Be cautious after you quit the habit of smoking

Now that you've successfully quit smoking, you may be wondering what happens next.Many people focus so intensely on quitting, they may not have thought about what happens when you quit smoking. This article will help you know what to expect when you quit smoking, and will teach you useful strategies so that you remain smoke free.

I've quit smoking, what do i do now?
Now that you've successfully become a non smoker, you must ensure that your determination holds strong and that you resist the temptation to start smoking again. One of the best ways to ensure that you remain smoke free is by taking good care of your health. You've already taken the biggest step towards a healthier you simply by giving up the habit of smoking. Here are some additional ways to keep yourself feeling better and to increase the quality of your life.

Eat a balance diet
Many people worry that if they quit smoking and weight gain will take place. By eating a well balanced diet, there will be no weight gain and you'll have an increase in energy.

Drink 64 ounces of water daily. You need water to stay hydrated, but you also need to be hydrated to stay healthy. Dr i nking water can help you manage cravings, control you weight, ward off headaches and remain focused.

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables provide your body with many essential vitamins and minerals. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help reduce your risk of many illness and diseases including strokes, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and certain cancers. These foods can also help you manage your weight once you've stopped smoking.

Eat whole grains
Eat an appropriate of whole grains. Whole grains contain a lot of fiber, which your body needs to regulate digestion. Likewise, consuming a healthy diet which includes whole grain foods can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and reduces the risks of spinal tube defects in pregnant women.

Include protein in your diet
Protein is essential for your body to function properly. By eating a healthy diet, including lean meats, you can quit smoking and not gain weight. Lean proteins are meats like top sirloin and round steaks, skinless chicken, salmon or vegetarian alternatives such as lentil or veggie burgers. The lean meats are important because they have less fat and saturated fat. Eating an appropriate amount of lean proteins can help control weight loss, cholesterol and they provide important minerals to your body.

Drink milk
Milk is an important part of a healthy diet, especially if you were a smoker. Smoking weakens bones, and fortunately, the vitamin D and calcium in milk can help those bones become stronger. Choose skim milk to reduce calories and help you control you weight.

Exercise
Incorporating exercise into your new smoke free lifestyle can not only assist you remain smoke free, but it can also help you lower your risks of certain diseases. Another of the health benefits for smoking quit, you may be able to breathe easier and without coughing, making exercise much more enjoyable. Here we'll examine some ways to get you moving:

Yoga
Yoga is a great relaxation and strengthening exercise. It tones the body and frees the mind. Yoga is a great way to refocus you mind, provide balance in your body and maintain your weight. There are plenty of books and DVDs for those interested in practicing yoga, information is also readily available on the internet.

Walking
There are numerous health benefits to walking. It helps maintain weight, provides stress relief and is a great way to redirect your attention when cravings strike. A regular cardiovascular routine, including walking, can help reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Strength training
Strength training or lifting weights is a great way to get in shape. It improves the overall tone in your body, provides a great outlet for stress relief and can help you maintain your weight.

What happens to your body when you quit smoking

Many people are uncertain about what happens when you quit smoking. Some people don't quit because they believed they have already damaged their bodies. However, this is far from the truth. In reality your body begins to recover from the effects of smoking within 20 minutes as your heart rates returns to the level it was before your last cigarette. In less than 3 months of quitting your lung function increases and your circulation has improved. Your risks of developing lung cancer and other cancers, chronic lung disease, having a stroke or heart attack all decrease.

You now know what to expect when you quit smoking and how you can remain smoke free. Don't forget to encourage your family and friends to stop smoking and you can tell them what happens when you quite smoking, it just might save their life.

Smoking makes bones weaker

Many people associate smoking with increased health risks including cancers, respiratory problems and heart diseases.However, recent research also has indicated that smoking makes bones weaker.

How does smoking effect bones?
There have been a few recent studies conducted to evaluate the relationship between smoking and bones structure. Those studies have concluded that smoking poses a threat to the entire skeletal system. Some of the major findings are reported below. The studies found that smokers, when compared to non smokers had the following experiences or conditions:

• Weaker spinal ligaments
• Accelerated bone loss
• Decreased bone cell production
• Increased recovery times after surgeries, fractures and abrasions
• Additional severe vertebral disc degeneration
• Increased complication rates proceeding surgeries
• Fewer successful ligament and joint surgeries

What can smokers do to decrease there risk of developing brittle bones?
The biggest step smokers can take to decrease their risk of developing brittle bones is to quit smoking. Aside from quitting, there is little smokers can do. The plain truth according to rese arch is that smoking makes bones weaker.

