How to Quit Smoking Without Any Side Effects

by

http://2stopsmokingtips.com

© 2012 All Rights Reserved

NB: This is a free ebook,share it with your friends or smokers around you.

Legal NoticeThis ebook is written with the sole aim of informing smokers about the dangers of smoking and the treatments options available. It should not be substituted for medical advice as the publisher, author, his agents, affiliates and others as may be appointed by him assume no liability/responsibility for the fallouts of the use or otherwise of the methods described herein. Please seek quality medical advice before you go ahead. You are advised.

Introduction

At 2stopsmokingtips.com, we believe quit smoking is possible without ugly side effects. Why should you treat smoking (a disease) to get another disease? Why should you drop off cigarettes only to start suffering from throat infection as a result of using an NRT (nicotine replacement therapy)? With proper information, preparation and determination, we believe you can successfully quit smoking and live a healthy life. This book is about all the strategies you can use to quit without any side effects whatsoever. Go on; read through the whole book, you will discover we kept to our promise of teaching you how to quit smoking without any side effects whatsoever.

Differences Between Side effects and Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms

Of a truth,there is a thin line between smoking cessation side effects and nicotine withdrawal symptoms. One thing that is however certain is that if you stop smoking,you are surely going to experience challenges like depression,headache,anxiety,gloominess,et cetera. But why we say you can quit smoking without side effects is that you can lessen the challenges by planning ahead of time how you are going to cope with them. This way,before the challenge rears its ugly head,you already have a solution. At the end of the day,it looks as if you didn't have any withdrawal symptoms. What we are saying in essence is; with advance preparation,you can quit smoking without any side effects.

You Can Successfully Quit Smoking Today

We don’t mean to flatter you when we say this. It’s possible. It is possible to stop smoking even if you have tried and failed several times before now; just follow the tips in this book.

Why Is Smoking Cessation Seemingly DifficultSmoking cessation is like having a bad hair day but you can overcome it.

Smoking cessation is difficult because of 2 things: nicotine as well as your mental attitude to cigarettes. Nicotine, the highly addictive element in cigarettes, is only one of the raison d'être that quitting smoking is so tough. Nicotine vanishes from your system only a few days after dropping off cigarettes, but the psychological aspects of this dependence can disturb you for years.

If you’ve ever tried to cease smoking before, you’ve likely observed that you think about smoking cigarettes nearly every waking moment of your days during that first week after dropping off cigarettes. You desire a cigarette, and either you give in and smoke one, or you resist with all your might.

Smoking Cessation is definitely not a stroll in the park but it can be done with adequate information, preparation and determination.

Reprogramming Your Mind for Stop Smoking Success

For most people to succeed with their stop smoking efforts, they need a re-programming of the mind.

This is because the smoking habit is just like a coin. It has 2 sides. If you are a smoker, just know that you are facing two types of addictions- the physical addiction and the psychological one.

The physical addiction is based on the attachment you have with the nicotine in the cigarette. Even though nicotine is addictive, the physical addiction can be broken in a matter of days, at most one week. This is good news for most smokers trying to quit.

But the bad news is the second type of addiction - the psychological one. Psychological addiction can be defined as a series of ideas or programs that exist in your unconscious or involuntary mind. These programs are the voices in your head that convince you to smoke just one more pack even when you have vowed not to have anything to do with cigarettes. They tell you to go just one more month as next month will be the best time to quit. Next month when you seem ready to quit, those voices repeat the procedure, thus keeping you in a nasty, never-ending cycle. It is so because they reside in the unintentional or subconscious

part of your brain and you tend to follow them without thinking twice but you can stem their tide, you can break the hold of these voices and psychological addiction.

If you’ve successfully quit smoking before but fell back into the habit after a while, just know that what you’ve been able to do is end your physical addiction to nicotine by quitting consciously (through the power of your logical or rational mind). But the conscious mind is no equal for your subconscious mind. The subconscious or involuntary mind is what controls most of the things we do. For instance, if your conscious mind instructs you to “pick up a book”, your subconscious immediately swerves into action and commands all the joints, muscles and guts needed for you to pick up the book. The known mind can issue the command but can never help you fulfill it. It’s just not powerful enough.

That’s also how a dependence or addiction manifests. The logical or rational mind issues orders and the subconscious complies with those orders. But after a while, the conscious mind becomes exhausted or overwhelmed and the subconscious takes over, using the old programming to resuscitate the habit again.

The truth of the matter is, you can’t control your subconscious mind, but, you can suggest things to it. It is likely to accept things faster when it sees them physically.

In order to defeat the psychological addiction one has to fight it at the same level it resides, the subconscious level of your mind. How can we do that? Well hypnosis, or meditation or visualization all work. The underground is to get into a very relaxed state and have a recording or script reprogram that area of your mind with new subconscious commands or voices if you will.

If you can re-program your mind to think of smoking as a self-destructive thing to do, then you're almost sure to succeed. And if your hands suddenly become itchy, get it something to do by writing or playing the piano!

It’s understandable why people find it hard to quit smoking, it’s like changing your entire lifestyle and many people resist change, even though change is the most constant thing in life.

15 Reasons why You Should Stop Smoking

Do you know that February 2011, US First Lady, Michelle Obama officially confirmed that President Obama had quit smoking cigarettes? Michelle told reporters at a White House luncheon to mark the first anniversary of her “Let’s Move” childhood health initiative, “It’s been a while and I’m very proud of him.”The Washington Post quoted the First lady as saying, “I haven’t poked and prodded. When somebody is doing the right thing, you don’t mess with them.”

By this brave move, Obama joins the ranks of the 1.3 million of his compatriots who are said to dump the habit annually. If Obama can drop his 30-year-old habit, you certainly can and here are 15 reasons why you should quit smoking now:

Reason No 1: You Can

Yes, quit smoking because you can. No matter what anybody says or feels about you, I am telling you to quit smoking today because you definitely can. Whether you believe it or not, you have the innate ability to stop any habit that is dragging you down, smoking inclusive. Henry Ford said;”If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re

right.” Everyday, tell yourself, “I can and I will quit smoking.” Say it with a lot of conviction. Mean it from the bottom of my heart. You will be surprised to see your affirmations coming to pass in a very short while. All I am saying in this first reason is: you can so you should quit smoking.

Reason No 2: Social Pressure

Governments all around the world are really serious about their anti-smoking policies. As we speak, smoking is being banned from more and more places. These include flights, shops, cinemas and restaurants. This is all designed to make life more unbearable in the hope that you will quit. In May 2011, China’s new indoor smoking ban took effect. This is in accordance with a WHO-backed global anti-tobacco treaty, even though the country had already missed a Jan. 9, 2011, deadline to enforce the ban. In April 2011, the Daily Mail reported that half of the states in the U.S. have banned smoking in restaurants, bars and the workplace since 2000, and federal health officials have predicted that cigarette smoking will be forbidden in all U.S. states by 2020. Whether this prediction will come to pass is not the issue. The issue is, our Governments have come to the realization that smoking is deadly and are willing to do all within their power to eradicate it, so, why don’t you quit today?

Reason No 3: Digging An Early Grave

In China, smoking is said to be behind the deaths of at least 1 million people annually. Government Statistics reveal it’s one of the greatest health threats the country faces as approximately 30% of adults in China smoke. This amounts to roughly 300 million people out of the huge Chinese population which runs into over a billion. In the UK, Cancer Research UK said, “ today, tobacco consumption is recognised as the UK’s single greatest cause of preventable illness and early death with around 107,000 people dying in 2007 from smoking related diseases including cancers.” The situation is no different in the US where the Center for Disease Control and Prevention singles out tobacco as the single most preventable cause of the 3Ds (disease, disability, and death) in the United States.

Each year, 443,000 people are said to die prematurely from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, and another 8.6 million live with a serious illness caused by smoking. It’s amazing that despite these risks, the CDC says “approximately 46.6 million U.S. adults smoke cigarettes. Smokeless tobacco, cigars, and pipes also have deadly consequences, including lung, larynx, esophageal, and oral cancers.”

