Tips and Help to Stop Smoking

Five Months and Fifty Posts

This is my 50th quit smoking post on this site. This has all been achieved in just over 5 months. It has been hard but satisfying work. I confess, I’ve enjoyed writing these posts and have learnt a lot about smoking cessation and the quit smoking process. I’m proud of my achievement. This site represents my first foray into the world of blogging. Six months ago I didn’t know what a blog post was; I suppose I’ve come a long way. In addition, I’ve written about 50 quit smoking articles for several online magazines, including Suite 101, Street Articles and Ezine Articles. I wrote these articles to support and link to my website. This has also been hard work. Together all this adds up to over 50,000 words dedicated to help people to quit smoking. I would have liked to have seen more visitors to my website. My inexperience as a blogger and article marketer has no doubt contributed to my lack of success.

New Projects

Fifty posts and 50 articles represent a solid body of work and I think it is time for me to move on. Whilst I would like to continue with this project, the reality is that I don’t have enough time and energy to continue to contribute on a regular basis to this site. I’ve decided to initiate new projects and shortly I’ll be setting up a further two websites. These new projects will require all my resources and I won’t be able to continue writing articles and blogs in support of my quit smoking website.  So sadly, this is my 50th and likely to be my last post on this site.

Thanks Folks

I would like to thank all those kind folk who took the time to post encouraging and positive comments on my site. They really helped especially when my motivation was flagging. I hope I have helped some in their quest to become smoke free. If the information on this site has helped in any way to convert a single smoker into a non-smoker, then I will be content.

Inspirational Stories

By the way, just because I won’t be posting on this site doesn’t mean I won’t be visiting it from time to time. I will always find time to answer questions and comments from visitors. It would be great if visitors could take the time to leave their own inspirational quit smoking stories. I would like to compile a collection of stories and then  post them as an article on  this site.

Anyway, thanks again gentle readers and remember: stay smoke free.

Cheers

George

It’s time for another round up of stories and smoking related topics in the news this week.

American Smoking Rates

Gallup has just released the results of a report into American smokers. There are 46 million regular smokers in the United States which comprises 21% of the adult population. However, there exists a great deal of variation in smoking rates between states. Kentucky is the smokiest state with 1 in 3 adults (29%) classified as smokers. At the other end of the scale, Utah has the lowest smoking rate of 10%. The presence of all those Mormons must be having a positive effect on the physical health of the state. As for their effect on the state’s spiritual health I am not willing to comment.

Tax Loophole 

Apparently, due to high tobacco taxes, New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the States to buy ciggies. Yet due to a tax loophole it is possible to purchase a 10 pack carton for $40. This is because loose tobacco is taxed a lot less than tobacco in comercially made cigarettes. Shops simply purchase loose tobacco then make cigarettes on site using high speed cigarette rolling machines. The finished product is no different than cigarettes purchased in packs apart from the fact that they are much cheaper. This situation may not last as the New York City’s legal department has started legal proceedings against tobacco shops for tax evasion.

Smoking Ban in Cars?

The British Medical Association (BMA) is urging the UK government to introduce a smoking ban in motor vehicles. This follows from evidence that smoking in cars exposes non-smoking occupants to very high levels of second hand smoke. It is estimated that exposure levels are 23 times that experienced in a smoky bar. Especially vulnerable are children and the elderly. The UK has already extensive legislation banning smoking in public places and it will be interesting to see whether bans will be extended to private motor vehicles. Australia has already introduced a smoking ban in cars however this only applies if children are present.

The Great American Smokeout

The Great American Smokeout, an annual event since 1976, occurred on Nov. 17. The day helps to focus the hazards of smoking for the American public and encourages smokers to quit. Things have changed a lot since 1976. In that year 40% of people smoked and there were no smoking restrictions in public places. Smoking was socially acceptable and the health hazards of the habit were not widely known. Smoking prevalence has halved since then and restrictive legislation has stigmatised and marginalised smokers and their habit.

When we think about the negative aspects of smoking, and let’s face it there are many, we don’t generally consider how the habit affects our appearance. So in today’s post I’m going to take a closer at how smoking affects the way we look.

