Excuses?

I recently read A CONVERSATION WITH WAYNE DYER By Ellen Mahoney, it had some interesting things to say to anyone who is trying to change something in their life. He said the following about excuses, "Excuses are the explanations we use for hanging on to behavior we don't like about ourselves; they are self-defeating behaviors we don't know how to change." When I read this definition I was struck with the last part especially, the "self defeating behaviors we don't know how to change". I believe we are sometimes our own worse enemy in that when we don't know how to do something, or have tried and felt it did didn't work we feel defeated and don't try again. What we don't realize is by learning about what didn't work and in what circumstance it didn't work we learn more about what will work. It takes what we have learned by a quit attempt to make us successful in quitting.

He continues to say, "We get conditioned to believe in our limitations and what's not possible. People who have had self-defeating behaviors, (such as longtime addictions) actually believe there is no other alternative." I ask all who feel it is impossible to quit, to think about this statement. Is it easier to believe in our limitations and what seems impossible than learning about when, and why you use tobacco, studying your tobacco use and gradually step by step learning how you can quit. Wayne Dyer further said that, "we hang on to self-defeating behaviors because it's easier not to take responsibility. Usually, making excuses is just something we can get away with, rather than challenging or changing ourselves. If you want to change and you want your life to work at a level you've never had before, then take responsibility for it."

What an encouraging statement. It can really help to make a study of ones own tobacco use, learn about it so you can learn how to quit. To deal with the physical addiction it really helps to use one of the medications available which help people quit. If you have tried a product and you don't believe it worked, study why, so you can learn about why it didn't. Perhaps it was because the instructions weren't followed carefully. Thinking about the product in this way might lead you to trying it again because you can follow up on personal behaviors that will make using it work better or might lead you to try another one of the nicotine replacement products, or one of the medications that fits your life style better.

Reflecting on your personal use of tobacco can help in another way too, there are social and behavioral reasons people smoke and by studying your own use you can change your behavior so that it is easier to quit. By looking at when you smoke, you can try changing what you do at that time. Not going out for a smoke break with other smokers is one thing that comes to mind. Another change that helps many people is not lingering at the dinner table after supper but getting up to take a walk instead. Sometimes people smoke when faced with a stressful situation. Learning some breathing techniques to use when faced with stress, or giving oneself a break away from the situation, by reading or taking a walk are other options. (Look back on older blogs entries for more ideas) All of these are examples of changing behavior which will support a quit attempt.

The article ended with this quote from Wayne Dyer, "I BELIEVE IF YOU CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THINGS, THE THINGS YOU LOOK AT CHANGE." I challenge us all to change the way we look at things, especially personal tobacco use. I know that with introspection and study of when and why you use tobacco, and utilizing the help of a tobacco treatment medication which is right for you, that you will be able to quit!

(speak to your physician about what medication or nicotine replacement product is best for you, remembering that if you are nursing or pregnant the FDA hasn't approved of these products)

Clove Cigarettes

More is being reported on the recently FDA banned, Clove Cigarettes, by ABC news and summarized by Join Together
Although many people think, because they seem to be more "natural" or are different from the usual cigarettes smoked that they are safer; instead, Clove Cigarettes, which have recently been banned by the FDA are dangerous. It has been reported that, the chemical in cloves, eugenol, is the topical anesthetic dentists use to numb the mouth. When smokers inhale clove smoke their throats are numbed by the eugenol and that allows them to breathe in the smoke more deeply. Richard Hurt, director of the Nicotine Dependence Center, at the Mayo Clinic was quoted as saying. "Most officials agree that when young people smoke cloves (cigarettes), they get hooked faster because of the anesthetic, eugenol, in the cloves. In many respects clove cigarettes are more dangerous than other flavored cigarettes.

Are Roll Your Own Cigarettes Safer?

"I always thought because they are natural, they are pure tobacco and safer". I think this woman's beliefs echo many who Roll their Own Cigarettes. With the cost of cigarettes so high these days many people are turning to Roll Your Own (RYO) cigarettes, others are using RYO cigarettes because they believe them to be pure and therefore safer. Sellers of RYO tobacco have used this as a way to sell their tobacco; they call it natural", or often use the term "additive free". Please consider the following information.

