Quit Cigarette Smoking~Hypnotherapy To Stop Smoking

In this article I am going to share with you some of the specific ways Hypnotherapy Hertfordshire can help you to Quit Cigarette Smoking, for good. With the smoker ban fast abutting in the UK (July 1st 2007), abounding bodies are alpha to feel the amusing pressures to Quit Cigarette Smoking. The allowances of endlessly smoker are immeasurable. Without catechism you will be abundant convalescent and conceivably added chiefly chargeless from the ascendancy you should accept acquainted by actuality at the benevolence of a horrible, smelly and expensive habit. Hypnotherapy Hertfordshire is a hypnotherapy practice based in Aldbury, near Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. At Hypnotherapy Hertfordshire, you are supported to give up smoking with ease and also quickly. What this means is there won't be months of relying on expensive nicotine patches and other replacement therapies, which in my opinion, just keep the physical addiction going, longer then necessary.

When you make the decision to seek support from Hypnotherapy Hertfordshire to help you Quit Cigarette Smoking, we take steps to ensure that you are given the best possible chance of quitting. One of the ways in which Hypnotherapy, Hertfordshire, does this is by assessing your motivation to stop. From experience, it is clear to us that you must want to stop smoking now and you must also want to do this for yourself. The therapist will help you identify whether this is the case. Clients who are not considered motivated enough will be advised to come back, when the time is right. That way you are not wasting money and we are not wasting out time!

At Hypnotherapy Hertfordshire, we use various different hypnotherapy techniques to assist our clients so that they are able to Quit Cigarette Smoking. The techniques used depend on the unique needs of the client. Some of the techniques include:

Identifying and consolidating your reasons to Quit Cigarette Smoking- At Hypnotherapy Hertfordshire, we have many facts and information about the negative effects of smoking on the mind and body. The hypnotherapist spends time with you, supporting you in applying this information to yourself and your life. The result is that perhaps for the first time, you can appreciate that harm from smoking, is not something that happens to other people. At this stage in the session you will begin to will feel the strong desire to move away from smoking forever.

Identifying the benefits and positive rewards of Quit Cigarette Smoking - its not all doom and gloom! It is also very important to begin focusing on what you will gain by stopping smoking and how your life will improve massively for the better. The therapist will also spend time with you, discussing and exploring the positive impact Quit Cigarette Smoking and remaining a non-smoker will have on your life. You will also be guided to set goals for the future. These will focus on things you wouldn't have been able to do as a non-smoker. You will be amazed at the new options you have for relaxing, becoming more healthy, going to new places and of course spending all that extra money you will save by stopping smoking.

Hypnosis with positive suggestion. Of course, part of your Quit Cigarette Smoking treatment at Hypnotherapy Herts will involve you getting to sit back and relax whilst your unconscious mind does the learning! During this process you will be guided to a deep state of relaxation, whilst the therapist also directs your unconscious mind with suggestions and metaphors to Quit Cigarette Smoking. You will also be supported to develop positive coping strategies. Acknowledge that your smoking habit has served a purpose in the past, in that it has likely been a method for coping. Hypnotherapy and NLP techniques (neuro linguistic programming) will enable you to develop positive coping strategies that serve you in the present and future. One of the new positive coping strategies could be learning to use an anchor. If the therapist feels that you would benefit from having an anchor created, this will also be part of the Quit Cigarette Smoking treatment session at Hypnotherapy, Hertfordshire. An anchor, is basically a positive resource of emotions that you can fire off, when you need extra emotional strength to cope.

There are also several formal change techniques, which are effective for helping you to Quit Cigarette Smoking. The most appropriate technique will depend on your unique problem. At Hypnotherapy, Hertfordshire, these techniques are used if required. Examples include: The Swish Technique which can be used if you wish to replace a highly contextualised problem behaviour with a more positive behaviour. It works to eliminate behaviours that occur in specific situations after specific triggers. 2) Parts Integration is very useful at uncovering the positive intention of your smoking habit and dealing with incongruent behaviour and feelings. 3) Like To Dislike - This technique is based on information about how we code memories in our brain. We tend to code things we like in a different way to things we don't like. So, its possible to recode your memory of smoking into something that you find disgusting.

Hypnotherapy Hertfordshire provides a free consultation to those who make the decision to use Hypnotherapy Hertfordshire to Quit Cigarette Smoking. In addition, free support for the next six months is provided. This means that at any time within six months you should you start smoking again, we will work for free to get you to Quit Cigarette Smoking again. Hypnotherapy, Hertfordshire works on the basis that it is possible to have you Quit Cigarette Smoking in one session. This is because we deal with all that aspects of your habit in this session, so that you leave a non-smoker and are done with that old habit.

Author: Karen Hastings, Hertfordshire

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Hypnotherapy To Stop Smoking

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Guide to Stop Smoking

No matter what the reason was when a person began to smoke, the health risks proven to be caused by smoking has many smokers doing whatever they can to Quit Cigarette Smoking. In order to stop smoking, a person needs to stop using all types of smoking tobacco products, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. Smoking tobacco contains a substance called nicotine, which is an alkaloid poison that occurs in tobacco. Nicotine is highly addictive, which is the reason why most people are not able to Quit Cigarette Smoking with some kind of help.

There are a cardinal of approaches a actuality can use back they are accessible to stop smoker including the advice of doctors and medicine. Most bodies accept apparently apparent advertisements for a array of articles geared against allowance bodies to Quit Cigarette Smoking. It is universally agreed aloft that smoker is not safe or advantageous for the smoker and those about that actuality and smokers who amount their bloom and the bloom of their admired ones should stop smoking. In fact, smokers who accept auspiciously chock-full smoker address that they feel abundant healthier, accept added banknote that isn’t actuality spent on tobacco articles and they apperceive that they accept decidedly decreased their risks of developing a tobacco-related disease.
One of the most effective means in which a person can try to Quit Cigarette Smoking is to have a strong support network, group or even a cognitive behavioral therapist
help them along the way. If a person chooses to see their doctor for help to stop smoking, their doctor is likely to offer that person medication in addition to advising the person to find support to stop using tobacco. Any person who decides to use medication from their doctor should be aware that some of the options available for help to Quit Cigarette Smoking are addictive by themselves and could lead to other problems.

To begin searching for the best way to Quit Cigarette Smoking, it is a good idea to see a doctor and ask about quitting and the help that is available. There are a number of techniques available including nicotine gum, self-help books and going ‘cold turkey’ as well as alternative methods including hypnosis, acupuncture, nutritional nicotine detoxification and other paths.

One of the key factors that plays a very important role in how successful a person can be in their efforts to Quit Cigarette Smoking is how committed the are to seriously quit their bad habit and to stay on that path. One cigarette here or there can truly undo any good that has already been done. One of the major benefits provided by support systems for people who are trying to quit is to offer ideas on what to do when the urge to smoke becomes overwhelming due to stress or other triggering situations. Not all smokers will succeed in their attempt to Quit Cigarette Smoking their first time and should be aware that they are not alone. It takes most smokers several tries before finding the right path and strength in order to stop smoking successfully.

