health How Can I Quit Smoking?

[punkass]

cold turkey is the only way provided you are really sincere in quitting

[mhengh]

sobrang hirap...try nyo yung bagong labas na nicotine gum...nicorette ata pangalan...as for me, enjoy muna ako sa pagyoyosi...plenty of time to quit later in life...

[gr82d8]

Extremely difficult to stop! Marami nang pera ang nainvest ko sa yosi so sayang naman itigil.

[i_skittles]

sobrang difficult... tried a few times na.. longest stretch was 8 months... but damn balik ulit...

 

hope to quit by my birthday...

 

is the nicotine gum available already? where can I buy it...

[DyerseyBoy88]

just a heads up...a new medicine for cigarrette addiction - pfizer's "chantix"....coming soon here sa usa. i dont know about sa pinas..

[jt2003]

All these methods look good. But the bottom line is you have to have a very good reason to stop smoking, because it really is unbelievably difficult. So it depends on the individual. In my case, there were two reasons: (1) I expected tobacco to become a regulated substance eventually; and (2) my daughter developed asthma most probably from cigarette smoke. In quitting anything you enjoy, it's the reason that will sustain you. For instance, I became a vegetarian in 1993 and have remained so ever since because I believe and still believe in the reasons for doing so. On the other hand, I've been an alcoholic for years...because I simply haven't found a good enough reason to stop.

[xhalaguena]

i've been off the habit for roughly a month now and i hope this time it stays that way.

[Mandrake]

I used to bring cartons of imported smokes for my friends even if i have kicked the habit of smoking myself the hard way 13 years ago. Ever since I lost 3 friends from smoke-related illnesses, i've stopped giving away cigarettes as tokens or presents.

Edited June 13, 2006 by Mandrake

[archervinny]

Hay nako, its so hard to quit... i've quit smoking several times kaso the urge is so strong to resist. Though its usually a pack a week or two or a month but sometimes i just wish i could stop... lalo na pag paupos na ung yosi... that's when i feel so freaking guilty. I'm looking for a nicotine patch pero wala naman ata dito sa pinas.

 

But sometimes i can go on for a week without it. longest is a month or two tapos pag stressed out sa work ayun balik na naman sa bisyo... Also during long traffic jams... nako... the urge surges ika nga... hay nako if someone knows how to stop please give your two cents,... btw, i tried that gradually reducing it... well up to now gradual pa rin ako hehehe... hay... sometimes i can't think without having a smoke... what bad now is... i'm into that morning puff already... O the humanity...

[rickgonzales]

it is really hard to stop smoking....when i was studying in dlsu, ang lakas ng peer pressure na itry mo manigarilyo. one stick a day became to 2 packs a day...ndi mo alam na hinahanap na lagi ng katawan mo.... :grr:

 

For me it really took a lot of will power para magstop....one day nagdecide ako to stop completely. Everyday kailangan ko labanan ang urge and temptation to just try again kahit one stick lang....1 week im also having diarrhea at upset stomach.... :thumbsdownsmiley:

 

It been 11 years now... and im proud of it.

[flyingdutchman]

3 weeks was all i could manage. Tapos christmas season na

di na nakatagal, sa dami ng inuman, yosi ulit. But during the

3 weeks i quit surprisingly walang withdrawal symptoms.

[sir_boss_master]

tried everything from the usual New Years Resolution to cold turkey...

 

i just wish i could get rid of this addiction...

 

been smoking since high school...syempre pa cool ka sa umpisa then you get hooked...hindi ka na maka cr ng walang yosi...di ka maka concentrate sa work pag walang yosi break...pag masaya ka, hanap mo yosi....pag malungkot ka, yosi pa rin...pag busy ka, yosi ang break mo...pag bored ka, yosi pa rin pang libang mo...marerealize mo na lang isang araw, hindi ka na makatigil sa nakapangbabad breath na bisyong ito!!!

 

kwento lang...

 

when i was in high school, i read a book about smoking and may mga pictures ng lungs ng mga taong namatay na nasobrahan sa yosi...

 

grabe kadiri. ang pangit at halatang napuno na ng nicotine ang lungs...may kulay pula na madugo dugo pa...may nangingitim na...may tuyot na itsura at ibat ibang nakapangingilabot na mga pictures ang nakita ko...

 

naisip ko nung panahon na yun, kelangan tigilan ko na hanggat hindi pa huli ang lahat...magmula non, hindi na po ako nagbasa pa ng mga walang kwentang librong katulad non...

 

:thumbsupsmiley: :mtc: :thumbsupsmiley: :mtc: :thumbsupsmiley: :mtc: :thumbsupsmiley: :mtc:

[S\\m//T]

It's not that hard.... I was sorrounded with friends who does smoke a lot, a chain smoker as we say since high school. I've tried it since, been there, done that thingy but then it seems that I wasn't hooked up to it and was greatly influenced that way for me to not stop smoking... So here I am, a non-smoker... :thumbsupsmiley:

[xhalaguena]

the best way to quit is to distance yourself from the activities that you are more proned to smoke!

