It’s alarming yet this sad reality over time doesn’t change. More and more smoking deaths every second, every minute, every day, every month and every year and with a rapidly changing human lifestyle, it is noticeable that smokers start at a very young age.

Last March 2010, there was a video that really disturbed the world. It showed a two-year-old Indonesian toddler smoking cigarettes. In the news, it says that the boy’s father gave him his first cigarette when he was 18 months old and now he smokes 40 cigarettes a day.  If he doesn’t get his cigarettes, she says he gets angry and screams and hits his head against the wall.

Smoking is a silent killer. Smokers deny this truth and believe that everyone has its time to die. But take this for example. Experts say one (1) cigarette takes approximately twelve (12) minutes of your life. If you smoke at least 1 cigarette a day, in a year, 4,380 minutes of your life was taken from you. That is equivalent to 3 days or 73 hours! If you have been smoking for ten (10) years now, 30 days of your life was lost. It could have been a one month full vacation.

Here are some additional facts from various sources about smoking deaths world wide. There are estimated 1.3 billion people are smokers worldwide and every 6.5 seconds a current or former smoker dies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).  Also, 33 percent to 50 percent of all smokers are killed by their habit and they die on average 15 years sooner than non-smokers and reports say that around 5.4 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco. On this basis, smoking is set to kill 6.5 million people in 2015 and 8.3 million humans in 2030. Meanwhile, cancer is the second leading cause of death and was among the first diseases causally linked to smoking.

I can give more statistics but instead I’m making a humble call. Smoking deaths can be prevented.  Let’s all work together to stop these phenomena. Smoking deaths can be prevented through collaborative efforts of all the sectors of the society. The government should implement a total ban to tobacco or tobacco control trough increasing taxes on these industries. As well as implementing cigarette selling ban to youth below 18 years of age. Give more promotion on smoking alternatives and intensify the anti-cigarette smoking advocacy.

On the other hand, responsible parenthood should be exercised. Parent should be able to teach and guide their sons and daughters about the harmful effects of cigarettes. By doing so, smokers at younger age will be lessen.
Smokers now should consider quitting smoking for a better future, much has been said and I know every smoker should know about this.

In the field of medicine, it is the rationale that gives birth to ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, and it is now gaining its popularity. Even doctors prescribe some of it under regulations. Herbs, is the most common type.  Some herbs are used to cure diseases others used for their diet and for some relaxation.

Herbs help quit smoking, as many people who have quit smoking have testified. If you plan to do the same, a good way to start is to consult with your doctor if it’s safe for you to take herbs as supplement while you are quitting smoking.  They can also prescribe you with the most ideal supplement. There are herbs that you can use alone and there are some that you can combine and have much better effect on you.

Here are some of the most commonly used herbs that you can try:

1.    Lobelia also known as Asthma Weed, Indian Tobacco, Pukeweed, and Vomitwort can be found in the warm regions of the world but there are few species also that can be found in the cold regions.  As its name says, it is used to treat asthma and food poisoning and alleviates tension and panic.  Also a nerve tranquilizing and works as bodily sedative as well as a result for this reason why it is commonly used in smoking cessation programs.  It is very popular to people who quit smoking because it resonates a tobacco like flavor, pungent and incinerating, creating a soothing felling in your body.  It also has the ability to make smoking no longer enticing.  You can use it fresh, dry or liquid extract so you can take at your convenience whenever you feel the urge for smoking, Lobelia is an herb help quit smoking.

2.    St. John’s Wort also known as Tipton’s Weed or Klamath weed exist worldwide with abundance in the subtropical regions of North America, Europe, Asia Minor, Russia, India, and China. It is commonly used to treat or for mild depression and it will provide an optimistic state of mind which is very important when starting quitting smoking.  Generally available over the counter but sometimes they require it to be prescribed.  You can get it in a form of tablet, capsule or drink with a teabag.

3.   Mimosa tea (Mimosa Hostilis) a perennial tree or shrub mostly in lower altitudes mostly found in tropical countries.  The detachment from nicotine causes headache, because body been used on having nicotine it cannot cope with the sudden change.  You can use mimosa tea as a pain reliever for the headache, aside from that it calms you and gets you a better mood.  Can only be purchased in a form of tea, this is another herbs help quit smoking.