Author: Kaushik Das

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Guide to Stop Smoking

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Start Feeling Better Fast

How long have you been smoking? Whether it's twenty years, thirty years, or maybe longer than you can remember, you'll be glad to know that even "career smokers" can improve their health when they Quit Cigarette Smoking and feel better almost immediately.

You've probably heard negative comments from other smokers, like: "Why should I stop now? I've been smoking my entire life," or "My lungs are already damaged beyond repair. Quit Cigarette Smoking now won't make any difference."

Fortunately, those behavior are myths. With a little perseverance, will power, and maybe some alfresco advice if needed, you can bang your smoker addiction and about-face a acceptable accord of the damage. Many smokers are afraid to apprentice that bloom improvements can action aural a amount of days.

Experience Immediate Results When You Quit Cigarette Smoking

While most ex-smokers will tell you the first week is the hardest, they fail to mention the immediate health benefits from stopping smoking. Smokers are often so focused on their addiction and withdrawal symptoms that at first they might not realize the positive changes taking place in their bodies.

These are some common changes that occur within the first three days of stopping smoking:

1. Drop in pulse rate and blood pressure- Smoking has been known to increase the risk of high blood pressure
. Within days of stopping smoking, most people experience a drop in their overall blood pressure and heart rate.

2. Increase in energy- After breaking your smoking habit, you should notice an increase in energy. Former smokers who suffered from fatigue often see an improvement in energy and stamina.

3. Nicotine elimination- In a matter of days, nicotine is eliminated from the body. The result is a boost to your senses. Foods will seem tastier than before and you'll be more aware of both fragrant and foul smelling odors.

4. Breathing improvements- As changes occur in the bronchial tubes, breathing will become less of a chore. You'll find your breathing will get lighter and more relaxed.

5. Carbon monoxide reduced- Smokers have an unhealthy level of carbon monoxide in the blood. In less than a day after Quit Cigarette Smoking, carbon monoxide levels will start to decrease, resulting in an increase of oxygen in the blood.

6. Lung cleansing- After carbon monoxide is removed from the blood stream, the lungs begin a much needed cleansing process. The heavy tar buildup that has accumulated in the lungs slowly starts to clear.

7. Healthier skin- Did you ever notice how some smokers have a dull, pasty complexion? By Quit Cigarette Smoking, you can improve your skin tone and reduce and prevent wrinkles.

Long Term Health Benefits From Stopping Smoking

Since smoking takes a gradual toll on your body, it's unrealistic to expect all health improvements to occur overnight. Although you might not feel like a million dollars right away, rest assured that by stopping smoking now you'll eventually experience major health improvements.

Here are some of the long-term benefits of breaking your smoking habit:

1. Less coughing- If coughing and hacking are a part of your daily routine, over the next several months these problems should decrease or be eliminated as the oxygen level in the lungs increases.

2. Easier exercise- Forget about huffing and puffing just to get up the stairs. Quit Cigarette Smoking will improve your circulation, thus making exercise and everyday chores much simpler.

3. Fewer heart problems- Did you know smokers are at a greater risk when it comes to heart attacks? Thankfully the chance of having a heart attack will slowly start to decrease upon stopping smoking. After about ten years off tobacco, most former smokers no longer have an inflated risk for a heart attack. Even smokers who have already suffered from heart problems
can reduce their risk of an additional heart attack by Quit Cigarette Smoking.

4. Reduced risk of lung disease- Perhaps the most common reason for stopping smoking is the fear of lung cancer. It's true that the lungs take the most time to recover from cigarette smoking. But generally after a period of about ten years, most smokers will have reduced their chances of developing lung cancer by fifty percent.

Increase Your Life Expectancy... At Any Age

Whether you're 35, 50, or 70 years old, the time to Quit Cigarette Smoking is now. While younger smokers may tend to recover better from the ill effects of smoking, people of all ages can improve their overall health and increase life expectancy.

The key to success is to Quit Cigarette Smoking before any serious health complications arise such as lung cancer or emphysema. However, if you have been diagnosed with either of these conditions or some other tobacco related illness, you can still boost your chances of recovery by Quit Cigarette Smoking immediately.

While receiving treatment for a serious illness, your body needs to be in the healthiest state possible. The sooner you stop smoking, the sooner your stress levels will decline, boosting your immune system to ward off life threatening diseases and conditions.

Author: Antonio LeMaire

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Start Feeling Better Fast

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Stop Smoking Pill

Like many men and women, you may have a strong desire to Quit Cigarette Smoking. You accept heard all of the letters pertaining to how adverse smoker can be to you ... and to those about you. However, alike with this information, you may not accept been able to accomplish at blame your smoker addiction appropriately far. As a result, you may accept started to accord application to application what rather frequently has become accepted as a stop smoker pill. Through this article, you are provided an overview of this artefact to abetment you in free whether or not it is the appropriate best for you back it comes to the affair of your own smoker cessation.

There actually has been a significant amount of hype around the "stop smoking pill" in recent times. Promoters of the product contend that the pill represents an "easy way" for a person to Quit Cigarette Smoking. The contention is raised that smoking cessation, kicking the habit, can be a breeze.

Of course, as with so many products associated with Quit Cigarette Smoking that have entered the market with great fanfare, when it comes to the stop smoking pill, a closer examination of the reality of the product reveals something different. The bottom line when it comes toQuit Cigarette Smoking, consideration must be given not only to stopping in the first instance but to staying away from cigarettes into the future. It is one thing to quit and something entirely different all together to stay away from smokes in the future.

When all is said and done, the pill that has been heralded as the easy way to Quit Cigarette Smoking really only attacks part of the smoking problem in the first instance. While it is true that nicotine and what many experts term nicotine addiction plays a significant role in what compels an individual to smoke in the first instance, it is not the only factor at play. The reality is that nicotine reliance or even addiction is one of the compulsions that draws an individual to smoking.

Beyond a physiological attraction to or reliance upon nicotine, people smoke for additional reasons that include everything from it being an ingrained habit to the fact that for many individuals smoking serves as a psychological crutch for one reason or another. Simply, the typical person smokes for a combination of reasons.

In the end, the so-called stop smoking pill really only deals with the matter of a person's reliance or perhaps dependence upon nicotine. The pill simply does not address any other issues that tie people up in a smoking habit. In order to Quit Cigarette Smoking successfully in the first instance, and in order to "stay stopped," it is crucial that all of the factors that caused a person to pick up a pack of cigarettes be addressed through a comprehensive cessation process.

Of course, there have been instances in which the smoking cessation pill has resulted in an individual giving up smoking, there is an ever growing list of men and women who used the pill to "Quit Cigarette Smoking" only to take up the habit again with a literal vengeance not long after initially "giving up" cigarettes.

