22 octobre 2009
Health quit methods
Three Days of Natural Juices - Unless diabetic, drink plenty of natural acidic fruit juice the first three days. Cranberry is excellent. Acidic juices will not only aid in more quickly removing the alkaloid nicotine but will help stabilize blood sugars and avoid needless symptoms. Take care beyond three days as juices can be rather fattening. If diabetic, talk to our doctor about a diet rich in foods low on the glycemic index, foods converted to glucose more slowly, that will leave you feeling fuller longer.
Weight Gain - We would need to gain at least 75 extra pounds in order to equal the health risks associated with smoking one pack-a-day. Consider vegetables and fruits instead of candies, chips and pastries to help avoid weight gain. Engage in some form of moderate daily exercise if at all concerned about weight gain. Keep in mind that those quitting smoking can expect a substantial increase in overall lung function within just 90 days of quitting. It will aid in engaging in extended periods of brisk physical activity, shedding pounds, and building cardiovascular endurance. Stress
Related Anxieties – Contrary to popular thinking, smoking or chewing nicotine does not relieve stress but only nicotine’s own absence. Nicotine is an alkaloid and stress is an acid-producing event capable of quickly neutralizing the body’s nicotine reserves. It is like pouring a liquid baking soda solution on an acid-covered car battery terminal, or watching someone waste money on yard care by applying fertilizer (acid) at the exact same time as limestone (an alkaloid). We actually added the onset of early withdrawal to every stressful event. New quitters often discover an amazing sense of calm during crisis. In handling stress during this temporary period of readjustment, practice slow, deep breathing while focusing your mind on your favorite object, place or person, to the exclusion of other thoughts.
Quitting for Others - We cannot quit for others. It must be our gift to us. Quitting for a child, spouse, parent, friend, the fetus, employer or doctor creates a natural sense of self-deprivation that is likely to ultimately result in relapse. If quitting for another person, how will an addict's junkie-mind respond the first time that person disappoints us?
25 août 2009
I lose my friends becose of smoking
According to Philip Morris research, “over 85% of smokers agree strongly/very strongly with the statement, “I wish I had never started smoking.” Most of our friends feel the same and wish they knew how to stop. They can benefit greatly by having a friend in their corner who understands the journey users make in returning home. The nicotine addict’s mind has been conditioned to believe, through association, that using nicotine is central to our entire life, including friendships.
While true that we will no longer engage in nicotine use with any person, no relationship whose foundation is broader than shared drug use needs to be adversely affected by nicotine’s absence. Successful recovery need not deprive us of a single friend or loved one. On the contrary, tobacco use has probably cost us relationships. Fewer and fewer non-users are willing to tolerate being around the smells and smoke, and oral tobacco use can be a major turn-off. Aside from no longer using nicotine, our current lives do not need to change at all unless we want them to change. Mine did. I no longer sought situations that allowed me to feel comfortable smoking.
Fellow nicotine addicts don’t normally try to make each other feel guilty for being hooked and using. In fact, there can be a very real sense of dependency camaraderie. We serve as a form of “use” insurance for each other on those occasions when our supply runs out. Obviously, I no longer frequented community ashtrays. In fact, for the first time in my adult life I found myself totally comfortable sitting beside non-users and ex-users for extended periods of time. Gradually, yet increasingly, my circle of friends and acquaintances grew to include far more non-users and ex-users. It was as if my addiction had been picking relationships for me.
02 juin 2009
Countries can save lives by raising tobacco taxes
Tobacco tax increases are the most effective
way to reduce tobacco use, and also have the
benefit of increasing government revenues.
Although many countries have raised tobacco
taxes, they remain low in the overwhelming
majority of countries. With inflation and
increased consumer purchasing power,
cigarettes are becoming relatively more
affordable, even in many countries where
the tax accounts for a large proportion of
the purchase price. Furthermore, in many
countries, low levels of taxation on smoked
tobacco products other than cigarettes
(e.g. bidis and kreteks) and low prices for
inexpensive brands of cigarettes reduce the
potential health benefits of tobacco taxation
and can undermine other tobacco control
interventions.
Countries could cut tobacco use
significantly and save lives through higher
tobacco taxes.
Among 152 countries that provided
information, cigarette tax rates range from
near zero to more than 80%. Most countries
could increase taxes significantly. One quarter
of countries report tax rates less than 25% of
the tobacco retail price. Only four countries,
representing 2% of the world’s population,
have tax rates greater than 75% of retail price.
While more than four fifths of high-income
countries tax tobacco at more than 50% of
retail price, less than a quarter of low- and
middle-income countries tax tobacco at 50% or
more of retail price. This pattern is particularly
disturbing given the shift in the epidemic from
high-income countries to developing countries.
Increasing taxes in all countries is essential.
Many are already raising taxes – without
increasing smuggling or experiencing other
negative economic impacts predicted by the
tobacco industry.
In South Africa, tobacco
tax increases led to a doubling of the retail
price of cigarettes and a large increase in
tax revenues in the 1990s. During the same
period, cigarette consumption declined
dramatically; approximately 40% of the
decrease was due to smokers quitting. The
largest decreases were among young people
and low-wage earners, those who reduce
smoking most when prices increase.107
Increasing taxes is the most effective tobacco
control measure. Higher taxes reduce
consumption, lower health-care costs, help
households save money by reducing tobacco
use, and increase government revenues, which
can help pay for tobacco control interventions
and other policy priorities.