Smoking and the Face

The ravages of smoking on the face were first officially recognised in 1985. In this year a study was published in the British Medical Journal. The author of the article was able to recognise smokers, who had smoked for 10 years or more, solely on their facial appearance. The term ‘smoker’s face’ became part of the medical dictionary. The typical smoker’s appearance is caused by several mechanisms:
1. Cigarette smoking results in the constriction of blood vessels in the skin. This causes a reduction in the blood flow to the upper layers of the skin which in turn leads to a reduction in oxygen available to cells.
2. There are 4000 chemicals in tobacco smoke; many of these compounds have toxic affects on cells.
3. Smoking reduces collagen in the skin. Collagen is an integral component of healthy normal skin. Loss of collagen causes premature skin ageing and promotes wrinkle formation.
4. Constantly drawing on a cigarette aids with the formation of ‘pucker lines’ around the lips and especially on the upper lip. Squinting to prevent smoke from getting in the smoker’s eyes also helps in the production of ‘crow’s feet’.

Smoker’s Face

This assault caused, directly and indirectly, by smoking results in a characteristic smoker’s face. Smoker’s often have a slightly grey, pigmented facial appearance. Some features are subtle but noticeable all the same. For instance, a slight gauntness may be present revealing underlying bony contours. The wrinkles produced however are not subtle. They are the most striking aspect of the smoker’s face. They can be shallow or deep but generally numerous and radiating at right angles from the lips and corners of the eyes. The well advance smoker’s face can be described as leathery or rugged.

Stained Teeth

Smoking doesn’t enhance your dental ware either. Smokers have a tendency to develop brown or yellow stained teeth due to tobacco smoke deposition. Smokers are more likely than non-smokers to develop rotting teeth. Dentistry, cosmetic or otherwise, is never cheap. So unless you are a super model or a rich celeb you may wish to consider quitting, unless you want to sport a brown, snaggle toothed smile.

Hormone Changes

Smoking has been shown to influence endocrine glands. These glands secrete hormones which have a bearing on body shape. Smokers usually associate their habit with thinness however, smoking also morphs the underlying body shape; smokers tend towards being pot bellied with thin legs.  It is thought that the toxins in tobacco alter hormone levels causing an abnormal distribution of fat.

This post should appeal to our vanity. No one wants to knowingly engage in an activity that alters our appearance in a negative way. Smoking has many adverse effects on the way we look. If smoking changes our outside in such a profound way, what is it doing to our insides?

Lungs Glorious Lungs

Your lungs are truly remarkable organs. They are responsible for taking in life giving oxygen which is then distributed to every single living cell in the body. They also remove the waste product of metabolism, carbon dioxide, and expel it into the atmosphere.

In today’s post I’m going to specifically look at how smoking damages these delicate but resilient organs. Of course lungs are particularly susceptible to smoke damage. First off they receive the full brunt of the cigarette smoke as it is inhaled.  While it is true that other parts of the body are also in direct contact with the smoke, such as the mouth and lining of the nose, the lungs, because of their large surface area, receive greater doses of toxic smoke than any other part of the body. In fact the surface area of the lungs is about 160 square metres which is equivalent to the area of a tennis court. The large surface area of the lung is a consequence of millions of small sacs, called alveoli.  Therefore, cigarette smoke can wreak direct damage to a large area of the body with every single inhale.

Lungs: The Great Absorbers

Because of this large surface area they are also efficient transmitters of the toxins present in tobacco directly to the blood stream. From there toxic chemicals can reach every organ and ultimately every cell in the body. The lungs don’t transmit all the nasties present in smoke. Some of it stays put. Tar remains and coats the delicate lining of the lung. Tar contains several cancer causing chemicals which stay in intimate proximity to lung tissue where it can damage cellular DNA and hence cause cancer.

