Planning to Quit in the New Year
Many people are taking the opportunity that a new year brings of changing something in their lives, they are even now considering New Year Resolutions. Are you contemplating what you resolve to change in the new year to improve your life, and your families' life. Are you thinking of quitting smoking as your new year resolution? If so now is the time to plan, people that make a plan to quit are more successful than people that just decide to quit without thinking about what will help them be successful. There isn't a better time to quit than 2010!
The first thing to think about is medications. If you aren't pregnant or nursing there are medications that are FDA approved that can be very helpful. Now is the time to call or make an appointment to see your health provider and visit with them about which medications will work best for you.
Questions to Think About
These are some questions to ponder as you prepare to quit in the new year.
1. Why do you want to quit?
2. When you tried to quit in the past, what helped and what didn't?
3. What will be the most difficult situations for you after you quit? How will you plan to handle them?
4. Who can help you through the tough times? Your family? Friends? Health care provider?
5. What pleasures do you get from smoking? What ways can you still get pleasure if you quit?
Every day until New Years I will blog about things that will help you be successful. Return to the blog each day and be ready to think through some of the reasons you smoke and how to be successful when you quit. I am looking forward to each day.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The Great American SMOKE OUT
Every year The Cancer Society sponsors The Great American Smoke Out. It is a fun event that brings to the mind of every smoker if it isn't a good time to quit. It is also a challenge to smokers that asks them to quit for one day. I would like to use this event to make a personal challenge to use this day to Practice Quitting. This is an ideal time when you are thinking of your smoking because of this event to just try it.
What are the merits of quitting for only one day you might ask yourself. Well I believe that a practice day can teach you alot and will help your eventual quit effort by bringing to that effort some knowledge about "smoking and you" that will give you an edge that you would not have had without it.
You can learn alot about your triggers, and about cravings on this practice day. You have a practice day so since you have a desire to make your eventual quitting effective 100% then how best to learn. I suggest a diary. This might come in the form of a small index card that has the following headings. TRIGGER TIME EMOTION IMPORTANCE WHAT DID YOU DO?
The Trigger might be a harsh word spoken to you, or phone call, coffee, alcohol, or anything that made you think of smoking. Many times there are places or situations that can trigger a craving or a need to smoke.
The time element of this small diary can tell you if there are times during the day that you usually smoke. Perhaps you subconsiously know what these are but the diary will clarify the times during the day your body physically expects you to smoke.
The Emotion will bring to your attention what emotions seem to suggest to your mind that a cigarette would "feel good" or make the situations less stressful. Many times people believe that smoking calms them. In hind sight after quitting they examine this belief and think that in todays world smoking causes more stress more than it calms it.
How Important a cigarette varies. Are you smoking because you ran into a friend that you usually smoke with so you are sharing the time together smoking or are the kids really getting to you and you are using a cigarette break to get a way from them for a bit? Just have a 1 to 10 series to show how important the cigarette is to you with 1 being didn't really need to smoke to 10 being I NEED A SMOKE.
With your practice day you can look at strategies that you used to not smoke. Is it concentrating on your breath, taking a mini vacation to in your mind Hawaii or taking a break from what you are doing to a more active activity. These can get you thinking of strategies and allow you to try them out to see how effective they were for you.
The next suggestion is for you to remember on your practice day that cravings only last a few minutes. You can make it through 2 - 5 minutes can't you. This practice reminds you that you are a strong woman, you have overcome many hard times and you can get through the next few minutes of a craving too. It is a powerful tool to remind yourself that You Can Overcome.
So on this Great American Smoke Out have a practice day of Quitting and learn about when you might find it a difficult time, what your triggers are, and what works to get through those cravings. Remember to be kind to yourself during this day. It might not be an easy day but you are learning a lot about yourself and with Practice comes Perfection.
What are the merits of quitting for only one day you might ask yourself. Well I believe that a practice day can teach you alot and will help your eventual quit effort by bringing to that effort some knowledge about "smoking and you" that will give you an edge that you would not have had without it.
You can learn alot about your triggers, and about cravings on this practice day. You have a practice day so since you have a desire to make your eventual quitting effective 100% then how best to learn. I suggest a diary. This might come in the form of a small index card that has the following headings. TRIGGER TIME EMOTION IMPORTANCE WHAT DID YOU DO?
The Trigger might be a harsh word spoken to you, or phone call, coffee, alcohol, or anything that made you think of smoking. Many times there are places or situations that can trigger a craving or a need to smoke.