List of other possible option of herbs that you can use as an alternative:

-    Korean ginseng
-    Hyssop
-    Black cohosh
-    Blue Vervain
-    Valerian
-    Skull cap
-    Parrot beak
-    Peppermint
-    CaoSu (Chinese herb)
-    Slippery Elm

Having herb as an alternative while quitting smoking is just part of the battle to remove smoking in your routine.  Support and understanding from people around you will be very much welcome, but it will be your attitude that will tell if you can remove smoking on your system.

Same with smokers who can’t let go of cigarettes. Smokers know that smoking is bad and aware of all its ill effects. Smoking cessation aids helps them in letting go of cigarette.  Are you wondering what keeps them smoking, even though you know that it’s not good for them? It is simply because they are addicted to it.

Smoking cessation, to some is a MISSION IMPOSSIBLE! They heard, read and discovered a lot about the consequences of their addiction.  But for those who choose to take this mission to have a smoke free living, smoking cessation aids and tips are always available. But above all, the best smoking cessation aid is your own will and determination. If you aren’t motivated and committed to kicking the habit, no quit aid can help you. If you are ready to quit, any of the following will potentially work beautifully for you.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is one approach that gradually helps smokers to withdraw from nicotine. NRT’ s help relieve physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal by providing a measured dose of nicotine. Unlike cigarettes, which consist of thousands of poisonous and/or carcinogenic chemicals, NRT’ s contain only nicotine which is why it is one of the smoking cessation aids. When used according to the manufacturer’s directions, NRT’s allow one to withdraw from nicotine by gradually reducing the amount of it in each dose.

Among the list are:
•    Nicotine Gum
•    Nicotine Inhaler
•    Nicotine Lozenges
•    Nicotine Nasal Spray
Take note it should be taken based on manufacturer’s direction.

Nicotine-Free Smoking Cessation Aids

If NRT’s doesn’t work for you, another option is a nicotine free approach. They do not use nicotine as an active ingredient. The following therapies are given under a doctor’s care only.

•    Bupropion
Bupropion hydrochloride, marketed under the names Zyban, Wellbutrin SR, and Wellbutrin XL by GlaxoSmithKline, is an anti-depressant drug that also works well as a smoking cessation aid. It has been shown to dramatically reduce physical withdrawal symptoms associated with nicotine.

•    Varenicline Tartrate
Discovered and developed by Pfizer, Inc, varenicline tartrate is marketed under the trademark of Chantix. Approved by the FDA in May 2006, Chantix has the unique ability to partially activate nicotinic receptors in the brain, reducing a person’s craving for nicotine when he quits smoking. Additionally, if a person smokes during the course of varenicline treatment, the drug impedes smoking satisfaction by blocking nicotine from binding with these same receptors.

Other Quit Smoking Methods and Remedies

Cold turkey is the term used to describe quitting smoking with no help from smoking cessation aids of any sort. The advantage of this method is that the majority of nicotine is out of a person’s body within a few days. The discomforts can be intense, but physical withdrawal is short.

A lot of people quit successfully by going cold turkey. But if this sounds too extreme for your liking, plenty of other options are available to help you withdraw from nicotine more comfortably. Likewise, you can try hypnosis. Hypnosis puts people into an altered state of mind where they become more susceptible to suggestion. It can be used to quit smoking, and while it seems to work well for some, it isn’t for everyone. Learn what you need to know to decide if it’s right for you.

Smoking cessation aids mentioned are just supplementary to your effort and it doesn’t necessary mean you have to depend on it to quit smoking. All successful smoke free individuals now started with a tough decision—- a decision to quit. After the realization of ill effects of smoking, you must jump in this conclusion to start the whole healing process it requires a lot of strength and endurance.

People who smokes are being enslave by the addictive power of nicotine, making hard for them to quit. Again it’s been said over and over again that aside from the person willingness and help from the people around him it is very important when going through the process of quitting smoking.  While going through the process, there will come a point where they will crave for nicotine again. Generally, there are three types of cravings that quitters feel and by understanding and knowing them it will be easier for you to overcome it.