Lung Cleaners

Smoking also kills fine hair like projections in the respiratory tract, called cilia. Under normal circumstances these hair like projections waft particles, mucous and debris from the lungs and thereby help to maintain clear airways and clean lungs. Smoking destroys this function leading to an increase of material accumulating in the lungs. Not all of this material will be derived from smoking. Naturally occurring compounds such as dust and other airborne particles will remain in the lungs as well. The outcome for the smoker is an increased risk of lung cancer and other chronic  lung conditions such as emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The End Result

The lungs are truly wondrous organs and remarkably resistant to environmental assault. Smoking, especially over many years, adds a further burden which often proves too much. The end result for the smoker is disease and premature death.

It’s the end of the week and it’s time for more smoking related news stories.

Smoking Mice Like Cocaine

Research by the National Institute of Drug Abuse indicates that nicotine may affect the brain making the user more likely to abuse other drugs such as cocaine. Studies using a mouse model have shown that nicotine may prime the brain to enhance the effects of cocaine. The study involved exposing mice to nicotine over a 7 day period and then monitoring their response to cocaine. After nicotine exposure the mice showed an increased behavioural response to cocaine. The response has been shown to act at the gene level and results in increased expression in several genes. In particular, changes in expression of the FosB gene was noted. This gene has been implicated in drug addiction and ultimately effects behaviour. Perhaps this is why drug addicts are usually abusers of tobacco as well.

Most Smokers Fail To Quit

Most American smokers want to quit. In fact 70% of smokers would like to stop smoking and at least half have tried over the past year. However, of those attempting to quit only 6%  manage to stop smoking after one year.

An estimated 20% of the adult American population are classified as smokers, this equates to over 45 million smokers. Only 32% of those trying to quit receive any smoking cessation aid or advice. A spokes person for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention thinks there is significant room for improvement. The use of structured support can increase quit rates at least two fold.

Set Back For Graphic Imagery

FDA inspired legislation to include graphic imagery on cigarette packs has suffered a set back. A federal judge has ruled that tobacco companies don’t have to add the images, just yet. This is in response to a law suit by the tobacco companies who are committed to preventing the printing of graphic images on their cigarette packs. This surprise decision has delighted pro-smoking groups throughout the country.

NicVax Fails in Clinical Trials

An injectable drug designed to help smokers quit has failed in clinical trials. The drug NicVax was designed to induce the immune system to produce antibodies against nicotine. The idea was to prevent nicotine from reaching the brain. Unfortunately the drug was found to be no better than a placebo in helping smokers quit after one year.

Another Reason Not To Smoke in Pregnancy

It is well known that smoking during pregnancy can adversely affect the developing foetus, including low birth weight, premature delivery and sudden infant death syndrome. However, few studies have addressed the effect of smoking on assisted reproduction.    Research conducted by the Center for Maternal and Child Health in Baltimore has shown that women who smoke just prior to undergoing fertility treatments are at a greater risk of having low birth weight babies than their non-smoking counterparts. The study looked at 14,194 mothers and found that the risk for delivering a low birth weight infant was increased by 3 fold for smoking mothers.

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Giving up Smoking is Easy

Mark Twain is attributed to saying: ‘Giving up smoking is easy; I’ve done it a 1000 times’. Well, even if he didn’t say it, he should have. So smoking tobacco is addictive. Don’t be fooled by what ‘Big Tobacco’ says – they don’t always tell the truth. It turns out that nicotine is the major addictive component of tobacco, although other components may have a minor role. Nicotine is an insecticide produced by the tobacco plant to prevent it being eaten by creepy crawlies and it is an extremely potent poison. By chance, the nicotine molecule has a similar structure to the human neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine has a powerful influence on the body’s pleasure and reward pathways. Nicotine delivers a gentle high as well as affecting mood and concentration.

Giving up Smoking is Hard

As all habitual smokers know, stopping is hard. Once addicted, the smoker will continue to smoke to maintain their favoured nicotine levels in the body. Failure will result in unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. How hard is it to give up smoking? When dealing with something as complex as nicotine addiction, there can be no easy answer. In order to obtain some sort of quantitative or measurable means of assessment researchers consider 6-month quit rates as a guide. It seems that without help from quitting aids the 6-month quit rate is 4% to 7%. With help, for instance with nicotine replacement products, the quit rate may increase to between 25% and 33%. This seems low but is in accord with quit rates with other addictions. Quitting smoking is really hard. In fact it is now acknowledged that nicotine is the most addictive substance known and is more difficult to give up than heroin.

