Posts Tagged ‘addiction’

Behavior Modification, a New Way to Quit Smoking?

January 3rd, 2010

Behavior Modification: Smoking

Even as a child, I’ve always known smoking was bad for your health. My dad smoked when I was very young, but quit due to the health risks he imposed on his family as well as himself. He quit cold turkey, meaning immediately and solely by himself. He said it was hard, but he got over it. Since then he told me never to smoke. Now I can’t exactly tell you how I picked up smoking, but it definitely started after my 18th birthday when I was legally able to purchase cigarettes. I bought my first pack just because I could, and I smoked them periodically at school, especially when others were doing it, and especially if they were attractive females. This made me think I was cool enough to associate with them. As the months went on, I started getting more and more stressed with school and work, I slowly grew dependent on cigarettes. By the time I was 19, I needed to smoke whenever I studied, worked, or socialized with my friends, because most of my friends were also smokers. I have quit numerous times and succeeded at the goals I’ve set because I would set goals such as not smoking for two weeks, however I have never set a permanent goal due to fear of losing my crutch. For example, I would not smoke for two weeks, what allowed me to abstain was the thought that I can have a cigarette after two weeks.

Tracy Orleans, et al., (1991) conducted a research study on quitting smoking interventions. The study consisted of four groups, (a) the self help group, who were given a standard self quitting guide to quit with no other support, (b) the social support group, who were given the same self quitting guide along with a support guide for their family and friends, (c) the telephone group, who were given the same self quitting material, but with four telephone calls to a counselor, and (d) the control, who were given only tips to quit smoking and a referral to local quit smoking programs. The results of the study were not significant, the quit rates of the control and experimental groups were about the same, the only difference was the way the two groups quit. The experimental groups tended to quit using behavioral requiting strategies (e.g. setting a quit date, switching brands, etc.) while the control group tended to use outside interventions (like voluntary group therapy, nicotine gum/patches, etc). An interesting finding in this article was that heavier, long time smokers were less likely to quit using self help interventions alone, than were lighter, less addicted smokers (Orleans et al., 1991). This may appear like common sense in hindsight, because clearly longer, heavier smokers are more addicted, therefore its harder for them to quit, similar reasoning could be added to the opposite; lighter smokers are less likely to quit because they feel that the health threats are trivial because there is no immediate concern, whereas long time smokers are more likely to be diagnosed with a chronic illness as a result of their smoking, thus forcing them to stop due to their health. Although the former is a finding as a result of the study, the latter was found in my specific intervention, as well as my brief encounter with smokers in the past.

My specific strategy was to monitor my smoking for five days, then implement my plan, which was to smoke one less cigarette a day. Now I only smoked about 4-5 cigarettes a day so my plan was to start with five, then kick it down to zero. Of course, as I’ve stated before I knew this would be easy because my goal for the future was to smoke again. I started my change in behavior smoking five the first day, only three the next day, but then on the third day I was angry at the thought that nicotine was controlling me, so using self control, I smoked no cigarettes on day three. Day four I was supposed to smoke two, but only smoked one at night, this one cigarette at night felt better than any cigarette I had previously smoked in weeks. I wanted this feeling again; I knew it was from nicotine withdrawal. The next three days I went off track of my original plan and smoked one cigarette a night. I used a form of operant conditioning, where “the individual performs a behavior, and the behavior is followed by positive reinforcement” (Taylor et al., 2006). In this case the very euphoric feeling of a nicotine rush is the reward due to a nicotine withdrawal from not smoking all day (which is the behavior). Sure this may not be the ideal goal of operant conditioning, but it did greatly reduce the number of cigarettes I smoked in a day.

This behavior change was only temporary in my mind, as were the past attempts. I chose to monitor my smoking habits because it is probably my most health compromising behavior (aside from riding my motorcycle but I don’t think that is a “health” issue, more of a “lifestyle” issue). According to the text, “smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable death…In the United States, it accounts for at least 430,700 deaths each year” (Taylor et al., 2006) Even without the book, and without the media telling me the negative effects of smoking, I knew it could not be good for me. When I go to sleep just after smoking, I notice my heart rate is very high, anytime I do strenuous physical activity, I always gasp for air after, although I do notice that I can hold my breath longer than many of my non smoking peers. I smoke mainly because the immediate payoffs outweigh the immediate consequences, and because I am human, evolutionary psychology shows that my immediate future is more salient than anything many years ahead (Ornstein, 1991). Sure I can get lung cancer or heart disease in 20-30 years, but that is less salient on my mind, besides I, like many others fall into the false consensus effect theory; I believe that the same health compromising behavior that kills hundreds of thousands a year, probably won’t affect me.

