Cigarette Smoking and Emotions

Nicotine is one of the fastest-acting drugs known to man. When a smoker inhales tobacco smoke, the nicotine is absorbed into the bloodstream and the effects are felt almost immediately.

Conversely, levels of nicotine drop quickly to about one-quarter within one hour after finishing a cigarette; hence most smokers will think they need a cigarette every hour on average.

There are people who has smoked 40 cigarettes a day for over 50 years and lived to be 80. Indeed, people in this category rarely had a day's illness in his life. He would never have entertained the idea of becoming a non-smoker. Do not be fooled into thinking that you'll get away with this too. Such people are the exemption.

Excuses, Excuses...

When you are a smoker it is very easy to find excuses for why you smoke and to believe that it is the answer to all your problems. When you are unable to concentrate, you are convinced that you will be able to concentrate when you light up a cigarette.

When someone irritates you, you are convinced that you will feel more relaxed when you light up a cigarette. When first you become a non-smoker, everything that goes wrong is blamed on the fact that you are not smoking.

Your partner urges you to buy some cigarettes because you are irritable and no longer a pleasure to be with. Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

The fact is, smoking never made anyone perfect. Even smokers get irritable, have trouble concentrating and are not always a pleasure to be with. You can't pin these or any other problems on the fact that you are a non-smoker.

You have not changed, your personal situations have probably not changed, you will still get cross, but it is very easy to blame these emotions on being a non-smoker because we are constantly bombarded with information about how smoking relaxes you and releases stress. We tell ourselves that it does seem to be a consensus of opinion so it must be right!

Smokers are always on a roller-coaster with their emotions, agitated when they cannot get a cigarette if they want one and at the same time agitated when they smoke. This is due, to a large extent, by the very nature of the habit and the frustration caused by being controlled by an outside force, something that feels beyond your control.

Cigarette Smoking Statistics

Yet most smokers continue to find excuses to put off the day they'll become non-smokers. Smokers also act under the illusion that the innumerable statistics written about the dangers of smoking are overstated. But if you truly do your research, you will find alarming statistics that should frighten anyone who smokes.

You might even think that these smoking statistics alone are enough to frighten anyone into either becoming a non-smoker or never to start smoking in the first place. Well, smokers do not want to know about the statistics until they decide to become non smokers.

If they really believed that cigarettes were going to kill them, give them cancer or be instrumental in the amputation of a leg, would they smoke another cigarette?

Don't Let Your Guard down Just because you’ve Stopped Smoking for a While

After you have successfully stopped smoking for a while, you may feel quitting has been easier than you expected. Not that it's been easy altogether, but it still has not been as hard as you feared. You may now go for several hours, maybe most of the day or evening, without even thinking about a cigarette.

Here's the downside of feeling too confident: You're at a party. You're feeling good. Maybe you've had a drink or two. Someone offers you a cigarette. You think, "I'm not having any trouble. I'll have a couple tonight and go back to non-smoking tomorrow. Maybe stay with
a routine of only smoking at parties."

One of the first times I quit, I decided I'd only smoke on weekends. Soon, I was trying to convince myself that the weekend begins on Wednesday evening and ends the following Wednesday morning!

Vigilance - that's the word for the next few months. You don't have to spend every waking moment managing your quitting, but you do have to stay on your toes, vigilant, alert to the temptations or situations that can mess up your plan. Give your nonsmoking the vigilance you would for anything else that is very important.

Source: http://www.stop-smoking-tips.com/articles/cigarette-smoking-emotions.html

hose Who Smoke Cigarettes the Most are Often Mentally ill

The rate of tobacco smoking is much higher among those with mental illness than among the general population, and those who are mentally ill also smoke more cigarettes and have more trouble quitting, according to a Washington Post editorial by Steven A. Schroeder, director of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center.

In the United States, between 50 and 80 percent of all people with mental illness are smokers, whereas only 20 percent of the general population smokes. Those with mental illness also smoke more cigarettes per day than other smokers, and are more likely to smoke cigarettes all the way down to the filters. The combination of these two factors means that 44 percent of all cigarettes sold in the United States are sold to people who are mentally ill.

Those who are mentally ill also have more trouble quitting, succeeding at less than half the rate of the general population.

The high rate of tobacco use among the mentally ill is thought to contribute substantially to the lowered life expectancy among that population; people with mental illnesses die an average of 25 years sooner than the general population.

Among the general population, smokers die an average of 10 to 15 years earlier than non-smokers. Approximately 440,000 people die of smoking-induced causes in the United States every year.

According to Schroeder, part of the reason for the prevalence of smoking among the mentally ill is that mental health hospitals have a long tradition of using cigarettes as a way to control patients, proffering smoking breaks as rewards and withholding cigarettes as punishment. This trend is in the process of changing, however, and more than 50 percent of all mental health institutions in the United States are now entirely smoke-free.

In March 2003, 28 organizations came together to form the National Mental Health Partnership for Wellness and Smoking Cessation, of which the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center is a member.

India Joining the No Smoking Campaign. But Will it be Fruitful!

