Remember That Time Is On Your Side
As soon as you quit, you start to get immediate health benefits. After only 20 minutes, your heart rate goes back to normal. Within a day, your bloodâs carbon monoxide level also falls back into place. In just 2-3 weeks, you will start to lower your odds of having a heart attack. In the long run, you will also lower your chance of getting lung cancer and other cancers.
Preventing Weight Gain After You Stop Smoking
Smoking acts as an appetite suppressant, so gaining weight is a common concern for many of us when we decide to give up cigarettes. You may even be using it as a reason not to quit. While its true that many smokers put on weight within six months of stopping smoking, the gain is usually smallabout five pounds on averageand that initial gain decreases over time. Its also important to remember that carrying a few extra pounds for a few months wont hurt your heart as much as smoking does. However, gaining weight is NOT inevitable when you stop smoking.
Smoking dampens your sense of smell and taste, so after you quit food will often seem more appealing. You may also gain weight if you replace the oral gratification of smoking with eating unhealthy comfort foods. Therefore, its important to find other, healthy ways to deal with unpleasant feelings such as stress, anxiety, or boredom rather than mindless, emotional eating.
Nurture yourself. Instead of turning to cigarettes or food when you feel stressed, anxious, or depressed, learn new ways to quickly soothe yourself. Listen to uplifting music, play with a pet, or sip a cup of hot tea, for example.
Eat healthy, varied meals. Eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, and healthy fats. Avoid sugary food, sodas, fried, and convenience food.
Drink lots of water. Drinking at least six to eight 8 oz. glasses will help you feel full and keep you from eating when youre not hungry. Water will also help flush toxins from your body.
Common Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms Include:
As unpleasant as these withdrawal symptoms may be, its important to remember that they are only temporary. They will get better in a few weeks as the toxins are flushed from your body. In the meantime, let your friends and family know that you wont be your usual self and ask for their understanding.
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Going Cold Turkey Might Be Better
You can choose to cut down on your cigarettes gradually before your quit date, or smoke as you normally do up until your quit date. Either is fine, but it seems that quitting abruptly, going cold turkey, might be better.
A recent study randomly assigned about 700 participants to either gradually cut back on smoking over two weeks or quit abruptly on a set quit date. Both groups were offered counseling support as well as nicotine patches and other forms of short-acting nicotine replacement. The group assigned to cold turkey was significantly more successful at quitting smoking, both at the 4-week follow-up and the 6-month follow-up .
Situations In Which An Electronic Cigarette Is More Than Just A Gadget
While there is no doubt that smoking is bad for you, there are also certain situations where a smoke is the best thing to have by your side. And it goes beyond that scene from old films in which a husband is puffing one after another while his wife is giving birth to a child. There are innumerable situations in which a cigarette can provide you with the relaxation and stress relief that nothing else can. Unfortunately, on many of those situations, you are not allowed to smoke anymore. That is, unless you have an electronic cigarette on you.
These days, electronic cigarettes have become so widespread that people will not mind it if you smoke in places where you would not be allowed otherwise. This enables you to enjoy that sweet taste and the stress relief that only cigarettes can provide, only without harming anyone in your vicinity or attracting those looks that make it pointless to have a smoke.
Beside e-cigarettes, pipe smoking is also gaining popularity among the young group.
For instance, in most of the UK restaurants, it is now prohibited to smoke. And every smoker will tell you that the sweetest, or at least one of the sweetest cigarettes is the one you have after a nice meal. Well, if you happen to have an electronic cigarette with you, no one is going to mind if you have a puff or two after a meal at your favourite restaurant. It is one of those complete experiences that smokers thought they would never have again when the smoking ban came to be.
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Smoking And Drug Interactions
Cigarette smoke also interacts with many common prescription and non-prescription medication. Smoking can either increase or decrease the time it takes the body to break down a drug. If the time is increased, the drug circulates longer in the body and may increase the effects of the dose. If nicotine shortens the time a drug circulates in the body, it may render it less effective. Depending on the medication and how it interacts with nicotine, it may do one or both. Thats why its always important to tell your doctor or pharmacist if you smoke. They may need to prescribe a different dose of medication for smokers versus non-smokers.
Some of the common drugs smoking affects include blood thinners, SSRI medicines used to treat depression and anxiety, heart medicines, anti-seizure medicines and asthma treatments. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about any potential drug interactions if youre a smoker and are taking any of these medications.
Smoking addiction is one of the most difficult addictions to quit. Some studies even claim its harder to quit smoking than to quit using heroin. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms include agitation, cravings, shaking hands and anxiety. These symptoms are relieved within seconds after smoking a cigarette, which can make it hard to quit.
