Smoking Cessation Blog

There are two types of cravings people experience in the early days of smoking cessation.

Physical cravings are your body's reaction to nicotine withdrawal. You may feel a tightness in your throat or belly, accompanied by feelings of tension or mild anxiety. Once you quit using nicotine, the worst of physical withdrawal is over within 3-5 days.

Video: What Happens When You Quit Smoking?
_{Image © Blausen Medical}

Psychological cravings are triggered by the events in our daily lives. Years of smoking taught us to react to literally everything by lighting a cigarette. When we were happy, we'd celebrate by lighting up. When we got angry, smoking would calm us down, or so we thought. Tired? Smoke a cigarette to stay awake. Hungry? Feed yourself a smoke. This list goes on.

Practice and Patience

How you choose to react to a craving can either increase or decrease its power over you. Try a little reverse psychology - instead of tensing up for a fight when the urge to smoke hits, relax and mentally lean into it. Let the craving wash over you, and accept it as a sign of healing, which is just what it is. The urge will run its course and pass. Practice makes perfect with this technique. You'll get the hang of it in time and will find it empowering.

Healing from nicotine addiction is a process of gradual release that happens one day at a time. Be patient with yourself and allow recovery to unfold for you as it will. Enjoy the journey, and be sure to keep your focus on the day you have in front of you. Your power to affect change in your life is always in the present - so make today count.

Related:

• 5 Minute Craving Busters

• Why Do I Want to Smoke?!

• Managing The Urge to Smoke - Forum Member Tips

Healthy Monday encourages us to think of every Monday as a day that we can begin work anew on goals that we have for ourselves. If you're still smoking, put your cigarettes down and get started on your quit program today.

We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program.

You can quit smoking ... and we’re here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.

_{Image © healthymonday.org}

When compared to nonsmokers, the risk of stroke was:

• 2.2 times greater for women smoking one to 10 cigarettes a day
• 4.3 times greater for those smoking 21 to 39 cigarettes a day
• 9.1 times greater for those smoking two packs a day or more.

Stroke Risk in Women Smokers Goes Up by Each Cigarette - HealthDay News

Related:

• Smoking and Stroke: Paul's Story

• 6 Things You Can Do to Prevent a Stroke

"I quit smoking 8 months ago, and I used nicotine gum to help me do it. I still chew the gum, and I think I may be addicted to it/ I only chew a couple of pieces of nicotine gum a day, though. Isn't that a lot better than smoking a pack of cigarettes everyday?"

• Addicted to Nicotine Gum

• Quit Smoking Aids

• Understanding Nicotine Addiction

State Legislature passes surprise bill to tax Indian cigarettes
Albany -- Final passage was given today to legislation aimed at ending tax-free cigarette sales by Indian retailers. The measure, which had died in the Senate in June, was suddenly resurrected today during a one-day special session of the Senate. It seeks to obtain what lawmakers believe could be at least $400 million in taxes on sales of cigarettes by Indian retailers to non-Indian smokers.

Gene Variant May Decide Who Smokes and for How Long
HealthDay News -- A gene variant that may influence a person's initial response to smoking and lifetime smoking habits has been identified by a team of researchers.

Understandably, smoking cessation is a primary focus for most of us when we first quit smoking. We eat, sleep and breathe our quit programs, and when those we care about don't share the same level of interest, it can be disheartening. Even worse, lack of support or negative feedback from loved ones can fuel a smoking relapse.

A current discussion at the support forum here at About.com Smoking Cessation highlights this issue:

"My husband said he doesnt like me as a non-smoker because I am being mean and fussing at him! I probably have been, but I am trying not to..."

Surround yourself with those who know what you're going through at the About.com Smoking Cessation forum. The support and camaraderie available within this community of people quitting tobacco will help you insure long term success with smoking cessation.

For friends and family:
Supporting Loved Ones When They Quit Smoking

Take The Monday Pledge

Healthy Monday encourages us to think of every Monday as a day that we can begin work anew on goals that we have for ourselves. If you're still smoking, put your cigarettes down and get started on your quit program today.

We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program.

You can quit smoking ... and we’re here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.