The time element of this small diary can tell you if there are times during the day that you usually smoke. Perhaps you subconsiously know what these are but the diary will clarify the times during the day your body physically expects you to smoke.
The Emotion will bring to your attention what emotions seem to suggest to your mind that a cigarette would "feel good" or make the situations less stressful. Many times people believe that smoking calms them. In hind sight after quitting they examine this belief and think that in todays world smoking causes more stress more than it calms it.
How Important a cigarette varies. Are you smoking because you ran into a friend that you usually smoke with so you are sharing the time together smoking or are the kids really getting to you and you are using a cigarette break to get a way from them for a bit? Just have a 1 to 10 series to show how important the cigarette is to you with 1 being didn't really need to smoke to 10 being I NEED A SMOKE.
With your practice day you can look at strategies that you used to not smoke. Is it concentrating on your breath, taking a mini vacation to in your mind Hawaii or taking a break from what you are doing to a more active activity. These can get you thinking of strategies and allow you to try them out to see how effective they were for you.
The next suggestion is for you to remember on your practice day that cravings only last a few minutes. You can make it through 2 - 5 minutes can't you. This practice reminds you that you are a strong woman, you have overcome many hard times and you can get through the next few minutes of a craving too. It is a powerful tool to remind yourself that You Can Overcome.
So on this Great American Smoke Out have a practice day of Quitting and learn about when you might find it a difficult time, what your triggers are, and what works to get through those cravings. Remember to be kind to yourself during this day. It might not be an easy day but you are learning a lot about yourself and with Practice comes Perfection.
Surgeon General -Report:How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease
The following is a summary provided by the Office of the Surgeon General of their recent report on "How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease". A copy of the report or this summary may be found on the Office of the Surgeon General website. www.hhs.gov
THERE IS NO SAFE LEVEL OF EXPOSURE TO TOBACCO SMOKE. ANY EXPOSURE TO TOBACCO SMOKE - EVEN AN OCCASIONAL CIGARETTE OR EXPOSURE TO SECONDHAND SMOKE - IS HARMFUL.
* You don't have to ba a heavy smoker or a long-time smoker to get a smoking-related disase or have a heart attack or asthma attack that is triggered by tobacco smoke.
* Low levels of smoke exposure, including exposures to secondhand tobacco smoke, lead to a rapid and sharp increase in dysfunction and inflammation of the lining of the blood vessels, which are implicated in heart attacks and stroke.
* Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds. Hundreds are toxic and more than 70 cause cancer. Tobacco msoke itself is a know human circinogen.
* Chemicals in tobacco smoke interfere with the functioning of fallopian tubes, increasing risk for adverse preganancy outcomes such as ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, and low birth weight. They also damage the DNA in sperm which might reduce fertility and harm fetal develpment.
DAMAGE FROM TOBACCO SMOKE IS IMMEDIATE.
* The chemicals in tobacco smoke reach your lungs quickly every time you inhale. Your blood then carries the toxicants to every organ in your body.
* The chemicals and toxicants in tobacco smoke damage DNA, which can lead to cancer. Nearly one-third of all cancer deaths every year are directly linkd to smoking. Smoking causes about 85% of lung cancers in the US.
* Exposure to tobacco smoke quickly damages blood vessels throughout the body and makes blood more likely to clot. This damage can cause heart attacks, strokes, and even sudden death.
*The chemicals in tobacco smoke inflame the dlicate lining of the lungs and can cause permanent damage that reduces the ability of the lungs to exchange air efficiently and leads to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
SMOKING LONGER MEANS MORE DAMAGE.
*Both the risk and the severity of many diseases caused by smoking are directly related to how long the smoker has smoked and the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
* Chemicals in tobacco smoke cause inflammation and cell damage, and can weaken the immune system. The body makes white blood cells to respond to injuries, infections, and cancers. White blood cell counts stay high while smoking which can lead to disease in almost any part of the body.
* Smoking can cause cancer and weaken your bodys ability to fight cancer. With any cancer - even those not related to tobacco use - smoking can decrease the benefits of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. Exposure to tobacco smoke can help tumors grow.
* The chemicals in tobacco smoke complicate the regulation of blood sugar levels, exacerbating the health issues resulting from diabetes. Smokers with diabetes have a higher risk of heart and kidney disease, amputation, eye disease causing blindness, nerve damage and poor circulation.
CIGARETTES ARE DESIGNED FOR ADDICTION
*The design and contents of toacco products make them more attrative and addictive than ever before. Cigarettes today deliver nicotine more quickly from the lungs to the heart and brain.
