Smoking and Feelings

Smoking is a way to implement our wishes and feelings. Otherwise we would never smoke.

To give up smoking, one has to investigate the motives for smoking and elaborate new models of behaviour in the situations when previously we resorted to smoking; then replace the old models with the new ones.

Notice that a non-smoker do not need a cigarette to communicate with the others, a non-smoker do not start smoking when he/she wants to have a break or, otherwise, to think about something.

On the contrary, a smoker cannot normally implement many of his/her wishes without the help of smoking. Sometimes, certainly, he/she can do this (but typically does not want to), but he cannot do without cigarettes all the time!

In most cases (almost 100%) a smoker does not realize his/her real wishes. With time he/she starts mixing them with the wish to have a cigarette!

Some people believe that the main problem of refusing smoking is nicotine addiction. But this is not really so. Or this is not a problem at all. The main problem is the inability to live through various situations without a cigarette.

If you have ever tried to quite smoking for more or less lengthy period, you could notice that this was not the nicotine addiction that brought you back to smoking (as if you had real chuck horrors as a drug addict), but some definite situation: stress, a holiday with alcohol, a heart talk near the fire and so on. You felt a strong desire to react to one of your wishes with the help of the way you have trained multiple times during the years - by smoking.

Thus, the task of quitting smoking can be reduced to three relatively easy steps:

1. Understand the reasons of your smoking
2. Develop new models of behaviour
3. Fix those models.

There is one more important barrier. It is called the fear. You are afraid that the quality of your life will get worse. You will be more nervous, will not be able to relax and will suffer without cigarettes and so on.

The irony is that the quality of your life will significantly improve. Even more, it will improve in all aspects. Proving this fact is not a rewarding business, however, the Internet gives us certain opportunities, one of which is learning from the experience of other people exposed in the electronic format.

What happens to you when you quit smoking?

10 facts describing what happens with the body if you quit smoking right now:

1. In 20 minutes your blood pressure will drop back down to normal.
2. In 8 hours the carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) levels in your blood stream will drop by half, and oxygen levels will return to normal.
3. In 2 days your chance of having a heart attack will have decreased. All nicotine will have left your body. Your sense of taste and smell will return to a normal level.
4. In 3 days your bronchial tubes will relax, and your energy levels will increase.
5. In 2 weeks your circulation will increase, and it will continue to improve for the next 10 weeks.
6. In three to nine months coughs, wheezing and breathing problems will dissipate as your lung capacity improves by 10%.
7. In 1 year your risk of having a heart attack will have dropped by 50%.
8. In 5 years your risk of having a stroke returns to that of a non-smoker.
9. In 10 years your risk of lung cancer will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
10. In 15 years your risk of heart attack will have returned to that of a non-smoker.

Truth and Legends about Smoking – Part 2

Truth and Legends about Smoking – Part 1

Needles against tobacco. Our organism has certain points, influence on which helps eliminate unpleasant vegetative and psychical symptoms resulting from the dropped smoking habit. This method of struggling with tobacco addiction is called acupuncture. It has shown itself to good advantage, therefore a lot of clinics offer acupuncture services advertising the possibility to get rid of smoking addiction in one session. However, it is not absolutely true. Typically, to get rid of the wish to smoke and eliminate unpleasant symptoms, at least 3 and more often 5-6 sessions, are needed, which depends on the person’s condition.

Head shock. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation is influence on the specific points on the smokers head by a low intensity electrical current. This guarantees liquidation of all disturbing symptoms in 10 sessions, including vegetative and vessel symptoms, psychic symptoms, improvement of mood and sleep, and elimination of irritancy. The advantage of the latter method from the acupuncture is that in this case unpleasant feelings may be completely avoided, and this method will undoubtedly suit people who are afraid of being infected through the needles.

Mountain air. Tobacco smoke contains carbon oxide, which connects with hemoglobin when a person is smoking. As a result carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) – a very toxic substance displacing oxygen – is formed, which leads to the lack of oxygen supply to the body tissue and, thus, to hypoxia. An only advantage of hypoxia is that immune system is working actively at this moment.