Think about it, why will you allow a substance you willingly inhale into your system to end your life abruptly?

Reason No 4: Second Hand Smoking

If you really love your loved ones like you profess, you would have a re-think about smoking. Secondhand smoke, also called Tobacco Environmental Smoke(ETS), is the smoke given off by a burning tobacco product as well as the smoke exhaled by one who is smoking. Experts say it can be more damaging than direct smoking since most of the smoke from second hand smoking isn’t filtered out.

According to the University of Minnesota (Division of Periodontology), “between 70% and

90% of non-smokers in the American population, children and adults, are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. It is estimated that only 15% of cigarette smoke gets inhaled by the smoker. The remaining 85% lingers in the air for everyone to breathe. If a person spends more than two hours in a room where someone is smoking, the non-smoker inhales the equivalent of four cigarettes.” It continues by saying that “Secondhand smoke is the third leading preventable cause of disability and early death (after active smoking and alcohol) in the United States. For every eight smokers who die from smoking, one innocent bystander dies from secondhand smoke.”

And now, wait for this; Secondhand smoke affects the fetus! When pregnant women, who don’t smoke, co-habit with partners who do, babies tend to have a low birth weight. The message is loud and clear: pregnant women shouldn’t smoke and they should avoid people who do.

Now, this is food for thought: if, for just a few minutes of pleasure, you can hurt over 80% of the population of your country, don’t you think your desire is a selfish one? An Anonymous smoker once said; “If people don’t love themselves enough to cut down on their smoking, they may love someone else enough to do it.”

Reason No 5: It’s Damn Expensive

Aside using your hard-earned money to pay for cigarettes, you will also find you are spending money in other ways like paying more for health insurance. This is because, as a smoker, you are more likely to suffer from cancer and other ailments. Even when it comes to oral health, you will encounter many problems as a smoker because you will increase your chances of contracting gum disease, oral cancers and mouth sores. So it shouldn’t surprise you that healthy people get cheaper health insurance.

Reason No 6: Vanity Reasons-these are the reasons that have to do with the smoker’s ego or pride.

- Smokers tend to age prematurely and have dry skin. I don't want to look older than my age!

- My teeth, lips, fingers and fingernails are all discolored. They look horrible and awkward.

- Each time I smoke, my body reeks of cigarette smell, and people avoid me because of that. I feel like an outsider. I feel like I have no self-discipline.

- I’ve got an unpleasant breath. Most dates avoid kissing me. I spend a lot of money to keep my breath fresh and sweet.

Reason No 7: Health Reasons- these are the reasons that have to do with the smoker’s health.

- I can’t breathe well despite the fact that I don’t stress myself much. I’m always gasping and panting for breath after a little work around the house.

- I always feel exhausted. Could it be due to the fact that my body is using up all its energy trying to get rid of the poisons and pollutants from cigarettes or tobacco?

- I am always coughing. This might be a forerunner to a serious respiratory ailment. Even

if I don't get the Big C (cancer), I don't want to be one of those people who require oxygen bottles to survive.

- I have high blood pressure due to smoking. My feet are always chilly. This can be due to poor circulation connected with lighting up.

Reason No 8: Family Reasons- these are the reasons that have to do with the smoker’s family and relations.

- Just like Obama who quit smoking in 2011, I will be a good role model for my kids and with a bit of luck on my side, they'll never pick up the smoking habit, having seen how destructive a habit it is.

- My family can stop fretting over me while my other half will have to look for something new to pester me about.

Reason No 9: Cleanliness Reasons- these are the reasons that have to do with the state of the smoker’s environment.

- The walls in my house are dirty as a result of smoke. This is really not good for the eye and repainting will cost a lot of money.

- Everything around me reeks of cigarette smoke. Personally, my body stinks, my house smells, my car has an unpleasant odor, even my books have the smell of smoke so much so that I can’t lend non-smoking friends because they can’t stand the horrible smell each time they turn a page in the books!

Reason No 10: Financial Reasons- these are the reasons that have to do with the smoker’s finances.

- All the money I spend on cigarettes is enough to take a vacation anywhere in the world.

- I could even use the money to settle my credit cards debt or sponsor my favorite charity to make the world a better place!

5 Other Reasons You Should Quit Smoking

Makes You and Your Things Stink, Your Food Doesn’t Taste Well, Burn Holes in Clothes, Chairs, Rug and Your Body, Male and Female Infertility, Depression.

If your life fits into any of the scenarios above, please know that it’s time to quit smoking. But help yourself quit by coming up with as many emotional and convincing reasons to pursue smoking cessation as you can think of and write them all down. To stop smoking, you need YOUR reason to break the nicotine habit.

Smoking is Risky!!! See How

The health risks of smoking are not only grave but deadly. It’s amazing how people still smoke despite the warnings to the effect. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that tobacco caused 5.4 million deaths in 2004 and 100 million deaths over the course of the 20th century.

The American Lung Association states that cigarette smoking is the most prevalent cause of avoidable disease and death worldwide. It continues to say that diseases caused by smoking are responsible for the death of 393,000 Americans every year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a much higher figure. While reiterating the fact that smoking is the leading cause of avertable deaths in the United States, it states that 443,000 people die ahead of time from smoking or contact with passive smoke every year, while another 8.6 million live with deadly illnesses caused by smoking. Despite these hazards, about 46.6 million U.S. citizens still smoke cigarettes. If you think it’s just cigarettes that have deadly consequences, please note that smokeless tobacco, cigars, and pipes also have fatal end results, including but not limited to, lung, larynx, esophageal, and oral cancers.

In the UK, cigarette smoking is said to be the leading single cause of ill health and untimely death, directly accounting for over 100,000 deaths each year.

Of these deaths, about 42,800 are from smoking-related cancers, 30,600 from cardiovascular disease and 29,100 die slowly from emphysema and other chronic lung diseases.

As if that was enough, Health Canada gives an overview of the health risks of smoking as including Cancer of the mouth, throat and pancreas, Emphysema, heart attacks, Pneumonia, Lung Cancer, etc

If you smoke, the greatest danger you might face is that of contracting lung cancer and a possible heart attack because of less carbon dioxide (CO2) transported into your veins. You also stand the risk of having a stroke.

This is because cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are said to bring about cancer, according to the American Lung Association. These toxic and damaging substances include tar (a substance that brings about cancer), Nicotine (a highly addictive chemical that increases body cholesterol levels), and Carbon Monoxide (a substance which lowers oxygen levels in the body).

MedicalNewsToday has a longer list of dangerous elements found in tobacco smoke and

how they can hurt you.

The harm and danger posed by smoking is greatly determined by 3 things: the number of cigarettes smoked, how the tobacco was prepared as well as if the cigarette has a filter or not.

You may not believe it, but a few cigarettes daily are bad for your health. We all know people who have smoked all their lives without any visible side effects; yet, we also have people who recently started smoking but have evident side effects from their smoking habit. This may have a lot to do with our different body physiology and since you don’t know what your body makeup is like, it’s best to abstain if you have not started smoking but if you have, stop right away!

Smoking is such that, once you begin, it can be extremely tough to stop. The nicotine in cigarettes is toxic and habit-forming. Once you are used to it, your body feels like it can’t function without it.

When you look at the health risks of smoking below, you will understand why they say 'smoking is bad for you'. It is an old saying and many of us do not pay attention it but it doesn’t change the fact that smoking is bad for you.

Smoking Reduces How Long You Live

Many studies and investigations have recognized the fact that smoking reduces how long you live. One particular 50 year research revealed that smoking cuts life expectancy by 10 years. Deaths caused by smoking are most likely to be through cancer, and around 88% of deaths from lung cancer are from smoking. Tobacco eventually kills about half of those who use it.