* While nicotine is the key chemical compound that causes and sustains the powerful addicting effect of cigarettes, other ingredients and design features make them even more attractive and more addictive.
*The powerful addicting elements of toacco products affect multiple types of nicotine receptors in the brain.
*Evidence suggest that psychosocial, biologic, and genetic factors may also play a role in nicotine addiction.
*Adolescents' bodies are more sensitive to nicotine, and adolescents are more easily addicted than adults. This helps exxplain why about 1,000 teenagers become daily smokers every day.
THERE IS NO SAFE CIGARETTE.
*The evidence indicates that changing cigarette designsover the last five decades, including filtered, low-tar and "light" variations, have NOT reduced overall disease risk among smokers and may have hindered prevention and cessation efforts.
*The overall health of the public could be harmed of the introduction of novel tobacco products encourages tobacco use among people who would otherwise be unlikely to use tobacco product or delays cessation among persons who would otherwise quit using tobacco altogether.
THE ONLY PROVEN STRATEGY FOR REDUCING THE RISK OF TOBACCO-RELATED DISEASE AND DEATH IS TO NEVER SMOKE, AND IF YOU DO SMOKE TO QUIT.
*Quitting at any age and at any time is beneficial. It's never too late to quit, but the sooner the better.
*Quitting gives your body a chance to heal the damage caused by smoking.
*When smokers quit, the risk for a heart attack drops sharply after just 1 year/ stroke risk can fall to about the same as a nonsmoker's after 2-5 year; risks for cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder are cut in half after 5 years and the risk for dying of lung cancer drops by half after 10 years.
* Smokers often make several attempts before they are able to quit, but new strategies for cessation, including nicotine replacement and non-nicotine medications, can make it easier.
* Talk to your doctor or call the Quit line and get started on a quit plan today.
THERE IS NO SAFE LEVEL OF EXPOSURE TO TOBACCO SMOKE. ANY EXPOSURE TO TOBACCO SMOKE - EVEN AN OCCASIONAL CIGARETTE OR EXPOSURE TO SECONDHAND SMOKE - IS HARMFUL.
* You don't have to ba a heavy smoker or a long-time smoker to get a smoking-related disase or have a heart attack or asthma attack that is triggered by tobacco smoke.
* Low levels of smoke exposure, including exposures to secondhand tobacco smoke, lead to a rapid and sharp increase in dysfunction and inflammation of the lining of the blood vessels, which are implicated in heart attacks and stroke.
* Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds. Hundreds are toxic and more than 70 cause cancer. Tobacco msoke itself is a know human circinogen.
* Chemicals in tobacco smoke interfere with the functioning of fallopian tubes, increasing risk for adverse preganancy outcomes such as ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, and low birth weight. They also damage the DNA in sperm which might reduce fertility and harm fetal develpment.
DAMAGE FROM TOBACCO SMOKE IS IMMEDIATE.
* The chemicals in tobacco smoke reach your lungs quickly every time you inhale. Your blood then carries the toxicants to every organ in your body.
* The chemicals and toxicants in tobacco smoke damage DNA, which can lead to cancer. Nearly one-third of all cancer deaths every year are directly linkd to smoking. Smoking causes about 85% of lung cancers in the US.
* Exposure to tobacco smoke quickly damages blood vessels throughout the body and makes blood more likely to clot. This damage can cause heart attacks, strokes, and even sudden death.
*The chemicals in tobacco smoke inflame the dlicate lining of the lungs and can cause permanent damage that reduces the ability of the lungs to exchange air efficiently and leads to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
SMOKING LONGER MEANS MORE DAMAGE.
*Both the risk and the severity of many diseases caused by smoking are directly related to how long the smoker has smoked and the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
* Chemicals in tobacco smoke cause inflammation and cell damage, and can weaken the immune system. The body makes white blood cells to respond to injuries, infections, and cancers. White blood cell counts stay high while smoking which can lead to disease in almost any part of the body.
* Smoking can cause cancer and weaken your bodys ability to fight cancer. With any cancer - even those not related to tobacco use - smoking can decrease the benefits of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. Exposure to tobacco smoke can help tumors grow.
* The chemicals in tobacco smoke complicate the regulation of blood sugar levels, exacerbating the health issues resulting from diabetes. Smokers with diabetes have a higher risk of heart and kidney disease, amputation, eye disease causing blindness, nerve damage and poor circulation.
CIGARETTES ARE DESIGNED FOR ADDICTION
*The design and contents of toacco products make them more attrative and addictive than ever before. Cigarettes today deliver nicotine more quickly from the lungs to the heart and brain.