How can smokers quit smoking?
With recent advances in medicine, smokers have more support and assistance to aid them in the cessation than ever before. There is a wealth of information and resources available on the internet, from friends and family, the doctor's office and from various government agencies and non profit groups. There are a number of options available to someone that is truly interested in quitting smoking.

The first thing you should do if you want to quit smoking is determine why you want to quit. What will be your driving force, the reason or reasons you will think about during your most intense cravings?

For the next week keep a smoking journal. Write down the following things each and every time you have or want a cigarette:

• Where were you when you wanted a smoke?
• Who were you with?
• What kind of mood were you in before, during and after having a cigarette?
• What was the environment l ike?
• What were you eating or drinking?
• What were you doing?

Knowing and understanding the preceding information can make a major difference in your smoking cessation success. Take expert help by making an appointment with your doctor. They may have personalized suggestions or may even recommend a smoking cessation aid for you. The following is a brief outline of some of the smoking cessation products available.

Zyban
Zyban, also known as Wellbutrin, is a nicotine free, extended release antidepressant that lessens the symptoms of withdrawal. It regulates the chemicals in the brain that signal nicotine cravings. Zyban is often used in combination with a nicotine replacement therapy for people that have been heavy smokers. If you are interested in trying Zyban as part of your smoking cessation program, you should consult with your physician to see if it is right for you.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy
Nicotine, an ingredient in tobacco, is highly addictive. Once th e body is deprived of nicotine, it begins to exhibit unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. With nicotine replacement therapy, the body is slowly weaned of nicotine. This makes the withdrawal experience less severe and more manageable. Using the nicotine replacement method, smokers are able to concentrate on treating the psychological and behavioral addiction they have to smoking. There are a variety of nicotine replacement therapy programs that are currently available to assist those interested in quitting. Prior to using a nicotine replacement therapy method, the smoker should track the amount of nicotine they consume in a day. They then begin the process by selecting a step that corresponds to their daily usage. For instance a heavy smoker would begin the process on the highest step, while a moderate smoker may begin on the second step. While using the nicotine replacement method, the smoker should gradually decrease the level of nicotine delivered into the body, until the smoker is completely free of nicotine. Each of the nicotine replacement systems are generally the same in principle, however they do have different delivery methods. The most popular include nicotine patches, gums, inhalers, sprays, and lozenges. Many of these are available over the counter at retailers and pharmacies across the country. The nicotine replacement spray and inhaler may require a doctor's prescription. A person should never smoke while using a nicotine replacement therapy method. This can result in a nicotine overdose and have serious health implications. Furthermore, it is recommended that those using nicotine replacement therapies seek additional smoking cessation assistance, as only the physical addiction is addressed using this method.

Hypnosis

Some people have had great success using hypnotherapy to aid in the cessation process. The results vary from person to person, although most people require at least three sessions over the course of a few weeks.

The most recent research has indicat ed that along with a slew of other debilitating health risks, smoking makes bones weaker. The only effective way to decrease the risks of smoking and bone loss is to quit smoking.

What can smoke do to a pregnant woman?

What can smoke do to a pregnant woman? The majority of medical professional agree that smoking is detrimental to the health of both the pregnant woman and her unborn baby They highly advise against a pregnant woman smoking.

The effects of smoking during pregnancy
Studies have shown that there are numerous adverse health effects of women smoking during pregnancy. According to the World Health Organization, 20 percent of women in developed countries smoke. A very limited number of these women refrain from smoking during pregnancy. The effect of smoking on a developing baby can be devastating.

Fertility
Many studies have documented that smoking is related to delayed conception and difficulties related to a woman's reproductive health. Additionally, studies revealed that women who smoke have fewer eggs (removed during invitro fertilization) than women that do not smoke. The eggs that are retrieved from smokers are of a lesser quality than those of non smokers as well.

Placenta previa
This condition, in which the placenta implants in the lower part of the uterus, is one of the main reasons for vaginal bleeding during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. A low lying placenta is a significant factor in infant and mother mortality. Smoking raises a woman's risk of Placenta Previa.

Placental abruption
Smoking can increase a woman's risk of placental abruption. This occurs when the placenta pulls away from the uterus, resulting in fetal distress and blood loss. This condition is fatal for roughly 25% of newborns, although it is rarely fatal for the mother. Nearly half of all infants who are born as a result of this condition have some form of long term difficulties.