Underlying the reality that the Quit Cigarette Smoking pill is not a magical cure to smoking is the fact that people who have such a belief simply do not do all they need to do to end their smoking habit permanently. The unshakable reality is that stopping smoking, breaking the cigarette habit, requires work and effort on your part. You must be willing and able to deal with all of the elements that drew you to cigarettes in the first instance and that caused you to continue smoking even in the face of the facts that it was harmful to your health.

Author: Mike Row

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Stop Smoking Pill

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Laser Therapy

If you are a smoker and have decided to Quit Cigarette Smoking, a question must be raised in your mind “Can I stop smoking with laser therapy “. The efforts of low level laser technology answered your question in a positive sense and assured that you can stop smoking with laser therapy. Stop smoking laser is finally available in the USA for those people who want to stop smoking.

A question may be raised in your mind that wonders how Quit Cigarette Smoking laser therapy helps you to stop smoking. Its answer is that the stop smoking laser light enters in your body through your skin, it helps the nerves to produce endorphins which removes the physical desire of nicotine from your body. Many people have been treated with stop smoking laser and they have successfully removed the desire for nicotine and the habit of smoking from their body. Quit Cigarette Smoking laser is helping smokers to get rid of their unhealthy habit of smoking.

Quit Cigarette Smoking laser does not affect your body tissues or organs. In other words, quit smoking laser has no negative effects but is beneficial for smokers as it helps smokers to stop smoking. Smoking affects your body badly and has many side effects. Quit Cigarette Smoking laser is such a laser which will help you to stop smoking without the use of any sort of drugs, pills, patches or shots. As no drug is used during quit smoking laser, therefore, it does not negatively affect your body in any way.

It is better to consult a doctor before having Quit Cigarette Smoking laser and if your doctor allows you to have the laser therapy, only then use the laser therapy treatment. I said so because there are some conditions such as pregnancy, cancer and a few more diseases during which the laser therapy for stopping smoking is not possible. If you are being treated for cancer, you should never have the laser therapy for stopping your smoking habit.

The cost of the laser therapy is very affordable when compared to what you pay for cigarettes on a monthly basis, not to mention the additional charges you pay for health care because you smoke. If you have a smoking habit and want to get rid of it, take a single step and get rid of your smoking habit forever. The only step required for getting rid of the desire to Quit Cigarette Smoking is that you should go for a smoking cessation treatment and the laser therapy is the best for getting rid of the smoking, dipping or smokeless tobacco habit.

Once you experience the low level laser therapy for helping you to Quit Cigarette Smoking, your body will no longer desire the nicotine that has been holding you hostage for so many years. If you succeed in getting rid of the habit to smoke by the low level laser therapy which is specifically done for getting rid of smoking, you will be able to start a healthy and comfortable life.

If you see that someone in your surroundings smokes, you should tell him about the laser therapy for smoking cessation and quitting any sort of nicotine. If he has confusion whether he can Quit Cigarette Smoking with laser therapy or not, he can do a search online for the healing laser clinics that help people to rid themselves of nicotine addiction forever.

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Laser Therapy

Author: gladys906

Quit Cigarette Smoking~10 Powerful Hints to Stop Smoking

Quit Cigarette Smoking~10 Powerful Hints to Stop Smoking

Whether you are using Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Hypnosis or just Cold Turkey, these strategies and hints for aiding you in Quit Cigarette Smoking are sure to assist. It is up to you to ensure that you do these things to really enhance what you are doing, the more effort you put into these exercises, the easier it is to Quit Cigarette Smoking for good.

Powerful Hint 1.

Being a smoker is like cycling with stabilisers attached to the wheels, you can find it hard to be balanced without smoking. Now, when you cycle freely again, the natural balance returns.

When people smoke, more than half of what they breathe is fresh air - pulled through the cigarette right down into the lungs. So if you feel any cravings you can instantly overcome them by taking three deeper breaths. Imagine breathing from that space just below your belly button. Whenever you do this you put more oxygen into your bloodstream. This means you can use deep breaths to change the way you feel instantly and give you power over the way you feel and help you let go of those old cravings and thus making it easier to Quit Cigarette Smoking.

Powerful Hint 2

Next, think now of all the reasons you don't like smoking, the reasons that it's bad and the reasons you want to Quit Cigarette Smoking. Write down the key words on a piece of paper. For example, you experience breathlessness, it's dirty, filthy and your clothes smell, your friends and family are concerned and it's expensive, unsociable and so on. Then, on the other side of the paper, write down all the reasons why you'll feel good when you've succeeded in Quit Cigarette Smoking. You'll feel healthier, you’ll feel in control of your self, your senses are enhanced, your hair and clothes will smell fresher and so on. Whenever you need to, look at that piece of paper.

Powerful Hint 3

Next, we are going to programme your mind to feel disgusted by cigarettes. I want you recall 4 times when you thought to yourself "I've gotta quit", or that you felt disgusted about smoking. Maybe you just felt really unhealthy, or your doctor told you in a particular tone of voice 'You've got to quit' or somebody you know was badly affected by smoking. Take a moment now to come up with 4 different times that you felt that you have to quit or were disgusted by smoking.

Remember each of those times, one after another, as though they are happening now. I want you to keep going through those memories and make them as vivid as possible. The more vivid you make those memories, the easier it will be to Quit Cigarette Smoking. See what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how you felt. I want you to take a few minutes now to keep going through those memories again and again, overlap each memory with the next until you are totally and utterly disgusted by cigarettes.

Powerful Hint 4

Have a think to yourself about the consequences of you not Quit Cigarette Smoking now, if you just carry on and on. Imagine it, what will happen if you carry on smoking. What are the consequences? Imagine yourself in 6 months time, a years time, even 5 years time if you do not Quit Cigarette Smoking now. Think of all the detrimental effects of not Quit Cigarette Smoking right now and how a simple decision you make today can make such an impact on your future.

Next, imagine how much better is your life going to be when you Quit Cigarette Smoking. Really imagine it's months from now and you successfully stopped. Smoking is a thing of the past, something you used to do. Keep that feeling with you and imagine having it tomorrow, and for the rest of next week. In your mind, imagine stepping in to that non-smoking version of you and feel how it feels to be a non-smoker.

Powerful Hint 5

Also, your mind is very sensitive to associations, so it's very important that you have a clear out and remove all tobacco products from your environment. Move some of the furniture in your house and at work. Smokers are accustomed to smoking in certain situations. So, for example, if you used to smoke on the telephone at work move the phone to the other side of the desk. Throw away ashtrays, old lighters and anything that you used to associate with smoking. Make your environment conducive to Quit Cigarette Smoking.

Powerful Hint 6

Smokers sometimes use their habit to give themselves little breaks during the day. Taking a break is good for you, so carry on taking that time off - but do something different. Walk round the block, have a cup of tea or drink of water, or do some of the techniques on this programme. In fact, if possible drink a lot of fruit juice. When you stop smoking the body goes through a big change. The blood sugar levels tend to fall, the digestion is slowed down and your body starts to eject the tar and poisons that have accumulated. Fresh fruit juice contains fructose which restores your blood sugar levels, vitamin C which helps clear out impurities and high levels of water and fibre to keep your digestion going. Also try to eat fruit every day for at least two weeks after you have Quit Cigarette Smoking.