Yet another study published in January 2ooo says one cigarette reduces your life by 11 minutes.

In the same vein, the Zutphen Study, published in April 2007, concludes that all forms of smoking (either cigar, pipe or cigarette smoking reduce life expectancy but with cigar or pipe smoking dropping life expectancy to a lesser degree than cigarette smoking). According to the study, “both the number of cigarettes smoked and duration of smoking are strongly associated with mortality risk and the number of life-years lost.” And that stopping smoking after age 40 has major health benefits.

Smoking Lowers the Quality of Life

Not only does smoking reduce your life span, it also lowers the quality of life, as smoking is linked with an array of chronic diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and high blood pressure. Results of a Finnish Study revealed that the quality of life deteriorated according to the number of cigarettes smoked every day. “Therefore, men who had never smoked had the best quality of life, whilst heavy smokers had the poorest quality of life. Smoking had the greatest impact upon "physical functioning" and "role limitations caused by health issues".

List of Major Diseases Caused by Smoking

* Lung Cancer.

The commonest cause of lung cancer is long-term contact with tobacco smoke. According to Wikipedia, “lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and women, and is responsible for 1.3 million deaths annually, as of 2004. The most common symptoms are shortness of breath, coughing (including coughing up blood), and weight loss.”

In 2008, about 40,800 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK, 35,260 people died from the disease that same year in the UK.

The American Cancer Society's most recent figures for lung cancer in the United States for 2011 are as follows:

* About 221,130 new cases of lung cancer

* About 156,940 deaths from lung cancer

It is noteworthy that 60% of lung cancers diagnosed today occur in those who have never smoked in life or gave up smoking several years ago. Cigarette smoking, whether now or in the past, remains the principal cause of lung cancer, while contact with radon is the chief cause in non-smokers. Secondhand smoke is believed to account for about 3,400 lung cancer deaths per year in those who have never smoked. * Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

This is a serious lung disease that kills about 25,000 people in the UK every year. More than 8 in 10 of these deaths are directly linked to smoking. COPD is the third leading cause of death in America, claiming the lives of 124,477 Americans in 2007. People who die of COPD are usually in poor health for several years before they give up the ghost. COPD is a collective term for a group of diseases that block airflow and make breathing more complicated, such as:

* emphysema – inability to breathe brought about by damage to the alveoli (air sacs)

* chronic bronchitis – coughing with a lot of mucus that goes on unabatedly for three months minimum.

Smoking is the principal cause of COPD and is responsible for 80 per cent of cases. It's said that 94 per cent of 20-a-day smokers have some emphysema when the lungs are examined after death, while more than 90 per cent of non-smokers have little or none. COPD usually starts between ages 35 to 45 brackets when lung function begins to decline anyway.

Quitting can assist

Lung damage from COPD is permanent and irreparable, but giving up smoking at any stage reduces the level of decline in lung capacity and functioning.

The most common COPD caused by smoking is emphysema. Over 80% of the cases are smoking related. Emphysema is a disease characterized by inability to breathe out air. This is contrary to popular belief that it is a disease characterized by inability to breathe in. Each time you smoke, you destroy the lungs elasticity by tearing down the tissue that drags your lung back together after using muscles that allow us to draw in air. So when it comes to the time to take your next breath it is that much more difficult, for your lungs can not get back to their original shape.

Imagine going through life having to struggle to breathe. Unfortunately, millions of people

don't have to imagine it, they live it daily. It is a miserable way to live and a slow painful way to die.

* Heart disease.

Most people relate cigarette smoking with COPD and lung cancer. But did you know that smoking is also a foremost cause of heart disease for both sexes?

Statistics reveal that 20% of all deaths from heart disease in the U.S. are directly related to cigarette smoking. That's because smoking is a chief cause of coronary artery disease.

A person's risk of heart disease and heart attack are greatly determined by the number of cigarettes he or she smokes. As long as they continue to smoke, smokers continue to increase their risk of heart disease. People who light up a pack of cigarettes on a daily basis have more than twice the danger of heart attack than people who don’t smoke.

In the UK, heart disease is the biggest killer ailment. About 120,000 people in the UK die yearly from the disease. About 1 in 7 of these is due to smoking.

* Other cancers - of the mouth, nose, throat, larynx, gullet (oesophagus), lip, tongue, pancreas, pharynx, urinary bladder, cervix, blood (leukemia), and kidney are all more prevalent among smokers. They have all seen marked increases over the 20th century. These cancers have gone from not being known to some of the major causes of death in the US.

* Cigarette smoke also has negative effects on women's reproductive health. It is linked with reduced fertility and a higher risk of miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth, infant death, and is a cause of low birth weight in infants. It has also been connected to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

* Circulation. The elements in cigarette smoke can injure the inside layer of the blood vessels and affect the amount of fats in the bloodstream. This increases the risk of a condition sometimes called hardening of the arteries. This is the main cause of heart disease, strokes, peripheral vascular disease (poor circulation of the legs), and aneurysms (swollen arteries which can burst causing internal bleeding). Known as atheroma, all the above-mentioned diseases are prevalent among smokers.

* Smoking has also been linked to a variety of other health problems, including gum disease, cataracts, bone thinning, hip fractures, peptic ulcers, impotence, rheumatoid arthritis, ageing, reduced fertility in both sexes as well as menopausal problems.

* Other conditions whose symptoms are made worse by smoking include: pneumonia, asthma, chest infections, colds, tuberculosis, chronic rhinitis, diabetic retinopathy, hyperthyroidism, multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis, Crohn's disease and flu.

Now that you know the health risks of smoking, find out how to quit smoking by checking the free resources below:

I dare say that smoking is a disease that must be treated. Below are some treatment options, their pros and cons as well as their side effects.

• Chantix Quit Smoking

• Natural Quit Smoking

• Nicotine Replacement Therapy(NRT)

• Stop Smoking by Hypnosis

• Cold Turkey Quit Smoking

Finding the Motivation to Quit Smoking

Finding the motivation to quit smoking and stay smoke-free is a question many intending non-smokers ask. Find out how to motivate yourself to quit smoking below:

Motivating Factor No 1: The Desire to Live Long

This factor alone has motivated so many people to quit smoking and will motivate you. The mere thought of having many years added to your life instead of wasting your years

on every puff has successfully kept many people off cigarettes and will definitely keep you too. Even though life is challenging, nobody wants to die young. The mere thought of being able to live long by dropping off cigarettes is enough to keep many people off

nicotine addiction.

Motivating Factor No 2: The Desire to be in Control

As human beings, we always love to be in control of our lives and so the thought of having a substance controlling you motivates a lot of people to quit. Freedom from Nicotine is a very strong motivator to quit smoking. You can find enough motivation to stop smoking

by getting sick of your addiction and vulnerability to tobacco. Towing this same line is the desire to be in control of how you spend your money. What some people have done is put a jar beside the door- and whenever they wanted to get cigarettes, what they did instead

was put the money the cigarettes would have cost in a jar. When the jar was full, they would buy something good.

Motivating Factor No 3: The Desire to Smell and Feel Nice

Smokers tend to smell like an ashtray and this sometimes prevents them from gaining social acceptance. In some very serious cases, it even causes marital problems as a

partner may refuse to kiss the smoking partner. If you are in such a situation, this should be enough motivation to make you quit.

Motivating Factor No 4: The Desire to be a Role Model

When you are in a situation where you a role model to other people, you just have to find the courage to drop off your cigarette sticks. This is because you will be a really bad

influence upon the people who look up to you.

Motivating Factor No 5: When You No Longer Enjoy It

Most people talk of quitting cigarettes at the point when they no longer enjoyed it. If you have reached a point like that in your life, it’s enough reason to quit.

If you still want motivation, make a list of all the people that care about you and all the reasons to live healthier. If that isn’t enough, ask for a tour of the cancer ward. You’ll be

amazed to see so many young people who are dying of cancer-related diseases.

