Lung Cancer Hurts
September 12th 2006 09:30
I was really sad when I knew it was time to stop smoking because no matter how much I was chastised about my dirty habit I enjoyed the sensation immensely.
I didnt however enjoy the smoke, contrary to popular belief smokers are bright and intelligent people. Smokers know as well as anyone else that the smoke part of the equation is pretty disgusting. In fact do you think smokers would light a cigarette if they didnt contain nicotine? Well of course they wouldnt, theyre not stupid, theyre just addicted to a legal drug that until a few years ago was promoted in advertising.
The cigarette is merely a vehicle for the nicotine. This is why I am reluctant to advocate stop-smoking aids because you are merely transferring the addiction to a different vehicle, like changing your car I guess. I would also question the historical ties of the drug and tobacco companies, anyway thats another discussion.
I am no advertisement for successfully stopping smoking, although I no longer smoke, it did take me ATLEAST 40 attempts over a 10 year period. I would stop smoking but allow myself the occasional cigarette over a drink and would tap up one of my mates on a night out. Then I began to look forward to going out for the sole reason that I could smoke and then I arranged extra nights out so that I could smoke more. If you are reading this and its ringing bells, please just go back to your 10 a day, get your head in the right place and try again because you need to re-focus. As a person addicted to nicotine you will always be looking for an excuse to relapse, its the nature of the beast.
The way I stopped was to get my head around what I was doing to myself by smoking, to try and understand the addiction and study the process. I googled and surfed and found numerous articles on stopping smoking. I made notes on the 4,000 chemicals in each cigarette. I learned about how quickly the nicotine leaves your body and how amazing the body really is, picking up the pieces and taking me through an amazing healing process the minute I stubbed out my last ciggie.
I learned about the neuronal pathways and how quickly they re-sensitise. I stopped smoking on the 17th Feb this year and I cant believe how much more I can smell and taste my life. Nicotine takes around 200 neuro-chemicals hostage, all those senses associated with mood, reward, stimulation and anxiety. After only 72 hours, thats just three days, the brain neurons start bathing in nicotine-free, oxygen rich blood serum again.
You need to take every single day at a time and take stock to congratulate yourself on your progress and reflect on how your body is responding and healing and reversing all the negative effects of smoking. This is a time of readjustment and you just need to focus on going to bed that night without a cigarette, forget about tomorrow or next week.
As each day passes you will honestly think less and less about cigarettes, you will think less and less about voids, emptiness, hunger for nicotine etc.
Dont listen to people who tell you they stopped smoking 10 years ago and could still murder a cigarette. Remember that you will be looking for an excuse to start and if you think that you will still feel this way in 10 years you will see no point in continuing and before you know it, will be stood in a shop asking for a packet of B&H and then kicking yourself all the way home. I stopped only 7 months ago and I dont crave cigarettes at all, I never fancy the odd one anymore and I enjoy a glass of wine without feeling desperately deprived. I smoked 20 a day (or more) for 20 years.
For the first few days drink loads of fresh fruit juice because it satisfies the sugar cravings that you may get. Nicotine has been helping to store fats in your body, which is why many smokers dont have a sweet tooth I guess. So when you stop smoking your body has to re-adjust and by feeding your body with lots of natural sugars, especially cranberry juice, you will help reduce sugar cravings.
You will probably find yourself drinking much less coffee too as smokers need twice the amount of caffeine to achieve the same effects as a non-smoker.
Drink lots of fluids as this also helps to flush the nicotine out of your system, nicotine exits the body via urine, you can even wave it goodbye as you flush and start to feel cleansed.
I always worried about how I would cope with an awkward phone call, times of anxiety and times of excitement. All those times that you reach for a cigarette and it is just the best cigarette of the day. However, its actually quite a buzz when you get this adrenalin pumping feeling as a non-smoker and you dont reach for a cigarette you merely ride the feeling and enjoy the prolonged excitement. Its actually the chemicals in the cigarette that makes you feel more anxious. Nicotine takes control of the minds adrenaline activity but you will soon be back in control and no longer on such a roller coaster.
Cravings are probably the most dreaded part of the process but again it is worth remembering that cravings are more creatures of our own conditioning than an actual physical withdrawal. Remember take deep breaths when you get a craving, no craving will last more than 3 minutes (time distortion makes you THINK they last longer) The experts reckon the figures are as follows: Cravings reduce to 6 craves on day 3; 3.5 4 craves on day 5; 2 craves on day 10.
Eventually we recondition our mind NOT to expect nicotine and it begins to understand that there is no point desiring nicotine because no more is going to come. The bodys time trigger is constantly being reconditioned as levels of nicotine deplete. Anticipate cravings as a necessary part of the process towards success and beat cigarettes for ever. Learn to embrace the cravings, take deep breaths and view them as a part of this amazing temporary readjustment.
If youve heard someone say a million times if I can do it anyone can its true and you will say the same thing too.