Also when you stop, cut your caffeine intake by half. Nicotine breaks down caffeine so without nicotine a little coffee will have a big effect. Drink 8-10 glasses of water (ideally bottled) to help wash out your system.

Powerful Hint 7

You were used to using cigarettes to signal to your body to release happy chemicals, so next we are going to programme some good feelings into your future. Allow yourself to fully remember now a time when you felt very deep ecstasy, pleasure or bliss, right now. Take a moment to recall it as vividly as possible. Remember that time - see what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how good you felt. Where abouts in your body were those feelings, imagine turning them up and spreading them through your body to make them more intense.

Keep going through the memory, as soon as it finishes, go through it again and again, all the time squeezing your thumb and finger together. In your mind, make those images big and bright, sounds loud and harmonious and feelings strong and intensified. We are making an associational link between the squeeze of your fingers and that good feeling.

Okay, stop and relax. Now if you have done that correctly when you squeeze your thumb and finger together you should feel that good feeling again. Go ahead do that now, squeeze thumb and finger and remember that good feeling.

Now we're going to programe good feelings to happen automatically whenever you are in a situation where you used to smoke but now you Quit Cigarette Smoking.

So, next I'd like you to squeeze your thumb and finger together, get that good feeling going and now imagine being in several situations where you would have smoked, but being there feeling great without a cigarette. See what you'll see hear and take that good feeling into those situations without a need for a cigarette.

Imagine being in a situation where someone offers you a cigarette and you confidently say 'No thanks, I don't smoke'. And feel fantastic about it!

Powerful Hint 8

Get social support. Your commitment to Quit Cigarette Smoking for the rest of your life can be made much easier by talking about it to friends and family and letting them support you. They will congratulate you on doing so well too! You really did stop smoking.

Powerful Hint 9

Be aware of making excuses for yourself. Some people talk themselves into smoking, especially if they encounter a stressful situation and in the past they used to deal with it by smoking. If those old thoughts pop into your head, shout the word “STOP” in your head, to stop the thoughts from progressing. Nicotine just stresses your body more and is like that itch that can never be properly scratched; the more you smoke, the more you have to. So say “STOP” and steer clear of old slippery slopes.

Powerful Hint 10

Reward yourself. Congratulate yourself. Treat yourself each time you get past a certain milestone; the first week or first month, the six month target. Let yourself know that you did something really special here.

Keep on using your brain, stretching it and helping your self, by running through these exercises time after time; you are sure to be able to make it easier and easier and successfully Quit Cigarette Smoking for good.

Quit Cigarette Smoking~10 Powerful Hints to Stop Smoking

By : Jane Olsson

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Stop Smoking In A Car

Quit Cigarette Smoking~ Stop Smoking In A Car

This is a video about smoking with your children in the back seat. It's a horrible thing to do to your children. So watch this video and learn something.

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Take Control and Stop Smoking

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Take Control and Stop Smoking

It stands to reason that when it comes to giving up an addiction everyone is different – People respond to different methods and what is great for you may not work for a friend. However there are many easy ways to take control and Quit Cigarette Smoking. Fundamentally you must make sure that you are giving up for yourself and no one else!! Do not do it because some one says you should… It must always be what you want.

Set a date – A important date to you like a birthday or anniversary, or simply the first of the month. Use this date as the date you give up smoking for good. Write a list for yourself of the reason you want to give up smoking. Stick this some one you can see it and use it to strength your weakness if you ever feel you are tempted to start smoking. Although simply reducing the amount you smoke can work for some people this is not for everyone, If you feel that this is for you then let some one you trust look after your cigarettes for you in. In a sense they must ration the amount you are allowed.

Go Public! Make sure everyone at work, at home and everywhere you socialize know of your plans to give up! Not only will their support boost your campaign, you will also be more likely to succeed as you will not want to let people down! Lastly work out how much you will save per year.. Use this to motivate yourself. Think of the new clothes you can buy, or the holiday you can now afford – You this as your motivation to stay an ex smoker forever!

Planning ahead and making sure you are fully prepared to be a non smoker will drastically improve your chances of being able to give up. Remember that not everything that works for you will work for everyone else, so use friends as a support but not the golden rule! Find the way that works for you and stick to it, in no time at all you will able to say you are officially a non smoker.

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Take Control and Stop Smoking

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Smoking Effects

Quit Cigarette Smoking : Smoking is a convenance area a substance, best frequently tobacco, is austere and the smoke tasted or inhaled. This is primarily done as a anatomy of recreational biologic use, as agitation releases the alive substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them accessible for assimilation through the lungs. It can additionally be done as a allotment of rituals, to abet trances and airy enlightenment.

Health warnings on Australian tobacco products have been mandated through federal legislation since 1973, being updated in 1987 and 1995. The current issue warnings followed by a detailed analysis of the likely effects of prototypes, particularly on youth. The warnings address general health "Smoking kills", heart disease, lung cancer, low infant birthweight, addiction, and harm to others through passive smoking.

Effects of Smoking

Cigarette smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease by itself. When it acts with other factors, it greatly increases risk. Smoking increases blood pressure, decreases exercise tolerance and increases the tendency for blood to clot. Smoking also increases the risk of recurrent coronary heart disease after bypass surgery.

The study is among the first to isolate the effects of smoking on sleep. In previous research, it was unclear whether changes in sleep patterns were due to smoking itself or to the medical conditions underlying smoking such as heart disease or respiratory disease, said study and epidemiology, in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine, at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland.

As a cigarette burns, the residues are concentrated towards the butt.

The products that are most damaging are:

• The risk of dying from lung cancer is more than 22 times higher among men who smoke cigarettes and about 12 times higher among women who smoke cigarettes compared with never smokers.
• nicotine is addictive and increases cholesterol levels in your body
• carbon monoxide reduces oxygen in the body
Cancer
• tar, a carcinogen (substance that causes cancer)
• Cigarette smoking increases the risk for many types of cancer, including cancers of the lip, oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, pancreas, larynx (voice box), lung, uterine cervix, urinary bladder, and kidney.

The fact that smoking causes problems for the heart arteries is not surprising when you consider that smoking has been demonstrated to:

• Directly accelerate the progression of the atherosclerotic plaque.
• Increase bad (LDL) cholesterol
• Lower good (HDL) cholesterol
• Cigarettes are loaded with "free radicals" which "oxidize" the LDL cholesterol. Oxidized LDL is the very worst type of cholesterol.
• Increases insulin resistance
• Increase the heart rate and the blood pressure

Does it Cause Wrinkles?

Yes. Smoking can accelerate the normal aging process of your skin, contributing to wrinkles. These skin changes may occur after only 10 years of smoking and are irreversible.
How does smoking lead to wrinkles? Smoking causes narrowing of the blood vessels in the outermost layers of your skin. This impairs blood flow to your skin, depleting it of oxygen and important nutrients, such as vitamin A. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin — fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. As a result, skin begins to sag and wrinkle prematurely.