How Can I Quit Smoking?There are basically 5 steps to smoking cessation:

1. Get Ready to Quit

2. Set a Quit Date

3. Choose Your Preferred Quit Method

4. Fight and Stay Smoke-Free

5. Enjoy the Benefits

1. Get Ready to Quit

Deciding that you want to quit is the hardest part! The first step is to convince yourself that you need to quit for whatever reason. You can check out these 10 reasons to stop smoking to convince yourself. After convincing yourself, apply the ‘mind over matter’ principle and you’ll realize YOU CAN DO IT!

To succeed however, you must prepare. Many people pay lip service to it but PREPARATION is vital to your stop smoking success. Before you smoke your final cigarette, you must draw up a clear plan in your mind to handle the nicotine withdrawal symptoms you are going to experience. Whether you like it or not, you’re going to have cravings, strong urges to ‘just have another cigarette’ immediately you quit so you must already have a plan in place to overcome such and stay quit.

Experts say there are two addictions involved in smoking, one unimportant and the other very important. The physical addiction is trivial. It lasts a few days. What stays with you

and can easily disrupt your efforts is the psychological addiction, that is, the addiction to certain beliefs and myths, such as “I’m so stressed up, I really need to have a cigarette to cope with the stress “, or “one cigarette isn’t going to hurt me”.

When these thoughts come up, just tell yourself “I really don’t need a cigarette; it’s a slow way to kill myself. Secondly, it’s not a stress buster; there are other more healthy ways to beat stress.” The answer to the second excuse can be: “yes, one cigarette is going to hurt me. First, if I light up, I am still a smoker and if I can have just one cigarette now, I can have “just one more” an hour from now.”

Fixing these obvious deceptions in your mind is very critical. When these temptations come up, you have to be ready for them. That’s why we advocate that people should not quit until they know and accept they are non-smokers. This means they have gotten to a point where they see smoking as a thing of the past and will never be a part of their lives again. Along with that difficult but final decision, we advise smokers to focus and motivate themselves with all the stop smoking benefits and rewards they stand to enjoy as non-smokers.

2. Set a Quit Date

Once you are done with your preparation, set a quit date. About a week before your quit date, tell everybody at work, your friends, and family that you are going to quit. Telling everyone is really a good idea that helps you keep to your quit date because you don’t want to appear like a fool to all the people you have told you are quitting by reneging on your promise. On your quit date, there’s no developing of cold feet, you just have to go ahead with your stop smoking plan.

3. Choose Your Preferred Quit Method

Before you choose a quit method, just know and understand the following:

* You can not quit if you are not personally convinced to do so.

*Don’t look for the best or easy way to quit smoking because it doesn’t exist

*Everyone is different in the way they stop smoking.

*What worked for someone might not work for you.

*The only way to tell if any given method works or not for you is to try it.

* Anything to stop that habit is worth it.

Having said that, these are some methods you can consider to make your stop smoking goal a huge success.

Quitting Cold turkey is another way to stop smoking. Even though it’s the most popular smoking cessation method, its success rate per try is rather low; an average of 5%-10% of success per try. Cold turkey means to cease smoking abruptly and without any form of preparation. Smokers have to do this several times to make headway with this method. Despite this, experts advise smokers to quit cold turkey and fight the nicotine withdrawal symptoms with prescription medication.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) can help you quit smoking. With about 17-38% success, NRT is not the most effective method to cease smoking and is most

times used briefly; that is, it’s not for prolonged use. NRT involves chewing nicotine-containing gums, wearing patches and using nicotine nasal spray or inhaler. These stop smoking aids minimize the physical symptoms of withdrawal from smoking like irritability and tiredness. Of special mention is the gum which gives smokers something to do with their mouth while dropping off cigarettes. Most nicotine gums involve chewing the gum a few times and storing it between the lip/cheek and gum. The nicotine is then released through your gums and cheek. This gratifies the chemical and mental dependency of smoking. This method is best used in combination with some other methods. Make sure you get your Doctor’s advice, it’s very important.

Stop Smoking Medications : There are several medications you can use to cease smoking. Varenicline is one of them. Popularly known as Chantix in the US and Champix in Canada and other countries, Varenicline is a medication that blocks the brain’s receptors responsible for nicotine addiction. It is said to have very high success rates even though some users have complained about some very weird side effects. Before you use this method, please consult your Doctor.

Stop Smoking Naturally : If you want to quit smoking without spending money, you can go the natural route and use some ingredients you have in your kitchen to ease off the nicotine withdrawal symptoms that will not but surface once you smoke your last cigarette. Such ingredients include ginger and lobelia to overcome nausea, oats to eliminate the toxins occasioned by long exposure to nicotine, grape and orange juice to eliminate the toxins and grape seed extract to repair the damage done to the lungs. Water is also essential as it helps flush out the nicotine in the body and also minimize the cravings.

Stop Smoking By Hypnosis : When every other thing has failed,smokers who are finding it extremely difficult to drop off cigarettes can stop smoking by hypnosis. The process of hypnosis to quit smoking is quite straightforward but it can only be carried out by experts in this field. Smokers who wish to quit smoking with hypnotic aid are put in a sleepy state. This way, they are able to accept the suggestions that are given to them by the hypnotherapist and carry out activities which they would otherwise not have adhered to. This method is best for those who do not have the will power to resist the temptation or the cravings that accompany any quit smoking decision.

Laser Therapy to Quit Smoking : Laser therapy for smokers is carried out by directing cold laser on some parts of the body such as wrist, nose, ear and some other parts. Doing this brings about the stimulation of the body and which in turn causes the body to release endorphins. The release of this hormone releases the body from the tension that is built for the craving of nicotine. Apart from the stimulation given to the body by the laser treatment, the body also becomes detoxified and relaxed at the same time. For success with this method,a smoker has to go through several sessions.

4. Fight and Stay Smoke-Free

If you’ve been able to quit, please, ‘don’t give up.’ Why? It’s more difficult to try to stop

again. Hang in there!!! It will get easier. Each time you have a very strong urge to smoke, wait 3 minutes, the craving should subside. Don’t ever give up. When tempted, remind yourself that you don’t smoke anymore. It may take several tries but eventually it will sink into your system. Go for a walk! Get your blood pumping and breathe the nice clean air into your lungs. It will help with your cravings. Get active. Keep yourself busy so you don’t have time to think about smoking. If you’ve gone a week already, you should be over the physical withdrawal and now it becomes a mind game. Talk to people (particularly an ex-smoker), it helps to know that someone who has successfully quit is on the other line. Do not worry about weight gain from not smoking. The extra weight is not as unhealthy as the cigarettes and you can take the weight back off after you have kicked the cigarette addiction. Do not hang in places where you are going to be tempted to smoke again, also cut off friends who smoke because they can influence you to light up.

By all means, fight and stay smoke-free. It’s rewarding, it’s beneficial not only to you but society at large.

5. Enjoy the Benefits

The benefits of smoking cessation cut across several lines beginning from the individual to the family; society to the environment and even our future.

For the individual, stop smoking benefits include smelling well, having more money in his pocket, looking nice and without wrinkles, optimum health as well as gaining social respect and acceptance.

For the family and society, it’s being able to breathe well without the dangers of passive smoking.

For the environment, it’s being safe for inhabitants.

If you have been asking the question: ‘how can I quit smoking?’, you now have a clear and lucid guide to dropping off cigarettes and being in control of your life.

What of Nicotine Replacement Therapies(NRTs)? Are they effective

in Quitting Smoking?

Nicotine replacement therapies (NRT, for short),were approved by the FDA to help smokers quit smoking but let’s quickly define what NRT is?

Wikipedia says it is the curative application of nicotine to the body by means other than tobacco, usually as part of stop smoking efforts.

What are the types of nicotine replacement therapy?

