Health Resources

20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure will drop.

12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood falls to normal.

2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation and lung function improve.

5 years after quitting: Your risk of stroke is the same as if you had never smoked.

10 years after quitting: Your chances of dying from lung cancer are now half of what it would have been had you continued to smoke. Your risk of getting cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas has also decreased.

15 years after quitting: Your risk of coronary heart disease is the same as if you’d never smoked.

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The Desire to Quit Smoking

This “stop smoking product” isn’t found on any shelf or in any store or web site. The desire to quit smoking for yourself and for the betterment of your health must be present for a smoking cessation program to be successful.

With that being said, here is a list of quit smoking products available today that you may find helpful in your quest for a healthier, smoke-free life.

Nicotine Patches

This method of quitting smoking is a form of nicotine replacement therapy. A small, usually transparent patch is placed on the body and periodically releases small amounts of nicotine. This allows your brain to get the nicotine it craves while weaning yourself from it but without getting the harmful smoke.

Nicotine Gum

Nicotine gum is a popular stop smoking aid in that it serves two purposes. First, the gum releases small amounts of nicotine when chewed, and secondly, it helps keep your mouth busy and may help with overeating.

Quit Smoking Lozenges

These lozenges are said to help decrease nicotine cravings and ease withdrawal symptoms such as nervousness, anxiety and headaches. They’re also useful for the oral fixation aspect of quitting smoking and can help some avoid gaining weight.

Quit Smoking Pills

There are a few quit smoking pills available that you can ask your doctor about. Zyban is a popular drug that many people have found helpful that doesn’t contain nicotine but aids in the withdrawal process.

Zyban contains the same ingredient as the anti-depressant Wellbutrin and has the same effects such as easing irritability and anxiety, but without being classified as an anti-depressant.

A new drug hitting the market, under the name Chantix, Varenicline has been shown to block nicotine from attaching to the receptors in the brain. When nicotine is inhaled, the chemical properties attach themselves to the brain receptors, which then act as tiny messengers telling the body to release dopamine.

Dopamine is the chemical that gives us a feeling of relief and pleasure, which is why nicotine addiction is so strong since the body continuously wants to experience that “feel good” sensation it gets from smoking.

Herbal Remedies

If you prefer the natural route, you may want to consider herbal remedies such as pills, teas and even herbal cigarettes. These cigarettes resemble the real deal without the nicotine and tar and may give you something to do with your hands. They also still allow you to experience the sensation of smoking while quitting the habit.

Hypnosis and Support Groups

If you are a person who is able to be hypnotized, as not everyone is, then perhaps this method is worth trying as several people have reported success after a stop smoking hypnosis session.

Support groups are beneficial in that they surround you with like-minded people who understand your feelings through first hand experience. People often find it easier to quit smoking with the support of others and can share tips, hints and even frustrations in your journey to quit smoking.

Any of these stop smoking products coupled with the strong desire to lead a healthier and longer life can help you realize your dream of being a non-smoker. Remember the adverse ramifications that are well-documented and filling the news reports today such as lung cancer, emphysema, COPD or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, not to mention the damage caused to friends and loved ones by second-hand smoke.

I’m not a heavy smoker, I only smoke about 5 a day, but I still feel the addiction and I want and need to quit completely.

What is the most effective/successful way to quit smoking? I’ve been cutting down little by little. Is that the best way or should I just quit cold turkey and force myself to not smoke through sheer willpower?
I don't use the patch or gum because I don't believe in using crutches like that.

mattyboymma, Smoking addiction can be extremely serious. Many everyday people have lost jobs, homes, family, friends, and loved ones simply because they could not break thier smoking habit. I recommend you seek some help. I found a site that has addiction information and a directory of addiction treatment clinics so you can help. www.addictionselfhelp.com

Live strong

As the health hazards of smoking become more obvious and laws against the habit become for forceful, many people trying to quit smoking by hypnosis are having more success than with other methods. Smoking is understood to be an addiction to nicotine and not just a habit that is hard to break and some consider the approximate 65 percent success rate as being a good return.

One of the main misconceptions about hypnotism is that people can be made to do just about anything. However, they cannot be made to do something their subconscious would refuse. Many people have been able to quit smoking hypnosis because the suggestion is placed in their subconscious that they are a non-smoker and the conscious mind does not know any better.

When a person is under hypnosis, it is really just a totally relaxed state of mind in which the conscious mind opens and allows thoughts and words to enter the subconscious. The subconscious mind will interpret most of what it hears as fact and if told they do not smoke, their efforts to quit smoking by hypnosis will be successful.

Remaining Smoke Free Is Conscious Decision

Once the person is no longer in this state of deep relaxation, depending on the strength of the suggestion placed in the subconscious, they may rekindle their smoking addiction. Nationally, the success rate to quit smoking by hypnosis is 65 percent on the first session. The success rate increases for those attempting to quit smoking by hypnosis a second time.

Other behavior modifications can be influenced and typically a hypnotherapist or a hypnosis clinic will offer help to quit smoking by hypnosis as well as achieve weight loss. The acceptance of being able to quit smoking by hypnosis is such that some hypnotherapists are offering a do-it-yourself kit, which includes visual stimuli as well as recorded suggestions.

The quit smoking kits are available to be played either on a home DVD player on a home computer and can be used over and over until the desired change in behavior has been achieved. Some hypnotherapists believe these are merely gimmicks and will not provide any beneficial results while others, including people who have successfully achieved their objective, stand behind their success.

Those trying to quit should consult with a certified hypnotist to ensure they truly know how to enter a person’s subconscious mind and plant suggestions the correct way. This technique will certainly be of great benefit to you if used wisely. Enjoy it along with your cigerette free lifestyle.

My boyfriend is trying really hard to quit smoking, but he's under 18 and can't use nicorettes or anything. What should he do?

It's really hard to stop smoking. You have to create a plan that includes some sort of replacement for the time you spend smoking.

Here are some tips that helped me stop smoking:

1. When you crave a cigarette, take a deep slow breath instead. This often tricks your body into thinking you're smoking.

2. Take a brisk walk instead of having a cigarette.

3. Get a bag of lollipops. This will help you get over the oral fixation of smoking.

4. Tell people you've stopped smoking. That way they can offer support.

5. Throw away your cigarettes! Don't keep them around as a temptation.

Good luck to your boyfriend!

These clips are from the BBC: Horizon documentary series entitled “We Love Cigarettes”. The advice Allen Carr gives is pretty good, it convinced me (a 5 year smoker) to quit cold turkey. It has been a couple months now and I’m still going strong.

Update:

It has been over one year since my last cigarette and I have never been tempted to look back. I really hope this simple advice has helped someone else.

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