After the twelve day period, I continued with the one cigarette a night, after a few days of that, I went to one every other night. As I am writing this paper, I am down to two a week. My goal is to bring it down to zero, however as I have implied, the thought of being able to smoke in the future is the only thing allowing me to go without a cigarette for a period of time. What worked well in my intervention was that I did not give in to the abstinence violation effect which is “a feeling of loss of control that results when a person has violated self-imposed rules” (Taylor et al., 2006). On a couple of days I gave in and smoked more then I was supposed to, mainly because I was with my smoking friends, a main effect of abstinence violation is relapse, but I made sure I did not by telling myself it was a one time thing and I will continue with my original plan, that definitely helped me from saying “screw it” and continue to my old ways of four to five cigarettes

This intervention has taught me a lot about my specific cues for smoking and I have realized that for the most part it is not a severe addiction for me; rather it is just something to do between classes, lunch breaks, or socializing with friends. I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to do this, as I probably would have never monitored my smoking otherwise. Because of this project, I have cut my cigarettes down to only six percent of what I used to smoke, with no signs of relapse, or cravings during the day. Perhaps for the future, I will only smoke when girls hit on me, which is never. :)

References

1) Orleans, CT, Schoenbach, VJ, Wagner, EH, et al. (1991). Self-help quit smoking interventions: effects of self-help materials, social support instructions, and telephone counseling. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 59(3), 439-448.

2) Ornstein, R (1991). Evolution of Consciousness: The Origins of the Way We Think. New York: Touchstone

3) Taylor, S.E (2006). Health Psychology: Sixth Edition, Health-Compromising Behaviors (pp. 133-148), Health Behaviors (pp. 54-78). New York: McGraw Hill

No comments »

Posted in ! Stop Smoking !!!

Tags:

Smoking, Nicotine and Health

January 1st, 2010

The use of tobacco and its resulting nicotine addiction is responsible for killing more than 430,000 people each year in the United States, more people than die from car accidents, homicide, suicide, fire, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and AIDS combined. Tobacco use in some form accounts for around one in three of all deaths from cancer in the United States. Smoking is responsible for 83% of all lung cancer deaths. Smoking also causes cancers of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, kidney, bladder, pancreas, uterus, cervix, and some leukemia. Cigarette smoking also can cause lung diseases that can be just as serious as lung cancer. Smokers may develop chronic bronchitis, with their airways blocked up with mucous, forcing them to cough frequently; and, of course, smoking can lead to emphysema, making it difficult for the lungs to perform their function of supplying adequate oxygen to the body. People with these problems tend to tire more easily and this influences them to avoid getting the exercise they need to promote their health. Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 65,000 deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Your heart is at risk. Smoking doubles the risk of heart attacks, and, in addition, is a major risk factor for peripheral vascular disease, which is the narrowing of the blood vessels that carry blood to the leg and arm muscles.

Cigarette smokers die much younger than nonsmokers. Based on data collected from 1995 to 1999, the Centers for Disease Control estimated that adult male smokers lost an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers lost 14.5 years of life because of smoking. For smokers between the ages of 35 and 70 the death rate is three times higher than those who have never smoked.

Tobacco smoke is a major source of indoor pollution. Secondhand smoke causes about 3,000 lung cancer deaths every year among those who do not smoke, and also is a factor in up to 40,000 deaths related to cardiovascular disease for nonsmokers too. Exposure to tobacco smoke in the home increases the severity of asthma for children and is a risk factor for new cases of childhood asthma.

Tobacco is very bad for the reproductive health of a woman, leading to a reduction in fertility and an increased risk of having a miscarriage. If a woman who smokes conceives a child, she may face the possibility of having an early delivery or even a stillbirth. And women who smoke increase the chance that their baby will have a low birth weight.

See the future if you continue this path. If you would take a moment to think of yourself as getting any of the diseases promoted by a smoking and nicotine habit sometime in the future, note how painful it would be for you, both physically and psychologically. Think, for a moment, of how much unhappiness it would create for you and your loved ones, and how it would keep you from enjoying the more healthy life that is yours after you have become a permanent nonsmoker. It is important to fully understand and feel, both consciously and subconsciously, just how negative a nicotine habit is to your overall enjoyment in life so that your mind, both conscious and subconscious, knows, without any delusion, just how much intense suffering will come to you unless you change your course in life.

Now make that picture dimmer and less bright and move it away from you, and watch as it grows darker and smaller. Take a moment to see yourself free of your nicotine addiction in the future. Look at how much healthier you look and feel. You can breathe freely and enjoy the fresh air entering your lungs. Your skin is healthier and you look younger at an older age, while your clothes smell fresher and cleaner. You are totally free of all the physical problems smoking would have caused you. When thought about in this way, it is more pleasurable to not smoke. You’ve found other healthier ways to get pleasure and reward yourself. In fact, cigarettes are now truly disgusting to you. As you see yourself a tobacco-free person, notice, now, that you’re feeling fine, you’re so relieved, you’re so much more at peace, you’re so much happier, so much healthier, and now you’re freer to be who you really want to be. Notice how much more personally self-confident and filled with personal self-esteem you now look and feel.