According to cancer.org, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given approval

to 5 types of nicotine replacement therapy:

Patch Gum Nasal spray Inhalers Lozenges

All these therapies are different from quitting smoking cold turkey which is an abrupt cessation from all nicotine related products. They are premised on the belief that smokers are better equipped to give up smoking when they gradually get off nicotine instead of an abrupt withdrawal.

Nicotine Replacement Therapies are also believed to help smokers overcome their cravings for nicotine when they eventually quit smoking.

Some of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal include dry cough, touchiness, sleeplessness, inability to concentrate, headache, flu and so many others. An NRT like the nicotine gum lessens these indications and permits the consumer to gradually wean himself off nicotine. At the same time, his exposure to all of the other deadly substances in cigarette smoke is eliminated.

Now, let’s look at the types of NRT one-by-one.

The nicotine patch is placed on the skin to supply the body with the nicotine a smoker would have smoked to get access to. It is used to gradually wean smokers off nicotine dependence up to the point that they will totally quit.

The Nicotine Gum is administered orally. Smokers are expected to chew the gum to get access to the nicotine therein. This way, the gum replaces the cigarette they would have smoked to gain access to nicotine. Just like the nicotine patch, it’s meant to gradually wean off smokers’ nicotine dependence.

The Nasal Spray: This is a nicotine nasal spray intended to be sprayed into your nostrils. Here it is hastily absorbed into your body to help alleviate nicotine cravings and nicotine withdrawal symptoms without the dangerous carbon monoxide, tar and irritants in cigarette smoke.

Inhalers: Also nicknamed "the puffer", the nicotine inhaler was made available by prescription in June 1998. The nicotine inhaler consists of a plastic cylinder containing a cartridge that delivers nicotine when you puff on it. The cartridge contains nicotine with menthol.

If you draw in air through the inhaler, it saturates with nicotine and you get to take this in through the lining of your mouth and your air tubes. Each time you inhale this way, you get a dose of nicotine about one tenth of what you get in a cigarette puff.

Although similar in appearance to a cigarette, the inhaler delivers nicotine into the mouth, not the lung, and enters the body much more slowly than the nicotine in cigarettes.

The idea is to relieve the withdrawal symptoms and reduce the craving to smoke. Each cartridge delivers up to 400 puffs of nicotine vapor.

The Nicotine Lozenge comes in the form of hard candy that releases nicotine as it slowly dissolves in the mouth. The nicotine lozenge is an oral variety of NRT which helps to lessen nicotine cravings.

A major disadvantage of these therapies is the fact that smokers tend to become addicted to them. Instead of cigarettes, they now become addicted to either the gum, the patch or lozenge. What was meant to wean them off nicotine addiction becomes another form of addiction for them with many ex-smokers crying out that they can’t do without them.

People who are against NRT are quick to point out that if nicotine is what makes smoking so addictive - why replace nicotine with nicotine?

This is not to talk of the fact that nicotine replacement therapies are damn expensive.

And the side effects that come with using them are a story for another day.

Now, the big question:

Are Nicotine Replacement Therapies Effective in Quitting Smoking?

There have been many studies on the effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapies but a recent study said NRTs don’t work.

Researchers at Harvard and MIT discovered nicotine replacement products, such as patches and gum, don’t prevent smokers from going back to smoking. In a study published in the January 9, 2012 online edition of the journal Tobacco Control, investigators at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Massachusetts Boston reported they followed 787 adult smokers who had recently quit over a five year period: 2001-2006.

But found out that Nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) intended to assist smokers give up smoking, particularly nicotine patches and gum, do not appear to be effective in assisting smokers quit permanently, even when combined with stop smoking counseling.

As a result, they are now calling for greater oversight and regulation function from the Food and Drug Administration as to which nicotine products can be sold over the counter.

This is coming on the heels of a WebMD report that the sales of nicotine patches has skyrocketed in recent times.

Going down memory lane, WebMD said sales totaling $45 million was made in 1984, when the nicotine gum was launched but this has since moved to more than $800 million annually since 1997.

Ironically, several studies had been done which suggested the effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapies.

One of the studies published in the Journal of Family Practice noted that “all forms of nicotine replacement therapy (gum, transdermal patch, spray, inhaler, and lozenge) are

equally effective, increasing smoking cessation rates by about 150% to 200%.”

But this latest study categorically states that NRTs are a pure waste of time, money and energy.

In the wake of this new revelation, how should people go about quitting? Some say willpower and other external factors matter more than what is taken inside the body.

However, 2stopsmokingtips.com says, if you have used NRT without any success, consider good old quit smoking cold turkey. This is because cold turkey quitting makes your blood nicotine-free in 72 hours even though nicotine withdrawal symptoms peak during the same 72 hour-period. By day five the average number of craves will drop substantially with the ex-smoker left to face just the mental or psychological withdrawal.

On the other hand, the NRT consumer holds up physical withdrawal until the 2nd or 3rd

month, depending upon the length of time that NRT is used.

The clear message NRTs send out is, “you will be missing something by quitting smoking, here’s something to replace what you will be missing.” In the real sense of the word, you aren’t missing anything and quitting is possible without exposing yourself to another form of nicotine addiction (or is it re-addiction?)

In reality, the far greater and powerful addiction you are suffering from is the mental dependence, not the physical cigarette addiction.

Physical cravings can vanish within days, so the real issue to deal with is the mental indoctrination. The mental belief that cigarettes help you relax when stressed; the mental belief that cigarettes help you ‘belong’ among friends who smoke; the mental belief that you cannot function normally without cigarettes. That is what you need to deal with and reprogramming your mind will help you achieve that.

At 2stopsmokingtips.com, we believe smoking cessation is more of a thing of the mind than physical. Therefore, taking more nicotine by using an NRT won’t fix that, it just worsens the situation.

Are we then saying cold turkey quitting is better than using NRTs? The answer is a capital NO. What we just want to do is to give hope to people who want to drop off cigarettes, either by using NRTs or cold turkey quitting. If you are presently using NRTs with a level of success, by all means, continue using it. This ebook isn't meant to dampen your efforts. It's meant to give a line of hope to all those who've used NRT repeatedly without result and are desperately losing hope. Hang in there; you can also give up smoking successfully!

Should I Quit Smoking Cold Turkey?

When smokers decide to drop off cigarettes, they have several treatment options to choose from. One of them is to quit smoking cold turkey. But the big question is: how can smokers quit smoking cold turkey? Find the answer in the lines below:

What is quit smoking cold turkey?

According to Wikipedia, “ "Cold turkey" describes the actions of a person who gives up a habit or addiction all at once — that is, rather than gradually easing the process through gradual reduction or by using replacement medication.” In simple words, quitting cold turkey is getting off cigarettes all at once without the assistance of nicotine replacement therapies, pills or any formal remedy.

Suffice to say there are lots of arguments going back and forth over this stop smoking methodology. Some disagree with its abrupt cessation nature saying because smoking is an addiction; you can’t just stop one day. They posit that you have to gradually reduce your level of cigarette intake until you no longer feel the urge to smoke. Such people advocate a gradual cessation method.

But quit smoking cold turkey proponents say it’s the only way to go; it’s either complete cessation or no cessation at all! They insist it’s the best way because you would have effectively quenched the psychological cravings all on your own so you are less likely to light up again.

Should you quit cold turkey or not?

Cold turkey is the most popular smoking treatment option for most smokers when they decide to get rid of their tobacco addiction. But, they are not usually successful with it. The success rate hovers between 4-10% per try. Most times, smokers have to try this method several times in order to achieve success. The good thing is that there are many people who have successfully quit smoking using the cold turkey way. But they confess it wasn’t easy.

Whether you should quit cold turkey or not depends on a number of factors such as your day-by-day routines, the level of your addiction and the amount of support you get from friends and family. Experts say quitting cold turkey may not work for smokers who are deeply addicted to nicotine because of the physical and psychological addiction that might have arisen as a result.

Whether you should quit cold turkey or not also depends on you, as a matter of factly. Do you have the will power and determination to pull through the first few days after you smoke your last cigarette?