Premature rupture of membranes
This occurs when the membranes break before 37 weeks of pregnancy. This is a concern because it is a factor in over 30 percent of premature births. PROM is a major concern because there is a higher risk to life threatening placental infections. Smoking has be en linked to a higher incidence of the premature rupture of membranes.

Preterm delivery
Preterm delivery applies to any birth that occurs before the 37th week of pregnancy. Babies that are born premature have an increased risk of mortality, long term disabilities and respiratory illnesses. Smoking has been linked to an increased risk of premature birth.

The effects of smoking on infants
Although many people know what smoking can do to a pregnant woman and a developing fetus, few realize that cigarette smoke continues to impact the baby's health outside the womb.

Nicotine withdrawal
Studies have shown that infants born to women that smoked undergo nicotine withdrawal when they are born. These infants appear more jittery, rigid and withdrawn. The symptoms are more severe in infants who were exposed to heavy smoking before birth.

Sids
The risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome for newborns born to a woman that smoked during pregnancy is about double the risk of a woman that was s moke free. That risk is increased further if the newborn continues to be exposed to smoke after birth. Researchers have also noted an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome in infants that may have only passively been exposed to smoke, such as the remnants of cigarette smoke on a shirt. An infant's risk of SIDS increases whenever they are exposed to smoke, be it their father's, mother's or a stranger's. The best way to prevent increasing an infant's risk of SIDS is for the infant to avoid cigarette smoke in any form.

Increased lower respiratory illnesses
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, smoking increases the rate of low respiratory tract infections in children and infants. These lower respiratory infections include pneumonia and bronchitis. Between 150,000 and 300,000 cases of lower respiratory illness are directly attributed to second hand smoke each year for infants up to the age of 18 months. Of these cases, approximately 15,000 require hospitalization. The risk of infection is nearly 50% higher for infants that have a mother that smoked compared to those that did not.

Asthma

Second hand smoke increases the severity and frequency of symptoms for asthmatic children. Nearly one million children have their conditions worsened by exposure to second hand smoke. These children also have their lung function reduced because of exposure to second hand smoke.

With the overwhelming evidence of what smoking can do to a pregnant woman, more and more women are choosing to quit smoking during pregnancy. Unfortunately, many pregnant women smoking are endangering the future of their unborn babies.

Stillborn
Nearly 11% of all stillborn births can be directly attributed to tobacco use. Quitting smoking prior to conception is ideal, yet pregnant women that quit before their 2nd trimester greatly reduce the risk of a stillborn birth.

Effects of Second Hand Cigarette Smoke

Passive smoking (also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), involuntary smoking or second hand smoke) occurs when the exhaled and ambient smoke from one person's cigarette is inhaled by other people. Non-smokers exposed to second hand smoke are at greater risk for many of the health problems associated with direct smoking.

In 1992, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a review of the evidence available from epidemiological and other studies regarding the relationship between second hand smoke and heart disease and estimated that passive smoking was responsible for 35,000 to 40,000 deaths per year in the United States in the early 1980s.

Non-smokers living with smokers have about a 25 per cent increase in risk of death from heart attack and are also more likely to suffer a stroke, and some research suggests that risks to non-smokers may be even greater than this estimate. One recent study in the British Medical Journal found that exposure to second hand smoke increases the risk of heart disease among non-smokers by as much as 60 percent!.

Passive smoking is especially risky for children and babies and can cause low birth weight babies, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), bronchitis, pneumonia, and middle ear infections.

Some controversy has attended efforts to estimate the specific risk of lung cancer related to passive smoking. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1993 issued a report estimating that 3,000 lung cancer related deaths in the US were caused by passive smoking every year. Tobacco industry lobbyists, such as the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution, and industry-funded researchers, such as S. Fred Singer, aggressively attacked the EPA study as "junk science".

In 2002, a group of 29 experts from 12 countries convened by the Monographs Programme of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization reviewed all significant published evidence related to tobacco smoking and cancer. It concluded its evaluation of the carcinogenic risks associated with involuntary smoking, with second-hand smoke also being classified as carcinogenic to humans.

An earlier WHO epidemiology study also found "weak evidence of a dose-response relationship between risk of lung cancer and exposure to spousal and workplace ETS". The fact that the evidence was described as "weak" has been interpreted by the tobacco industry and its supporters as evidence that the ETS-lung cancer link has been "disproven".