The many different brands of cigarettes will seem to provide you with a sense of bliss and an escape from the trails of everyday life. While this apparition is absolutely acquainted and accomplished by smokers there is one actuality which escapes these individuals. This is the assorted smoker furnishings which their bodies are apparent to.

These various effects can be of the long range type or the short term one. The only real way to determine the extent of the effects and damage is by the time and amount of smoking that a person goes through. Even though there are many well known smoking effects that we have heard about we still don’t really understand just how bad the situation is.

For instance while we apperceive that bodies can die from lung blight and this is acquired in allotment by smoker the furnishings of smoker is not accustomed abundant thought. While having one or two cigarettes can make you feel nauseous and dizzy there is not a lot of discernable damage which occurs to your body. On the other hand by consuming a number of these tobacco products will definitely have a detrimental effect on your health.

This is because the assorted elements and additives which are begin in cigarettes deposits particles of adverse substances on your lungs. Likewise there are some ingredients in cigarettes which can draw the oxygen away from your blood. All in all the many items which can be found in a simple cigarette all contribute to the smoking effects which we all know of and yet seldom address.

If you would prefer to live a healthy life there are many well known activities that you can participate in. smoking however is one that will take years from your life and in the end you will die in pain. To avoid smoking effects to your health it is to your best interests to avoid the lure of smoking altogether.

By seeing that you abstain the allurement of smoker you can authorize a blessed life. The alone affair that you should bethink is that smoker furnishings can still ability you from additional duke smoke. To action this botheration you ability appetite to see the assorted places which are accepted to be smoke free. The added bodies who feel that the smoker furnishings are too abundant for our bloom the eventually the abutment to stop these tobacco articles can begin.

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Smoking Effects

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Dangers Of Smoking

Quit Cigarette Smoking : Almost everybody knows that smoking is bad for the health. Images of blackened lungs line school hallways and hospital waiting rooms, but despite this people continue to take up smoking. This may have to do with the pervasive romantic image of smoking -- an image that has nothing in common with reality.

There are many ways to take tobacco. You can chew it, inhale it through the nose, and smoke it in the form of cigars or cigarettes. No matter how it is taken it is dangerous, but because smoking is the most popular way to consume tobacco it has also received the greatest attention from the medical field and the media.

When a smoker inhales a puff of cigarette smoke, the large surface area of the lungs allows nicotine to pass into the blood stream almost immediately. It is this nicotine "hit" that smokers crave, but there is a lot more to smoke than just nicotine. In fact, there are more than 4000 chemical substances that make up cigarette smoke and many of them are toxic. http://www.infozabout.com or http://www.smoking.infozabout.com

Cancer is the most common disease associated with smoking. Smoking is the cause of 90% of lung cancer cases and is related to 30% of all cancer fatalities. Other smoking-related cancers include cancers of the mouth, pancreas, urinary bladder, kidney, stomach, esophagus, and larynx.

Cigarette smoke is composed of 43 carcinogenic substances and more than 400 other toxins that can also be found in wood varnish, nail polish remover, and rat poison. All of these substances accumulate in the body and can cause serious problems to the heart and lungs.

Besides cancer, smoking is also related to several other diseases of the lungs. Emphysema and bronchitis can be fatal and 75% of all deaths from these diseases are linked to smoking.

Smokers also put others at risk. The dangers of breathing in second-hand smoke are well known. Smokers harm their loved ones by exposing them to the smoke they exhale. All sorts of health problems are related to breathing in second-hand smoke. Children are especially susceptible to the dangers of second-hand smoke because their internal organs are still developing. Children exposed to second-hand smoke are more vulnerable to asthma, sudden infant death syndrome, bronchitis, pneumonia, and ear infections.

Smokers have shorter lives than non-smokers. On average, smoking takes 15 years off your life span. This can be explained by the high rate of exposure to toxic substances which are found in cigarette smoke.

Smoking can also be dangerous for unborn children. Mothers who smoke are more likely to suffer from miscarriages, bleeding and nausea, and babies of smoking mothers have reduced birth weights or may be premature. These babies are more susceptible to sudden infant death syndrome and may have lifelong health complications due to chest infections and asthma.

It is never too late to give up smoking, even those who have smoked for 20 years or more can realize tremendous health benefits from giving up the habit.

How to Quit Cigarette Smoking

If you are a smoker or you associate with people that smoke, you need to know that tobacco use is one of the most important causes of heart attack globally. In today's modern world, tobacco use is the most important risk factor for greater relative risk for persons under the age of fifty of the fifty.

Smoked or chewed, first-hand or second-hand, all kinds of tobacco, in whatever form they are used, cause heart attacks and there is more than enough evidence to prove that tobacco use increases other adverse health conditions.

Dangers of tobacco smoking are particularly severe and while it is often very difficult to think of ways in which tobacco use is beneficial, it is all too easy to mention the ways in which it is a health hazard. To be exact, all forms of tobacco use, including different types of smoking and chewing of tobacco and inhalation of second-hand smoke are potentially hazardous and should be discouraged.

On its own, cigarette smoking is as widespread and significant as a risk factor that it has been described as "the leading preventable cause of disease and death". Second-hand smoke may be even more dangerous than previously thought. The fact is that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and has negative health impacts on people at all stages of life. It harms unborn babies, infants, children, adolescents, adults and the elderly.

Besides containing addictive nicotine, cigarette smoke contains chemicals which damage the lungs and other parts of the respiratory system and increases the risk of development of cancer of the lungs and respiratory system.

Tobacco smoke raises blood pressure but decreases the circulation of oxygen to the brain and body. Cigarette smoking is also a significant risk factor for other various disorders, including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, stroke, and osteoporosis and contributes to early menopause. Smoking has been linked to cancer of the lungs, mouth, esophagus, pancreas, kidney, bladder and cervix.

Research shows that there are at least sixty chemicals in cigarette smoke that are cacogenic. Cigarette and tobacco smoke contain highly toxic chemicals like carbon monoxide, ammonia, formaldehyde, arsenic and cyanide which are all produced as cigarette burns.

Smoking is associated with higher levels of chronic inflammation, another damaging process that may result from oxidative stress. Smokers have a higher risk of developing a number of chronic disorders including fatty buildups in arteries, several types of cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (lung problems). Atherosclerosis (buildup of fatty substances in the arteries) is a chief contributor to the high number of deaths from smoking.

The dangers of smoking cannot be exhaustively explained. To really Quit Cigarette Smoking, you must always ask yourself the reason why you are about to light up that cigarette. If you find out that it's got no sensible reason, DROP IT.

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Smoking Facts

Nicotine Has Great Health Benefits

Smoking is bad for you. We know that, it kills million however a smoking fact that is true and backed up by medical research is that nicotine in its pure form is safe, non toxic, part of the natural food chain and is good for you. The World Health Organization has stated that tobacco smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals, of which nicotine is just one. Other chemicals are the real killers.

