Winning The Fight Against Nicotine

You started smoking for a reason, can you still remember what it was?

It may have seemed like a very good reason at the time.

But it is no longer a valid reason. Whatever reason your unconscious mind has for continuing to drive you to your tobacco habit, it is now doing more damage than good!

It should be obvious to any smoker that it is time to quit; even smoking in large metropolitan areas around the world has been banned.

Smoking causes several deadly disease, harms nearly every organ in the body and reduces the life of a smoker.

No matter how old you are or how long you have smoked, quitting can help you live longer and be healthier.

 

Money, Money, Money

Do the math; smokes are extremely expensive and probably take up most of your income. You should quit because of this alone.

Tobacco companies are just in it for the money. You are actually keeping them rich while at the same time becoming poor. You are making them rich by giving you an excruciating, slow and pitiful death.

With the aim of putting an end to smoking one must put their whole effort whole-heartedly into the task. It can be difficult, and many people might “quit” several times before they find a successful remedy.

 

Keep Quitting – It’s Worth It

Do not get discouraged if the first attempt to stop smoking fails. The point is to continue.

Kicking the tobacco habit offers some benefits that you’ll notice right away and some that will develop over time. These rewards improve most peoples’ day-to-day lives a great deal: breath smells better, and bad smelling clothes and hair go away, stained teeth get whiter, and food tastes better.

Your body begins to heal 20 minutes after your last cigarette. The poison gas and nicotine start to leave your body. Your heart rate goes back to normal. The oxygen in your blood rises to a normal level.

By the end of the first month, your immune system and senses of taste and smell will have improved.

2 weeks to 3 months after quitting your circulation and lung function improves. You’ll be coughing and wheezing less. Cuts and bruises will also heal more easily.

1 to 9 months after quitting coughing and shortness of breath decrease, cilia (tiny, hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) start to regain normal function in the lungs and reduce the risk of infection.

1 year after quitting the excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker’s.

5 years after quitting the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, and bladder are cut in half. Cervical cancer risk falls to that of a non-smoker.

Stroke risk can fall to that of a non-smoker after 2-5 years.

10 years after quitting the risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a person who is still smoking.

15 years after quitting the risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker’s.

Quitting while you are younger will reduce your health risks more, but quitting at any age can give back years of life that would be lost by continuing to smoke.

Nicotine is a very addictive drug, and If you tried to quit once you know how hard this is.

The decision to quit smoking is one that only you can make. Others may want you to quit, but the real commitment must come from you.

Those who have smoked regularly for a few weeks or longer will have withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly stop using tobacco or greatly reduce the amount they smoke. Symptoms usually start within a few hours of the last cigarette and peak about 2 to 3 days later.

Withdrawal symptoms can last for a few days to up to several weeks. They will get better every day that you stay smoke-free.

 

Withdrawal symptoms may include:

  • Tobacco craving
  • Cough, dry mouth, sore throat, and nasal drip
  • Dizziness
  • Restlessness, irritability, feelings of frustration, impatience, and anger
  • Headaches
  • Tiredness
  • Increased appetite
  • Weight gain
  • Constipation
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Sleep disturbances, including having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and having bad dreams or even nightmares
  • Trouble concentrating

 

How To Quit

There is no one right way to quit. Most smokers prefer to quit cold turkey — they stop completely. They smoke until their quit day and then quit. Another way is to cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke a little bit each day.

This way, you slowly reduce the amount of nicotine in your body.

Successful quitting is a matter of planning and commitment, not luck. Smokers may wish there was a pill that would make quitting easy— but there is nothing like that.

The first step and most important, is to be willing to do it and to be ready to quit.

