Help to stop smoking ? -
Help to stop smoking ? -
How to Stop SmokingFirst of all, a smoker must really want to stop. He needs strong motivation. Jacquelyn Rogers, the founder of Smokenders, an organization to help smokers to quit, says that she is in the motivation business. “We make people believe they can stop,” she says. Many smokers fail to quit because of doubt—they doubt their ability to succeed.
Can the various antismoking programs and chemical preparations aid in quitting? Evidently they have helped some. “I couldn’t have stopped without help,” said one heavy smoker. But as Dr. Neil Solomon, who gave this smoker injections of vitamins, minerals and novocaine, acknowledged regarding the treatment: “There’s nothing magical about it. If you don’t want to stop, it won’t work.”
THE WILL TO STOP
Yes, success depends almost wholly on the smoker’s determination and will to stop. Without this determination, no antismoking remedy will succeed. But with it, a person can quit without paying for some expensive antismoking remedy. Ninety percent of ex-smokers quit without any of such aids. As World Health magazine said: “The major element in success or failure is and will always be the smoker’s willpower. The rest is just trimming.” But how can a person obtain the will to stop?
For many, constantly reminding themselves that smoking is deadly has provided them the will. As a south Miami physician, who admits she liked to smoke, said: “Fear is the only reason I don’t smoke.” Some antismoking programs cultivate this fear, emphasizing the terrible damage smoking does to the body. Psychologist David M. Fineman described the process of negative imagery that helped him, as well as others, to quit: “I used to inhale a cigarette and picture the instant damage it was doing to my body. I consciously tried to summon up these images.”
Such an approach, however, does not provide sufficient motivation for some to stop. As a New York housewife explained: “If I had gone to a doctor and he told me that I would die from cancer unless I gave up smoking I would not have quit. Smoking was the main thing in my life, more important to me than food. I smoked almost constantly. I would even walk around the house with an ashtray in my hand.” What stronger motivation can help severely addicted smokers to quit?
This New York housewife started to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Yet learning that smoking was against God’s law did not, in itself, provide her sufficient determination to stop. “I wanted to stop,” she said, “but I was so addicted. I just did not have the strength to do so.”
She explained what eventually made her determined to stop. “My husband accepted the Bible truths he was learning, quit smoking and was baptized. I was so grateful! I did not want to do anything to hinder our serving Jehovah God acceptably and gaining life in his new system of things, so I determined to stop also.” And she did!
AIDS IN QUITTING
There are aids available to bolster your will to quit. Most important is the aid that God can give. The New York housewife mentioned earlier explained: “I prayed to Jehovah incessantly and with his help held to my resolve never to smoke again.” Yet some pray but still cannot stop. What is the problem?
It could be the timing of their prayers. One smoker prayed in the morning and at night for strength, and, after weakening and taking a smoke, he would pray to Jehovah in order to tell Him that he was sorry for what he had done. A Christian friend asked him: “Isn’t the time that you really need God’s help the moment that you are reaching for a smoke?” When the man began praying at that moment, he gained the help to stop smoking!
Supportive friends, especially ones who themselves have conquered the smoking habit and can therefore affirm that it can be done, are valuable aids. So seek out such friends. Let them know of your decision to stop smoking, and ask for their support.
What is the best way to stop? Is it by reducing the number of cigarettes consumed each day, thereby gradually quitting? Or is it by setting a day and stopping abruptly on that day?
Contrary to what many think, a comprehensive study of ex-smokers showed that smokers are better able to overcome withdrawal symptoms by stopping suddenly. Researchers Saul M. Shiffman and Murray E. Jarvik of the University of California at Los Angeles explain that cutting down slowly may actually “prolong their [the smokers’] agony by intermittently reinforcing their symptoms and smoking behavior. Typically, this chronic state of withdrawal will lead to relapse and return to baseline rates of smoking.”
Have a clear-cut motive for quitting. Love for God and a desire to please him is the best one. And loving your neighbor is another good one. Set a goal, and stick to it. Make it public that you are quitting—tell your friends, and enlist the help of your family members. Stop abruptly, if possible. And do all you can to avoid a smoking environment.
The first few days after quitting may be the most difficult. So, as an aid, think about the benefits of not smoking. One is the money saved. It can amount to quite a lot! “I’ve now been putting $2 a day into a coffee can—the money I would have previously spent on cigarets,” wrote one man. “I figure in the next 12 months it should add up to more than $700, enough to buy my wife a fur coat or something.”
With strong determination, many smokers have quit for a week or so, enduring the initial agony of withdrawal. But, as World Health observes, “a difficult phase begins, usually starting between the first and the third week. The first backslidings occur then.” So the battle needs to continue!
