Copyright 2006 Adam Waxler

Nowadays, more and more people are becoming aware of the need to be healthy. They increase their intake of healthy foods, take vitamins to supplement their daily requirements, and go to the gym to exercise.

Unfortunately, many people still tend to neglect the adverse effect of cigarette smoking on their health. Despite knowing the harmful effects of cigarette smoking, people, for some reason, still smoke.

So, the question is, “Why?”

Maybe it is because while people know that cigarette smoking is “bad” they do not know exactly how “bad” cigarette smoking really is.

Well here’s the full story on why people should quit smoking cigarettes now:

1. Cigarette smoking kills 114,000 people each year in the United Kingdom alone.

This means that if you do not quit smoking cigarettes now, you could be the 115,000th. Smoking cigarettes really does kill and people should be aware of that.

2. Cigarette smoking is the number one factor of lung cancer.

There’s no greater factor that can trigger lung cancer in a person than what cigarette smoking can do. Smoking cigarettes is a detrimental element that instigates the formation of cancer cells in the body. This is because cigarette smoking primarily destroys the immune system of the body resulting in the body’s inability to fight back infection and to ward off harmful bacteria that enters the system.

3. Cigarette smoking really does cause cancer.

Aside from the fact that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, it can also initiate the formation of other cancer cells in the body. This is because cigarette smoke contains so many chemicals that are carcinogens. Carcinogens are the elements that cause cancer cells in the body. Once developed it could lead to acute condition of cancer which eventually leads to death.

4. Cigarette smoking is addictive and can cause hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases.

The primary component of a cigarette is nicotine. Studies have proven that nicotine is addictive, which means to say that when you start smoking cigarettes it will be really difficult to stop.

Not only that, nicotine also increases your cholesterol levels. This would eventually lead to hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases that lead to heart attacks.

5. Cigarette smoking has adverse effects on your entire body.

The fact is, cigarette smoking is detrimental to your whole body, from the tip of your hair down to the tip of your toenails.

First, cigarette smoking makes your hair smelling terrible. Also, the elements found in smoking can curb the growth of your hair and it can even dry it out, losing its shine and luster.

Not only that, cigarette smoking also affects the teeth, lungs, heart, bones, and even your skin. That’s right. Cigarette smoking reduces the elasticity of your skin, thus, it will be more vulnerable to skin diseases and allergies.

The bottom line is that people should really stop cigarette smoking now because it will not only affect their lives but others as well. This is because the primary concluding effect of cigarette smoking is always death and nothing else.

It’s not a matter of choice. It’s a matter of how you value your life and your family. Is it really worth it to smoke cigarettes?

There are a lot of people who smoke out there who, among other reasons, are afraid to try to quit smoking cigarettes for the fear of what they think is inevitable weight gain. Almost everyone they know who has successfully quit smoking really packed on the pounds and they don’t want this to happen to them. So, does the connection between quitting cigarettes and weight gain have to do directly with the cigarettes themselves, or are there other, outside reasons why this happens so often to people who “kick the habit”?

Lets take a look at what all of the factors are that cause such weight gain in people who quit smoking and see if maybe this weight gain may be able to be controlled to where it does not have to be a factor when you decide to put the cigarettes down for good.

The fact is you do not have to gain weight when you quit smoking. There are a lot of people who quit smoking who don’t gain any weight at all. On average, people who quit smoking gain only up to 10 pounds. Studies have shown that people who have smoked for 10 to 20 years or more, or who smoked one or more packs of cigarettes a day have a higher tendency to gain weight than short time smokers and those who smoked less than one pack a day.

Nicotine, which is a chemical found in cigarettes, does to a small degree keep your body weight down. When you quit and the nicotine begins to leave your body, you may see a marginal amount of short term weight gain, but usually it will be no more than 3 to 5 pounds, mostly due to water retention.

The major reason why so many people will gain a significant amount of weight however, has more to do with replacing the smoking habit with excessive eating habits. Many will substitute sucking on hard candies all day to replace the cigarettes. Others will begin to simply snack on various foods throughout the day as a replacement for the old habit. The cigarette break at work becomes a snack break. The after lunch cigarette becomes the after lunch snack. It is this new habit, which is done almost unconsciously, that is mostly responsible for excessive weight gain when people quit smoking.