  • Pick the date and mark it on your calendar.
  • Get rid of all the cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and at work.
  • Practice saying, “No thank you, I don’t smoke.”
  • Set up a support system. This could be a group program or a friend or family member who has successfully quit and is willing to help you. Ask family and friends who still smoke not to smoke around you, and not to leave cigarettes out where you can see them.
  • Do not smoke on your quit day. This means none at all — not even one puff!
  • Keep your hands/fingers busy: Squeeze balls, pencils or paper clips are good substitutes to satisfy that need for tactile stimulation.
  • Keep active- try walking, exercising, or doing other activities or hobbies.
  • Drink lots of water: Flushing toxins from your body minimizes withdrawal symptoms and helps cravings pass faster.
  • Keep other things around to pop in your mouth -carrot / celery sticks, popcorns, raw nuts, sunflower / pumpkin seeds
  • Avoid situations where the urge to smoke is strong. Recognise the triggers for having a cigarette, like stress at work, drinks with friends, and do something differently.
  • Think about how you can change your routine. Use a different route to go to work, drink tea instead of coffee, avoid drinking alcohol.
  • Think back to your past attempts to quit. Try to figure out what worked and what did not work for you.
  • When you really crave a cigarette: Remember: The urge to smoke will come and go. Try to wait out.
  • Believe in yourself. Think about some of the hardest things you have done in your life and realise that you have the courage and determination to quit smoking. It all depends on you.
  • Resting and eating well!
  • Drinking fresh vegetable juice will help detoxify the body. Celery, beet, wheat grass, and carrot juice encourage cleansing of the liver and provide valuable antioxidants.
  • Eating sunflower or pumpkin seeds, especially the ones that have to be shelled, is satisfying, is nourishing, and keeps the hands busy.
  • Have oats for breakfast, as they can curb the desire for nicotine.
  • Mock-smoke a cinnamon stick.

Staying quit is the final, longest, and most important stage of the process.

You can use the same methods to stay quit as you did to help you through withdrawal.

 

Herbal and Nutritional Support for Quitting Smoking

After years of smoking, your body is nutritionally unbalanced. Supplements can help you make a full recovery.

Free radicals produced by cigarette smoking cause oxidative damage, so supplementation with Antioxidants is essential to prevent the risk of disease.

Chemicals in cigarettes such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar and lead reduce blood flow to the skin, reducing circulating of oxygen and break down the skin’s collagen and elastin.

Vitamin C is involved in collagen production and can improve skin elasticity and help reduce wrinkles.

Bioceuticals Ultramuscleze will help to calm the nervous system, improve sleep and energy levels during the withdrawal period.

The body requires Zinc to displace the cadmium that smoking deposits in the lungs. Most smokers are zinc deficient.

Selenium helps reduce cancer risk and decreases sensitivity to cadmium.

Tryptophan supplementation with high carbohydrate diet has been shown to reduce nicotine cravings, and the anxiety and depression associated with abstinence.(1)

Flordis Remotiv contains St John’s Wort,  which is used for treatment of anxiety and depression. Its ability to affect a person’s mental attitude and state of mind is the primary factor in using this herb for quitting smoking.

One thing that can be lost along your path to a smoke-free life is your positive mental attitude. This herb will help keep that in check.

 

Smoker’s Cough Tea 

This tea will relieve the persistent cough that troubles so many smokers.

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon flaxseeds
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon lemon
  • 1/3 teaspoon dry or fresh grated ginger

Bring the water to boil. Stir in the flaxseeds and ginger, and cover. Reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes,than strain. Stir in the honey and the lemon and drink.

 

References:

(1) The Encyclopaedia of Clinical Nutrition, H. Osiecki, 2004, Bio Concept Publishing

Effect of smoking on arterial stiffness and pulse pressure amplification, Mahmud A, Feely J. Hypertension. 2003:41:183

A Report of the Surgeon General: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease – The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease Fact Sheet, 2010; and Tobacco Control: Reversal of Risk After Quitting Smoking. IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention, Vol. 11. 2007, p 341

Tobacco Control: Reversal of Risk After Quitting Smoking. IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention, Vol. 11. 2007. p 11

 

Further Reading: