Today, a smoker wanting to give up smoking is not alone as there are several stop smoking support services that will help the smoker. These include self-help groups and stop smoking clinics both online, through the local medical community, or smoking associations. Besides this, there are several professional counselors who are willing to extend a helping hand. All that the smoker needs to do is to reach out to these support services with the desire to quit smoking.

The biggest advantage that these support services offer is counseling to the smoker when they feel they cannot do it alone, or really want to take another cigarette after they have committed to quit smoking, or just simply to take that first step to quit. They advise the smoker of the kinds of treatment available; and even help the smoker select the treatment that will suit him most based on their own needs and lifestyles. They also offer emotional support and guidance when the smoker is struggling to cope with withdrawal symptoms.

The smoker is provided proper guidance in drawing up a quit smoking plan through therapy or counseling sessions, proving a beginning date, and help to follow through until the goal is achieved. This professional guidance includes details of the kind of withdrawal symptoms the smoker will face, and how the smoker should overcome them in the best way possible. The smoker will be advised about the nicotine replacement therapy, and the different products that are available under this therapy. These include nicotine patches, nicotine gum, nicotine tablets, and nicotine inhalers. All these products release a small amount of nicotine in the smoker’s bloodstream reducing the smoker’s craving for a cigarette.

The smoker is also told of the advantages of drugs like Zyban that create feelings similar to that of smoking. The smoker is advised of the length of the course, the side effects of Zyban and when to start or stop the cure. Zyban prods the pituitary gland to release endorphins in the bloodstream, which, in turn, cause a positive upswing in the smoker’s mood. Generally, a Zyban course lasts 8 to 12 weeks and should be taken under medical supervision. But if drugs are not desired by the smoker, then in some cases, the counselors advise smokers to go for acupressure treatment. Such treatment releases positive energy in the body making a smoker feel cheerful and happy even though he may be going through the withdrawal phase.

There are many self-help groups that provide useful literature, and also spend time with the smoker during the withdrawal stages, such as the American Heart and Lung Association. Support is readily available to the smoker, through many avenues along with the therapy classes and counseling, in addition to the support is given by family and friends who help the smoker engage in new activities to keep his mind off cigarettes.

Check out http://www.my-stop-smoking-zone.com/ for more articles on nicorette patch and nicorrette gum.

Here’s another humorous piece. How about the title?

Good for a laugh I think, and the author makes a few points worth reading as well. Enjoy:

If you are still smoking you are finding yourself in places more and more where you cannot light up. The Smoking lamp is out. Did you ever wish you didn’t smoke?

I know I did.

Smoking is a hard habit. It’s hard on the smoker, it’s hard on the smoker’s family, especially if no one else in the family smokes. Smoking is hard on the atmosphere in the home where you live.

It makes the place stink.. like smoke. You can’t smell it if you still smoke, but non smokers can smell it for miles away. I hated that. I can hear it now..

‘ You’ve been smoking in this room again, haven’t you !! ‘ I would slip into denial and just lie a little.

It’s hard on your clothes and hard on your fingers, it turns them yellow. It’s hard on your breath. Makes you stink. Everywhere you go the smoke goes to. You cannot escape it. It is your smoke.

Not many pleasant thoughts here so far … but , come on even you smokers know that facts. Smoking sucks. And if you were to be truthful you would admit that you wished you could quit. But are afraid to try because you know how hard it is.

Your Doctor will tell you to quit because it causes diseases that he sees every day. Your family will tell you to quit because they hate the smell and they want you to hang around and be healthy for as long as possible. You don’t want to quit because you hate the idea and can’t imagine what it would be like to not smoke.

What would a cold beer, or coffee or any of your favorite drinks be like without a smoke? What about after a meal? Man that smoke is the best. First thing in the morning ? Maybe!

Smoking sucks. But we do it anyway. If you wanted to know why, I guess we have to go the the tobacco industry and ask them.. What the heck have you put into these cigarettes ? Oh I know they say not a thing. They are just good. They taste good and there is no REAL proof that they are harmful. Or something like that. Yet the very package they come in tells us all not to smoke. Harmful to your health.

I had a very close friend who got lung cancer.. sadly he died. But I did get a chance to visit with him at his home in Maine before he died. I loved the guy. A friend for many years. So I said to Him ‘ So Fred, what is the plan? Chemo or surgery? ‘ Fred looked at me and said..’ neither, just gonna die’ And then he lit up a Marlboro light, settled back on the couch and ‘ smoked ‘ Fred loved to smoke. And so he did. Til the day he died. At the age of 54. Left a great wife and a beautiful daughter to mourn his death and finish life without him .. How sad….Just so he could smoke. Brings tears to my eyes.

I know all about quitting smoking. I have done it four times. Each time for years,not just a few days. But for years. This time it has been 6 years without a smoke. This time I do not miss it. I have a beer without so much as a thought of a smoke. I neve think of smoking. I try my hardest to convince smokers to quit. There are many ways of quittingr smoking. Many methods of quitting smoking are based on defeating the addiction from several fronts. Kinda like drug and alcohol addiction treatments.

First the physical addiction is attacked and then the oral gratification addiction is attacked.

One without the other is rarely successful. You need both. Surprisingly, when both are attacked it is easier to quit.

But the habit is different now. I used to buy a pack of butts for .21 cents. Of course that was BC. But I am old enough to remember. Now a pack of cigarettes is over $ 3.00 a pack. Smoking can cost a lot of money. So much so that if I still smoked, I could easily justify spending a lot of money on a how to quit smoking program. I know I wouldn’t but it does sound good. Well actually that was wrong. I have spent a lot on how to quit smokng programs over the years. And I did quit. so I suppose you could say that I have saves a ton of money because I have quit smoking.

So what is the point… I thought that if I could write an interesting article.. maybe someone would quit smoking. And if they did, perhaps, just perhaps they would have saved their own life. And in so doing would have saved a ton of money on health bills and cigarettes. And there would have been other people made happy. Maybe a wife, girlfriends , husband, boyfriend, children, grand kids, co-workers… or maybe someone who they don’t even know. Someone with weak lungs that didn’t have to experience second hand smoke, maybe ..just maybe..

That would be a good thing. All things that result from stopping smoking are good things.

Since it’s a new year maybe now is a nice time to give it a try. The worst thing that could happen is you still smoke. And if are already doing it what’s the big deal. Some people try hundreds of times before they quit.

There are programs however that offer high success rates. Way above the average. Try one! Make a private pack with yourself.

My name is Paul Macleod, I started smoking Camels and loved it. I have quit a few times. I am an expert at quititng smoking. I do not smoke now, I am a non smoker. Have a look at a program that works. It is totally free to look so no worries: http://www.ebooksbestbuy.com/quitsmoking.html

What a cool, right to the point article. Definitely one I thought you guys would enjoy:

I quit smoking my last year in the Air Force, and at that time, it was not easy to quit. And, that’s because back then (1970), smoking was fashionable…it was the ‘thing to do,’ and it was trendy, etc. If you didn’t smoke back then, you were some kind of square or cube. People smoked everywhere…on talk shows; in eating places; at work, etc. And, there were cigarette ads everywhere…on television, radio, newspapers, magazines. on billboards. At that time, smoking was acceptable…but, not any more!

When I was growing up, my father made a belt out of leather for my mother to use on as kids if we mis-behaved, and my mother used it when necessary! She used to keep the belt in the bottom drawer in the kitchen, and when I heard that bottom drawer open, I knew somebody in the family was in trouble! It was the DISCIPLINE of my mother, that helped me to accomplish things in my life that I would have never attempted before without that discipline.

When I enlisted in the Air Force…again…it was four years of discipline that helped me to accomplish things in my life that would be difficult without it. So many things in life require discipline such as losing weight; starting and finishing a job; building a website and completing school, etc. So, it was discipline that helped me to quit smoking, etc.

Peer pressure was a factor as well, and I had to decide if peer pressure would have an effect on my quitting smoking! Peer pressure is not just for teen-agers. Peer pressure will follow us all to the grave, by those who want us to go in a different direction with our lives! Yes, there were people who didn’t want me to quit. They would do such things as: blow smoke in my face; leave a pack of cigarettes laying around for me to see; light up a cigarette in front of me and so forth. This is the kind of peer-pressure that a person has to put up with!

These were negative people, who couldn’t quit smoking themselves, and they didn’t want anyone else to quit smoking either. They’re what I call ‘excuse-makers.’ People who always have an excuse as to why they CAN’T do anything! They never talk about what they CAN do, and they’re the jealous and resentful type!

In writing this piece, I am not a crusader or an activist for anything. If people want to commit suicide, one puff at a time…be my guest! I don’t really care! Thirty years ago, smoking was the ‘in’ thing to do, but how things have changed! Today, smokers are slowly being pushed off the planet, by those of us who place a high priority on our health, and the health of those around us.