Some common ways people quit smoking include:
How Can I Quit Smoking
First, congratulate yourself. Just reading this article is a big step toward becoming tobacco-free.
Many people don’t quit smoking because they think it’s too hard, and it’s true that for most people quitting isn’t easy. After all, the nicotine in cigarettes is a powerfully addictive drug. But with the right approach, you can overcome the cravings.
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Types Of Rehabs For Tobacco Addiction
Smoking addiction treatment is typically provided through your primary care physician, at community health centers, and at specialized smoking cessation clinics. It can be treated through:
- Outpatient programs. These programs offer treatment plans as you live at home and make visits to a clinic or health center.
- Residential programs. These programs have you come in and live at the program to undergo more intense 24/7 treatment.
Individuals without long-standing addiction and without coexisting medical or mental health conditions tend to be the best candidates for outpatient treatment programs. Residential programs often provide more adequate help for those with more serious addictions and with those who have coexisting medical or mental health conditions.
Good News About Quitting
The good news is that after you quit smoking, even in your 60s, 70s, or beyond:
- Your heart rate and blood pressure drop to more normal levels.
- Your nerve endings begin to regenerate, so you can smell and taste better.
- Your lungs, heart, and circulatory system will begin to function better.
- You will cough and feel out of breath less often.
- Your chance of having a heart attack or stroke will drop.
- Your breathing will improve.
- Your chance of getting cancer will be lower.
No matter how old you are, all these health benefits are important reasons to make a plan to stop smoking.
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Effective Treatments For Tobacco And Nicotine Addiction
Extensive research has shown that treatments for tobacco addiction do work. Although some smokers can quit without help, many individuals need assistance in quitting. This is particularly important because smoking cessation can have immediate health benefits. For example, within 24 hours of quitting, blood pressure and chances of heart attack decrease. Long-term benefits of smoking cessation include decreased risk of stroke, lung and other cancers, and coronary heart disease. A 35-year-old man who quits smoking will, on average, increase his life expectancy by 5.1 years.
Read more info on Dangers of Nicotine.
How To Use Cbd To Quit Smoking
Now we have analyzed the evidence and looked at some research that shows CBDs potential in curbing addiction and aiding in quitting smoking youre probably wondering how to start using CBD to quit nicotine.
The truth is, there are several ways to use CBD to quit smoking. The way you choose will ultimately depend on you as a person. The route you go down will also depend on the results you want to see at the end of your journey.
If youre happy with switching your smoking habit to something less harmful such as CBD cigarettes or CBD vaporizers, then the inhalation method will work for you. If youre looking to curb the habit entirely, then this may not be as useful a method for you.
Before using CBD as an aid to quit smoking, you should first ask yourself what result you would like to see six to 12 months down the line. Once youve figured out whether youre okay with replacing your habit with another or want to kick the habit completely, you can then choose which route to take.
With that in mind, check out the four points below to begin the end of your tobacco dependency with the best foot forward.
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Make A Plan To Quit Smoking
Make a promise, set a date and stick to it. Sticking to the “not a drag” rule can really help.
Whenever you find yourself in difficulty, say to yourself, “I won’t even have a single drag”, and stick with this until the cravings pass.
Think ahead to times where it might be difficult , and plan your actions and escape routes in advance.
Lean On Your Loved Ones
Tell your friends, family, and other people youâre close to that youâre trying to quit. They can encourage you to keep going, especially when youâre tempted to light up. You can also join a support group or talk to a counselor. Behavioral therapy is a type of counseling that helps you identify and stick to quit-smoking strategies. Even a few sessions may help.
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Prepare Before You Go ‘cold Turkey’
Thereâs more to it than just tossing your cigarettes out. Smoking is an addiction. The brain is hooked on nicotine. Without it, youâll go through withdrawal. Line up support in advance. Ask your doctor about all the methods that will help, such as quit-smoking classes and apps, counseling, medication, and hypnosis. Youâll be ready for the day you choose to quit.
Make A List Of Reasons To Quit
Keep reminding yourself why you made the decision to give up. Make a list of the reasons and read it when you need support.
Ex-smoker Chris, 28, says: “I used to take a picture of my baby daughter with me when I went out. If I was tempted, I’d look at that.”
Read more about the stop smoking treatments available on the NHS.
Page last reviewed: 25 October 2018 Next review due: 25 October 2021
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Quitting Smoking: The Ultimate Guide
Quitting Smoking: The Ultimate Guide is a self-help book written by a medical doctor and an addiction treatment specialist. The book provides information about what to expect when you quit smoking, including some helpful tips for people who are new to smoking and quitting.