RYO smokers were found to be more addicted and heavier smokers by Canadian researchers. Smokers of RYO cigarettes showed an increased risk of the mouth and pharynx and the risk of laryngeal cancer is greater. RYO tobacco is still not safe. It still contains toxins and carcinogens and the mouth and throat are at increased risk in developing problems. RYO smokers have a much higher risk of developing diabetes, and high blood pressure than the regular population.

WHY RYO smokers are more addicted and heavier smokers is an important question and so there has been some studying of the smoking techniques of RYO cigarettes and Factory Made (FM) cigarettes and the differences associated with each of them. RYO smokers smoked more intensely; they inhaled 28% more smoke per cigarette and took 25% more puffs and puffed longer. Perhaps this is because in RYO cigarettes there is no burning agent put in the tobacco to keep the tobacco burning so it requires constant puffing to keep the cigarette burning. Whatever the reason exposure to the toxins and carcinogens is determined by puffing behavior and so with more puffing comes more exposure to these toxins and carcinogens.

So is RYO tobacco pure and natural? What of the natural substances found in tobacco that comes from the soil in which the tobacco is grown in? We know that ammonia is naturally found in tobacco as is polonium; and it is because they are grown in soil that have these substances occurring naturally. RYO tobacco has these poisons as well as FM cigarettes. There is also the increased danger of toxins and carcinogens that with FM cigarettes are filtered out by the filter and with RYO are not filtered out. A person can take a filter from a used FM cigarette and see many of the things like tar etc that are filtered out. This is another reason that RYO cigarette smokers are at increased risk for mouth and throat problems.

So although they are advertised as pure, natural and without additives, we know that they are not safe. Smoking RYO cigarettes are not safer than smoking Factory Cigarettes, because smoking is harmful whether it is RYO or FM cigarettes. The way to keep from harming your body with tobacco is to quit. Please read older posts to get the help and support that can help you quit, or contact me and I will help in any way I can.

FDA Bans Flavored Cigarettes

The Food and Drug Administration banned bidis, clove, and other flavored cigarettes, on September 22, 2009. They didn't include menthol cigarettes in the ban.
Many people mistakenly think bidis, clove and other flavored cigarettes are more natural and therefore safer. They are incorrect, as bidis contain more tar, nicotine, benzopyrene, carbon monoxide, and other harmful chemicals than regular cigarettes sold in the United States. More frequent pulls, or inhalations are needed to keep them lit because they don't have burning agents in them, this means the body gets more of the toxins each time one is smoked.

Bidis, clove and other flavored cigarettes were particularly targeted to younger people. Bidi's are made in India, by the very poor and young in deplorable conditions. I am glad that the FDA acted to ban these in the United States, I know this ruling will take many very dangerous products off the shelves.

Pregnant Smokers Linked to Psychotic Symptoms in Children

In the October, 2009 issue of the British Journal Of Psychiatry,which was summarized by Join Together there is a report on a study which stated that "Women who smoke tobacco during pregnancy increase the risk of having children who develop psychotic problems." This study was done by researchers in the U.K. They also found that the "expectant mothers who smoked the most faced the greatest risk".

Study author, Stanley Zammit, said that, "we can estimate that about 20 per cent of adolescents would not have developed psychotic symptoms if their mothers had not smoked. Therefore Maternal smoking may be an important risk factor in the development of psychotic experiences in the population."

Psychosis can be defined as an abnormal condition of the mind, or a loss of contact with reality. People that are experiencing psychosis may have difficulty with social interactions and find it difficult to carry out daily life activities.

This information is disturbing for pregnant mothers who smoke to hear, but in our efforts to provide the best start to our babies we need to make decisions based on the best available information. This recent study suggests that smoking while pregnant may hinder the development of the fetal brain. The researchers also suspect impulsivity, attention or cognition may be impacted by exposure of tobacco during pregnancy.

There is help available to quit smoking. Please read further on the blog or contact me through this blog and I will assist you in your efforts to quit. Your public health nurse will also provide support to quit. This information, and your desire to provide the best start for your baby can be the motivation to quit the difficult addiction of nicotine in tobacco.

You can read about this research further by going to Health Day News and/or the British Journal of Psychiatry. If you would like to read a summary of this research go to Join Together.