Diseases

There are several causes of heart disease and smoking is one of them. And, there are many diseases which can develop from smoking and heart disease is one of them. Cigarette smoking is actually a major cause of heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

Peripheral vascular disease refers to a range of abnormal conditions that affect the veins outside your heart, generally obstructing flow of blood in arteries. Smoking is very famous like a celebrity star, in different ways. In exchange from the pleasure of smoking, your life is the price you pay.

Types Of Heart Diseases

There are several types of heart disease, but the major ones are the atherosclerosis, coronary, rheumatic, congenital, myocarditis, angina, and arrythmia heart disease. Although heart disease can be deadly, it is also preventable.

The most basic and simple ways to prevent heart disease is to exercise regularly, eat heart-healthy diet, maintain healthy weight, avoid smoking, and have regular health screenings. It is never too late for anybody to change lifestyles and practice healthy habits for the betterment ones welfare.

Smoking and heart disease may not come hand in hand because not everyone with heart disease used to smoke, but we can’t ignore the fact that smokers may develop heart disease in a latter time or any other serious disease for that matter.

Chemicals In Tobacco Smoke Are The Main Culprits

Smoking kills more and more people each year and almost 40 % of those who died from smoking die from heart and blood vessel disease. Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemicals in which many of them are poisonous.

Nicotine in tobacco smoke can increase blood pressure causing the heart to work harder. Carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in your blood. Smoking adds to the obstruction of the arteries which can lead to heart attack and other heart-related conditions.

And, smokers have greater risk of death from coronary heart disease compare to non-smokers. Aren’t these reasons enough for you to quit smoking? If at earlier time you stop smoking and heart disease is what you want to evade from, then, you must value your life so much.

How Long Does Nicotine Stay in Your System

Can nicotine be constituted as a drug? In my opinion, Yes! And that is simply for the reason being that it is a highly addictive substance, one which causes the brain chemicals to react and change making smokers feel drawn to it with out any resistance. Nicotine has a close relation to any other addiction being that it creates good moods and bad ones when smoking or going through a small withdrawal state.

The Process of nicotine and how long it stays in your system:

When the chemicals of nicotine enter your bloodstream, the body is sent into over drive trying to compensate for the damage being done to the body. As this process is taking place the chemical reaction causes a rapid blood flow from the heart, creating a chain reaction in which blood pressure rises and the heart rate increases causing the arteries to tighten and become narrower.

It is known that carbon monoxide in association with smoking and its effect on the body causes a decrease in the oxygen level that is carried to the blood. When all effects of nicotine and this are put together, the body becomes deprived in search of more oxygen supply for both the blood itself and cells in the body.

Once nicotine has entered the body, it is transformed and turned into a substance called cotinine. The time it actually takes for cotinine to rid itself from the body varies and can be a quicker process for those with a high metabolism.

It can usually take several days or up to a week plus for it to clear your system being that you steer clear from smoking including second hand smoking.

Is there a solution?

The obvious answer here is to completely quit smoking! That is in the best interest of your own health and well being. The best possible answer here is to drink plenty of water and or to sweat out the toxins. By doing both you can eliminate or speed up the process of traces of nicotine within your bloodstream

Why Do People Smoke?

Several findings have showed that smoking harms nearly every organ of the human body, causing a wide range of diseases. Despite the knowledge of the health consequences of cigarette smoking, still a tremendous number of people continue to smoke worldwide. Smoking is often described as been the leading avoidable cause of mortality and one of the most important modifiable causes of premature death.

Cigarette manufactures have been required to put warnings on all their packages of cigarettes to tell smokers that cigarette smoking is dangerous to health. But still people smoke. Why do they want to put something into their mouth and suck on it till addictive toxins go inside lungs and do damage? People who smoke claim that cigarettes really have a calming effect when we feel stressed. This is due to nicotine delivered from tobacco by smoking. The very rapid absorption of nicotine (nicotine takes just ten seconds to reach the brain once smoke entered the lungs) and the high blood pressure levels that result, promote rapid and strong behavioral reinforcement from smoking.

The advantages of smoking are immediate and true whereas the disadvantages are delayed and likely. The positive consequences of smoking include reduced irritability, induced relaxation, increased sense of control, sensory stimulation, and maintain group affiliation etc. Nicotine once enter the brain act as a tranquilizer thus makes the smoker experience relax though for few minutes but in fact smoking cause more stress internally. Thinking that smoking reduces stress and makes calm is really a great time waste says Mitchell.

There are many negative consequences. First cigarettes are legal drugs. Smoking is unnecessarily a waste of money. Cigarettes are the most addictive and destructive over-the-counter drug known to man. Cigarette smoking is equivocal to lung cancer. Researches have shown that depression is twice as common to people who smoke against those who do not smoke. Apart from nicotine, tobacco contains cyanide, nitrogen oxide, and carbon monoxide, all of which are harmful chemicals and are used as poison.

Health Effects of Smoking

"Smoking-related diseases claim an estimated 438,000 American lives each year, including those affected indirectly, such as babies born prematurely due to prenatal maternal smoking and victims of “secondhand” exposure to tobacco’s carcinogens..."

Let’s take a look at the health effects of smoking i.e. what actually happens inside your body each time you light up. Think about how quickly tobacco smoke can produce harmful effects. The following are some of the health risk of smoking.

Your Eyes, Nose, & Throat

The health effects of smoking can be found on your eyes, nose and throat. Within a few seconds of your first puff, irritating gases such as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and others begin to work on sensitive membranes of your eyes, nose, and throat.

Your eyes water, your nose runs, and your throat is irritated. If you continue smoking, these irritating gases will contribute to your smoker’s cough. Continued smoking produces abnormal thickening in the membranes lining your throat, accompanied by cellular changes that resemble those that occur in throat cancer.

Lungs

The health effects of smoking are very dangerous with regards to lungs. Continued exposure can entirely paralyze the lungs’ natural cleansing process. (Smoking and Lung Cancer)

• Your respiratory rate increases, forcing your lungs to work harder.
• Irritating gases produce chemical injury to the tissues of your lungs. This speeds up the production of mucus and leads to an increased tendency to cough up sputum.
• Excess mucus serves as a breeding ground for a variety of bacteria and viruses. You become more prone to colds, flu, bronchitis, and other respiratory infections. And if you do come down with an infection, your body is less able to fight it, because smoking impairs the ability of the white blood cells to fight invading organisms.
• The lining of your bronchi begins to thicken, predisposing you to cancer. Most lung cancers arise in the bronchial lining.
• Smoke weakens the free-roving scavenger cells that remove foreign particles from the air sacs of the lungs. Continued smoke exposure adversely affects elastin, which is the enzyme that keeps your lungs flexible, predisposing you to emphysema.
• Many of the compounds you inhale are deposited as a layer of sticky tar on the lining of your throat and bronchi and in the delicate air sacs of your lungs. A pack-a-day smoker pours about a pint - 16 ounces - of tar into his or her lungs each year. This tar is rich in cancer producing chemicals.