[webmaster_ph]

Really serious in quitting, have valid and good reasons too. My problem is how to start. Should I cut down or give it up altogether? I agree that the environment can affect your willpower. Even a TV ad or show can influence your craving.

[burning_eyes1]

maybe I need a new gf who doesnt smoke...

[mc_darklight]

for me, it just took me a day to stop from smoking for 2yrs

[greenarrow]

Here's how to handle the withdrawal effects

 

GIVING Up smoking isn't an event. It's a process involving a number of reactions over a period of time. While some of these reactions are psychological or emotional, others are physical symptoms of withdrawal from a powerful drug, nicotine.

 

The severity of physical withdrawal symptoms depends on the degree to which a smoker is addicted. Dr Karl-Olov Fagerstrom, a psychologist at Uppsala University in Sweden, has found that one of the best indicators of levels of addiction was how soon smokers took their first cigarette of the day. Those who lit up before their feet hit the floor would experience the severest withdrawal effects. Among these effects are irritability, anxiety, difficulty in concentrating, restlessness and headaches.

 

Many withdrawal effects are paradoxical. The day's first dose of nicotine stimulates the brain and central nervous system, while later doses can be sedative. This might explain why those who give up smoking often suffer two kinds of sleep disturbance. Daytime drowsiness is a common complaint. Yet at night, people who have recently stopped smoking may suffer from insomnia. While awake, they seem to miss nicotine's kick: at night. They find they need its tranquillising effect.

 

Similarly, the day's first nicotine doses stimulate the intestines, while later doses slow down digestion. Addiction to a drug with such potential for behaviour control and such see-saw intestinal effects may explain why many who give up cigarettes experience increased craving for sweet or fatty foods, accompanied by nausea, constipation and diarrhoea.

 

Craving for tobacco-the most frequent and -severe withdrawal symptom-usually reaches its peak within the first 24 hours and tapers down over a seven-day period. Then it begins to rise again and persists for up to eight weeks in most smokers. In fact, it has been seen to recur occasionally as long as nine years after giving up smoking.

 

Though recurrent, the tobacco craving usually lasts in its most intense form for only three to five minutes. It is least insistent in the morning, and reaches its peak in the evening. According to one study, it disappears most rapidly in smokers who immediately give up altogether. Those who merely cut down suffer most, for they feed their habit just enough to whet its appetite.

 

All addictions have emotional, psychological and social aspects as well as physical effects. Giving up cigarettes not only interrupts the flow of a drug demanded by the body, but also cuts out of the smoker's life a habit deeply rooted in daily activities-eating, drinking, working, driving, watching television.

 

How have several million smokers succeeded in giving up such a pervasive habit? By studying the successes and failures of 183 men and women who stopped smoking, one research team has learnt that the most dangerous threats to abstinence are: drinking alcohol, particularly in the company of people who are smoking; relaxing after the evening meal; pressure or frustration at work; periods of boredom or depression. The investigators set up four basic strategies for coping with these high-risk situations:

 

Avoidance. During the first few weeks after giving up, it is wise to stay away from parties and other smoking-conducive situations. To eliminate the temptation to smoke after a meal, leave the table immediately after eating.

 

Escape. Take a break from a stressful meeting. Move away from smokers at a party. Don't have a drink. Since tobacco craving comes in bursts, escaping it for just a few minutes can prevent relapse.

 

Distraction. When the suddenly craving ex-smoker has no chance of escape-driving a car, for example-he needs to focus his mind on-, something besides the temptation. One ex-smoker found that humming worked. Others think about something pleasant: a holiday or a treat.

 

Delay. If you get a craving, wait five minutes and then decide whether to have a cigarette. It's easier to say no for a few minutes than for ever.

 

These strategies provide an immediate "first line" against relapse. But the ex-smoker also needs defence in depth, especially to cope with those negative emotions-frustration, anxiety, depression-that are likely to trigger smoking. Here are a few "second line" techniques that have been employed successfully:

 

Imaging. Some find it helpful to conjure up images of smoke blackened lungs. Others do better with positive images of their non-smoking selves as healthy, active, easy-breathing individuals.

 

Interior dialogue. When temptation strikes, try to identify the source of stress by asking: "What's going on in this situation? What do 1 really want out of it?" Rather than thinking things through, many smokers simply reach out automatically for the solace of a cigarette when they encounter stress.

 

Substitution. Some find relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation helpful. For others the answer is increased activity: jogging, gardening, golf. Munching low-calorie foods-celery, carrots, sunflower seeds-can help too.

 

Tests have shown that buffered nicotine, taken orally in tiny doses equal to what is inhaled while smoking, can help many people give up. Your doctor can write a private prescription for chewing-gum containing such doses. It costs about £7 for enough to last a 20-a-day smoker for ten days.

 

Managing failure. Sadly, many ex-smokers give in to temptation at some point and, taking a single lapse to mean total defeat, resume smoking steadily. The difference between those who eventually succeed in giving up permanently and those who don't is their ability to manage failure. If you slip, emphasise to yourself the number of cigarettes you haven't smoked. Then ask this key question: "Am 1 going to let one small slip wipe out that long, hard-won record?"