I was never a heavy smoker…about a pack a day, but that was a pack too much! I quit smoking in the most unusual way, and that was by getting sick. I got the worst cold, flu and chest congestion that I had ever had. But, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise…a silver-lining in my life! You see, I tried to quit smoking twice before and couldn’t do it, so I didn’t know what to do. Back then, there were no medications and patches to help the smoker like they have today.

Getting sick was lucky for me and I’ll tell you why. With the stomach flu…I couldn’t keep food down; a deep chest congestion and all the rest that went with it…I was miserable! The last thing I wanted was a cigarette! (YUK) And, during this awful time in bed, I went about TEN days without a cigarette, and YAHOO was I excited! I was sick as a dog, but I was excited! TEN DAYS without a smoke…this turned out to be the beginning of the end…the end of smoking! Who knows, maybe I could go all the way! After the ten days…it was eleven…twelve…thirteen days without a smoke, and I felt I COULD BE on my way to quitting!

I thought if I could just get to the 30 day mark, I think that would be the turning point, and I could make it. Getting the first thirty days without smoking, would be quite an accomplishment to start with! Agony; depression and suffering is how I would describe the next few days. One of the first things I had to do, was I had to stay out of my whining and self-pity mode! This attitude was going to destroy my efforts for sure! I had to just look straight ahead…and, up the mountain I went…16 days without a cigarette…21 days…I was going crazy!

FINALLY, 26 days…28 days…and 30 days without a cigarette! I DID IT! (Yahoo!) Everyday, I loved to ‘X’ out all those days on the calendar when I didn’t smoke, which was a feel good feeling and gave my a lift for sure. I thought the first 30 days would be the toughest part, but there was still a long way to go. With all the temptation around, it would NOT be easy the rest of the way…and it wasn’t!

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING, and it would be my attitude that would win it for me…or lose it for me! Week after week and month after month, I struggled in my effort to quit smoking, and now I knew I would never give up! From the last two failed attempts at quitting, this was the best start I had ever had, and I intended to make all the way! I think quitting smoking or losing weight, is not so much a physical challenge, but requires a ‘mental toughness!’ The discipline and sacrifice it took to think I can do it…I can do it! Month after month I continued on my journey.

My biggest challenge back in the 70’s, was TEMPTATION! Like I said before, there were cigarette ads everywhere and people smoking everywhere! So, I think it was tougher to quit back then, than it is today. (2006) At the time, I had no idea how long it would take me to quit smoking…3 months…6 months…a year or longer! But, it didn’t matter how long it was going to take, I was determined to quit no matter how long it took! And, that’s why ‘attitude’ for me was so important!

It was a long journey for me, but when all the dust settled, to took me about TEN months to get the cravings for a cigarette out of my system! I DID IT! (Yahoo!) More than 30 years have gone by now, and I have not so much as touched a cigarette during this long period of time, and I don’t plan to either. Why would I want to put poison back in my body?

I like to talk about how I quit, because there may be readers out there who want to quit smoking, and have tried different methods and failed. Many of us get colds and the flu each year! This piece can be a reminder, that if you DO get a cold this year, this may be your starting point, just like it was for me! An opportunity came by for me…getting sick as a dog…I took it and never looked back! This is an example where a negative turned into a huge POSITIVE for me!

In 2001, I lost more than 40 pounds and quitting smoking and losing weight are similar, in my opinion! It takes a ‘mental toughness’ to do either! Discipline; determination; commitment; fighting off peer-pressure and temptation…and, I don’t think any of these things are available over-the-counter or by prescription! These are the qualities you’re going to need to quit! All these things I mentioned only come from inside the person’s body…the heart and the soul! Quitting smoking is not going to come from snake oil, magic dust, pills, patches, malts…because those are all only AIDS to HELP the person quit! To quit smoking, is going to come from YOU…and only YOU alone can do it!

My Author’s Den: Here, you can get additional information about where my articles have been published (35+ websites), and the latest news, etc. - http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewnews.asp?AuthorID=10885&id=14589 Website name; humordoctormd - Over 200 colorful pages; over 500 graphics http://humordoctormd.homestead.com email; humordoctor@aol.com - humordoctormd@yahoo.com

Copyright Jerry L. Aragon (The Humor Doctor); 2006