The fact that other people have been successful with the cold turkey method doesn’t mean

that all smokers will be successful with it because what works for Mr A may not necessarily work for Mr B. If you are strong-willed and think you can tough it out, then give it a try. If it doesn’t work, try another approach.

Why is it hard to quit smoking cold turkey?

It’s hard to quit smoking because tobacco addiction is a 3-pronged addiction-physical, emotional and psychological. As a result, when smokers drop off cigarettes, their bodies experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms such as touchiness, sleeplessness, and dejection, which can last between 2 – 4months. For most smokers, giving up cigarettes is not a big deal but being able to cope with the physical withdrawal symptoms is the albatross which has led them back to smoking again and again.

Tips to help you quit

* Make a list of all the good reasons to stop smoking. Ask yourself why you want to quit, make out an irresistible case, and keep dwelling on it, until you can't wait to stop!!! Go for it, but only when you are ready.

* Decide when you are going to quit after you have thought deeply about your decision and how you are going to deal with any crises that comes up as a result. As a matter of fact, you need to sort out your head before you quit. Trying to do it afterwards is what makes it hard. If you prepare yourself adequately, you can easily overpower the cigarette withdrawal symptoms completely.

* Reflect back to when you picked the smoking habit, and remember why you started it. If it was to impress someone, ask yourself, "who do I need to impress now?"

* Learn what sparks off your desire to have a cigarette by all means. A lot of it is psychological; maybe someone asks a question you don't want to answer or you feel good about something, so you 'reward' yourself with a cigarette.

* When you do quit and feel the need for a cigarette, take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. If a have a strong desire to smoke, try drinking water or chewing a piece of gum. The water helps to flush the nicotine from your body, so, drink a lot of it. Every time you resist the urge, give yourself a little bit of chocolate or a different treat.

* Also, exercising can keep your mind off everything, including smoking and food! Get some exercise because quitting smoking tends to add 14-19 pounds on. Simply walking in the mornings can relieve stress and over a couple of months, you can graduate to jogging and then running. The buzz you get from exercise is far better than nicotine.

* Politely ask your friends who are smokers to avoid smoking when you are around. If they are true friends, they will happily take to this request.

* Get past the first week and it gets easier from there.

* Avoid alcohol or coffee. Anything associated to lighting up must be kept at an arms length including ashtrays and lighters.

* If you find the motivation to quit is not there, you can motivate yourself by watching a film on lung cancer or by visiting a dentist to look at the teeth of smokers.

* Get Busy. Having a hobby you are passionate about can also help in the early stages of your quit smoking decision.

*Put the money you are saving by not buying tobacco aside and reward yourself for a job well done.

Pros and Cons of Quit Smoking Cold Turkey

A major upside of the cold turkey method is no-cost nature. It’s free of any charge, has no side effects, and can help you stay quit for as long as possible unlike other smoking cessation methods but the downside is

There are only two words for going cold turkey: self control. It's not bad to quit smoking cold turkey- though it might be a bit hard on you and your family because you may get mood swings from not getting your dose of nicotine.

Natural Ways to Quit Smoking at Home

Even though several stop smoking natural remedies exist, many people are unaware of them. Learn the different ways to quit smoking at home, without spending a cent in the lines below:

While it’s generally accepted that smoking is a deadly habit that must be stopped, it’s just not easy to do. This is because cigarettes or tobacco contain nicotine, an addictive substance, causing you to stay hooked. If you quit all of a sudden, you may experience withdrawal symptoms, leaving you frustrated, anxious, angry and unable to focus. Coughing, insomnia, headaches, and an increased appetite are also part of the symptoms you may experience immediately you drop off smoking.

In some cases, the withdrawal symptoms may be so severe that depression will set in. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms are by far the greatest hindrance to many people who decide to quit smoking. This is because most of them, while keeping to their resolve to stop smoking, are unable to cope with the withdrawal symptoms, so they go back to the habit.

However, coping with smoking withdrawal symptoms need not cost you an arm or a leg as you could very well have everything you need to quit smoking in your kitchen (or make a fast dash to the closest grocery store!). And, no! You don’t need to buy a nicotine patch, or

chew the gum to drop off cigarettes. Below are some natural ways to quit smoking at home.

* Water: Generally, drinking lots of water will assist to detoxify your body. Water is a powerful cleanser and using it at this critical period in your smoking cessation journey, will help fight off cravings and lessen the withdrawal symptoms. It will also flush nicotine out of your body system.

* Multivitamins: Use multivitamin tablets to help energize you and fight against smoking withdrawal. Tobacco addiction usually sets in due to deficiencies in the human body. In a bid to satisfy these deficiencies, people turn to smoking. The good thing is, these deficiencies can be conquered through the use of multivitamins such as Vitamin A, C and E – Vitamin A helps repair the mucus damaged by smoking, vitamin C is broken down by smoking, and vitamin E helps repair all the smoke-damaged cells. Smoking breaks down vitamin C in the body, so replenishing the quantity of this vitamin in the body is helpful when you try to quit. Vitamin C supplements or orange juices are good home remedies for quit smoking as they will help your body flush away toxins and nicotine.

* Supplements: Taking some supplements that work as cleansers may help as well. Specifically, Apple Cider Vinegar, Green Tea (decaffeinated), Chlorophyll (fantastic cleanser), and even good amounts of fiber and water helps some people (although it's not very comfortable for the lower level of detoxification you get).

*Healthy Diet: Smoking makes addicts lose a lot of energy and the vital nutrients in food, so, when you are trying to quit, please eat balanced and healthy meals. A diet that contains all the useful nutrients is necessary to keep you in tip-top shape and also help you cope with the challenges of nicotine withdrawal.

* Ginger: This helps addicts overcome nausea, one of the common symptoms of smoking withdrawal. Nausea is most experienced in the first day to few weeks of smoking cessation and relying on ginger to pull through is a wise decision.

* Lobelia: Just like ginger, Lobelia helps to fight nausea.

*Oats: This is a readily available home remedy which works in 2 ways. It eliminates the toxins and makes the body recover easily from the absence of nicotine. The preparation is quite easy: take two cups of boiled water and add it to a tablespoon of ground oats. Leave it overnight and then boil it for 10 minutes. Drink the mixture throughout the day, a few hours after your main meals. Please don’t take the mixture at night.

*Get an oral replacement: Keep things handy that you can stick in your mouth when you have cravings. Licorice sticks can be very helpful because they can be chewed when you feel

an urgent need to smoke. Secondly, they can deceive the brain to forget about cigarettes. Other good choices include carrots, mints, hard candy,gum, etc

*Grape and Orange Juice: The acidity in these 2 juices helps to eliminate the nicotine in the body system.

*Grape Seed Extract: This repairs the damage done to the lungs while you were smoking.

*Cayenne. Calm nicotine cravings by using cayenne to desensitize the respiratory linings to tobacco and chemical irritants contained in the smoke. Cayenne is also an antioxidant that stabilizes your lung membranes and helps to prevent further damage. Your cigarette cravings are also reduced by the warm peppery taste of cayenne.

*Honey: This is very rich in nutrients that will help the body recover faster. It contains enzymes, vitamins and proteins which make giving up smoking effortless.

Many people have been able to quit smoking with these stop smoking natural remedies, yours could be the next success story but nothing will happen if you don’t try. So, try these tips today!

What Happens to the Lungs after Quit

Smoking?

Wondering what happens to the lungs after quit smoking? Find the answer in the lines below as well as how smoking affects the lungs and how to repair it.

Introduction

The human body has an astonishing and miraculous ability to heal itself. A look at ex-smokers is all you need to prove this point. The very minute you drops off cigarettes, your body system begins the healing process.

But, as your body begins the healing process, it’s important to note that instead of feeling better right off the hook, you may feel worse and sick for a while. It's important to understand that healing, just like addiction, is a process; it begins immediately, but it continues over time.

