I tested it a couple of times in the next 2 weeks, lighting up 2 or 3 times, putting it out after a puff or two.

I never had any withdrawal.   I was happy I didn’t want to smoke anymore, and that was enough.

I was immediately saving $100. + every month.  It would be even more today.  I have had THOUSANDS of dollars to spend on better things since then.  And best of all, I am still alive.

Why did I quit?   Simple.  My son was 15 at the time, and I felt he still needed me around.  Do you have children?  Think about how they will feel if you died before your time…..  They need you around.

You have the power within you, to decide you don’t want to smoke anymore.  If you feel you can’t access that power right now,  find something that will help you release that power.  It is there, it is a part of you.

Elliott

I think that I wouldn’t be hurting anyone else, and no one else has to know. I realize that this kind of thinking is ridiculous, but in that moment it seems to make sense to me because that’s how bad I want to smoke.

It’s best to keep busy at that time when I feel no resolve for my mission. A lot of times I journal, or call a friend, anything to keep my mind off of smoking. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that this desire to smoke will ever truly go away, but I’ve been told that it will leave, so I press onward.

I suppose the thing that keeps me the most motivated is my family. My daughter has begun to ask me if I will die from smoking. This really stung me to my core. I’m doing this mostly for her. I want to be a good example and I don’t want her to constantly be worrying that her mother is going to die.

We are not just talking about the weak-willed here either. This is really hard to do.

Studies have shown nicotine is as addictive as cocaine, and other highly addictive drugs. I am not surprised by this study. I suppose the only true difference is that smoking and chewing is socially acceptable and even then, it is becoming less and less acceptable in this current society.

Many places are banning smoking altogether, if smoking is allowed, it is in only designated areas and it would not be unlikely to get a dirty look from someone who happened to pass by through a cloud of smoke on their way to the restroom.

Smoking bans are another issue altogether. In several states across the United States you could be fined in for smoking in the car with a child. The law would actually be protecting that child from the dangers of second-hand smoke.

The smoking population is certainly dwindling. Those of us that are left are having a harder time be militant in the face of reality. Reality being that there is really nothing positive about smoking. Not to the smoker or to those around the smoker.

I think it really is a losing battle and maybe we should not be sore losers about the matter.

I totally agree that former smokers (even those of us who have successfully stopped and remain smoke free) should consider ourselves addicts in the sense that we are unable to control our smoking, and need to completely abstain from smoking altogether. Very few people are able to “smoke one every now and then”; most of us end up smoking one right after the other.

However, this young lady made the comment that “there is a difference between an addict and somebody who is dependant”.

Her reasoning was this:

Anyone’s body can become dependant on a substance after prolonged use. But an addict is somebody who will stop at nothing to get their fix, and is not interested in getting help with their condition.

So if you know you have a problem, and are actually putting a strong effort into correcting this issue, you should pat yourself on the back and acknowledge the fact that you are not just giving in and accepting your addiction.

Give it some thought. You can do this!

Remember it takes only 21 days to make something a new habit. 

To make up for the difference in calorie-burn once you stop smoking, try using a nicotine-replacement gum or patch to help reduce cravings and hunger while you’re quitting. Don’t replace your cigarette habit with a food habit, unless you promise to just munch on veggie sticks instead (minus the dips and dressing).

Remember greens with no dressings or dips, celery, lettuce, and green onion to name a few.  

Instead, pick up a journal every time you want to reach for a cigarette and write down your thoughts to remind yourself why you’re quitting. Distraction is the key. And finally, compensate for the loss of calorie burn by cutting back on calories here and there during your day and by making it a point to be more active throughout your day. You can easily make up for the difference in calories simply by adding a 20-minute walk to your day and leaving the mayo and cheese off your sandwich at lunchtime.

Exercise will reduce the munchies and those cravings.

Remember the doctor that told the man to walk 2 miles a day to lose weight. After 30 days the man called the doctor for a checkup. The doctor said how are you doing? The man said greta I lost 10pounds. The doctor said how is everything else in your life ? The said really bad. The doctor said what? The man said you said to wlak 2 miles a day and I am 60 miles from home and my wife, but I lost the 10 pounds. 

These little sacrifices are worth the bigger goal you have in mind – being smoke-free and smokin’ hot.

If you need more help go to BLINDGEVITY  or email me at blindguy55@msn.com

Secondhand smoke contains at least 250 chemicals known to be toxic, including more than 50 that can cause cancer.

Secondhand smoke exposure causes heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults.

Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their heart disease risk by 25–30% and their lung cancer risk by 20–30%.

Breathing secondhand smoke has immediate harmful effects on the cardiovascular system that can increase the risk of heart attack. People who already have heart disease are at especially high risk.

Secondhand smoke exposure causes respiratory symptoms in children and slows their lung growth.

Secondhand smoke causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more frequent and severe asthma attacks in children.

There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure. Even brief exposure can be dangerous.

You CAN quit smoking. Quitting smoking has immediate as well as long-term benefits for you and your loved ones.