 

THERE i sn't just one reason for smoking, and there isn't just one way to stop. But application of these basic principles can make it possible to create a whole new habit - not smoking. Try it.

[Josh_Dylan]

I started smoking when i got to 1st year college at UST.. During my time allowed pa mag smoke inside the campus. So my classmates back then teach me how to smoke a cigarette, it's new for me since i havn't smoke when i was in HS. Beacuse i was a varsity player then. So, dats how it all started. a single smoke.

 

At present, ive been trying to quit smoking for the past few months now.. but unfortunatelly, got no success.

 

I find smoking hard to quit because of the ff reasons:

 

1. Morning ritual (Having coffee) or on a Coffee Shop

 

2. Before taking a shower (ease up digestion)

 

3.After eating a BIG meal.

 

4.During stressful works @ the office

 

5.Playing POKER

 

6.Gimik Nights

 

7.After Sex

 

8.Before Going to Bed

 

Despite everything, I still manage to have 2 to 3 sticks per day, but on gmik days, poker days, i smoke 6 to 8 sticks.

 

Right now, it's the start of the rainy season and the demand for having coffee while smoking a cigarette is more. It's really hard to quit

 

I've been smoking like this for the past five years now.. and i hope i can quit someday.

 

.....before it's too late

[AuggieRojas]

thanks for the info

[spencer]

Pretty damn hard to quit. Use to pride myself as being a social smoker lang and can switch it on or off. Only smoked when am out with certain friends or in some social situations. Can go months without smoking. Nowadays find myself smoking when am alone and start craving for it in certain situation like after meals or at the beach. Tried to permanently quit but find myself lighting up again and again. Think the best way is just to go cold turkey and use your will power to resist lighting up even just one stick.

[ChiliMac]

last july 2005, i had a severe case of headache. It started while i was working, out of the blue biglang sumakit ulo ko! Sa sobrang sakit ng ulo ko ay napa-upo ako after that eh pinagpawisan ako ng malamig and i saw stars! Yung parang after-image after posing for picture na may flash. So nagpa-alam ako sa supervisor ko noon and went straight the clinic. They check my BP and it was damn high! (i was only 28yrs old) I told the doctor what i experienced and then he said that it had a severe case of migarine! he ask me kung nags-smoke ka ba? i said yes, isa sa mga irritants ang smoking and worst pa ng smoking is it weakens the arteries na pwedeng mag cause ng stroke!!! Sabi ko kay doc ay ok na ako sa migraine wag lang stroke!!!!

 

so ayun naka 2 buwan rin akong nag quit but unfortuntely stress got the best of me. so balik ulit sa habit, 3 -4 sticks a day to 1pack kung may gimick.

[Uno™]

my friends gave me a cgigarrete, ang sama ng lasa pangpaquit daw un ng smoking habit, sa Robinsons Ermita nabibili

[kitzsen18]

basahin nyo nalng ito para malaman nyo "SMOKER"

 

Smoking 'is bad for your brain'

More research has been published linking smoking to health risks - with a study suggesting the habit affects IQ

 

Researchers from the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh looked at how the cognitive abilities of smokers and non-smokers changed over time.

 

They found smokers performed significantly worse in five separate tests.

 

The research, part of the Scottish Mental Health Survey, is published in New Scientist magazine.

 

Around 465 people were tested on their mental abilities in 1947 when they were aged 11.

 

They were then tested a second time between 2002 and 2002, when they reached the age of 64.

 

On this occasion they underwent tests to evaluate their non-verbal reasoning, memory and learning, how quickly they processed information, decisions about how to act in particular circumstances and construction tasks.

 

Current or former smokers were found to perform less well in the tests even after factors such as childhood IQ, education, occupation and alcohol consumption were taken into account.

 

The effect appeared to be stronger in current smokers according to the study, which was also published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

 

Intellectual development

 

The researchers suggest a "small but significant" negative effect of 4% linked to the combined effects of smoking and impaired lung function - itself linked to smoking.

 

It has been suggested in previous studies that there could be a link between impaired lung function and a negative effect on the thinking processes, but it is not clear what the mechanism for that might be.

 

Dr Lawrence Whalley of the University of Aberdeen, who led the research, said the explanation could be that smoking causes oxidative stress - cumulative damage caused by molecules called "free radicals" - to organs including the brain.

 

"Ageing neurons are very sensitive to oxidative damage."

 

Writing in Addictive Behaviors, Dr Whalley added: "The harmful effects of smoking on lung function are well established."

 

But he said the detrimental effect on cognition could be due to be attributable to poor heart and lung function affecting the brain, or directly harmful effects of smoking on brain - as well as lung - tissue.

 

Amanda Sandford, of the group Action on Smoking and Health said: "It would appear that the well-worn cliché that 'smoking stunts your growth' may be true when it comes to intellectual development.

 

"Contrary to what many people commonly believe - that smoking may help brain function, it is in fact more likely to wreak havoc with brain cells and IQ.

 

"Any teenager tempted to smoke should heed the message that it really is dumb to take up this noxious habit. "

[Uno™]

smokers knowd effects of cigar yet stil smokin. balewala lng ang mga warning kung walang disiplina