The anti smoking measures have been very effectively implemented in the developed countries. Though the smokers didn’t exactly welcome the anti smoking measures, yet they had no other choice but to kneel down before the higher and the more powerful authorities. Huge penalties were labeled for the law breachers and hence the smokers didn’t have much of a choice. They had to agree to the anti smoking measures, if not for themselves than for the non smoking community which is actually a minority in countries like the US and the UK. Nevertheless these efforts paid well as the rate of second hand smoking saw an encouraging drop.

In the underdeveloped countries a smoke free environment is not only a far fetched dream but it is actually a dream that not many people dream. People and the authorities feel that there are other important matters to look into and hence quit smoking can wait. It is actually a matter of debate because after all, the first responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens. Therefore, protecting people from the harmful effects of the smoke also come among the priorities of the government. However, for some inexplicable reason it seems that the governments of most of the third world countries doesn’t take smoking as an important enough issue that could command priority. The matters of defense and internal peace and equanimity have to be looked into first. Everything else can wait. This is one logic that cannot be negated altogether but it is time that the governments of these countries give equal attention to the matters of public health. Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in quite a few countries and definitely one of the most potent preventable causes of death in the whole world. It not only destroys human resources but an astronomic figure of wealth also. Hence it is time for all the governments of the world to take up the task of no smoking in all earnestness. Implementing bills to the affect of no smoking is not that a hard task. If the members in the government are like minded and wise enough, implementing smoking bans won’t be an issue. This is one anti smoking measure that doesn’t eat up much of national wealth and hence is advisable and appropriate for the third world countries or the poor countries in general. These countries have an overwhelming rate of smoking and the people here are also not aware of quit smoking ways like the anti smoke drugs. Chantix is a member of the quit smoking drugs. People have seen favorable effects by using chantix. The internet is the best place to know more about chantix and it is also the best place to buy chantix. Without much of a fuss and absolutely no waste of time and labor and sometimes even at a low price one can buy chantix online. The one thing that is common between buying chantix online and offline is the chantix prescription.

The majority of the smokers in the third world countries have no access to such sophisticated ways of quitting smoke. Hence bans are the most preferred. Recently in Delhi, the national capital of India, the police ordered every commercial outlet to display signboards of “no smoking” and on violating this rule penalties amounting to Rs 500 will be labeled on the violator. Though this is a very welcome step but the problem lies in the fact that in countries like India most of the laws remain in the paper only. The rules are almost never translated into reality. If this state of affairs continues, than I am afraid most of the anti smoking rules will also eventually ordain only the papers!

Smoking: Why the first puff can get you hooked

For many, the first fag is just for the sake of trying out smoking, but for some, this first puff turns out to be a life time of addiction. Scientists have now attributed this tendency to the brain's procession of 'rewarding' and addictive properties of nicotine.

In their new study, researchers at The University of Western Ontario have said that the mechanism behind the brain's processing of the 'rewarding' and addictive properties of nicotine, may explain why some people seemingly become hooked with their first smoke.

Led by Steven Laviolette of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, the study could lead to new therapies to prevent nicotine dependence and to treat nicotine withdrawal when smokers try to quit.

"Nicotine interacts with a variety of neurochemical pathways within the brain to produce its rewarding and addictive effects. However, during the early phase of tobacco exposure, many individuals find nicotine highly unpleasant and aversive, whereas others may become rapidly dependent on nicotine and find it highly rewarding. We wanted to explore that difference," explained Laviolette.

The scientists particularly found one brain pathway that uses the neurotransmitter 'dopamine' to transmit signals related to nicotine's rewarding properties.

This pathway is called the 'mesolimbic' dopamine system and is involved in the addictive properties of many drugs of abuse, including cocaine, alcohol and nicotine.
"While much progress has been made in understanding how the brain processes the rewarding effects of nicotine after the dependence is established, very little is known about how the mesolimbic dopamine system may control the initial vulnerability to nicotine; that is, why do some individuals become quickly addicted to nicotine while others do not, and in some cases, even find nicotine to be highly aversive," said Laviolette.

The team then identified which specific dopamine receptor subtype controlled the brain's initial sensitivity to nicotine's rewarding and addictive properties and were able to manipulate these receptors to control whether the nicotine is processed as rewarding or aversive.

"Importantly, our findings may explain an individual's vulnerability to nicotine addiction, and may point to new pharmacological treatments for the prevention of it, and the treatment of nicotine withdrawal," said Laviolette.

The paper is published in the latest issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

Children Smoking - Bad influence - Hope Its not ur kid one day!

Costlier cigarette causing smokers to smoke bidis

While the government is trying out various methods, including a hefty tax levy to make smokers give up smoking or cough up more, tobacco lovers are turning to cheaper options to 'puff away their blues'.

Trends indicate that smokers hit by the rising prices have shifted to so called down market options like bidis and Gutkas, as heavy tax slabs have failed to kill their urge to smoke resulting in an increase in total tobacco consumption.