You may not fully know this, but the positive changes that result from becoming a permanent nonsmoker come sooner and are more pervasive than you ever imagined, making smoking cessation more immediately rewarding for you. Twenty minutes after you have quit, your blood pressure drops back down to the level just before your last cigarette and the temperature of your hands and feet increase toward a more normal level. Eight hours after you have quit the carbon monoxide level in your blood will have returned to a normal level. Just 24 hours after you have stopped smoking, your chance of a heart attack will already be decreasing. In the following weeks your circulation will be improved and the functioning of your lungs, even as soon as several weeks to 3 months’ time, will have improved by 30%. In subsequent weeks you will be able to look forward to other significant health improvements. Sinus congestion, shortness of breath, and coughing will have decreased. The cilia function within your lungs will return to normal, enabling you to deal with mucous and clean the lungs, and thus reduce any infection. One year after quitting, your extra risk of heart disease will be half that of someone who has continued to be smoker. After 5 years the risk of a stroke can be reduced to that of a nonsmoker. Ten years after quitting smoking your lung cancer rate will be half of that of someone who has continued to smoke, and your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, pancreas, kidney, and bladder will all have decreased. Fifteen years after you have quit and become a permanent nonsmoker your risk of coronary heart disease will have fallen to that of someone who does not smoke. A 35-year-old man who becomes a permanent nonsmoker will, on average, increase his life expectancy by 5.1 years. And, of course, the quality of his life will be greatly increased during all his years, no matter how long he lives. Even smokers who quit after age 50 substantially reduce their risk of dying early. The argument that it is too late to quit smoking because the damage is already done is just not true.

It is important for people to know that nicotine is as addictive as cocaine and heroin. As matter of fact, it works to create and maintain an addiction in a way that is similar to those drugs. The addictive nature of nicotine is created by its ability to release dopamine in the brain, a chemical that creates feelings of pleasure. This is similar to the physiological and psychological effects of both cocaine and heroin. Recent research has shown that there is also some chemical in cigarette smoke that reduces the level of monoamineoxidase (MOA), which plays a role in breaking down dopamine. This helps create an overall increase in dopamine and thus contributes to the desire to keep taking more nicotine.

Cigar smokers who inhale absorb nicotine as rapidly as a cigarette smoker, while those who choose not to inhale absorb a significant amount of nicotine through the lining of their mouth, as do those who use smokeless tobacco. Even though these smokeless users do not hurt their lungs because they do not inhale tobacco smoke, the nicotine from their habit is still very highly addictive and causes the heart to beat faster and their blood pressure to go up. Chewing tobacco hurts a person’s ability to taste and smell, often causes damage to gum tissue, and can even result in the loss of teeth. More seriously, chewing tobacco is full of cancer causing chemicals that can give people cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus. Many people who get these particular cancers were users of chewing tobacco. So powerful are the cancer-causing chemicals in chewing tobacco that even very young users get these cancers.

Nicotine’s effects are short-lived within the body, leading people to continually give themselves more during the day. Eventually, the continued use of nicotine leads to what is referred to as tolerance. The drug is no longer as effective as it was, and people need higher and higher amounts of it just to get the same physiological and psychological effects that they experienced earlier. That is why people tend to increase their usage of nicotine-delivering substances the more they have been using them.

There are even short-term effects related to tolerance. Nicotine disappears from the body in a few hours and some tolerance is lost overnight. Smokers often report that the first cigarettes of the day, newly introducing nicotine to the body after several hours of forced abstinence during sleep, have the strongest effect and are enjoyed the best. As the day goes on, and they smoke more and more cigarettes, tolerance is created, and each cigarette has less effect.

Nicotine also suppresses the production of insulin by the pancreas, which acts to raise blood sugar and causes the liver to release glycogen into the blood. In addition, cigarettes themselves are actually between 8% and 18% sugar, so smokers who puff a cigarette frequently during the day are actually given themselves blood sugar-raising hits throughout the day. All this contributes to smokers experiencing a slight sugar high from increased blood glucose. As a result of all of this many smokers also experience a lessening of appetite. This may explain why people gain weight after stopping smoking. They are trying to maintain their prior elevated glucose level, which was found to be pleasurable. Any craving that a new nonsmoker might experience is most noticeable in the morning and mid-afternoon, when low blood sugar is no longer blocked by smoking.