If you really want to quit email me and I can get you into my clinic where I teach you to quit smoking.

Email me at blindguy55@msn.com  or http://blindgevity.com

“Smoking has bothered me for a long time, at least since I got pregnant. I always think about my child and husband and about what I’m doing to myself. Sometimes I feel good, there is no more guilt about what I do to myself. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than sitting on my front porch smoking and reading. I wanted to quit so that I wouldn’t be tied down to an addiction, but I still feel that I am. I count the days. If you told me I could smoke one now with no consequences, I would in a heart beat.”

This is something that everyone goes through when quitting smoking. One of the definitions of an addict is to occupy (oneself) with or involve (oneself) in something habitually or compulsively.

It is important to understand what you’re up against when quitting and extremly important to seek support while quitting. Afterall, anyone with a true addiction can rarely do it by themselves. Quitting smoking is just as pivotal to your long-term health as quitting a hard drug is to your short-term health.

As an addict, smokers should treat themselves as addicts and seek the help that they need while quitting smoking.

The research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was done in a controlled study of a group of smokers and non-smokers, with diet and most other factors largely the same. By monitoring “labeled” vitamin E, it was found that the blood plasma levels of this essential nutrient dropped 13 percent faster among smokers than among the non-smokers, depleting it much more quickly. The study also demonstrated in humans an important interactive relationship between vitamins C and E, showing for the first time how inadequate levels of vitamin C can cause further and faster depletion of vitamin E.

Together, these scientists say, the research is providing significant insight into how smoking might cause cancer, and how the loss of protective antioxidant vitamins can play a role in this process.

“Cigarette smoke is an oxidant, creating free radicals that are associated with increased oxidative stress, cell mutations, and can lead to such diseases as cancer, heart disease and diabetes,” said Maret Traber, a professor in OSU’s Linus Pauling Institute and a national expert on vitamin E. “In lung tissue, vitamin E is one of the first lines of defense against the free radicals generated by cigarette smoke.”

It has been known for some time that cigarette smoking reduced blood levels of vitamin C, Traber said, but the data were less clear on vitamin E - it did not appear that there were significant differences in the blood plasma levels of vitamin E between smokers and non-smokers.

But researchers now believe what is happening is that vitamin E is being depleted from tissue concentrations in order to keep up its levels in the blood, leaving the tissues - including those of the lungs - particularly vulnerable to attack by toxins and free radicals. The new studies support that thesis.

 What’s increasingly clear is that many people have health habits, such as smoking or poor diet, which can leave them with inadequate levels of vitamin E. And vitamin E has clear value in helping to prevent serious degenerative disease. 

How do you then increase your Vitamin E correctly?

There are two main groups of vitamin E compounds: the tocopherols and the tocotrienols, each containing four isomers. Of these, the alpha-tocopherol isomer is the only form of vitamin E that the human body can use. While the body can absorb both natural and synthetic forms of alpha-tocopherol, natural forms, either from foods or natural-source supplements, are used more efficiently.

The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin E is 15 milligrams of alpha-tocopherol daily. On average, American adults consume about 8 to 12 milligrams of vitamin E each day through their diet.

Supplements list vitamin E in terms of international units, or IUs. Because of differences in potency, 15 milligrams of alpha-tocopherol is equivalent to 22 IU of d-alpha tocopherol (natural form) or 33 IU of d,l-alpha tocopherol (synthetic form).

 The best sources of vitamin E are vegetable oils such as sunflower, canola, corn, soybean and olive oil. Nuts, sunflower seeds and wheat germ are also good sources. Other sources of vitamin E are whole grains, fish, peanut butter, and green, leafy vegetables.

So lets talk and not blow anymore smoke at each other and I will show you the way to Vitamin E.

Later that evening, I reflected on what a huge accomplishment that evenings dessert was for me. I had reached a new stage in the quitting process where smoking was no longer part of my daily thoughts. The cravings have lessened, even with my slip up a couple of weeks ago.

I know that there may be moments when I am tempted still, but they won’t be the mundane everyday kind of things that will trigger me. The times that I should be more aware of in the future are the times when I am angry, sad or hurt. Those will be the times when I need to be soothed by a cigarette. While this thought is somewhat depressing, I am thankful that I’ve graduated to the next stage of the process.

I’ve been rather jittery lately and I can’t have a cigarette and I can’t eat. My skin was crawling because I was so restless as what to do with myself.

Then it occurred to me, I felt like running around the block. That only lasted a few minutes before I was gasping for air.

So I’ve started out slowly by taking my dog for walks. However, we seem to be doing a lot more sniffing than we are walking (the dog I mean).

I have checked out several local gyms and I have to say that I am getting excited about joining. I reasoned with myself that the money I will pay going to the gym doesn’t even compare to all of the money that I use to spend on cigarettes, so I know that I will not suffer financially because of my new membership.

I am rather proud of myself because by joining a gym and deciding to exercise, I am making even more of a commitment to myself to remain smoke-free and healthy.

–BETH