The most apparent cravings you will feel, of course, will be Nicotine, it is the one that provides the addiction and is commonly call Nicotine withdrawal cravings.  Your body is so used in having it inside and loosing it will give you a hard time adjusting.  During this period, you will feel uneasy and a lot of people revert during this time.  You will experience this symptom during this stage, an increase in appetite, sleeping problems, difficulty in concentrating, lot of headache and anxiety. You will be depressed and light headed.  Be patient, it is just in the beginning and will eventually be gone.  You might not even notice that you don’t encounter the cravings anymore.

Another craving they feel when quitting smoking is the habit of smoking.  This is a type of quit smoking craving where you misses to smoke while doing things you usually do simultaneously with smoking.  This can be after eating, while drinking, talking with your friends or anything where you are smoking before.  Just focus and concentrate on your goal of removing smoking in your habit and you will be surprised with the results that you will get.

Fond memories are nice to remember but memories of you smoking are a dangerous desire to remember, it’s the last cravings while quitting smoking.  Remembering how good it feels when you smoke, the relaxing feeling it gives you will more or less tempt you to grab a stick of cigarette again.  It will be hard because it’s all in your mind, reminding you the sweet sensation every time. Along the good feeling that you remember when you were smoking, but also be reminded of the bad things it can give you. The diseases and infections that you can get and worst of all, death.  By thinking of the negative things smoking can give, you will choose to remove it completely.

These quit smoking cravings is just temporary and will definitely go away immediately.  When you feel the desire to smoke, do other things that will divert your attention. Nobody said that it will be easy but with focus, you can overcome the desire to smoke again and you will be glad with the positive things that you can get in not smoking.

The term Nicotine came from the tobacco plant Nicotiana tabacum, which came from the ambassador of French in Portugal Jean Nicot de Villemain.  The French ambassador promoted the medicinal use of Nicotine in Paris; he started sending the seeds and tobacco to Paris from Brazil in 1560.  But in 1828 German chemist Posselt & Reimann isolated Nicotine from the tobacco plant; they considered it as a poison.

Up to now Nicotine is still widely used not just in cigarette but for other products as well.  Imidacloprid is widely used as nicotine analogs or as an insecticide because it functions as an antiherbivore chemical specifically to insects. Nicotine overdose a lot of times can be caused by misunderstanding because it also acts as a stimulant or relaxant, and one of the main reasons for tobacco smoking and addiction.  An average of 1 mg of absorb nicotine can be found in cigarette, but from 1998 to 2005 studies shows an average increase of nicotine in cigarette of 1.6% per year in all major cigarette markets.  One of the hardest addictions to break according to the American Heart Association is nicotine addiction.

There are different ways nicotine enters our body, whether it is inhaled thru smoking some even chew, dip and snuff, it also depends on how the nicotine enters the body that determines the amount of nicotine that enters our body.  Half of the nicotine we intake will be eliminated with in two hours.  And through the bloodstream it will spread quickly on your body and reach your brain.

When taken in excess or overdone it is called Nicotine Overdose, while in most cases overdose happens when you are smoking but in some cases others overdo it when they are quitting smoking and uses a lot of smoking cessation products.  The secret use of the said products there are instances that it results in your body taking more nicotine than smoking.

Look for these symptoms to identify or know when someone is in Nicotine Overdose:

•    Dark gums and lips
•    Bad breathe
•    Unsettled stomach and vomiting
•    Diarrhea
•    Stomach pains
•    Cold sweats
•    Headache
•    Dizziness
•    Hearing or vision problems
•    Chest pain

If in the right amount nicotine can be helpful to the body it helps your body in a different ways.  However having more of anything that is needed is not good and will results in bad and grim effects an example is the paralysis of the muscle in lungs or the heart can happen.  Below are other effects of Nicotine Overdose:

•    Extreme anxiety
•    Cold sweats
•    Headache
•    Insomnia
•    Burning feelings
•    Confusion
•    Panic attacks
•    Depression
•    Heart palpitations
•    High pulse rates
•    Increased blood pressure
•    Fatigue and weakness
•    Reduced appetite
•    Hearing or vision problems
•    Seizures
•    Narrowing of blood vessels.