The First Three Days the Hardest?

Smoking cessation experts are fond of stating that the first three days of quitting are the hardest. This is the time it takes for nicotine and its metabolites to leave the body. But as any smoker who has attempted to quit will tell you, it doesn’t work like that. Nicotine addiction is a jealous addiction and doesn’t let go without a fight. Experts, you will find, are generally lifelong non-smokers without a real appreciation of the true nature of the addiction. The true experts are the quitters; they really do know. In fact for many smokers, the first few days are the easiest. This is the time of maximum virtue and many believe that the cravings will disappear in a puff of smoke, if only they can hold out for the magical three days. Of course, when the cravings don’t disappear the true realisation of the quitting process finally sinks in. The quitter is in for the long haul. Unremitting withdrawal pangs of varying intensity become their reality. As the statistics show, most mortals can’t cope and quickly relapse to the guilt ridden but blissful state of the smoker. Even with help, great determination is needed to stay smoke free. Nicotine’s hold is tenacious and those who remain long term smoke free are truly blessed. It takes time, before the ex- smoker passes to the state of the true non -smoker. Even so, most ex- smokers will have an affectionate regard for smoking long after they have quit, and may never be truly free from its yellow fingered grasp.

Smoking Is Bad For Your Health

Smoking is never going to be good for your health. At least half of life long smokers will die due to their smoking habit. Why is it that anyone would wittingly risk their life for a life style choice? What starts off as a life style choice rapidly became an addiction to the drug, nicotine. Nicotine in tobacco is the reason that people continue to smoke. Some smokers think otherwise. They say that smoking helps them to think or gives them something to do with their hands. Smokers smoke because they are addicted to nicotine; they only delude themselves if they are unwilling to acknowledge this truth. Nicotine is an extremely addictive chemical and cigarettes are highly engineered systems for its effective delivery.

Quit Smoking Cold Turkey

At least 70% of existing smokers have tried to quit at some stage. So the question to be asked is: How to quit smoking tobacco? There are numerous ways available to quit smoking. The most popular method for quitting is cold turkey. Its clear advantage over other techniques is that not only do you save money, otherwise spent on cigarettes, but also there is no expenditure on quit aids and programs. This approach will appeal to those sick of paying for the spiralling cost of a pack of cigarettes. However, if you are going to judge a quit method by its success rate then quitting cold turkey is a down right failure. The sad truth is that only 5% of smokers will quit this way on any given attempt. This bald statistic drives home the difficulty experienced by smokers attempting to quit and graphically illustrates how addictive nicotine really is. Nicotine is the most addictive drug known and is even more addictive than morphine and its derivative, heroin. People find this hard to believe; firstly, because it is legal and secondly because there is no drug high. The reason that tobacco is legal is historical; would tobacco be legal if it was discovered today?

Quit Smoking is Hard

Quitting smoking is not going to be easy and smokers contemplating the quit process should not underestimate the task ahead. If you are considering quitting cold turkey then it is a good idea to have a plan and most importantly a set quit date. A well thought out quit date always helps. This date should be set in stone. Be strong and make no excuse. Many fail before they begin. On the big day get rid of any tobacco and associated items; spare nothing. This is critical because once the pangs of nicotine withdrawal take a hold you will be susceptible to exquisite temptation. Quitting smoking is tough enough so don’t make the job harder than it has to be. The regular smoker is likely to experience the pangs of nicotine withdrawal fairly soon after their last smoke. Not everyone experiences the same degree of symptoms but all will suffer the inevitable cravings for nicotine. Chewing no doubt helps, whether it is gum, or some other food; munch on a veggie stick for a healthy option.

Nicotine’s Hold

There are some so called experts that think nicotine cravings will stop on day four of quitting. It is certainly the case that nicotine and its metabolites are removed from the body after three days. Nicotine does not let go this easily. In reality it takes quite a while before the smoker’s brains readjusts to a normal non-smoker status. To make the transition from a smoker to an ex- smoker is likely to take many months. You will become normal once again, but not in the near future. Those that are totally committed to quitting will one day realise that they have finally become smoke free.