More precisely, the "weakness" of the evidence stems from the fact that the risk of ETS for individuals is small relative to the very high risk of actually smoking, making it more difficult to quantify through epidemiology. In addition to epidemiology, moreover, several other types of scientific evidence (including animal experiments, chemical constituent analysis of ETS, and human metabolic studies) support the WHO and EPA conclusions.

Most experts believe that moderate, occasional exposure to second hand smoke presents a low cancer risk to non-smokers, but the risk is more likely to be significant if non-smokers work in an environment where cigarette smoke is prevalent. For this reason, many countries (such as Ireland) and jurisdictions (like New York State) now prohibit smoking in public buildings. Many office buildings contain specially ventilated smoking areas; some are required by law to provide them.

Effects of Tobacco Smoke

• Smoking KILLS

• Every year hundreds of thousands of people around the world die from diseases caused by smoking.

• One in two lifetime smokers will die from their habit. Half of these deaths will occur in middle age.

• Tobacco smoke also contributes to a number of cancers.

• The mixture of nicotine and carbon monoxide in each cigarette you smoke temporarily increases your heart rate and blood pressure, straining your heart and blood vessels.

• This can cause heart attacks and stroke. It slows your blood flow, cutting off oxygen to your feet and hands. Some smokers end up having their limbs
  amputated.

• Tar coats your lungs like soot in a chimney and causes cancer. A 20-a-day smoker breathes in up to a full cup (210 g) of tar in a year.

• Changing to low-tar cigarettes does not help because smokers usually take deeper puffs and hold the smoke in for longer, dragging the tar deeper into their lungs.

• Carbon monoxide robs your muscles, brain and body tissue of oxygen, making your whole body and especially your heart work harder. Over time, your airways swell up and let less air into your lungs.

• Smoking causes disease and is a slow way to die. The strain put on your body by smoking often causes years of suffering. Emphysema is an illness that slowly rots your lungs. People with emphysema often get bronchitis again and again, and suffer lung and heart failure.

• Lung cancer from smoking is caused by the tar in tobacco smoke. Men who smoke are ten times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smokers.

• Heart disease and strokes are also more common among smokers than non-smokers.

• Smoking causes fat deposits to narrow and block blood vessels which leads to heart attack.

• Smoking causes around one in five deaths from heart disease.

• In younger people, three out of four deaths from heart disease are due to smoking.

How to Deal With People Who Grub Cigarettes

If you're a smoker, you've more than likely had someone 'bum a butt' off you. Maybe your smoke buddy ran out, maybe a stranger asks for more than a light, but if you're reading this it's probably because you've encountered a person you know who never seems to have cigarettes and always wants to smoke yours. Here are some ideas on how to politely, but firmly, decline the people who want to smoke out of everyone else's pack.