The work of the devices that is called Mountain Air is based on the fact that a smoking quitter is breathing in a gas mixture with a reduced oxygen content. No toxic substance is formed in this case, and hypoxia has a curative effect. This treatment helps to reduce the wish to smoke, on the one hand, and to induce active work of protective forces in the organism, on the other hand.

Let’s breathe right! Today substance abuse professionals are actively using the device called "Biological Feedback". It is intended for adjustment of emotional condition of a person with the help of right breathing. If a smoking quitter is breathing correctly, the PC screen shows pictures, painted figures and builds mosaic. Abdominal breathing is taught during 5-10 sessions. After which, in stress situations when a person wants to smoke, he/she may recollect the right breathing and his/her emotional condition will get closer to the normal, and abnormal impulse to start smoking will reduce.

Smoking and Lack of Communication

In order to finally abandon cigarettes, it is not sufficient to fight the wish to smoke and get rid of unpleasant symptoms during the quitting period. Integrated treatment should necessarily envisage communication of the former smoker with psychologists and psychotherapists. First of all, the specialist tries to define whether the patient is ready to cope with his/her problem, investigating his/her attention, thinking, memory, level of motivation and self-assessment. Each psychotherapist uses individual techniques for work with smokers and solves related tasks in addition to the main one – to stop to be the nicotine captive.

Liquidate the need. Gestalt psychologists work with expansion of the patient’s perception field, so that the former smoker could look differently at what is happening to him/her and could find the points of support that could help him/her restore the original balance. The specialists consider addictions as a way to fight the needs that a person cannot satisfy. It is believed that people addicted to cigarettes and alcohol are thus trying to substitute their wish to communicate. When the so called gestalt situation is not closed, it presses upon a person by its incompleteness, and he/she begins to smoke, as he/she does not no any other method to cope with this problem. The specialists help the smoker understand what is happening to him/her in reality. Sometimes they resort to such therapy methods as psychodrama where problematic situations are acted out.

A command to drop the cigarette! Work with psychologists and psychotherapists is always built on an individual basis. Auto-training may suit some people better, while hypnotic pithiatry, that is hypnosis sessions, when a nicotine captive receives a command to quit smoking (such treatment will be effective, if a person is easily hypnotizable), may suit the others. Almost always the smoker has to take a consultation of a psychiatrist/substance abuse professional (SAP), unfortunately, smoking may sometimes unfold very serious psychological and sometimes even mental problems. In this case, treatment by antidepressants and other specific medicines may be required.

If your still smoking. This will make you quit. (I hope)

Do You Smoke? U Got To Watch This... - Watch more funny videos here

Truth and Legends about Smoking - Part 1

Mark Twain said:

Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world.

But then he added:

I know because I've done it thousands of times.

Can one give up the bad habit for ever or the writer was right and smokers are doomed to have a romance with a cigarette? Substance abuse professionals believe that everything depends on how serious the addition is.

Only in 5% of cases cigarette playing may be called a harmless habit. If you are in this happy minimum, you can give up smoking without any help, and you can do it easily without any unpleasant symptoms. The other tobacco addicts represent bigger difficulties.

In 95 % of cases smoking is not a habit, but a disease classified in medicine as a psychic and behavioral disorder caused by psychoactive substance abuse. It is not easy to cure it once and for ever. Years of smoking form the so called smoking behavior which is expressed in an extremely compulsive craving to bring a "magic" wand to the lips. If there is no such wand, a smoker feels uneasy. Also vegetovascular dependence emerges: a bas smoker starts trembling all over without tobacco, salivation increases or in the contrary a person has a dry moth, a headache may appear. Besides, smoking quitters feels strong psychological stress. A person becomes irritated, it becomes difficult for him/her to focus on something, because all of his thoughts are occupied with one wish - I want to smoke! But you should not feel despaired - tobacco addiction can be cured.

Five Methods
The contemporary medicine has a lot of methods to help a person not only quit smoking, but also release unpleasant symptoms during this hard period.