When you quit smoking, keeping aware of what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat along with some physical activity will keep that weight gain to a minimum and may keep you from gaining any weight at all. You also must consider that even if you do gain 5 to 10 pounds from quitting smoking, the risks of smoking cigarettes are far greater than a 5 to 10 pound gain in weight.

Smoking is the cause of more than 400,000 deaths every year in the United States. It would take a weight gain of over 100 pounds to equal the health risks of smoking cigarettes. Smoking causes your heart rate to increase, and you have twice the likeliness to suffer a heart attack than that of a nonsmoker.

You inhale around 4000 chemicals from cigarette smoke and 40 of these chemicals are cancer causing. Men are 22 times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers, and women are 12 times more likely.

With a little effort on your part to keep your eating habits in check and incorporate some exercise into your daily routine, weight gain can and will be at least kept down to a minimum when you quit smoking. You will be in better health, feel better, and have a more positive outlook on life when you make the decision to put those cigarettes down for once and for all.

Each and every year in my private practice in Oxford, I see hundreds of people wishing to stop smoking. Along with doing Hypnotherapy with them and teaching them Self Hypnosis, I also give them a few tips to make sure that the transition into a happy and content non-smoker is a happy one. I recommend that the tips below be used following a session of Hypnosis or the use of a high-quality Stop Smoking Hypnosis recording.

So if you have picked your day to quit, you’re ready to begin. Here are my tips on becoming a happy and content non-smoker.

1.Drink plenty of water. By increasing the amount of water that you drink you will be increasing your chances of an easier transition to being a non-smoker. The nicotine (the drug which you are addicted to) that is in your body needs to be flushed out and an increase in the amount of water that you drink helps you to do just that. It also hydrates your body, which in turn will give you a greater sense of wellbeing and allow you to feel healthier – this could benefit you if you tended to feel a bit crabby after giving up previously.

2.Do something different and keep busy. In those first vital days, make sure that you keep busy, and do stuff that you like doing as this will keep you occupied and less likely to think about smoking. Maybe spend some time with your friends or family and go out for the day. To make sure that your habit stays broken, it may be helpful to break your routine for a few days. During their day a smoker will associate a lot of things with his or her smoking, such as, having a beer, driving the car and after having sex. Still do all of these things, however do them differently! For example – have your beer at a smoke free bar for a few days!

3.Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Just like drinking more water, eating healthily allows you to feel healthier and gives you a greater sense of wellbeing. This is great as in this frame of mind and body you are more likely to succeed as you are giving yourself more to loose! Try it – you will feel great!

So there you have it. These are not all of my tips; however they will certainly help to take the edge of giving up smoking for you. Good luck and enjoy your new healthier lifestyle!

Copyright 2006 Adam Waxler

Evidence of the health risks of cigarette smoking go back to the 1950s. However, the percentage of cigarette smokers was at its peak in 1964, when the US surgeon general first issued an official warning that smoking cigarettes was hazardous to one’s health.

Following the surgeon general’s formal warning about cigarette smoking, many reports were released on the link between cigarette smoking and heart disease, lung disease, and cancer of the mouth. However, the cigarette smoking habit continued, particularly with young smokers who were most likely smoking as a sign of rebellion and/or independence.

For adults, though, smoking cigarettes marked an addiction to nicotine – the key ingredient that makes cigarette smoking both pleasurable and addictive. This addiction to nicotine led to another warning from the surgeon general in 1988, which put nicotine addiction on the same level as addictions to cocaine and heroin.

The danger in cigarette smoking comes from the chemical substances released either as a gas or as a particulate. Nitrogen oxides, hydrogen cyanide and most especially carbon monoxide are gaseous emissions from cigarette smoke that threaten to poison the body.

Nicotine is one of several hazardous particulates emitted from smoking cigarettes. These particulates damage the cilia – the little hairs lining the lungs that help transport mucus out of the lungs. When the cilia malfunction, pollutants remain in the lungs and the likelihood of influenza and bronchitis, emphysema and other diseases increases.