Steps

1. Tell them you are on the patch. Obviously if you're smoking at the time this won't work. Don't tell them you have quit, because if they do see you smoking they'll know you're lying. But, every smoker knows that if you're in the process of quitting sometimes you might indulge the craving.
2. Tell them you don't give out cigarettes because they kill people and it's bad enough you smoke, and you're seriously considering quitting. Lie, if necessary.
3. Be up front with them. Tell them they seem to always ask you for a butt, and ask them why that is. Depending on their response, give them a rational argument on why smoking yours isn't the solution.
   • Example: I don't have money for cigarettes right now. Tell them that you don't have enough money to keep giving them your cigarettes. If they offer to pay you for one cigarette, tell them to save the money until they can buy a pack. If they say they only need one, tell them that they can quit if all they need is one cigarette.
4. This is down and dirty but if you know the person has a smoking related health condition, use that as a defense. Tell them that you know they have that condition from smoking and you don't feel right giving them cigarettes because of it.
5. Tell them you have only one cigarette left and you need it. Alternatively, tell them it's your last pack and it's got to last you until payday. Seem really apologetic.
6. Try the menthol defense. Tell them you smoke menthols if it isn't someone who knows your preference. Many people won't smoke a menthol, but the desperate will, so be careful. Always back up the menthol defense with another one if it doesn't work because if you don't smoke menthol and give them a cigarette they'll know you're lying. You can get around this by actually smoking menthol cigarettes.
7. Consider if they are trying to quit. They may have stopped buying to try to quit smoking. If that's the case and it becomes a problem you should remind them they bum smokes when they drink (meet out, etc.) and should pick up a pack on the way.
8. Make a point to bum cigarettes off of them when they have them. If they balk after a few times you can remind them you "know how it feels". If they're fine sharing you can at least try to break even.
9. Ask your smoking buddies what they would do in your situation. Smokers will tell you what they do, even strangers who are smokers. Seriously, if you don't have a light you can pretty much go up to any smoker and ask for one and you'll get it.
10. Call them before meeting them out. Say you're running late and ask them to pick up a pack of cigs for you on the way. Hopefully they will buy their own but if you're in doubt you should suggest it.
11. Use the "I bummed this one" defense.
12. Give them a pack for their birthday or a gifting holiday. Joke that it should last them a while so you can get a break.
13. Consider switching brands, even if just for going out with the person, especially if you're a girl and a guy is the culprit. Take a pack of a brand that is particularly skinny or girlie.
14. If you can, smoke a hand-rolled or other unfiltered cigarette. Many smokers, even hardened chain smokers, feel these are far too strong. However, they may be too strong for you as well at first. They are also worse for your health, because without a filter, more smoke gets into your lungs. One last benefit is even if people do still bum them off you, rolling tobacco and papers are amaingly cheap compared to regular cigarettes.
15. Make a joke out of it. Most moochers will take the hint if they're called out a few times. Try these as a greeting or when with these grubbing friends. Make sure you let other victimized friends in on the plan to call them out so they can join in. Try one of the following passive aggressive "hints":
    • "I suppose you'd like to mooch a cigarette"
    • "Certainly you aren't still out of cigarettes and about to ask me for one"
    • "____ is coming! Hide your cigarettes!"
    • "If I'm supplying the smokes, you're buying the beer."
    • "You know, you passed about 10 stores today, so don't walk over here and mooch my last smoke".
    • "Ya know, they sell these in stores. You should consider investing in your own."
    • "Hey, I'm almost out too, here's a few bucks, grab me a pack when you get yours."

Tips

• Don't instantaneously dismiss someone grubbing a butt. Remember that smokers are a very companionable lot, and it's nice smoking with someone else - there's more than a fair chance you've been caught without a drag somewhere, and somebody has supplied one for you. It's only a problem if it's the same person all the time - in that case, try asking him or her for half a dollar. Tell them you don't have money for cigars either - if they want one, you'll be glad to part with one for a nominal fee.
• If someone really is irritating or ignorant about your 'quit smoking', point out that cars produce 1,000 times more carbon monoxide than a cigarette, so you'll quit smoking if they quit driving. Also tell them you're sort of a hero because at least you're taking the majority of your carbon monoxide internally. Carbon monoxide from cars is released for everyone to breathe. Also, smoking has not yet been linked to global warming.

How to Properly Cut a Cigar

First time smoking a cigar? Then it's time you learned how to cut one properly. Even if you don't want to smoke a cigar yourself it's useful to know how, in order to cut cigars for people at parties or celebrations.

Double-Guillotine Cutter Method

1. 
   Select the correct end of the cigar to cut. This is the end of the cigar that goes in your mouth and is called the head of a cigar. It is distinguishable by the fact that it has a cap on it. The cap is a round piece of tobacco that is stuck onto the head in order to keep the wrapper of the cigar together. The head is also usually the end closest to the logo sticker wrapped around the cigar. The opposite end of the cigar is known as the foot
2. 
   Identify the line where the glue sticking the cap on ends. You'll want to cut about 4 or 5 mm under this line, towards the foot of the cigar.
3. Pick up your cigar cutter between your thumb and fore-finger using your best hand.
4. Place the cigar into the cutter and close one eye in order to line up the cigar correctly.
5. Keep a tight grip on the cigar with your other hand and try not to let it move until it is cut all the way through.
6. Cut the cigar quickly in one fluid motion, with as much force as you can.

V-Cutter Method

1. If you like, buy a V-Cutter. This will give a V shaped cut into the cigar. This increases the surface area of the exposed tobacco, thus improving the draw. However, since the cut is INTO the cigar, there is less surface are that your mouth will be in direct contact with. RESULT: better draw, but less chance of tobacco bits in your mouth.
2. A VERY good V-Cutter will sit on a table, but is too big to carry with you. A small one is the same size as any other small cutter and can cost as little as $4.00.
3. Cigar smokers who try both tend to like to precision, control, better draw, and yes, even the appearance of a cigar with a beautiful V cut. of a V-Cutter.
4. A V-Cutter will NOT remove too much, which can result in the unwrapping of the cigar.