Nicotine is biphasic in nature. It can both stimulate and relax a person, depending on how they smoke. Nicotine doesn’t work in the body the same way alcohol does, but they both exhibit biphasic activity. People often become uninhibited and more excitable after drinking, while at other times they may become sedated and eventually fall asleep.

Cessation of nicotine intake results in withdrawal symptoms that strongly influence anyone trying to end their tobacco use to start consuming it again. These symptoms can include headache, irritability, restlessness, tiredness, feelings of depression, poor concentration, and anger and frustration. While the most powerful influence on withdrawal is the pharmacological effects of nicotine, many behavioral aspects affect the nature of the withdrawal symptoms. For many smokers, the sight, feel, and smell of a cigarette and the rituals involved in obtaining, handling, lighting, and smoking the cigarette are all strongly associated with the pleasure of smoking and when absent can contribute to psychological feelings of withdrawal. While nicotine gum and patches can act to alleviate the pharmacological aspects of withdrawal, some cravings may persist because of these missed behavioral aspects of smoking. This is a problem in quitting smoking that can be easily dealt with and greatly minimized through the use of hypnosis.

One of the clearest indicators of the power of the effects of nicotine is that while over two-thirds of all tobacco users want to stop using it only a small number are able to do so permanently. Each year, nearly 35 million people make a concerted effort to quit smoking. Only 20% of those trying succeed in abstaining for as long as a year and only a small percent of these are able to do so by using willpower alone. Less than 7% succeed in abstaining for more than a year. Most of those trying to stop start smoking again within days.

Over 90% of smokers who try to quit without seeking treatment fail, with most relapsing within a week. Most smokers take several attempts to quit before they finally succeed.

To reduce the risk of lung cancer and other related cancers that are caused by smoking, smokers need to stop smoking completely. It has been found that the amount of carcinogens inhaled remains high even as they cut back on the number of cigarettes they use. Research has shown that this even applies when smokers are supplementing their intake of nicotine with the use of patches. The reason this is true is believed to be that the smokers inhale more deeply on the fewer cigarettes they do smoke to feed their addiction and the nicotine patches made little difference in how long and deeply the users inhaled the smoke from their cigarettes. Thus, the patches made little difference in the overall amount of carcinogens introduced into their bodies by their smoking habit. The conclusion is that patches do not significantly decrease a smoker’s risk of cancer. Possible theories as to why this is so is that patches fail to provide the high that the smokers desire, nor do they provide a substitute for the enjoyment that people get from the act of physically enjoying a cigarette. Another reason may be addictive compounds found in cigarette smoke that aren’t in the patches.

Sometimes in life failure is not necessarily an indicator of the difficulty or even the impossibility of accomplishing something. It just tells you what doesn’t work. Fortunately, seeing a qualified certified hypnotist is effective for changing a smoker into a nonsmoker for life. Not only do they become nonsmokers, but they do so more easily and comfortably then they ever expected. With the new cooperation of their subconscious they are able to lose their desire to smoke cigarettes and cigars. There is some physiological discomfort during the withdrawal period following the cessation of tobacco use, but with hypnosis these effects can be mitigated and the period of discomfort shortened. Hypnosis is also able to greatly reduce and even eliminate any tendency to gain weight after smoking cessation. In my clinical practice, I typically see clients only once for complete and permanent smoking cessation.

Jeffrey Rose, CMH, is New York’s leading doctor-referred, Certified Hypnotist , ( He is certified by both the National Guild of Hypnotists, and the International Association of Counselors and Therapists), and is the director at The Advanced Hypnosis Center, (www.ahcenter.com), in New York City.
Free WP Plugins

No comments »

Posted in ! Stop Smoking !!!

Tags:

400,000 Reasons to Quit Smoking

December 27th, 2009

Most of us know that smoking is indeed a habit that can have many serious implications on our health, but there’s a tendency to view the problem lightly. It’s important though, that every smoker be aware of the facts concerning smoking. So here are some eye openers for you…

The World Health Organization has been studying smoking trends and statistical patterns across the globe and has come up with the following statistics:

A good deal of variation exists from one part of the world to another. Many more women smoke in Eastern Europe than in East Asia and the Pacific Region. Eastern Europe itself has a particularly high rate of smoking, with up to 59 percent of adult males smoking.

As with other substances of abuse, such as alcohol and cocaine, the global frequency of tobacco use varies by social class, historical era, and culture. Historically, smoking had been a pastime of the rich. This trend has changed dramatically in recent decades. It appears that economically advantaged men in wealthier countries have been smoking less. The more years of education you’ve had, the less likely you are to be a smoker.

Most smokers begin early in life, before they are 25 years old. According to World Health Organization studies, the majority of smokers in affluent countries begin in their teens. A decline in the age of starting smoking has been observed worldwide.