The portion of nicotine. When a smoker is trying to drop cigarettes, he may often have nicotine chuck habit. To avoid this, one can use medicines supplying minimum amount of nicotine to the organism. This therapy is called nicotine substitution. It includes well-proven special plasters. They are stuck to the skin of a smoker, through which the nicotine goes to the blood. Its doses may differ and depend on how long a person smoked and how soon he or she wants to give up this bad habit. Plasters are attached for a day or 12 hours, the treatment takes 2 to 3 months.

The same principle is used in inhalers, but nicotine goes in this case to the lungs through respiratory tract and a smoke quitter looks the same as a smoker. Nicotine concentration in case of using and inhaler-holder increases slower than in case of smoking, and its maximal level is three times lower as compared to the cigarette's.

There is a special chewing gum, which after chewing starts delivering nicotine and gets a bitter taste. Such treatment lasts about six months. And you have to observe several rules: you should not eat anything 15 minutes before and after chewing such gum and it is flatly prohibited to smoke cigarettes in the same way as with any other nicotine addiction treatment methods. Otherwise you can get poisoned with nicotine.

All medicines are sold in drug stores and are easily accessible, however, they should be prescribed by a physician, since a non-professional may mistake in choosing the correct nicotine dosing.

Truth and Legends about Smoking - Part 2

Myths and Legends about Drugs - Part I

These are not fairy-tails, but very widespread misbelieves. Strange as it may seem, some people consider taking drugs not only a pleasant but also a useful pastime, and they actively protect their viewpoints. Sometimes they manage to produce convincing arguments of their "rightness". But is it as rightful indeed?

People say that "one should try everything in life, including drugs".

These are the meanest words. Since after trying drugs for company, you will hardly want (or be able to) try something else. There are more interesting challenges - jumping with a parachute or observing the starry sky through a telescope. But if you suggest those to young people, 7-10 of them will agree (it may be frightful); sitting at a telescope - hardly three of them (the rest are too lazy); but about 40 people have tried drugs (it's the fact)! Why? Because you can try drugs without any strain - just pay in cash. However, to justify themselves, they say: "One should try everything in life (which means drugs), have as many experiences as you can". But some of them will not see anything in life anymore, except for drugs...

People say: "Drugs make your life more diversified and more colorful".

At first they make it more colorful. You get something new and interesting. But do you know what people from Anonymous Drug Addicts Society tell? "One time is always too much, and thousand is always too little". This means when you have tried something for the first time you blame yourself in the morning: why have I only got connected with those joy rides, I have not had very much fun, and now I feel myself not very well, besides, I've spent lots of cash. But you want to try it once again, to adjust your health and choke off your remorse. And your start: "Ok, it's the last time today". Tomorrow: "Ok, today is the last day" and so on. Diversity is worse than in the army: you get up in the morning, get some cash, then buy the thing, then take it, than go to sleep. Every day just one and the same thing. There is no fun here.

I think that different activities make our lives diversified. Drugs are taken by three main reasons:

1. to keep up with your friends, which is called the "herd instinct";
2. out of curiosity, which ends very soon; and
3. not to think how you will live tomorrow.

People believe that "Drugs solve life problems".

Some problems can really be solved by drugs: for example, for some time (very short) they liquidate the feeling of anxiety and self-doubt forcing out from you mind the thoughts about difficult but necessary actions or questions the answers to which are not simple. This solution is typical for some people, but problems remain unsolved. Deferred tasks tend to accumulate and force you to act, most often not in the most efficient way. Above all, drugs and dopey substances in case of regular use change your psychics - an abusing person becomes very impatient or increasingly irritated, suspicious (reaching the condition of psychosis), such person starts feeling guilty, becomes unconfident and as a result - alienated from close people, friends and society in general. If you have problems, drugs will only make them worse!

People say that "There are people who have been taking drugs for many years and are still living happily".

It is very seldom that they tell about their "happy lives" just not to admit their problems. Most often you can hear them saying: "What a fool I was to start taking drugs, I cannot quit now...". I have never met a person who has taken drugs for many years and has not tried to drop them (the same goes about alcohol and tobacco). Frankly speaking, some cannabis consumers (especially some marginals) may boast about their habit. Possible, this is connected with their wish to point out how extraordinary they are, which, in my opinion, speaks about the unsolved psychological problems: If everything is ok, we do you need drugs at all?

to be continued...