Smoking means you take into your body the following poisons:

1.At least 40 of the chemicals in tobacco smoke are proven to cause cancers of the lung, throat, mouth, bladder and kidneys and the smoke also causes a number of other cancers.

2. In addition to tar, carbon monoxide is present (found also in car exhaust fumes), ammonia (used in floor cleaner) and arsenic (used in rat poison).

3. There is no evidence at all that nicotine can cause cancer.

4. Smoking fact Nicotine in pure organic form is good for your health.

5. Nicotine switches on the receptors on the surface of cells in certain parts of the brain, causing these neurons to release the Neuro-transmitter dopamine, a chemical that is associated with feelings of pleasure.

6. Nicotine is a naturally occurring compound and part of the food chain.

7. Nicotine makes you feel good

8. Trace elements are found in many common foods including vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, cauliflower, eggplant, chili peppers, and also some teas.

Nicotine is not only you feel better it helps improve concentration and memory, and it has been proven by a series of conditions including:

1. Depression, schizophrenia, Parkinson's diseases and attention disorder.

2. Drug companies are already researching drugs with nicotine in to help these conditions removed from cigarette smoking and the first one has hit the market.

3. Originally aimed at smokers foe when they cant or don't want to smoke, more people today are taking it for its potential health benefits.

4. Expect more products to hit the market shortly as the potential health benefits of nicotine gain wider acceptance.

5. Nicotine water which simply delivers nicotine in water with no added chemicals is already on the market and more products are expected to follow.

Why you Should Quit Cigarette Smoking

A census taken in July of 2004 revealed that approximately 1/3 of the worlds population were smokers which equates to 1.2 billion people. While many developed countries are taking steps to reduce the number of smokers, many other places in the world are actually seeing an increase in both the smoking habit and health problems related to it. If you have not yet decided that its time to Quit Cigarette Smoking then here are some facts that may help to persuade you. This article will look at the properties of tobacco, the health affects related to smoking, how smoking affects woman and pregnancy, and the results of the ever increasing smoking bans occurring around the world.

If you are a smoker then you probably think you know what tobacco is because you ingest it on a daily basis. But did you know that the act of burning tobacco actually creates new substances and that cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 separate chemicals with 69 of them being shown to cause cancer. Some of these chemicals are considered so dangerous that they actually on a list of banned items for placing in landfills. If this makes you think that smokeless tobacco is safe, think again as un-burnt tobacco hosts thousands of chemicals that can destroy your health. While everybody realizes that nicotine is the chemical that causes addiction to tobacco, many dont realize that nicotine is more addictive then even cocaine. It is even said by some sources that there is a chemical in tobacco that is more addictive then the nicotine. Now that you have a better understanding of what tobacco is, lets talk about the health affects related to tobacco use and smoking.

While anybody can get lung cancer, it is important to realize that smoking causes around 90% of the cases and if this isnt enough to scare you, smoking can also cause emphysema, chronic bronchitis, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Smoking also can affect blood circulation and the immune system so that smokers may have a tendency to heal slower then non smokers. This reduced circulation also contributes to a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes. For smokers with children, keep in mind that second hand smoke increases the rate of asthma, colds, ear infections and pneumonia in children under 18. The cost of treating smoking related illnesses is estimated to be $167 billion per year in the United States alone with 440,000 Americans will die each year to smoking related illnesses. While these thoughts can be disturbing, woman who smoke have even more to worry about.

The chance of a female smoker developing lung cancer is higher then her male counterpart with more woman now dying of lung cancer then breast cancer. There are also studies that indicate that it is harder for a woman to Quit Cigarette Smoking then a man. And smoking and pregnancy is a great concern with over 12% of pregnant woman being smokers. While some woman do Quit Cigarette Smoking during pregnancy the statistics show that 70% of women smokers will continue to smoker throughout there pregnancy. This can result in low birth weight, the baby being born addicted to nicotine, and a host of other health related problems for the new born infant. Hopefully all of this information will persuade you that it is time to Quit Cigarette Smoking but if not, keep in mind how the changes in society may affect you.

A great many states in American, not to mention numerous countries around the world are beginning to take serious steps to stamp out smoking and the health related cost involved in treating smoking related illness. It is estimated that 70% of Americans now work in a smoke free workplace and this number is sure to rise. In addition to this, many states and countries have or will implement smoking bans in hospitals, restaurants and bars. There are even communities where it is now illegal to smoke anywhere in the neighborhood, including your own home and for renters; some apartment complexes and condominiums have initiated a no smoking neighborhood as well. I realize that these new laws can create a lot of negative emotion and some of them border on violating smokers rights. After all, you should be allowed to smoke in the privacy of your own home or car, even if it is bad for you. But the laws being implemented to ban smoking in public places are being put into affect to protect the health of non-smokers.

Hopefully these facts will make you consider quitting your smoking habit but I suspect that if you are reading this article then you already had at leases some desire to Quit Cigarette Smoking. Maybe you want to Quit Cigarette Smoking and are not sure where to turn but let me tell you that there is help available for somebody that truly wants to Quit Cigarette Smoking.

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Smoking Facts

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Question For Your Doctor

What to Ask About Quitting (Quit Cigarette Smoking)

1. What do I need to do to prepare to Quit Cigarette Smoking?

Maybe you are ready today, but your doctor may suggest that you plan for a Quit Cigarette Smoking date in the near future. Ask about steps you can take before quitting to be better prepared.

2. Should I use nicotine replacement?

Though you do not need a prescription to buy nicotine gum, patches or lozenges, it’s a good idea to discuss their use with your doctor. Contrary to popular belief, many people can safely use more than one type of nicotine product at the same time. Studies show that using two forms of nicotine replacement simultaneously, like the patch with the gum, works better than using only one.

3. Is the nicotine in nicotine replacement products harmful?

No. The really harmful substances are the burnt carcinogens in tobacco, not the nicotine. Many people use nicotine replacement for a year or more after Quit Cigarette Smoking. Experts think that for most people there is no harm in long-term use. It’s better to use nicotine replacement forever than to start smoking again.

4. Who else can I talk to?

Most doctors do not have time to stay in close contact with you to find out how you’re doing. But counseling is known to be one of the most effective aids to Quit Cigarette Smoking. The more frequent your contact with a counselor, the better. Ask your doctor for a referral to a trained counselor. Many states offer telephone quitlines that can aid smokers.

5. Should I try a prescription drug?

Research shows that these drugs help people stay smoke-free longer. Doctors have written millions of prescriptions for Chantix, for example, though enthusiasm for the drug has been tempered by recent concerns about side effects like suicidal thoughts and erratic behaviors.

6. Do I have any factors that might make it harder for me to Quit Cigarette Smoking ?

Personal circumstances can make Quit Cigarette Smoking easier or harder. Depression or anxiety, for example, may make it harder to Quit Cigarette Smoking. Living with nonsmokers may ease the effort. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 75 percent of American homes are now smoke free.) Different smokers may also be more or less addicted to nicotine, and those with stronger addictions may need more help Quit Cigarette Smoking .