As a wannabe quitter, you’re in excellent company. People all over the world are trying to quit and stay away from cigarettes. There appears to be a correlation between a country’s standard of living, level of education, and income and the number of people who have quit smoking. The more and better-informed people are, the more likely they are to quit smoking.

Current estimates are that over 1 billion people in the world smoke. (In other words, approximately one in three adults on the planet smokes.) The majority of these smokers reside in countries on the low end to the middle of the socioeconomic spectrum. Of this majority, about 80% live in low and middle income countries. The total number of smokers worldwide is expected to keep increasing.

But are things in the USA any better? Not really, as you can see for yourself in the figures of National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics

In the United States, an estimated 25.6 million men (25.2%) and 22.6 million women (20.7%) are smokers. These people are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke. The latest estimates for persons age 18 and older show:

- Among whites, 25.1 percent of men and 21.7 percent of women smoke

- Among black or African Americans, 27.6 percent of men and 18.0 percent of women smoke

- Among Hispanics/Latinos, 23.2 percent of men and 12.5 percent of women smoke

- Among Asians (only), 21.3 percent of men and 6.9 percent of women smoke

- Among American Indians/Alaska Natives (only), 32.0 percent of men and 36.9 percent of women smoke

Studies show that smoking prevalence is higher among those with 9-11 years of education (35.4 percent) compared with those with more than 16 years of education (11.6 percent). It’s highest among persons living below the poverty level (33.3 percent).

And These Figures Spell Death…

· One out of every five deaths is caused by tobacco

· An average of 400,000 Americans die each year from tobacco

· Tobacco is blamed for many serious pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases

· Tobacco and nicotine are some of the most potent carcinogens and are to blame for a majority of all cancers of the lung, trachea, bronchus, larynx, and esophagus

· Tobacco use also produces cancers in the pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervix

· Impotency is sometimes to blame from addiction to nicotine because of its ability to reduce blood flow

· Smoking is an important risk factor for respiratory illnesses, causing 85,000 deaths per year from pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia

· Children and adolescents who are active smokers will have increasingly severe respiratory illness, as they grow older

· Smoking during pregnancy causes about 5-6% of prenatal deaths, 17-26% of low-birth-weight births, and 7-10% of pre-term deliveries, and it increases the risk of miscarriage and fetal growth retardation

· Cigarettes are responsible for about 25% of deaths from residential fires, causing nearly 1,000 fire-related deaths and 3,300 injuries each year

So, are you ready to try and quit smoking now?

Read how simple it could be to quit smoking. Professional Method!

No comments »

Posted in ! Stop Smoking !!!

Tags:

Quit Smoking: are you Sure you Want to Quit Smoking?

December 22nd, 2009

You know you really want to stop smoking. You are also aware that you have one excuse after another. You might think that you have too much going on at work to stop smoking right now. Or you might rationalize that you’ll keep looking for the perfect cure for you to stop smoking. Maybe you’ve tried to quit smoking several times, and you always failed. Whatever your excuse is, the fact remains that you are still smoking. You must quit this deadly habit. Do it for yourself. You deserve the health benefits of quitting. You deserve the financial gain from not spending money on cigarettes. You deserve to be able to go to a party and smell like cologne or perfume rather than an ashtray.

The health benefits of quitting smoking are plentiful. As a result of more and more evidence to support the benefits of quitting, people are beginning to change their lives. They are quitting in large numbers. Smoking tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars is a habit that many people are letting go. If you are a smoker, maybe you are considering quitting smoking. Did you also know that if you quit smoking, these health benefits of quitting for your body would begin to happen almost immediately?

• 20 minutes after you quit smoking your blood pressure and pulse return to normal.

• 8 hours after you stop smoking, the nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in your blood are reduced by fifty percent. Oxygen levels in your body return to normal after you stop smoking.

• 24 hours after you quit smoking, your body rids itself of carbon monoxide. The lungs begin to clear out mucus and smoking debris after you quit smoking.

• 48 hours after you stop smoking, you will not have any nicotine in your body. Your sense of taste and smell will be much stronger after you stop smoking.

• 72 hours after you quit smoking, you will be able to breathe much easier. Your bronchial tubes will start to relax. Your energy level will increase after you have quit smoking for only 72 hours.

• 2 to 12 weeks after you stop smoking, the circulation in your body increases.

• 3 to 9 months after you quit smoking, any breathing problems, coughs, and wheezing will improve. Your lung capacity will be increased by 10% in 3 to 9 months after you stop smoking.

• 5 years after you stop smoking, your risk of a heart attack is going to be half the risk of a smoker’s.

• 10 years after you quit smoking, your risk of a heart attack will be the same as someone who never smoked. Your risk of lung cancer is going to be half of that of a smoker’s. The health benefits of quitting smoking are very important as you can see here.