It is best to ask for help as soon as possible with your doctor if you go through the some of the symptoms right away.  Remember prevention is better than cure.

What is NHS Quit smoking Services?

NHS Quit smoking service is an effort to reach out to individuals who chose have a smoke-free lifestyle. There is a range of different treatments available. Choices are offered based on what suits you. They offer quit tools, access to a support group and support from home options. NRTs are also available.

Local NHS Quit smoking service

In your local area, you can be in a one-on one discussion or a support group, which ever you prefer.  You will be guided by a trained adviser to put your plan to stop smoking into action. During first sessions, you will set your plan and make your preparations to quit. After, you and your group will regularly meet to strengthen each other in your journey towards nicotine freedom.

Should you prefer to talk one-to-one, appointment can be scheduled with an adviser for individual sessions.
You will be receiving latest and expert advice. Your adviser will be able to tell you about nicotine replacement products and other stop smoking medicines. You will also be able to use a carbon monoxide monitor to assess your level of addiction and monitor the fall in harmful carbon monoxide levels in your body.

How to find your local NHS Quit smoking Service?

You can call NHS Free Stop Smoking Helpline: 0800 022 4 332, 7 Days a week, 7am to 11pm.

Another option is a support from home otherwise known as The Together Programme. Right support exactly when you need it is just that easy. You can choose how you’d like to be contacted. It can be through regular mail packs, emails, supportive text messages and phone calls where you can get practical support, encouragement and advice.

As a pre-requisite, you have to choose the date when you will quit and after that you can sign in for the program.
Through your NHS Quit smoking advisor, guide to which NRTs to get to stop your cravings, is the last option you have. They also offer quit smoking products, from patches, gums and a lot more.
It’s all free, help is right next to you. You are never alone in this quest. Your community cares and equipped with experts who can help you all the way.

It has been said a lot of times that when you smoke a lot of bad chemicals goes inside your body through the lungs.  It will greatly affect your lungs and its passage ways, it will create a lot of different problems from a simple cough up to the lethal cancer.  Smoking lungs will be discolored compared to non smoking lungs. Smokers put in thousand of cigarettes inside your lungs that cause the discoloration, it is not just ugly for the lungs but it is very DEADLY.  Here are some of the things that are happening inside smoking lungs.

First and the most obvious is that it will weaken the immune system of your lungs.  You will be more vulnerable to infection because its natural defense doesn’t work the way as before you started smoking. Infection can range form the simple upper respiratory infection then a lower respiratory infection to bronchitis and other infections.

Are lungs will not work as it used to when we grow old and if you smoke it will age much faster. You can only be 30 years old but since you smoke a lot you can have a lung of a 45 or 50 years old.  Irritation, inflammation of the airways and lungs will narrow decreasing the airflow in your body.  Just one or two cigarettes can cause pain and coughing for someone who has smoking lungs.

Lungs just like any body parts have its own repair and cleaning system, they will not work properly because of smoking. The broom like hair called cilia and the cells that produces mucous in the lungs upper airways is being damaged when smoking.  Mucous holds the small bits of pollution and dirt we breathe, then together with the cilia get rid of the dirt-filled mucous out of your lungs.  Since smoking damages the cilia and increases mucus, mucus will clog the airways because cilia is not working properly it will trap a lot of dirt and cancer causing chemicals in your body.  You will be very vulnerable to different lung diseases.

Lastly your alveoli commonly known as air sacs in your lungs will also be damage by a smoking lungs.  Air sacs is responsible for the exchange of gas with the blood, they stretch as they are filled with air while breathing in and shrink back while breathing out carbon dioxide.  What smoking does is reduce the stretchiness of the alveoli, making it hard to take in oxygen while more carbon dioxide is trap.  Because of the damaged caused in your alveoli you will always feel out of breath and exhausted.  In addition, little oxygen is carried out to your body so to compensate your heart has to exert more effort to provide the body with the right oxygen.  If lungs continue to work like that it will lead to even emphysema, chronic bronchitis or heart disease.