The Exercise: "Must or Must Not"

This exercise effectively clears your mind about smoking as well as helps you get rig of the accumulated negative thoughts. Do not worry, if during the exercise some negative thoughts or feelings (of any kind) will appear, come to the surface and reach your mind. Let it go. All the rubbish will disappear in time and for ever as long as you keep doing this exercise. Negative thoughts imply unpleasant ideas, feelings, situations and whole periods of your life. Probably, you will get sleepy or suddenly get bored. Do not worry; by the end of the exercise everything unpleasant disappears and never comes back, you will have only comfort and relaxation. Sleepiness and boredom will also disappear. Your task is to do this exercise up to the end and do not drop it in the middle.

At the end of each part of this exercise your general condition should be better than at the beginning, otherwise you should keep doing it.

EACH PART OF THE EXCERCIES IS DONE UNTIL THE DESCRIBED ACTIONS DO NOT BECOME EASY FOR YOU AND UNTIL YOU FEEL RELAXED AND CALM.

Only then you can proceed with the next part.

The exercise is performed in a seated position (recommended), or in a standing or lying position, in calm conditions, alone, with open eyes: you should see what surrounds you. All means of communication should be disconnected - nobody should interrupt you and nothing should distract you. If at any stage to much negative thoughts will emerge, you can make breaks to walk about the room, take deep breaths and switch your attention to something else. When you feel better, you should return to your exercise, continue it and at least finish the part you have already started!

Part 1
Imagine someone says to you: "You must quit smoking", and your reply: "All right, I will not smoke anymore". It does not have any meaning WHO and HOW will said this to you. You have to only imagine this. You can imagine some abstract (or specific) person. If you do not see this as a picture, you should at least have some general idea of this. If you want, you can also use a doll, a dummy or any other physically present object as an interlocutor - it does not matter. Do not change the wording! You receive the phrase: "You must quite smoking", and you reply to it: "All right, I will not smoke anymore". Then repeat it again and again. You need not pronounce these phrases aloud. When the actions become easy for you and calm and relaxation come to you, switch to Part 2.

Part 2
Imagine you say to some person: "You must quit smoking", and you hear a reply: "All right, I will not smoke anymore".

Part 3
Imagine, you are said: "You must smoke", and you reply: "All right, I will smoke".

Part 4
Imagine you say to some person: "You must smoke", and you hear a reply: "All right, I will smoke".

Each part is done until the final result is received:

1. general condition is better than before you began it,
2. doing this part became easy, you felt relaxed and calm.

These are two necessary conditions. When they are completed, switch to the next part. After the fourth part you need to return to the first one - to make sure nothing negative emerges in your mind. If anything does, you should do one more cycle, and then check the first part again. You do four parts of the exercise again and again until you feel nothing (negative or unpleasant) at all in the first part, until it becomes easy to do it, and until you feel relaxed and calm doing it. You will have no unpleasant emotions or feelings during the first part. Then the exercise is finished.

This is one of the most powerful exercises ever developed for smokers. Someone can think it is weird or silly - but only before you start doing it. If you are brave enough to start it, may you have enough courage to break through all negative thoughts and brainwashing immediately after you start and pass the way till the end. This may take hours; therefore you can cover one or two parts a day, but do not leave unfinished the part you have started. I would like to remind you once again - if at some stage you have too many negative thoughts, have a break to have a walk about the room, take deep breaths and switch your attention to something else, preferable to the present (material) objects.

This exercise is not intended to remove chuck habit. Therefore if you want to have a cigarette, have a break and have a smoke. Neither this exercise is intended to make you quit smoking. Its objective is to clean your brainwashing and get rid of all negative thoughts related to smoking. Even if you are not going to give up smoking, after this exercise you will feel much better towards smoking. There is no use to accumulate negative thoughts and feelings, if you can get rid of it easily.

Approximately 20-30% of smokers may give up smoking just by doing this exercise.