When you stop smoking, you will change the course of your life. The health benefits of quitting smoking start immediately. However, it will take time for your body to heal all the way back to normal. The health benefits of quitting are immense. However, health is only one of the reasons to quit smoking. In fact, there are many other reasons to quit smoking such as the ability to taste food better, fewer sore throats and better looking skin and teeth.

Before you look at the challenges and think that you cannot meet them, ask yourself if you are really willing to choose lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease over a little crankiness or the blues. You are not going to choose cancer over a little stress, are you? The health benefits of quitting are going to last you a lifetime. The challenges will ease up within a few weeks.

Bio: Sig Kabai successfully quit smoking and has not touched a cigarette since. Learn more about the surprisingly easy way you can quit smoking for ever at http://endthehabitnow.com
Smartphone Software

No comments »

Posted in ! Stop Smoking !!!

Tags:

Stop Smoking – How to Quit Smoking! – Its Easy to Stop Smoking

December 19th, 2009

Do you really want to stop smoking or do you want to help somebody quit smoking? If your answer is YES then this brings us to yet another question “How can you stop smoking?” how can you or anybody else quit this stinking habit? Well, in rare cases it’s easy for some individuals to quit the smoking habit, they will just wake up one day and decide they will never smoke again and they quit smoking just like that. Out of my own experience I think nobody enjoys smoking, it’s only the beginners who enjoy this habit in it’s early stages until they are addicted to the habit and start fighting it back in efforts of trying to quit the same habit, therefore a majority of so called “smokers” only smoke because they are addicted to smoking and not because they enjoy smoking.

I will tell you a short story of my own experience. I started smoking back in 1995 when I used to work in a discotheque as a Dj. I was drawn to the habit by friends and I got deep into it not realizing what I was getting my self into. At first it was fun it was cool and it felt so good “smoking”, it was relaxing. After a year I decided, well I am tired of smoking and its time to quit so I woke up one morning and said to my self I will never smoke again. Three hours later on that same day while smoking my second cigarette is when I remembered that I had made a decision that morning never to smoke again! I felt terrible it was like I had betrayed my self; this went on for days months and years until I realized how difficult it was for me to stop the habit.

This “war” between me and smoking went on for twelve years; I tried every thing from eating specific kinds of selected foods to all sorts of medicine including herbal medicines in the efforts of trying to get rid of the cigarette cravings but nothing worked until one day in 2006 while searching for the cure to my smoking problem on the internet I came across this amazing Freedom From Smoking Guide. At first I thought it was just one of the many online money making scams that are all over the internet, but I took some time and thought of how smoking was affecting my life, my health, my finances, my wife, my new baby, almost every part of my life was affected by smoking and I decided to download that guide and give it a try. This guide changed my life almost instantly, finally after 12 years of bondage I stopped smoking just like that simply by following the simple steps and guidelines in this amazing Freedom From Smoking Guide for only 17$ . Click here to see Freedom From Smoking Guide.

For Most people smoking is a hard habit to break because tobacco contains nicotine which is highly addictive to the body and mind just like cocaine and other addictive drugs. The body and mind get so used to the nicotine in cigarettes that a person has to smoke just to feel normal and think straight.

Most people know that smoking cause’s cancer, emphysema, wrinkles, and so on and it also shortens your life span by 10 years or more, it costs smokers thousands of dollars or more every year yet people continue to smoke, this just shows how powerful this cigarette smoking addiction is and therefore it is not something to play or joke around with.

During the 12 years of my smoking addiction I was a heavy smoker I smoked thirty to thirty five cigarettes in a day, I was spending a lot of money on cigarettes my skin turned grey and wrinkled my hair was falling off and I finally developed a serious chest condition which crippled me financially I was in a lot of pain and weak and my life was slowly fading away. It’s now very important for you who is currently addicted or may be you know a loved one you can help get out of this slavery to act now before it’s too late by simply downloading this Freedom From Smoking Guide for only 17$ you will save yourself or someone else from spending thousands of dollars in trying to cure smoking related illnesses or even death.

Consequences of smoking:

Every time you light a cigarette be sure that by the time you finish smoking it you will have lost 5 to 20 minutes of your life, that’s a proven fact. Smokers also tend to develop yellow teeth and loose bone density which increases the risk of osteoporosis a condition that causes bones to break easily and bend over during old age. Smoking affects lung power meaning smokers tend to be less active. Smoking causes fertility problems and affects sexual health in both men and women, women using any form of birth control can develop serious health problems including heart attacks when they smoke and in the case of men they tend to develop erection problems.