* While nicotine is the key chemical compound that causes and sustains the powerful addicting effect of cigarettes, other ingredients and design features make them even more attractive and more addictive.
*The powerful addicting elements of toacco products affect multiple types of nicotine receptors in the brain.
*Evidence suggest that psychosocial, biologic, and genetic factors may also play a role in nicotine addiction.
*Adolescents' bodies are more sensitive to nicotine, and adolescents are more easily addicted than adults. This helps exxplain why about 1,000 teenagers become daily smokers every day.
THERE IS NO SAFE CIGARETTE.
*The evidence indicates that changing cigarette designsover the last five decades, including filtered, low-tar and "light" variations, have NOT reduced overall disease risk among smokers and may have hindered prevention and cessation efforts.
*The overall health of the public could be harmed of the introduction of novel tobacco products encourages tobacco use among people who would otherwise be unlikely to use tobacco product or delays cessation among persons who would otherwise quit using tobacco altogether.
THE ONLY PROVEN STRATEGY FOR REDUCING THE RISK OF TOBACCO-RELATED DISEASE AND DEATH IS TO NEVER SMOKE, AND IF YOU DO SMOKE TO QUIT.
*Quitting at any age and at any time is beneficial. It's never too late to quit, but the sooner the better.
*Quitting gives your body a chance to heal the damage caused by smoking.
*When smokers quit, the risk for a heart attack drops sharply after just 1 year/ stroke risk can fall to about the same as a nonsmoker's after 2-5 year; risks for cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder are cut in half after 5 years and the risk for dying of lung cancer drops by half after 10 years.
* Smokers often make several attempts before they are able to quit, but new strategies for cessation, including nicotine replacement and non-nicotine medications, can make it easier.
* Talk to your doctor or call the Quit line and get started on a quit plan today.
Holiday Stress Busters
Holiday Stress Busters
Well the holiday season is going full strength. There are some wonderful reasons to love this time of year, with children being at the top of my reasons to enjoy Christmas time. It is such a busy time of year, with lots of stress built into that we sometimes get overwhelmed by it all. Beware of the stress sometimes bringing a person back to tobacco as a stress reliever. Remember that it is a temporary solution that will bring long term stress of quitting again. If because of the many things to do, the stress will sometimes take you to a cigarette. Know that relapse is not unusual, the difference can be in your reaction to the relapse. The important thing is to not continue to turn to a cigarette during times of stress but to remember breathing, exercise or any of the many things that you have used to handle cravings and stress. Let this be an opportunity to go back to better ways to handle stress than a cigarette, to return to the other ways to handle cravings. I would like to remind you that it is ok to take a short break from children. By this I mean when you used to give yourself a cigarette break when the children would bicker, whine or be difficult in any way I would encourage you to take a break with a book, or to do some breathing exercises, whatever would work the best for you and your situation. I would suggest that you take this break in a different place than you use to take your cigarette breaks. Your brain associates places with where you use to smoke and if you take breaks in those smoking places people often find that they will have stronger cravings in those spots or times. Choose a new place of momma breaks and try some deep breaths maybe using 4-4-4-4 breaths. If you have forgotten what that is look at the archives and review them. Take a deep breath and chill.
Well the holiday season is going full strength. There are some wonderful reasons to love this time of year, with children being at the top of my reasons to enjoy Christmas time. It is such a busy time of year, with lots of stress built into that we sometimes get overwhelmed by it all. Beware of the stress sometimes bringing a person back to tobacco as a stress reliever. Remember that it is a temporary solution that will bring long term stress of quitting again. If because of the many things to do, the stress will sometimes take you to a cigarette. Know that relapse is not unusual, the difference can be in your reaction to the relapse. The important thing is to not continue to turn to a cigarette during times of stress but to remember breathing, exercise or any of the many things that you have used to handle cravings and stress. Let this be an opportunity to go back to better ways to handle stress than a cigarette, to return to the other ways to handle cravings. I would like to remind you that it is ok to take a short break from children. By this I mean when you used to give yourself a cigarette break when the children would bicker, whine or be difficult in any way I would encourage you to take a break with a book, or to do some breathing exercises, whatever would work the best for you and your situation. I would suggest that you take this break in a different place than you use to take your cigarette breaks. Your brain associates places with where you use to smoke and if you take breaks in those smoking places people often find that they will have stronger cravings in those spots or times. Choose a new place of momma breaks and try some deep breaths maybe using 4-4-4-4 breaths. If you have forgotten what that is look at the archives and review them. Take a deep breath and chill.
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