If you are feeling nervous, quick-tempered, weary and coughing a lot, just know that you are experiencing the symptoms of recovery from nicotine addiction. These symptoms are

the result of your body clearing itself of nicotine, a powerful and highly addictive substance. In most cases, your body is rid of nicotine within 2-3 days.

What Happens to the Lungs when You Quit Smoking?

Within three months of stopping smoking, the lung’s ability to inhale and exhale is greatly improved while the small hair-like cilia in the lungs get better at moving mucus and cleaning the lungs after one smoking-free year. Health challenges such as shortness of breath and coughing also become a rarity after a year of not smoking.

10 years after smoking cessation, a U.S. Surgeon General's report reveals that the danger of lung cancer plunges to less than half that of a smoker.

A Lung Health Study bankrolled by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) claimed that women's lung function improved twice as much as men's during the first year after stopping smoking.

Previously, LHS researchers made available results indicating that both sexes profit from quit smoking but this new study proves that women benefit more than men as their lung function improved speedily after one smoking-free year. The results can be found in the June 1 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

However, a 2004 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, "The Health Consequences of Smoking: a Report of the Surgeon General," warns that ex-smokers will always have a more than average risk of lung cancer than people who have never smoked.

How Smoking Affects the Lungs

Aside the brain, the lungs are the most fragile organs in the human body. By design, our lungs are packed with miniature passage ways and air compartments. Each time you breathe in, fresh air containing oxygen, is dragged into the miniature chambers in your lungs. From there, the oxygen moves to the red blood corpuscles where it is substituted for carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is then passed out from your system as you breathe out.

According to Kids Health, this breathing in and out process takes place about 20,000 times each day. For this process to effectively take place, the passage ways in your lungs must always be free of deposits that could block the small passage ways and obstruct the oxygen/carbon dioxide flow. To keep the chambers clean, your lungs have tiny, hair-like structures that line up the airways called cilia. Healthy cilia clean the lungs of mucus and reduce chances for infection.

Cigarette smoking prevents the cilia from functioning well because each time you smoke, pollutants and toxins are dragged into the lungs. If you are just an irregular smoker, the cilia can easily filter the dirt out of the lungs. But if you are a regular smoker, the cilia cannot effectively perform its function. As you continue to smoke, many of the short cilia get weakened, making the cleaning process even more complex. Over time, toxins from cigarette smoke begin to block the tiny air chambers. In patients with Chronic OPD, the cilia may be injured and unable to perform well.

Because the cilia can no longer function optimally, your body takes to coughing as a way of supporting the cilia to clear your lungs. But you can fast track the cleaning process by using

the tips below.

How to Clean Your Lungs

Making the lungs free of toxins is one of the foremost challenges after smoking cessation. This is because cigarette smoking tends to leave the lungs not only contaminated but also dehydrated and possibly swollen. One thing to keep in mind is that the lungs cannot be cleansed completely.

If you want to know the length of time required for cleansing the lungs after quitting smoking, please know that it depends on how long and how much you smoked. More often than not, it takes about 12 months, and it's shocking to hear that it sometimes takes 24 to 36 months to fix the lungs even after you have dropped off cigarettes.

So, the good thing is to start cleansing your lungs immediately you kick the smoking habit. This is to enable you recover your normal health. You can do this using a simple combination of food supplements and vitamins that rinse the toxins out of your lungs and flush them out of your body. This easy process will clean out your lungs 10 times faster than your body can do it on its own.

Cleansing your lungs is possible by choosing the right food supplements, exercise, and breathing of fresh air. Here are some tips on how to clean your lungs:

* Consume lots of fruits and vegetables, especially dark leafy greens. You could also take a multivitamin pill. Please note that Vitamin E is very effective when it comes to healing. Both the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control advocate that adults gobble at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. This should be critically observed after smoking cessation as the antioxidants in fruits and vegetables will help restore your lungs to good health fast.

* Drink plenty of water. Most people do not drink enough water. Consuming sodas, coffee and alcohol weighs down the body system but water heals. It gets toxins out of the body, softens deposits and phlegm, and greases the tissue. It also helps thin the mucous out.

Don’t forget that your lungs make use of moisture with every breath you take, and the pressure put on them by smoking makes your lungs work twice as hard(if not harder). By providing more than enough fluids to your body, you will help improve your lungs and their functions. As a rule, I suggest taking a bottle of water along wherever you go, and sipping from it throughout the day.

* Carry out deep breathing drills. Breathe in deeply and slowly through your nostrils. Hold the breath for several seconds. Let go of the breath slowly and forcefully through your oral cavity. Repeat these exercises numerous times a day. Try to take deeper breaths and hold your breath longer as your lungs improve.

* Also begin exercising to help cleanse your lungs. Exercises with expanding and contracting lungs would be most beneficial. For most people, swimming does the trick but if you are not comfortable with swimming, you can go for another type of exercise like taking short walks for a start and then increasing the distance gradually. Also you can commence with a slow walk, and then wind up the speed gradually to jogging and running.

Exercises advance your cardiovascular tolerance and effectiveness, allowing you to run

faster and farther. Exercise also improves your cholesterol level and brings down your blood pressure, thereby lowering the risk of heart disease and strokes. It can also perk up your mood and help normalize your sleep and wake rotation.

* Dust and mold can irritate your lungs so do a thorough cleaning of your house. Clean dust from furniture, window blinds and other areas. Wipe down walls and vacuum thoroughly and regularly. This will help clear your environment of dust, pollutants and smoke in the air that might impede the improvement of your lungs.

* Avoid second hand smoke, unnatural odors, perfumes, house cleaning products, and fireplaces. This will help your lungs improve faster.

* Get out of the four walls of your home and breathe in free and fresh air. This can enable your lungs to get clean air to breath also promote good health.

Apart from smoking cessation, no other treatments have been uncovered to advance lung function. Even though studies have shown that lung function may improve by one year in ex-smokers with mild lung disease, those with severe lung disease may just experience a reduction in their symptoms.

Last, but not the least, bear in mind that smoking is a habit, and for you to break any habit, you need to be patient and take it one step at a time.

Will My Lungs Repair Themselves?

Yes. As with anything that is abused, your body can cure itself once it's given the opportunity. And that includes your lungs! Cigarette smoking is just like a germ, you're sick and coughing and you've got really bad flu. But if we take that germ out with the right drug, the lungs are able to repair themselves.

With time, this repair process will go on. But, your lungs may never be as efficient as they were before you started smoking. The ability of lungs to recover from the impact of smoking depends largely upon the number of years smokers subject their lungs to the habit. But experts say the health of lungs begins to improve the very moment smokers drop their last cigarettes. This simply means the longer you smoke, the more damage you cause your lungs, and at some point, that damage becomes unalterable. Quitting smoking now will significantly lessen your chances of any lung problems in the near or distant future. So, our last word is: stop smoking NOW!!!

Exercise Can Help You Stop Smoking

To add weight to the growing evidence of the benefits of exercise on quitting smoking, a recent study has revealed that exercise plays a vital role in helping you to quit smoking. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, focused on the results of attaching exercise advice to a teen-focused stop smoking program.

According to a Reuter’s report,“the idea for the new study came partly from the fact that some research in adults suggests exercise can help smokers quit – possibly by easing withdrawal symptoms or taking the edge off cigarette cravings.”

You can read more about this research on how exercise can help teen smokers quit.

It will be noted that earlier in the year 2009, a First Brain Study exposed the benefits of exercise on quitting smoking.

The research, carried out in the University of Exeter revealed that changes in brain activity, prompted by physical exercise, may help reduce cigarette cravings. Published in the journal Psychopharmacology, the study shows how exercise changes the way the brain processes information among smokers, thereby reducing their cravings for nicotine.

The study adds weight to a growing body of evidence that exercise can help manage addiction to nicotine and other substances. It backs up previous studies, which have shown that just one short burst of moderate exercise can significantly reduce smokers’ nicotine cravings.”