Cigarette, cigars and pipe smoke contains over 4000 different harmful chemicals which affect a person’s body and health quickly some of these effects are: High risk of illness, slow healing of injuries, reduced physical performance, bad smells and breath, stained teeth and bad skin. All forms of tobacco are hazardous. Most smokers try to substitute the regular cigarette with other products that seem like they are better for them like filtered or low tar cigarettes but the only thing which helps a person avoid the problems associated with smoking is staying smoke free. From my own experience staying smoke free brings with it a lot of benefit, when a smoker quits smoking he/she becomes more energetic, they become good looking with more money in their pockets and most important more life to live. Click here to see some effects of smoking.

“It’s easy to quit smoking” am sure you have heard that kind of comment on various occasions and if you are a smoker you have probably said so yourself, unfortunately as easy as it may seem easy to quit the addiction still remains. Its important for you to know that what works for one person may not for another. The moment you download Freedom From Smoking, you will find out methods of quitting smoking you probably have never heard of. I hadn’t until I read Freedom From Smoking with Patricia Covers.

You may want to go for counseling sessions or join self help groups or further still visit a rehabilitation center, but what makes the freedom from smoking guide stand out from all the other methods is because Patricia covers all the symptoms and methodologies for treatment in a deeper basic understanding in a totally un-biased, non-judgmental manner.

Her information is clear, concise and understandable.   She explores in depth, each of the many treatments that are available, providing the pros, cons and warnings associated with each one of them.You will be amazed to discover so many diverse treatment options.

If you are a smoker then you owe it to your friends and loved ones and most importantly to YOURSELF to get rid of your smoking addiction. But if you are not a smoker but someone else close to you is, then you owe to them to grab a copy of Freedom From Smoking now and help them down the path toward total wellness. This being the reason I have sacrificed my time and recourses to bring you freedom from this bondage. Over 44 million people in the U.S alone have managed to give up smoking for good I am one of them and now it’s your turn. Click here to Download Freedom From Smoking.

 

No comments »

Posted in ! Stop Smoking !!!

Tags:

Counseling for Drugs Addicts

December 13th, 2009

Your first inclination might be to get angry when you find out your teen is using drugs. This a normal reaction, but please know that anger and yelling will just turn your teen’s ears to the “off” position. You need to let your teen know you care about them and that you just want the best for them. You must place responsibility for their actions on their own shoulders and make them accountable without doing so in a threatening manner. Honest, open communication is the key towards overcoming your teen’s problem – even before it becomes a problem. Move on to the future and find things that you can do right now to help your teen. Try not to live in past; this will make the person you are trying to help agitated or upset. With addiction comes a lot of damage; material and emotional. In the wake of the episodes that the addict can create, remember that you are not alone. There are people around you that care. Those that have been and are in the trenches of this disease can help the addict when no one else can. Counseling is a very effective way to help curb your teen’s drug use. By allowing your child to interact with a third party you will find that recovery often goes better, because often times the family is too emotionally close to the addict to be of any real help.  Please realize that you are the parents and you are not responsible for the disease of addiction. Get help before it is too late. Remember that this disease does not discriminate against anyone or anything.  No single treatment is appropriate for all teens which is why there are many places your teen can get help. Look for local programs geared towards teens and find a peer counselor who your teen can talk to. Teens relate to other teens and young people, so finding someone close to their own age can be very effective. Match the treatment with the individual. If your teen’s drug use has gotten completely out of hand, you may want to look at an inpatient clinic. But try to find a clinic where other teens are being treated as well. If you send them to a program that has only adults in it, their chances of relapse are higher. If you do put your teen in a treatment facility, be sure you participate in all of the activities that are asked of you. This is the perfect time for your teen to talk to you in a safe environment with a moderator. They are more likely to open up and say what they need to say in the clinic rather than at home. Just as with adults, relapse is a very real possibility, neigh, a probability. Teens are going to be thrust back into the environment that they were in when they were users, so keep in mind that drug addiction is a very powerful mental disease and relapses are very likely to occur. This is where patience and understanding come in. Talk with your teen and get them help and counseling to understand why they went back to drugs. When you tackle the psychological part of drug abuse, you have a better chance of helping your teen become drug free. It’s also important for you to educate your child BEFORE drug use becomes a problem. Again, we say, communicate openly and honestly with your child and arm them with as much information as you can possibly find. There has been a push to get drug information in the schools, but don’t leave it all up to them. You are your child’s best defense against drugs. While they may be uncomfortable when you present them with information, they’ll thank you later in life. It’s kind of like having “the sex talk” – it’s awkward for both of you, but it’s something that is necessary. Teach them how to say no without feeling guilty. Show them that they are a valued and loved person and that they have the right to refuse something that is not good for them. Tell them the types of people to avoid and the things they can say if they are offered drugs or find themselves in a compromising situation. As a parent, you will need your own support to deal with this difficult situation.