"High rates of taxation on cigarettes are forcing consumers to shift to cheaper and alternate forms of tobacco consumption. As a result, overall tobacco consumption is increasing, as the price of other tobacco products is very low," says Udayan Lal, Director, Tobacco Institute of India (TII).

According to a report by the health ministry, India is home to 100 million bidi smokers and around 8 lakh people in the country die due to tobacco consumption annually with 6 lakh deaths caused by bidis alone.

"It's not that the government is unaware of the facts about the growing bidi industry. The highly labour intensive nature of the industry, which provides large-scale employment, gives it a powerful voice and that could be one of the reasons why tax rates are so low," says Lal.

"And also there is a highly decentralized system on manufacturing and distribution of bidis. There are thousands of bidis factories and no reliable data on their production or consumption," Lal adds.

Statistics by the ministry reveal that about 15 per cent of tobacco consumption in India is in the form of cigarettes while 53 per cent is smoked as bidis.

"Unlike the rest of the world, where, on an average, cigarettes account for as much as 90 per cent of the total tobacco consumed, in India cigarettes represent only 15 per cent of total tobacco consumption. The balance 85 per cent of tobacco consumption is in the form of traditional tobacco products like bidis, chewing "khaini", gutka, etc," says Lal.

Cigarettes contribute 85 per cent to the total excise revenues collected from the tobacco industry, amounting to Rs 8,500 crore, according to Tobacco Institute of India (TII).

Pointing out that the bidi consumption is very high in northern India, particularly in Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and UP, with the ratio of bidis to cigarettes sometimes being as high as 24:1, he says, "Bidis are more harmful than cigarettes because they go out more often than cigarettes and are filled with small amounts of low-grade tobacco."

Studies have also shown India's 4.4 million full-time bidi rollers the majority of whom are rural women and children who roll bidis by hand at home and are paid low wages were more likely to contract anaemia, asthma and TB than other non-smokers not involved in bidi production.

"It is an industry that is growing. More than 800 billion bidis are sold in India each year compared with 100 billion cigarettes sold annually. Easily available and comparatively cheap, the bidi is smoked predominantly by people on lower incomes," says Lal.

Adding that it is the high and discriminatory rates of taxation on cigarettes that are dictating the consumption pattern of tobacco products, Lal says, "Tax on bidis are currently just one-twelfth of the tax levied on non-filter micro cigarettes (purchased by the poor) and just 2 per cent of the tax on more expensive standard filters cigarettes. As a result bidis represent less than 6 per cent of India's total tobacco excise revenues."

Talking about the reforms needed to discourage the favoured status towards bidis, he says, "Tax on bidis should be levelled at par with other tobacco products by raising the excise duty. It would help in reducing the overall tobacco consumption as the average price of tobacco products increase and also generate more revenue for government."

The Path of A Successful Quitter

Have you ever heard of the saying, that the best way to succeed is to follow those who have succeeded? Smokers who have quit smoking successfully share common characteristics.

Here are the perfect characteristics and examples of a successful quitter.

• Successful quitters believe in themselves. They totally believe that they have the choice and ability to quit smoking for good.

• Successful quitters are completely motivated to quit smoking. They have made the decision to do whatever it takes to overcome the habit completely, without the option of turning back.

• Successful quitters refuse to go back on their decision to quit smoking. They throw away their lighters, ash tray and cigarettes and let everyone know that they are quitting smoking. They create for themselves the courage and spirit to quit smoking completely.

• Successful quitters are honest with themselves and refuse to make excuses that "justify" smoking. They accept the dangers and realities of smoking.

• Successful smokers fix a quit date and stick to it. Once they have fixed this date, they stop making excuses to prolong their smoking habit.

• Successful quitters accept full responsibility for their smoking habit. They no longer blame their parents, friends or tobacco companies anymore. They accept their faults are a determined to change them.

• Successful quitters admit that they may need help and support to quit smoking.

• Successful quitters plan their quitting process carefully. They write down their goals and quit dates and engrave these information into their minds.

• Successful quitters are persistent and determined to quit smoking, even it takes them several attempts before they finally quit for good.

• Successful quitters usually have quit friends to support them. These may be people helping them quit smoking or people who are quitting smoking at the same time.

• Successful quitters are determined to tolerate the initial discomfort of quitting smoking, knowing that they will be rewarded with a lifetime of freedom and better health.

• Successful quitters change their focus towards better health. They begin exercise programs and alter their diet.

• Successful quitters know the benefits of drinking water lots of water and discipline themselves to do so.

• Successful quitters are willing to try smoking cessation aids to help them ease the process of quitting smoking.

• Successful quitters help others quit smoking. They develop a sense of duty to share their achievement with others because they understand their plight. Unsuccessful people on the other hand are always asking, "What's in it for me?"

• Successful quitters reward themselves. They treat themselves for their achievement in as many ways as they can.

• Successful quitters never ever take another puff of cigarette, no matter what it takes or whatever situation they are in. They know that just one puff is harmful and can ruin everything they have done so far.

Remember, the best way to succeed in any quest is to follow the footsteps of someone who already has succeeded before you. If you do this right, you too can quit smoking just like any of them.