How Does Exercise Benefit Quit Smoking Efforts?

The fact that cigarettes alleviate stress for many smokers is incontestable and if you ask many a smoker, they’ll tell you the primary reason they smoke is to ease off stress. Now, when you decide to give up smoking and you take it a step further by smoking your last cigarette, you are likely going to be under a lot of stress and strain. But when you exercise, it relieves you of the stress and takes the place of your dependence on cigarettes for stress relief. So much so that you depend on exercise to alleviate stress instead of cigarettes.

Workouts or exercise influence smoking cessation in more ways than one. Here is a list of the major positive effects of exercise:

* Exercise distracts you; keeps your mind off smoking.

*Workouts put your circulatory and respiratory systems in tip-top condition.

* Exercise keeps stress off (this is a benefit smokers erroneously believe they obtain from cigarettes).

* Workouts give you a total feeling of wellness and boost your stamina.

* On its part, Aerobic exercise slows down the aging process.

* People tend to eat more when they’re suffering from nicotine withdrawal, so the extra

workouts help to keep weight gain off.

* Also, exercise will release endorphins in the body that will make you feel naturally high and alert (an improved mood, sort off). There are many ways for you to experience a totally natural high. If you want to experience a high without using drugs or drinking coffee, just exercise.

For your information, Endorphins are a group of neurotransmitters. There are many of them in the human body and their main job is to alter the conduct and sensations in the brain. When released, these chemicals help the body deal with pain or stress. By stimulating the production of endorphins, you can experience the natural high. This natural high will make you experience less pain and more pleasure. These endorphins will also boost the immune system, thereby making it much more effective. As a result, you will feel less hungry.

* Working out daily bolsters your self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.

* Exercise helps the lungs to function better. When you exercise, the lungs are empowered to extract oxygen from the air and transmit same to the working muscle. At the same time, they are bolstered to excrete waste products such as carbon dioxide. This improves your overall performance.

* Workouts expand the blood vessels, thereby allowing blood to flow liberally to the hands, feet, and surface areas of the body. This keeps the body warm. Most smokers complain of cold feet and hands but exercise overcomes this.

* It has always been said that smoking involves a twin addiction (mental and physical). Exercise helps you to mentally and physically overcome the cravings.

*Not only is exercise a great substitute for smoking, it also helps to rebuild the lungs after you smoke your last cigarette. You may find that as you exercise more; you cough more, clearing out your lungs and airways. This is good. Most likely you’ll breathe easier and build up your endurance as you move further and further from your last cigarette.

What Type of Exercise is Beneficial to Stop Smoking?

Experts advise that aerobic or cardiovascular exercises are the best.

What is Aerobic Exercise?

Wikipedia says it “is physical exercise of relatively low intensity and long duration, which depends primarily on the aerobic energy system. Aerobic means “with oxygen”, and refers

to the use of oxygen in the body’s metabolic or energy-generating process. Many types of exercise are aerobic, and by definition are performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time.”

Wikipedia further goes on to segment the varieties of aerobic (cardiovascular) exercise under indoor and outdoor categories.

Under Indoor, it lists exercises such as Stair climbing, Elliptical trainer, Indoor rower, Stairmaster, Stationary bicycle and Treadmill.

Under Outdoor, we have exercises such as Cross-country skiing, Cycling, Inline skating, Jogging, Running, and Nordic walking.

Under another category which it calls Indoor or Outdoor, Wikipedia lists exercises such as Kickboxing, Swimming, Jumping rope and Circuit Training.

Difference between Aerobic and Cardiovascular Exercises

A major difference is the fact that Cardiovascular (cardio) exercise refers to exercise that toughens the cardiovascular system. The cardiovascular system is one of the most important systems in your body. The cardiovascular system is made up of your heart, your blood vessels and your blood.

On its part, Aerobic means in the presence of oxygen, and aerobic exercise refers to exercise that lasts long enough to require oxygen. The same type of exercise satisfies both of these conditions, and the terms cardio and aerobic exercise are used interchangeably. Aerobic/Cardio exercise uses large muscles, usually the legs, in a rhythmic pattern. Examples include rowing, walking, bicycling, running, swimming, cross-country skiing, skating, and machines such as elliptical trainers and stair steppers .

Tips for Working out after Smoking Cessation

* Consult your doctor before you commence any exercise plan. What your doctor will probably have you do is begin on a low impact program on an elliptical machine or bike for 10 or 15 minutes 2-4 times a week. You would then increase your time every week or two as you gain energy.

* You can also climb the stairs, walk and run. They are all good ways to exercise. As a beginner, you can start walking up to 30 minutes every day and increase it as the days go by.

* You will also need to cut down on calories because the average quitter gains weight as a result of ‘comfort eating’-using food as a substitute for cigarette smoking.

* As for diet, just keep it healthy, cut out the junk food and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.

* Alongside your exercise, drink loads of water rather than snazzy drinks. This enables you to cleanse your body of nicotine and other toxins that might have accumulated as a result of smoking cigarettes.

*Start exercising as soon as you drop off cigarettes. Experts advise you start off slowly so your body doesn’t go into shock from you over-stressing it. It’s recommended you begin by walking a couple miles a day until you feel you are getting stronger. Sweating will get the toxins out of your system and you will feel great after a couple of weeks.

But please don’t overdo it. You can’t get fit overnight, and pushing your body to the limit at the initial stage is a bad idea. Begin with some light aerobics, like walking or slow tread milling. Make it your goal to do at least 20 minutes three times a week – that’ll start helping right away and, more importantly, it will get you into the habit. After a couple of weeks, move it up to 5 times a week, and maybe add some weight training. Increase the workload, but only gradually. Remember that slow and steady wins the race.

* Be consistent. Make sure you walk or run a set distance every day at the same time.

* To get started, choose an exercise you enjoy. This is for you to avoid feeling bored and look up to doing the exercise everyday. Common exercises include walking, jogging, biking, swimming, tennis, etc.

* For many people, exercise is hard work. Be sure to pick an exercise that you enjoy, and having an exercise partner is a great way to stay motivated and stick with a program. Try to find a partner who is encouraging and supportive and will hold you accountable of your improvement and success!

*Making major lifestyle changes such as quit smoking, diet and exercise at the same time can be a laborious task. This is why it is important to begin a regular exercise program several months before the expected date of smoking cessation. Not only does exercise help in managing your weight, it is also a healthy alternative activity that assists overcome cigarette withdrawal.

* Last but not the least,exercise boosts your energy level and makes you feel physically and mentally alert. On the contrary, cigarettes drain your energy, damage your body, and lead to an untimely death through lung or heart disease.

There you have it, reasons why you should exercise while trying to quit smoking. Not only is it beneficial, it also helps you keep fit for life.

Keys to Stay Permanently Quit

Avoid gatherings or events where people smoke to avoid a relapse.

Nicotine Cravings -How to deal with them?

Just like a lover with a broken heart longs for his long-lost love,you will

definitely long for cigarettes. But have a plan of coping with them.

Sleep a lot to regain your lost vigour and vitality.

Control your Weight after you stop smoking

Make wise food choices. Plan good-for-you meals that include plenty of fruits and vegetables. Eat smaller portions. Limit sweets and alcohol.

Choose healthy snacks. If you're hungry between meals, opt for snacks such as fresh fruit or canned fruit packed in its own juices, low-fat air-popped popcorn or fat-free yogurt.

Get moving. Include physical activity in your daily routine. Regular exercise not only burns calories but also helps relieve withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

Here’s to your freedom from nicotine and cigarette dependence. Just apply the tips above and know that life has just 2 rules:

Here's to your freedom from nicotine. Believe it when we say it,you can also be free from nicotine. The fact that you have tried several times and failed does not mean you should not try again. Try again from today and even if you slip and smoke,determine to try again,you can also be FREE,TOTALLY FREE,from nicotine.

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