No comments »

Posted in School Violence

Tags:

Dreaded ‘Sex Talk’ Gets a Little Easier

November 20th, 2009

Freedom Begins Here (http://www.freedombeginshere.org) announced today the launch of a new product: “Father + Son: Talk About Sex” meant to help initiate and guide the discussion about sex between Father and Son.

Siloam Springs, AR May 17, 2009 — The organization Freedom Begins Here http://www.freedombeginshere.org announced today the launch of a new product: “Father + Son: Talk About Sex” meant to help initiate and guide the discussion about sex between a Father and Son. http://www.freedombeginshere.org/videos/father-son-talk-about-sex

Recent studies indicate that 12-17 year olds are the largest consumers of Internet pornography. As shocking as that may seem, teens are not only looking at pornography, 20% of teens have sent/posted nude or semi-nude photos or videos of themselves.

Such shocking statistics led Freedom Begins Here to respond to the crisis by formatting a totally new way for breaking the ice on topics surrounding sex, pornography and adolescence; completely redefining “The Talk.”

This conversation starter is built as a DVD, which includes a collection of unconventional videos on topics such as sex-education, pornography, and fatherhood. It even includes an interactive questionnaire to help make the conversation easier. The guidebook is the more complete portion of the product containing information on puberty, adolescence, and anatomy; all designed to supplement the videos on the DVD. It also includes a free trial of Covenant Eyes accountability software.

“We want to see the wall broken down between fathers and sons,” says Bryson Moore, Senior VP of Freedom Begins Here. “Fathers and sons share one of the closest bonds God ever created. If a father can’t be open with his son about sex, where is he going to learn about it? Probably from the internet, television or friends.”

Freedom Begins Here is a self-proclaimed “movement” with the goal of confronting the issues that no one is talking about. Their vision is to open the avenue of discussion about sex with youth, carrying with them a strong belief that initiating the conversation about sex is the best prevention of all.

The organization got their start back in 2004 dealing primarily with overcoming pornography and sexual addictions. Now, their scope is widening as they release a newly developed “Conversation Starter” series. Freedom Begins Here plans on releasing a Mother + Daughter conversation starter sometime this fall.

“Father + Son: Talk About Sex” is intended for fathers of sons ages 9-15 “although almost any father and son would learn something from it” says Moore. Highlights of the video include a comical but thorough approach to sex-education, a quirky video warning about the dangers of pornography and a design that should appeal to sons and fathers alike. “It is an uncomfortable subject, and we understand that; which is why we did our best to keep in easy for dads and educational for sons” says Moore.

Freedom Begins Here also carries another conversation starter that has stories from contemporary Christian artists such as Rush of Fools, Jimmy Needham and Sarah Reeves telling stories about how sex, porn and self-image have affected their own lives. http://www.freedombeginshere.org/videos/start-the-conversation-dvd

No comments »

Posted in Sex & Teens

Tags:

Hazards of junk foods

November 19th, 2009

Junk foods are very much popular among the people now days. Because of its accessibility, cost and taste, it makes themselves popular. But the hazards of junk food are also very high. Cholesterol, Obesity, Diabetics, High B.P are some of the results caused by the junk foods. Though people do not recognize the cause, they just get addicted to these foods.

One of the reasons for the addiction of junk foods is the busy schedules of parents. When parents find no time to cook food in their house, due to their jobs, naturally children as well as the adults get attracted to these junk foods.

Junk really means “RUBBISH”. And so, are we eating “Rubbish Foods”? Considering the ingredients, mostly every doctor suggests his patients not to eat them, but to have fresh fruits and vegetables.

Now-days many companies produce packed foods which are really harmful to a body, if the body doesn’t do much exercise. Mostly in every packed food, there are high fat, sugar etc… , which affects the body badly. There will be no nutritional values for many of them and only benefit an in-taker feel in those foods is its taste. Skin problems like pimples occur because of excess in take of oil. The junk foods are mostly prepared by oils which may not be suitable for one’s body type.

There are many cases which reports obesity found in small age groups. it causes severe effects in one’s life. Eating while watching TV can increase the intake of foods and it can surely damage the body. There is no problem in eating foods, which guarantee you about its nutritional values.

One can have those snacks but one must not get addicted to it, as it cause many troubles, which are mentioned above.

“Prevention is better than cure”

I like writing poems, essays and stories. Though i have not published them in a book, but i have published them in various websites. I like to participate in many literary competitions. I believe in dreaming and achieving. I am not an atheist.
spanish mortgage rates

No comments »

Posted in School Violence

Tags:

9 visitors online now
9 guests, 0 members
Max visitors today: 9 at 03:37 pm GMT+6
This month: 14 at 02-08-2012 05:21 pm GMT+6
This year: 31 at 01-03-2012 08:28 pm GMT+6
All time: 123 at 01-29-2011 08:52 pm GMT+6