Quitting Smoking: The Ultimate Guide is available for free at www.smokefree.gov.
How To Get Rid Of Tobacco Addiction
The people who have attempted to quit in the past and are reading this know how difficult it can be. Nicotine cravings can be intense, and by denying yourself cigarettes, one may experience mood swings, appetite fluctuation, weight gain, and anxiety. Recent research shows that 3 out of 4 smokers are still smoking 40 years later, meaning that the best way to quit smoking is to never start. However, for those who have been looking for a way to quit, there are plenty of effective remedies.
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Do I Need Health Insurance To Receive This Service
The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.
Coping With Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms
Once you stop smoking, youll likely experience a number of physical symptoms as your body withdraws from nicotine. Nicotine withdrawal begins quickly, usually starting within an hour of the last cigarette and peaking two to three days later. Withdrawal symptoms can last for a few days to several weeks and differ from person to person.
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Smoking Addiction Prevention Includes All Tobacco Products
Make sure your kids understand there are other tobacco products besides cigarettes. It might seem obvious to you, but kids may not know pipe smoking, cigars and chewing tobacco are also harmful and potentially addictive.
E-cigarettes also called vapor or vape cigarettes do not contain tobacco, but they do contain nicotine and other harmful chemicals. Some teens and young adults turn to vapor cigarettes believing them to be a healthier alternative to tobacco smoke. Its important you help your kids understand any nicotine product is harmful, whether its a pack of cigarettes, a pinch of chewing tobacco or a vapor cigarette.
Your Personal Stop Smoking Plan
While some smokers successfully quit by going cold turkey, most people do better with a tailored plan to keep themselves on track. A good quit plan addresses both the short-term challenge of stopping smoking and the long-term challenge of preventing relapse. It should also be tailored to your specific needs and smoking habits.
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Do Nicotine Replacement Products Relieve Nicotine Cravings And Withdrawal Symptoms
Yes. Nicotine replacement products deliver measured doses of nicotine into the body, which helps to relieve the cravings and withdrawal symptoms often felt by people trying to quit smoking. Nicotine replacement products are effective treatments that can increase the likelihood that someone will quit successfully .
Five forms of nicotine replacement products have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration :
Experts recommend combining nicotine replacement therapy with advice or counseling from a doctor, dentist, pharmacist, or other health care provider. Also, experts suggest that smokers quit using tobacco products before they start using nicotine replacement products . Too much nicotine can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, weakness, or rapid heartbeat.
An Honest Review Of Smokeapuff
If you are currently interested in giving smoking pipes a try, or if you are not satisfied with the one that you have one, there is one brand that you strongly encouraged to try out Smokeapuff. This brand has become very popular, especially in the California, and it is no wonder why this is the case. Smokeapuff seems to be one of the leading smoking pipes available, and it certainly deserves to be ranked so highly.
For instance, one of the things that make it so popular is definitely the design. In case you didnt know, there are different styles of smoking pipes and while this may be interesting to some people, it is not exactly what the majority of people are looking for. The majority of people are looking for something sophisticated and classy, something that really looks like the real thing. And with Smokeapuff, you are getting a smoking pipes that is very close to the real thing.
What makes Smokeapuff stand out from a lot of the other brands available in the California is the fact that these pipes are more advanced than the others. Another important thing about this brand is that there are different flavours and different type of smoking pipes to choose from. There are also different pipes available and everybody interested in smoking pipes can find something that suits them perfectly, which means that this is the brand that can provide you with whatever you are looking for.
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Social And Psychological Factors
In all drug addictions, psychosocial factors determine the initial exposures. Addiction may subsequently develop if the drug has pharmacological effects that people like or find rewarding.
It is essentially a learning process:
- Learning when, where, and how to take the drug to get the most rewarding effects. The taste, smell, visual stimuli, handling, and other movements that are closely associated with the rewarding pharmacological effects gradually become rewarding themselves. This is known as conditioning.
- The situations and activities associated with smoking, together with the smoker’s mood and psychological state at the time, also become linked with its rewards and with the relief of withdrawal. They come to serve as signals or triggers for the urge or craving for nicotine’s effects .
- Triggers that bring on the urge to smoke are numerous because smoking can take place in so many situations.
Keep Up Your Motivation
You quit smoking for a reason. Probably several. Don’t let time and distance from the habit cloud your thinking. Keep your memory green by reviewing your reasons for quitting often. They will never be less true as time goes by, but they can feel less urgent if you’re not careful.
Smoking cessation is a journey. Take it one simple day at a time, and you’ll find that what started out as a difficult task soon enough becomes an enjoyable challenge.
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