I didnt however enjoy the smoke, contrary to popular belief smokers are bright and intelligent people. Smokers know as well as anyone else that the smoke part of the equation is pretty disgusting. In fact do you think smokers would light a cigarette if they didnt contain nicotine? Well of course they wouldnt, theyre not stupid, theyre just addicted to a legal drug that until a few years ago was promoted in advertising.
The cigarette is merely a vehicle for the nicotine. This is why I am reluctant to advocate stop-smoking aids because you are merely transferring the addiction to a different vehicle, like changing your car I guess. I would also question the historical ties of the drug and tobacco companies, anyway thats another discussion.
I am no advertisement for successfully stopping smoking, although I no longer smoke, it did take me ATLEAST 40 attempts over a 10 year period. I would stop smoking but allow myself the occasional cigarette over a drink and would tap up one of my mates on a night out. Then I began to look forward to going out for the sole reason that I could smoke and then I arranged extra nights out so that I could smoke more. If you are reading this and its ringing bells, please just go back to your 10 a day, get your head in the right place and try again because you need to re-focus. As a person addicted to nicotine you will always be looking for an excuse to relapse, its the nature of the beast.
The way I stopped was to get my head around what I was doing to myself by smoking, to try and understand the addiction and study the process. I googled and surfed and found numerous articles on stopping smoking. I made notes on the 4,000 chemicals in each cigarette. I learned about how quickly the nicotine leaves your body and how amazing the body really is, picking up the pieces and taking me through an amazing healing process the minute I stubbed out my last ciggie.
I learned about the neuronal pathways and how quickly they re-sensitise. I stopped smoking on the 17th Feb this year and I cant believe how much more I can smell and taste my life. Nicotine takes around 200 neuro-chemicals hostage, all those senses associated with mood, reward, stimulation and anxiety. After only 72 hours, thats just three days, the brain neurons start bathing in nicotine-free, oxygen rich blood serum again.
You need to take every single day at a time and take stock to congratulate yourself on your progress and reflect on how your body is responding and healing and reversing all the negative effects of smoking. This is a time of readjustment and you just need to focus on going to bed that night without a cigarette, forget about tomorrow or next week.
As each day passes you will honestly think less and less about cigarettes, you will think less and less about voids, emptiness, hunger for nicotine etc.
Dont listen to people who tell you they stopped smoking 10 years ago and could still murder a cigarette. Remember that you will be looking for an excuse to start and if you think that you will still feel this way in 10 years you will see no point in continuing and before you know it, will be stood in a shop asking for a packet of B&H and then kicking yourself all the way home. I stopped only 7 months ago and I dont crave cigarettes at all, I never fancy the odd one anymore and I enjoy a glass of wine without feeling desperately deprived. I smoked 20 a day (or more) for 20 years.
For the first few days drink loads of fresh fruit juice because it satisfies the sugar cravings that you may get. Nicotine has been helping to store fats in your body, which is why many smokers dont have a sweet tooth I guess. So when you stop smoking your body has to re-adjust and by feeding your body with lots of natural sugars, especially cranberry juice, you will help reduce sugar cravings.
You will probably find yourself drinking much less coffee too as smokers need twice the amount of caffeine to achieve the same effects as a non-smoker.
Drink lots of fluids as this also helps to flush the nicotine out of your system, nicotine exits the body via urine, you can even wave it goodbye as you flush and start to feel cleansed.
I always worried about how I would cope with an awkward phone call, times of anxiety and times of excitement. All those times that you reach for a cigarette and it is just the best cigarette of the day. However, its actually quite a buzz when you get this adrenalin pumping feeling as a non-smoker and you dont reach for a cigarette you merely ride the feeling and enjoy the prolonged excitement. Its actually the chemicals in the cigarette that makes you feel more anxious. Nicotine takes control of the minds adrenaline activity but you will soon be back in control and no longer on such a roller coaster.
Cravings are probably the most dreaded part of the process but again it is worth remembering that cravings are more creatures of our own conditioning than an actual physical withdrawal. Remember take deep breaths when you get a craving, no craving will last more than 3 minutes (time distortion makes you THINK they last longer) The experts reckon the figures are as follows: Cravings reduce to 6 craves on day 3; 3.5 4 craves on day 5; 2 craves on day 10.
Eventually we recondition our mind NOT to expect nicotine and it begins to understand that there is no point desiring nicotine because no more is going to come. The bodys time trigger is constantly being reconditioned as levels of nicotine deplete. Anticipate cravings as a necessary part of the process towards success and beat cigarettes for ever. Learn to embrace the cravings, take deep breaths and view them as a part of this amazing temporary readjustment.
If youve heard someone say a million times if I can do it anyone can its true and you will say the same thing too.
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Comment by Penster70
on BEING SINGLE IS GOOD
Infertility
Smoking
It's sort of inevitable though that we will meet someone, or that even though we are single it is just a temporary set back. I haven't met anyone that says "Well I'm currently in a relationship but I hope to be single for the rest of my life"
So if you are single make the most of it and learn about yourself.