Unfortunately, cigarette smoking has been cited as the cause of over 400,000 deaths in the US every year.

However, government agencies, scientists and health officials have also established that passive smoking, or second-hand smoke, also has negative effects on the human body. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has reported that over 4,000 chemicals are generated by second-hand smoke, with more than 50 of those believed to be cancer-causing agents.

In fact, in 1975, the Centers for Disease Control released a report noting that toxic chemicals released from cigarettes stay in the air and are inhaled by unsuspecting victims. Thus, the concern over cigarette smoking shifted from a private-health issue to a public-health issue.

For pregnant women, the negative effects of cigarette smoking and second hand smoke raises even more issues. Cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke increases the chances of low birth-weight and even miscarriage. And, children less than a year old are twice as likely to have lung infections if their mothers smoke cigarettes compared to counterparts whose mothers do not smoke cigarettes. Likewise, children who already have asthma, allergies or other respiratory ailments can worsen their conditions if their parents smoke cigarettes.

Over the years some cigarette smokers have gradually quit smoking cigarettes, while non-smokers have become the focus of more protection as the government has worked on policies and legislation to curb cigarette smoking.

In the 1990s, class action suits started to bombard state and federal courts, claiming that cigarette manufacturers employed deceptive marketing tactics to keep consumers from knowing that nicotine was addictive and worked on ways keep cigarette smokers hooked on their product.

More recent suits against the cigarette and tobacco industry charge manufacturers of also misleading consumers into thinking that “lights” and similar cigarette products were healthier alternatives to regular cigarettes. These more recent cases later led to the multi-billion dollar settlement between the US government and the cigarette and tobacco industry in the late 1990s.

These lawsuits and the consistency of health lobbyists and persuasive government programs have helped pull down US cigarette smoking rates on a consistent basis over the last four decades. With the health risks of cigarette smoking so abundantly clear, it is likely that these cigarette smoking rates in the US will continue to decrease.

Many people, smokers and non-smokers alike, are aware of the harmful ingredients contained in today’s cigarettes. Most are also very aware of the long-lasting and potentially lethal effects that smoking- including second-hand smoke- can cause in individuals who inhale it. What you might not be aware of are the psychological benefits that can come when one kicks the habit of cigarettes. Sometimes, these benefits are surprising and can be every bit as beneficial as the numerous physical effects that will occur as your body begins to heal itself after beating the habit.

The biggest psychological benefit that comes with kicking the smoking habit is the sense of accomplishment when the task is done. When you finally stop smoking for good, there is a tremendous sense that you have shaken a very large monkey off of your back. Quitting smoking is an extremely difficult task, and those who manage to do it have every right to feel as though they can conquer the world, and this feeling will spill over into other areas of your life and help you in achieving other goals. Once you beat a habit that has been plaguing you for years, that is in fact an actual physical addiction, you will understand that there is not much you cannot accomplish once you put your mind and will into it.

As smoking becomes a distant memory, you will also be surprised in the rise of your self-esteem levels. No one denies that a big part of smoking includes the effort to cover up the smell- on your breath, on your hands, on your clothes, and in your car and your house. Once you quit, these smells become less and less of a problem, and you will no longer have to worry about other people- from lovers to your kids- shying away from you due to the smell that clings to you. You will also probably notice that your own sense of smell improves as the smoke cloud dissipates, and this too can carry with it enormous psychological benefits as you once again discover all the wonders of a spring morning, the smell of outdoor barbecues from your neighbors, and the general smells of the outdoors.

Quitting smoking also lifts a severe burden off the shoulders of smokers as far as other family members go. Many smokers are cognizant of the risks and in that vein endeavor to discourage their closest family members not to start the habit. However, as long as you yourself are smoking there is always the taint of hypocrisy attached to your words. Once you have managed to quit, this feeling will disappear and you will be able to lead by example instead of just with words.

If you are considering ceasing your smoking habit, there are thousands of others who have walked that road and who are waiting to help you out. The benefits are enormous, and some of them, like the psychological benefits, you may not expect. Be prepared to enter a whole new world of feeling once you butt out for good.