Quit Smoking by Any Method is Hard

Quitting by cold turkey is hard and most who attempt this method will fail. Don’t be disillusioned if you can’t quit on the first try. Those who finally master their addiction quitting this way usually have had several abortive attempts. Quitting smoking, by whatever method, is going to be hard. In the final analysis, there are no easily solutions or quick fixes to nicotine addiction. Effort and determination are still required to master this deadly habit.

Smoking is Really Bad

No one can deny that smoking is bad for your health and most people are now aware of the hazards of second hand smoke. But most are unaware of the potential health hazards of third hand smoke. It is fair to say that the majority of people would be hard put to state what the term, “third hand smoke” actually means. So let’s begin with a definition. Third hand smoke refers to the residual smoke contamination that exists after the cigarette has been extinguished. It is the tobacco residue that collects within a room, coating curtains, carpets, walls, furniture and even dust particles. It also collects on the smoker themselves infesting their skin, hair and clothes. It represents the stale tobacco smell we can detect in a room days after the last cigarette was stubbed out. The smell eventually dissipates, unless continually renewed with more smoke, but the invisible coating remains.

The Health Risk of Third Hand Smoke

Should we be worried? Is it possible that third hand smoke poses a real health risk or is it just another way of stigmatising the already beleaguered smoking community? Third hand smoke is a relatively new concept and scientific research into its possible health effects is in its infancy. However, the toxins present in burnt tobacco will also be present in third hand smoke. The degree of hazard will be related to environmental exposure which is in turn dependant on the volume of the room and the extent of the tobacco exposure over time. The  resulting coating caused by third hand smoke is stubborn and resists removal by normal cleaning and airing of rooms.

The Research into Third Hand Smoke

Research has shown that nicotine deposited on furniture and fabrics reacts with atmospheric pollution to produce a group of chemical compounds called nitrosamines. This is of particular concern as this class of chemical is a known carcinogen. The question that needs to be answered is whether these cancer causing chemicals can be absorbed by people. Dust particles containing these chemicals could be inhaled providing one route for direct lung contamination. Developing children are uniquely vulnerable to low level toxins. Their small size means that they are closer to contaminated surfaces. They are also likely to mouth items of furniture and clothing. The ultimate risk to those exposed to third hand smoke is difficult to calculate. However, the risk is unlikely to be negligible. The chemicals present are known toxins, many of which have no known safe exposure levels.

Don’t Smoke at Work

The potential hazards are starting to be recognised by employers. The Indiana University Health Medical Centre has not only banned smoking from its campus it has also implemented a policy whereby workers are also forbidden to smoke during the work day.

Bob Dylan

Times are certainly changing. Not only do we need to worry about direct exposure to smoke we now need to consider exposure from contaminants long after the cigarette has been put out. All this adds to one more incentive why smokers should quit their dangerous and ultimately fatal habit.

Physical vs Psychological Smoking Addiction

I don’t deny that there is a psychological component to smoking addiction. However, I have always been of the opinion that its importance is relatively minor when compared to the physical addiction to nicotine. Depending on source, you will see more or less emphasis placed on the importance of psychological dependency on smoking behaviour. Some experts take an extreme view playing down the physical addiction. I’ve read that the physical addiction only lasts two days and if you relapse after this period it is down to psychological aspects of the addiction. I suspect the author is a life long non-smoker. Anyone who has smoked and tried to quit will know different. I think this sort of advice is counter productive as it instils in the mind of the smoker that quitting should be a relatively easy process. After all, if you can last two days without cigarettes you only have to deal with your psychological dependency on tobacco; the fight against the physical addiction has been won. Absolute nonsense. You can be assured that physical dependency does not go away after two days. Physical addiction to nicotine will be around for a while. We are all different and I suppose this also applies to nicotine addiction. Not everyone is addicted to the same degree. The reasons for individual differences in response to nicotine addiction are complex, although differences in our genetic make up have an important influence. Individuals will experience differences in how long they remain physically addicted to nicotine. Taking an average however, six months is not an unreasonable estimate. Although it may take longer than this for you to be entirely comfortable with your new found non-smoker status.