Always be conscious of what your body tells you, it will warn you if there is something wrong inside your body.  Simple caution like feeling out of breath when walking a short distance, coughing, spitting of mucous and frequent chest infections.  These are indications that there is something wrong with your body especially with your lungs, consult your specialist to prevent it from worsening.  But it’s just a way for your lungs to let you know that it has already too many bad chemicals inside it like telling you it is not good to be a smoking lungs.

It will be good to hear stories and testimonials of successful smoke quitters. It helps encourage more and more smokers to follow their decision towards a smoke free living. On the other hand, statistics increasing numbers of smokers realized and take a move to kick smoking habit out of their lives.

According to US smoking cessation statistics:

•    40% of all adult smokers (13 million people)
•    25% of everyday smokers aged 65 years old and older
•    38% of everyday smokers aged 45–64 years old
•    40% of everyday smokers aged 25–44 years old
•    53% of everyday smokers aged 18–24 years old
•    50% of high school smokers

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS) roughly 4% to 7% is the people who where able to quit smoking without the help or medicines.  That means that even without help it can be done all depends for it to be successful.  Base on the same report it says that between 25% and 33% can stay out of smoking until 6months with the use medicine, it also shows that using not just one medicine is also effective.  Based on the studies entitled “Quitting in Droves: Collective Dynamics of Smoking Behavior in a Large Social Network” smoking cessation also prevent other people around stop smoking as well.

They also said that smoking cessation is greatly affected by the people around him that also smoke.  If a person close to you stop smoking most likely than not you will yourself quitting smoking as well.  It can be because of the influence that person has on you or just out of curiosity because you see someone quit that you also want to do quit.  This smoking cessation statistics shows that smoker around that already quit can influence to stopping smoking.

There are numerous suggestions that will aid you in quitting smoking it can be a pharmacological treatment, physiological treatment, even hypnosis and acupuncture are all being advised to help in your smoking cessation.  According to the guideline published in 2000 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, shows that 15-33% quit rates is aided by pharmacological interventions, while 14-25% of quit rates was helped by psychological interventions and there is only a small or no evidence at all that was found to back up hypnosis, acupuncture or laser therapy as a treatment for smoking cessation.

This only proves that it can be done and will the right help and the right frame of mind you can do it.  Start quitting as early as you can while there is less desire for nicotine don’t make it worst that will come to a point that you can’t live without nicotine in your body.  You will not be the only one who will benefit from it but also the people around you.

Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms:

1. Cravings to smoke
2. Irritablity, crankiness
3. Lack of Sleep (Insomnia)
4. Fatigue
5. Cough
6. Sore throat
7. Constipation, Flatulence
8. Stomach Pain
9. Postnasal drip
10. Tightness in the chest
11. Inability to Concentrate
12. Headache
13. Dry mouth
14. Sore tongue and/or gums

With your new life as a non smoker your body will begin repairing itself within the first 8 hours of quitting.  The longer that you quit the more your body will be repairing itself.  You will be dramatically lowering your risk of coronary disease, heart attack, stroke, and lung problems.

Life as a non smoker, you will also have the ability to exercise more effectively. Working out and exercise will help speed the process of repairing your body.  Doing simple cardio will increase your lung and blood capacity putting more oxygen in your system and increasing the repair of your cells.  Consider joining a gym or fitness club, you will find that you have a whole new level of energy, and enjoy the sensation of working out.  Exercise will make you less likely to pick up smoking again.

Another thing to expect in your new life as a non smoker is money!!!  Yes, you will have lots more money to spend.  Whether you choose to enjoy your extra money or start stashing it away you will have a lot more monye at your disposal.  If you smoked a pack a day, you will be saving over $200 dollars a month.  That is a good chunk of change to do things with.  Just make sure that it does not go back to smoking.

Not only will you be benefiting from quitting smoking, but the people around you will benefit as well. Your family, co-workers, and friends will not have to wait on you to smoke, and enjoy a better smelling you. Your children will have their parent around to guide them and watch them grow up.  Overall, everyone in your life will be benefiting from your new life as a non smoker. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Name: John Durham
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Hi, my name is John and I am proud to say that I am smoke free for almost 5 years! I have recently decided to start writing for Stopcigarettes.net to help those who want to quit the habit.  Quitting Smoking is a very difficult thing to do and hopefully this the resources on this website can help aid other to becoming smoke free.