Whenever you feel a need for a cigarette, breathe deeply two or three times. Keep oral substitutes handy. Pop into your mouth things like raisins, nuts and sunflower seeds, or eat carrot and celery sticks, or chew gum. Drink more fluids—wholesome drinks such as fruit or vegetable juices or just plain water. Also, arrange for a more balanced diet.
Getting more exercise can be a real aid. Perhaps try activities such as jogging, tennis, cycling or swimming. Stretch a lot. Get plenty of rest. Go to bed early so as to avoid nervous fatigue. Concentrate on learning to relax. If you really want to, you can stop smoking!smoking and bacteria like simple streptococcal, h. influenza, and others invite infections to take over your immune system, leaving you very ill. Its more likely to happen as you get older. If you have allergies, then I really suggest you stop or stay away from allergens. This is overlooked.
Of course, smoking is bad, it causes COPD, which includes bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, and it can cause pharyngitis, laryngitis. Those are only respiratory issues. I-ve heard that smoking causes your skin to wrinkle more quickly. I see people with yellow teeth and halitosis all the time. Thats enough to make me stop. If you want to I include the 1200 ingredients that tobacco makers use to manufacturer cigarettes. Ever heard of rocket fuel? Find a new hobby pal.Did you know that most ex-smokers made several attempts to quit before finally kicking the habit? Consider the benefits: -
Your body will immediately begin to repair some of the damage smoking causes,
You can expect better long term health,
You will increase your fitness,
You will have more control over your life because smoking is addictive,
you won-t be affecting the health of family - friends who may have to breathe in your smoke,
You-ll save money,
You-ll be a smokefree model for young ones.
Here are some tips for quitting cold turkey:-
1st, you must really want to quit.
If you want to really quit, start planning. You might want to find someone or a group to quit with.
Make a date for quitting and be prepared,eg, practice delaying some of the cigarettes you smoke for 20 minutes...then extend that time. Make some areas smokefree - the car, the loungeroom, the kitchen, around children. Change to a cigarette brand you haven-t smoked before and make sure it-s one you don-t like and/or one with a lower tar content.
On the day before you quit, throw out ashtrays and lighters (including matches) and any leftover cigarettes. Buy fresh fruit, veges, fruit juice as substitutes for cigarettes.
Practise saying -no- in the mirror to offers of cigarettes. Then say NO and mean NO when offered cigarettes.
Avoid doing things or going places where you might feel the urge to have a smoke. Keep company with people who don-t smoke until you are confident about not smoking.
Try new activities and interests, eg, jogging, tai chi, volunteer work. Keep chewing gum or mints in your pockets to chew on if you get the urge to smoke. Save a bit of money? Then reward yourself once a week. Any side effects? You are recovering and on your way to becoming a non-smoker.
Alternatives: Nicotine patches and gum - These are sold by your pharmacist. They give measured doses of nicotine with the aim of weaning you off the drug. DO NOT USE IF PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING. You will need to tell the pharmacist if you are on any other medication or have some medical condition. Never smoke while on the patches or gum. Look into stop smoking courses; check telephone book; Hospitals and medical centres do run quit smoking clinics. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese from of medicine that might include treatment to help quit smoking. Hypnotherapy to help quit smoking is given by most therapists. So when you are ready, have another go.You have to really want to quit to be succesful. I smoked for several years, and I got my dr to write a perscription for chantix. It really worked for me, and its pretty succesful in helping others quit. You really need to quit because you will develop COPD. I work in a hospital as a respiratory therapist and I see alot of people go on the ventilator because of what smoking has done to their lungs. Seriously think about it and quit before its too late.The easiest way to be helped is to get helped. No I do NOT mean neccisarily therapy, i mean like find a close friend or family memeber to support you in ur decsion to stop. So that if you ever have the urge to go smoke, call them and maybe they can talk you through it, and convince you not to go smoke. And just have self disipline, like throw away all ur cigars, cigeretts, (whatever u smoke lol) so that they won-t be as easily avaible to you. Hope this helps! Good Luck, it isn-t easyWrite a list of the reasons and keep them with you. Refer to them when tempted to light up. This gives the reasons why smoking is so harmful and lists the benefits of stopping. Get rid of ashtrays, lighters, and all cigarettes.
Set a date and stop completely. Some people prefer the idea of cutting down gradually. However, research has shown that if you smoke fewer cigarettes than usual, you are likely to smoke more of each cigarette, and nicotine levels remain nearly the same. Therefore, it is usually best to stop once and for all from a set date.Make this Memorial Weekend your quit day. Join me and others to quit! I have stopped smoking since Apr. 15. Good Luck with best wishes for us.