_{Image © healthymonday.org}

Use the support offered at our Smoking Cessation Forum here at About.com. You'll meet people who are going through what you are, or have been there and can offer constructive advice. Your resolve will be bolstered more than you can imagine just by being around others who have the same goals you do. Stop in and browse as a guest, or register (free) and join the conversation.

Current Forum Discussions:

One Year Smoke-Free
"Wow, I still can’t believe it -- one year ago today I quit smoking after over 30 years of filling my lungs with all of those addictive chemicals, tar and nicotine. When I think about it now, it makes me sick to think of what I did to my body all of those years, not to mention my mind."

Quitting a 50 Year Habit...
"I started smoking at the age of 13 years. I thought it was sophisticated and made me fit in. I felt very grown up. I continued to smoked for the next 50 years (heavily). Six weeks and nearly 1 day ago I made the final decision to stop. It was through shock after a friend of mine at 55 years old contracted lung canger and also the cancer is in her liver and she now has the fight of her life on her hands."

Stress and Smoking Triggers
" I know smoking never really calmed us down we just thought it did... Now that we are non-smokers, do things bother us more or are we more sensitive to sights and sounds and have less patience? If so will this go away?"

Take Away Their Menthols? Is That Cool? - NY Times
Smoking menthol cigarettes has become politically charged as Congress considers legislation that would give the federal government the power to regulate tobacco products for the first time.

Most people who smoke wish they didn't. They live with a hatred for the habit, and the fear of serious illness is usually there too, lurking in the background. And always that awful feeling of being powerless to quit. Addiction does that to a person.

Eventually though, there comes a time for most smokers when the "smokescreen" starts to wear thin. And when it does, smoking loses its luster; its ability to soothe. Instead, smoking becomes a fearful, anxiety-ridden activity that has little to do with pleasure or relaxation, and we find ourselves thinking about quitting with every cigarette we light.

_{Image © Stockxpert}

Ready to Quit Smoking

26 years of smoking established some powerful incentives for me to quit:

• I was fearful that a smoking-related disease would catch up with me before I found a way to quit smoking. I was worried sick, so to speak.

• I hated the smoker's cough and shortness of breath I had developed. I knew it was a sign of lung damage, and would only get worse the longer I smoked.

• I hated the smell, the embarrassment, and the need. I especially resented the need. Nicotine dependency made me feel weak and helpless.

What are Your Reasons?

What are the driving factors behind your desire to quit smoking? Or, if you've quit, what was your last straw? Please share your reasons to quit smoking here and stop in for support and inspiration at the About.com Smoking Cessation support forum.

Take the Monday Pledge

Healthy Monday encourages us to think of every Monday as a day that we can begin work anew on goals that we have for ourselves. If you're still smoking, put your cigarettes down and get started on your quit program today.

We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program.

You can quit smoking ... and we’re here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.

Related:

• I Quit Smoking Because...

• Why Did You Quit Smoking?

While the FDA would not have the authority to ban tobacco products completely, it would have power in a couple of key areas:

• No longer would tobacco companies be allowed to shroud the manufacturing process for cigarettes in secrecy. They would be required to disclose specific details about ingredients in their tobacco products - including research results about cigarette additives long suspected to boost the addictive qualities of nicotine.

• Although the bill would not allow the FDA to eliminate nicotine from cigarettes, regulation of the amount of nicotine in cigarettes could be closely controlled. Additionally, the FDA would be able to regulate and/or eliminate other harmful ingredients used in the manufacture of cigarette products.

• Warning labels on cigarette packs would include images of the destructive diseases that follow smoking.

• Outdoor tobacco advertisements would have to be in black and white to reduce their appeal.

• Tobacco manufacturers would no longer be allowed to use the terms "light" or "ultralight" in advertisements for cigarettes.

House Votes to Let FDA Regulate Tobacco Industry - Wall Street Journal

Related:

• Shocking Smoking Facts

• The Chemicals in Cigarettes

• Smoking and Stroke: Paul's Story
  According to the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, affecting upwards of 700,000 people each year. For smokers, the risk of stroke is nearly 2 1/2 times that of nonsmokers.

• Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke -- Statistics
  Coronary heart disease and stroke - the primary types of cardiovascular disease caused by smoking - are the first and third leading causes of death in the United States.

  _{Photo © Paul Webster-Hughes}