7. Are there alternative quitting aids that you recommend?

The scientific evidence for treatments like hypnosis, herbs and acupuncture is not convincing enough to merit an official recommendation for them. But you and your doctor may want to discuss ideas about complementary treatments to support your effort.

8. If I Quit Cigarette Smoking now, how might my health improve?

For smokers who are still relatively healthy, Quit Cigarette Smoking may remove the final barrier to achieving optimal health. But smoking has been linked to all kinds of health ills besides lung cancer or heart disease, including erection problems, arthritis and macular degeneration.

9. Will I gain weight?

Most people put on weight when they Quit Cigarette Smoking. Usually it is less than 10 pounds, but about 10 percent of quitters gain up to 30 pounds. Your doctor may be able to refer you to a nutritionist or counselor who can help you make changes to prevent weight gain.

10. How will Quit Cigarette Smoking affect the health care I’m receiving?

Ask your doctor to re-evaluate you after you have not smoked for a while. Your doctor may, for example, lower your doses for cholesterol or blood pressure medications after you stop smoking.

11. What if I fail?

Most smokers relapse. Ask your doctor to help you come up with a Plan B in case your first strategy does not succeed.

12. Have I already done irreparable harm by smoking?

It’s never too late to Quit Cigarette Smoking . Discuss your disease risks based upon your smoking history.

13. Will I ever feel good again after quitting?

Smoking is a serious addiction, not just a bad habit. The worst withdrawal symptoms last one to three weeks, but some people crave cigarettes long afterward. You may feel a sense of loss or emptiness after Quit Cigarette Smoking. Ask your doctor to explain the process of nicotine addiction and withdrawal. It’s important to know what is happening in your brain and body to understand how you feel.

14. Should I be screened for lung cancer?

Most doctors don’t recommend it. On the one hand, a chest X-ray could potentially catch tumors early, and maybe offer better treatment odds. On the other hand, screening may pick up something that looks like cancer but actually isn’t. Having an operation to check out a suspicious spot on the lung may therefore subject you to unnecessary risk, pain and expense.

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Question For Your Doctor

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Things to Know: Quitting Smoking

Quit Cigarette Smoking : Dr. Richard H. Carmona, who was surgeon general of the United States from 2002 to 2006, is a distinguished professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona and president of the nonprofit Canyon Ranch Institute in Tucson. His advice to smokers: “Stop now. It will improve the quality and quantity of your life, no question.” He says that smokers should know these five things about Quit Cigarette Smoking.

a.Few people kick cigarettes on the first try. As many as four relapses are common during the first year. Too often people think one or more failed attempts mean they are incapable of Quit Cigarette Smoking. Not so. If you keep falling down, it means you need to try a different approach.

b. It’s never too late. No matter how long you have smoked, you will benefit from Quit Cigarette Smoking. The health benefits start immediately as your body begins to recover from the continual assault of noxious chemicals in tobacco smoke.

The earlier you Quit Cigarette Smoking, the less likely you are to get cancer or other smoking-related ills. If you Quit Cigarette Smoking before age 53, your disease risk 10 years later would be the same as those of someone who never smoked. But even people who Quit Cigarette Smoking in their 60s and 70s have a lower disease risk. If you have a smoking-related illness already, your condition can improve, or at least not worsen, if you Quit Cigarette Smoking.

c. Cutting down doesn’t cut it. It can help as a way to prime yourself for quitting, but only if you intend go all the way. In the long run, smoking less often or smoking “light” cigarettes is not safe. For most people, cutting down is not sustainable. If you don’t break the addiction, you are likely to slip back into smoking as much as — or even more than — you did before.

d. Get help. There are many stop-smoking aids available, including nicotine patches and gums, prescription medicines and counseling. There is strong evidence these things really do help. Try one, or try them all together, to ease the transition and improve your chances of Quit Cigarette Smoking.

e. America’s smoking days are over. It’s only going to become more difficult to be a smoker anywhere in the United States. Smoking bans are taking effect in more places nationwide, and this trend is unlikely to stall or reverse. As the smoking population dwindles and as people are less willing to be exposed to tobacco smoke, cigarettes have become less socially acceptable. Increasingly, smokers are strangers in a smoke-free land.

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Things to Know: Quitting Smoking

Quit Cigarette Smoking~How To Quit Cigarette Smoking

Quit Cigarette Smoking : Like any other addiction, the smoking phenomenon has a plethora of marketers and snake oil salesmen ready to leap upon your misery. You will get pills, injections, patches, books, support groups, books and even the idea of genetic change as ways to stop smoking cigarettes

But listen. There is only one way which can truly beat the cigarette habit, and that is to simply stop smoking. It is a wonderful concept, because it is so simple in statement, and yet many people find it incredibly difficult to successfully execute.

Of the many ways to Quit Cigarette Smoking, the only method which has a mass of anecdotal evidence to support it is that of quitting cold turkey. Now, that is not to mean you can't use a secondary method to help you with Quit Cigarette Smoking habit cold turkey; on the contrary, that is encouraged.

I smoked 40 cigarettes a day for a decade, yet I was able to Quit Cigarette Smoking very quickly and without any of the side effect such as weight gain, dizziness, cravings or a change in temperament. Ostensibly I simply packed in the smokes cold turkey, but in order to do that successfully, I had to rewire my brain by looking at the habit differently.

Out of the many ways to Quit Cigarette Smoking, it was hypnotherapy that did it for me. Now, I know it is likely you think of hypnotherapy as going into a seedy office with an even seedier man who has a pencil mustache and swinging medallion. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Hypnotherapy does not involve going into a trance. It doesn't even have to mean leaving your home. There are plenty of books and CD products which act as hypnotic therapy. Using hypnotherapy to kick the cigarette habit is really quite simple – it changes your views of smoking. Whereas you might argue that smoking helps you shed anxiety, hypnotherapy will question whether that is really the case. In essence, hypnotherapy removes the reasons you have for smoking. If you have no justification to smoke, then you will not feel the need to have a cigarette.

Nicotine patches, nicotine gum, herbal cigarettes and the like are all ineffective ways to Quit Cigarette Smoking. Smoking is primarily a psychological addiction, and these remedies don't cure the psychological bond you have with cigarettes – they just strengthen it. How many times have you gone to the cinema for three hours without smoking? In fact, I'm willing to bet that the only time you did want a cigarette was when you actually thought about the fact you had not smoked for a while.

In conclusion, it is essential that you break the psychological addiction to cigarettes. The only way to break the psychological addiction is to break down the thinking patterns your brain has developed over the course of your smoking career. The best way to do this is through hypnotherapy. If you intend on leaving the cigarette habit, ensure you don't replace one dependency with another one.