Psychological Smoking Addiction

So what is meant by psychological addiction to smoking? Smoking behaviour, like most human behaviours, is complex. Smoking is often associated with particular activities, often activities that are pleasurable in themselves. So for instance, smokers may reach for a cigarette with their cup of coffee, after meals and after sex. These associations become ingrained in the smoker’s life. The association between these separate activities becomes habitual. Smokers become conditioned. The smell of coffee, or the taste of an alcoholic drink, for example, will trigger an urge to smoke irrespective of whether there is a physical need to smoke to maintain nicotine levels.

Combined Approach Needed 

It is important that the smoker, wishing to become a non-smoker, tackles this component of their smoking addiction. In my considered opinion, psychological and behavioural aspects of tobacco addiction are a lot easier to deal with than the physical aspects of nicotine addiction. Changing your behaviour and avoiding situations which act as cues for your smoking habit will no doubt play a part in your overall strategy to remain smoke free.

In a previous post I looked at young smokers. Today I’m digging a little deeper and expanding on some of the issues.

Why do people start smoking? The answer to this question is not as simple as the answer to why people continue to smoke. The answer to the last question is relatively easy; nicotine addiction. Other factors may also play a role in why people continue to smoke but I consider them to be of minor importance and overwhelmed by the shear physical addiction to the drug nicotine. It is not to say that these other factors are not worthy of further discussion, it is just that today’s post is really focussing on the reasons why people start the habit in the first place.

First You Need To Understand The Young…..

To understand why people smoke you have to understand adolescent psychology. Most people start to smoke when young and do so because of very particular pressures. The majority of smokers start before 18 and most start in their early or mid teens. This period in a person’s life is one of, physiological, psychological and emotional flux and turmoil. How many of us as adults would like to relive this period of our life? It is a necessary, but difficult, transition from child to adulthood. And it is during this period that we often make poor decisions. So here are some factors that influence one of these poor decisions- starting smoking.

1. Because the important people around them smoke. If your parents smoke then it is likely that you will smoke. The statistics show that if both parents smoke then their children are twice as likely to smoke in comparison to the average population smoking rate. Children will imitate their parents. If parents smoke in front of their children in the home on a regular basis then it becomes normal everyday behaviour. If it is engrained within normal life, then the behaviour becomes common place and perceived as innocuous.

2. Peer pressure. Adolescents follow trends and are influenced by their friends. When you are 13 you want to be accepted and belong to a group. Once part of a group adolescents will imitate the behaviour of the dominant members of the group. If the dominant members smoke then, to become accepted, they may pick up the habit. There will be powerful overt and subtle psychological pressures to imitate their peers.

3. There has been an image fostered in popular culture and in films that smoking is cool, sexy and sophisticated. This image has taken a beating in recent years due to advertising restrictions and cinema censure, but there still exists a lingering allure. Celebrities exert a major influence on the behaviour of the young. Oddly enough, many celebs are smokers and adolescents and young adults often emulate the behaviour of these successful and often attractive people.

4. Many young people would like to appear older than they actually are. They want to acquire a veneer of maturity and consequently mimic so called ‘grown up’ behaviours such as smoking and drinking.

5. Some young people take up the smoking habit as an act of rebellion. They know smoking will upset others and is bad for their health but they don’t want to be part of normal conventional society and revel in their bad boy or girl image. This rebellious stage is usually a passing fancy, unfortunately smoking is one behaviour that is likely to follow them into adulthood.

6. Some may start because they are simply curious. They would like to know what all the fuss is about. Adolescence is an age of experimentation and smoking may just be another sensation that needs to be experienced.

No matter why they start, young smokers will invariably become addicted to nicotine. And once addicted they will find they can’t drop this expensive and dangerous habit. Smoking will no longer be cool, rebellious or sexy; it will just be plain drug addiction.