endsmoke.com

Giving up smoking is tough. But I’m giving it a good go. Went to the shop this morning to buy a paper, used the debit card, computer says no,
How is this possible? I got paid today, I’m nowhere near my limit, my bank seems to think that a few transactions from my card the weekend previous in Lincoln is deemed “suspicious” and blocked my card. Great, just what I need, smoking pangs and no Guardian.

Ah well things to keep me busy, replace one addiction with another, decided that computer consoles are an ex smokers godsend, I’m playing anything, even games designed for 6 year olds, anything to keep my mind off smoking. It works too. I would recommend it, drinking so much tea as well, tea is good.

Keep positive, I used to be such Athlete, waking up at 6am to put a couple of hours training in on the mountain bike before school, these days the only exorcise I get is a five a side football match once a week… and I’m the goal keeper.

Anyway that’s the update for today, still holding out.

I have been an avid smoker for many years, I smoke about 10 a day, I also drink, other than these indiscretions I’m a healthy 29 year old male. But i hate smoking, I hate it because I just cant quit, I have tried everything, patches, gum, event those crazy nasal spray inhalers,(i just ended up getting addicted to them for a short period of time as well! – whilst still smoking.) But nothing works, and you know why? BECAUSE I HAVE NO WILLPOWER. It’s my own fault, there is no other explanation, I fail where others succeed.

In fact I live with two people who gave up Smoking for new year, they not only gave up smoking but they gave up drinking alcohol and eating. Well Eating junk food, giving up eating completely would have been a little drastic.

Anyway they succeeded, the changed their life, and yet I’m still burdened with the fags.

Over the next few days im going to try and cut down, to smoke less. and I’ll let you know how i get on.

If you are looking at buying a new home you may want to seriously consider quitting smoking. Those who smoke often find themselves with higher insurance premiums due to the obvious fire hazards that come with smoking in your home.

Another benefit, is that if you stop smoking you can install fire alarms in your house. This will help to reduce insurance premiums further as you are less likely to make a fire claim if you put these precautions in place.

Just think, if you quit smoking you will not only be saving money on all those cigarettes you would normally be buying, but you will also be saving on your home insurance as well. It’s no question that not smoking really benefits your pocket as well as your health.

We are all free to do what we want in our own home but that smell that permeates the entire fabric of your house can put off potential buyers if you are looking to sell.

Smoking is becoming less and less popular and people are no longer prepared to put up with people smoking around them, much less move into a house where it will take a very long time to move the smell of cigarette smoke.

Like most smokers there will often be ash stains in the house as well, and buying a house is a very big decision, so buyers often want things to be just right. So…along with the many other health benefits of giving up smoking, quitting is a real consideration you will want to make if you are looking to sell your home.

We all know that smoking can cause illnesses but now a UK study has found that smoking, put together with high blood pressure and high cholesterol can cause death up to ten years earlier than those who live otherwise healthy lives.

The study, conducted in 1967 to 1970 looked at a collection of middle-aged males. From this collection 42% were smokers, 51% had high cholesterol and 39% had high blood pressure. When the study was followed up in 2005 it was found that already 13,501 had died.

The study concluded that men which had all three risk factors, Smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol could expect to live until 74 where other males which are healthy and do not have any of these risks could expect to live up to ten years longer than this.

Ten years is a very long time so if there was ever a reason to give up, surely this would be a very good one!

We followed a lot of our European counterparts by banning smoking in public places, and the health benefits of this are obvious helping to prevent the issues associated with second hand smoke. But should we now take this further and follow our European counterparts example again by banning the display of tobacco in all our local shops and supermarkets.

Results from both Iceland and Canada suggest that this could have real benefits. Since introducing the ban, both countries have seen a drop in youth smoking rates.

Studies at the university of Stirling and research performed at the Centre for Behavioural Research also confirm this.

Obviously the results of any such ban in this country would take time to have any real effect, but if we are serious as a country about reducing the amount of young smokers and trying to combat the cancerous effects of smoking then this is surely the way to go. What do you think?

Whilst smoking your body is under an increased risk of developing serious diseases and serious health problems. All major organs are put under increased pressure and research shows that smokers compared to non smokers develop a wide range of both short and long term health problems. Anti Smoking campaigns highlight the effect on your body. Below are just a few areas that are damaged.

Mouth and Throat – bad breath, stained teeth, gum disease and damage to your sense of taste. The most serious damage is risk of cancer in your lips, tongue, throat and gullet.

Skin – smoking reduces the amount of oxygen to the skin making it age quicker and look lifeless.
Bones – causes bones to get weak and brittle. Women are 10 % likely to suffer from osteoporosis than non smoker.

After quitting smoking both yours and those around you will start seeing the benefits. You will reduce your risk of developing illness, disability or death caused by cancer, heart or lung disease. For those loved ones around you, they automatically get protected as they will no longer be exposed to second-hand smoke. This in turn reduces the chances of your children developing asthma or glue ear. For yourself the benefits are endless, breathing and general fitness levels improve, fertility levels and a chance of a healthy baby are improved as well so it’s not just you who reap the benefits but your whole family.

The last post talked about nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and its various forms such as gum, patches or inhalers. NRT can be really helpful in getting you past the initial heavy cravings and withdrawal symptoms that people get when they quit smoking, which are often the reason that they fail. If you have decided to quit, and you’re thinking of using NRT, there are some things you need to consider:

Make sure you have the right kind of NRT

The person to advise you on this is your GP, or there may be a specific advisor for quitting smoking in your local health service (which your GP can refer you to). There are some types of NRT that are not suitable for everyone (e.g. pregnant or breastfeeding women) and there will be a particular type that will be right for you, although you might need to try a couple of different types before you find the right one.

Follow the instructions carefully

Each type of NRT will come with instructions, and it is vital that you read these carefully and adhere to the guidelines, as failing to do so may hinder your progress towards a smoke free life.

Use the right amount of NRT

When you start using NRT you’ll have to use the amount recommended in the instructions, but as you adjust you will need to gradually reduce the amount. Don’t go too quickly, it’s better to gradually come off the medicine, and don’s stop completely until you are sure you’re ready.

Don’t smoke whilst you’re using NRT

This will not help your progress towards quitting. But if you do have a weak moment, don’t just stop using the NRT, keep at it and you’ll succeed in the long run.

If you’ve ever tried to quit smoking without any assistance – ‘cold turkey’ – you may have found that the sudden change in how you were feeling was too much to take, and maybe it was just too hard to get used to your body without the nicotine. A lot of people give up quitting smoking in their first week of trying, this can be because the withdrawal symptoms are worst at this time. So getting some help with specific medicines designed to help control the cravings could be a good option for you.

According to some experts, using medicines such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can double your chances of quitting long term. The best place to start should be your GP as they will be able to advice or prescribe specific treatments for you to try. NRT won’t completely take away your urge to smoke, especially because, as explained in recent posts, half the difficulty is the daily habit of smoking and not just the drug contained in a cigarette. However NRT may be able to get you over the first hurdle and away from the initial strong withdrawal symptoms and give you a better fighting chance of staying off cigarettes.

The main types of NRT are lozenges, gum and nicotine patches, which are available without prescription over the counter in a pharmacy. I know someone that had an allergic reaction to the patches after a couple of weeks of using them – the area where it was stuck on her skin came out in an itchy red rash, however because this was after a couple of weeks she had got over the worst period of withdrawal and was ok after that. Other options include a nasal spray and an inhaler, but you need a prescription from your GP to get these, and they may want you to try the over the counter items first.