Quit Cigarette Smoking~How To Quit Cigarette Smoking

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Q & A With Dr. David B. Abrams About On Becoming an Ex-Smoker

Quit Cigarette Smoking : Dr. David B. Abrams is executive director of the Steven A. Schroeder National Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at the American Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated to reducing tobacco use. He was formerly director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Institutes of Health. As a researcher and a clinical psychologist, he has studied and treated nicotine addiction for 25 years. He co-wrote an Institute of Medicine report, “Ending the Tobacco Problem: A Blueprint for the Nation,” published in 2007.

Q. Do you think it’s much easier to Quit Cigarette Smoking now than it was 5 or 10 years ago?

A. Yes. There are now a variety of good treatments available that can be tailored to individual smokers. There are good cognitive behavioral treatments for the part of addiction that has to do with needing to unlearn the habit. There have also been some breakthroughs in pharmacologic treatments, from the introduction of the first nicotine replacement therapies to the very recent new drug, Chantix, that’s tailored to nicotine receptors in the brain.

Q. The Food and Drug Administration recently warned about suicidal behavior with Chantix. Are people more wary of trying it now because of that?

A. As with other new drugs, there are a few people that have some untoward reactions. In some of them, frankly, it’s not clear that it’s directly related to the drug itself. They may have other predisposing factors that coincidentally happen around the same time. So I hope there isn’t an overreaction to that. I think it continues to be a very safe and effective drug.

Q. What about changes in social norms? Does less tolerance of smoking in public support the clinical side of treating the addiction?

A. It is probably one of the most important drivers of helping people to Quit Cigarette Smoking. It’s not just that it motivates people to Quit Cigarette Smoking because it’s more inconvenient to smoke, or because they don’t want to damage the health of people around them. It’s also that there’s less smoking around them at bars or in restaurants, and therefore, they’re not as tempted. The way I like to say it is that once your brain has tasted “chocolate cake” — the powerful benefits of nicotine — it’s very hard to forget it. So every time you’re reminded of it when you see someone smoking, or you smell smoke, you have an instant reaction to want to smoke.

Q. In addition to new medicines, have counseling methods improved?

A. Right. I think one of the biggest breakthroughs was taking the best components of behavioral treatments and boiling them down so they could be distributed widely through different channels, like telephone quit lines and primary care practices, where physicians or nurses can be trained to deliver a brief treatment.

Q. Might smoking bans and high taxes make some smokers feel persecuted, and as a result more recalcitrant about their smoking? Or doesn’t that matter much?

A. I think it does matter. Sometimes when they dig their heels in, it’s because they really don’t feel that they can get the help they need to change. I think you need to be very supportive. But certainly, there will be a small group of people who say, “I have the freedom to smoke, and leave me alone.”

Q. What major obstacles remain for smokers trying to Quit Cigarette Smoking ?

A. The general public is not as aware of the value of using evidence-based treatment as they should be. When we do surveys of current smokers, a fair number of them actually believe that nicotine replacement products could be as harmful to their health as smoking, which is absolutely not true. It’s the burnt carcinogens in tobacco, and not the nicotine, that’s the really harmful substance. Unfortunately, I think people are not using the best pharmacologic treatments and the best behavioral treatments. They still try to use willpower.

I think another barrier is that busy physicians, because of managed care and other things, have so much pressure to move patients through their offices that they aren’t able to take the time to do brief lifestyle counseling. I would love to see the reimbursement system change to allow physicians to bill for, say, 15 minutes of talk therapy, and allow them to do brief behavioral treatment, along with nicotine replacement or other drug therapies.

We need a system where you have comprehensive continuity of care until the smoker quits. You never give up on a diabetic if they go off their diet or stop taking their insulin. You still bring them back, and you remind them, and you have all sorts of support systems because it’s a lifetime commitment.

We’re talking about a stepped-care system. The idea is that you should give people a chance to use a low-level treatment on their own, but if it doesn’t work, then you need to step them up to a more specialized treatment. In fact, a third step may well be that if you’ve tried to Quit Cigarette Smoking with your primary care physician and failed, maybe you ought to be referred to a specialist in addiction treatment.

Q. Do you think today’s young children will take up smoking the way their parents’ generation did?

A. Of course, my hope would be absolutely not. I hope within 5 to 10 years that the F.D.A. would have approved the reduction of nicotine content in tobacco; therefore, it wouldn’t even be an interesting thing to try, because there would be so little reward value in the small amount of nicotine left. I also hope that because so many fewer parents smoke, that kids would grow up smoke-free. The third thing is, there may well be a more significant vaccine. The real hope is that we could give pre-adolescent kids a vaccine, just like we do for childhood diseases.

If I were to wave a magic wand so that those three things happened, I think we may actually have very close to a smoke-free next generation, which would be my ideal.

Q. What do you think about people continuing to use nicotine replacement for a long time after Quit Cigarette Smoking ?

A. Certain people may well need some kind of pharmacologic treatment to correct their brain imbalance, just like some people need long-term medication for serious mental illness. I’d rather see them on long-term nicotine therapy than go back to smoking.

Q. Is there anything new on the horizon that could make it much easier for people to Quit Cigarette Smoking ?

A. There are two things that I’m quite excited about. One is the talk with the F.D.A. about systematically reducing nicotine in tobacco over a 5- or a 10-year period. If they did reduce it significantly, there’s a lot of research suggesting that we could, in effect, wean the whole population off their nicotine addiction and get to the point where, gradually, smokers would be less and less addicted and may find it easier to Quit Cigarette Smoking. I think as a public health solution, that’s a very good one. I’m hoping that kind of legislation will be taken seriously.

The second thing is that we may be developing a nicotine vaccine — the NicVAX. There is some preliminary evidence that it’s promising. It’s not quite there yet, but it’s particularly useful, perhaps, to prevent relapse.

We’ve got a lot of people trying to Quit Cigarette Smoking every year — millions, actually. What we have to do is figure out how to prevent them from relapsing after they Quit Cigarette Smoking. I think relapse prevention is the single biggest research challenge. The vaccine may help with that; getting nicotine out of cigarettes would certainly help with that.

Q. What do you say to your friends and family who still smoke?

A. I want to find a way to hold your hand and help you Quit Cigarette Smoking, not to be nasty to you and box you in a corner, but really be sympathetic and understand that this is something that you couldn’t help doing. When you were younger and you got hooked on nicotine, you had no idea that you would become a lifetime slave to this substance, because it changed the reward pathway in your brain. I want to help you get over that, and I know it’s extremely hard to do because nicotine is a very powerful addictive substance.

The biggest problem with nicotine is that, actually, your brain works better on nicotine. It improves reaction time, it improves memory, it improves concentration, it helps you get through a frustrating workday. There are reasons why people hang on to nicotine. It’s almost the perfect drug.

I’m an ex-smoker, and I still miss it. I think I might actually have been more productive as a researcher if I’d continued to smoke, because I know it made my brain work better. It’s very, very hard to give up, and I’m very sympathetic.

Quit Cigarette Smoking~Q & A With Dr. David B. Abrams About On Becoming an Ex-Smoker