Avoid Holiday Smoking

I quit smoking a month ago. I'll be going to a couple of holiday parties this month where there will be alcohol and I'm scared to death that I'll smoke when I drink. Smoking and drinking go hand-in-hand for me. What can I do to make sure I don't end up smoking at the parties I attend this year?Answer: You're smart to be concerned. Alcohol lowers inhibitions, and that's not a good thing for a person who is working to quit smoking. While under the influence of alcohol, it's common to think that smoking just one or just for tonight is okay and that we can resume our quit programs tomorrow...

Such has been the ruin of many a good quit.

There is no such thing as "just one" cigarette when it comes to nicotine addiction.

Look ahead at what you may be faced with when attending holiday events this year and plan a strategy to manage them smoke-free. Preparation fortifies resolve and will allow you to meet the challenges that come with confidence.

The obvious first choice is simple: Avoid alcohol entirely. Drink cranberry juice with seltzer water or another non-alcoholic beverage of choice. No one but you and the bartender will know the difference. If you do drink alcohol, be careful. Limit the amount of alcohol you consume and don't overdo it. Substitute every other drink with a glass of spring water and lemon. It will dilute the alcohol you've consumed, keep you hydrated, and will give you something to sip on while socializing. If people are smoking close by and it begins to bother you, have a plan of action in mind. Can you explain that you've recently quit smoking and ask them to refrain? If not, excuse yourself for a few minutes and go to the bathroom or step outside for some fresh air. When cravings to smoke hit, the key is to quickly change your focus. Interrupt your thoughts and you'll snap yourself out of junkie thinking. If you're worried about maintaining your quit program at the holiday party this year, consider simply not going. No, I'm not advocating avoiding life, I'm encouraging you to remember your priorities. Think of it this way...early on, smoking cessation takes a lot of effort and focus for most people. In order to succeed, your quit program must be in the top slot of your priority list for as long as it takes.

If you fear the temptation to drink will be more than you can handle, don't push yourself. There will be more parties next year. Give yourself the time you need to heal from this addiction. Do the work now to change your relationship to smoking, and the day will come when drinking alcohol no longer triggers the urge to smoke.

Quitting smoking is not a sacrifice, it's a gift. You're moving toward a better life, one that is free of addiction and all of the strife that goes with it. Smoking cessation is your path to a healthier and happier you, and the benefits awaiting you are beyond what you can imagine. Alcohol and early smoking cessation are not a good mix. It's important to maintain control of our senses when we're learning how to live a smoke-free life, and alcohol puts us at risk.

Provide yourself with the best possible environment for success that you can as you move through the holiday season. Keep your quit progam in focus and do whatever you need to do to protect and nurture it. Period!

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Carcinogen

Definition:

A carcinogen is defined as any substance that can cause or aggravate cancer.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer assigns carcinogens a rating by grouping them into one the following five standard classifications: Group 1: The agent is carcinogenic to humans.Group 2A: The agent is probably carcinogenic to humans.Group 2B: The agent is possibly carcinogenic to humans.Group 3: The agent is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans.Group 4: The agent is probably not carcinogenic to humans.See also: Cancer

Sources:

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Are Cigars Addictive?

I've never smoked cigarettes, but I do smoke the occasional cigar. Is it possible to become addicted to cigars when I smoke so infrequently?Answer: Yes, it's possible to become addicted to cigars, even if you are an occasional smoker. The addictive ingredient in any tobacco product is nicotine, and cigars pack a punch when it comes to quantity of both tobacco and nicotine.

A typical cigarette contains about a gram of tobacco and approximately one to two milligrams of nicotine. It takes 5 to 10 minutes to smoke a cigarette. In contrast, a cigar can contain anywhere from 5 to 17 grams of tobacco and widely varying amounts of nicotine - usually between 160 and 200 milligrams. Some premium cigars may have as many as 400 milligrams of nicotine in them. A cigar burns slowly and takes 2 hours or more to smoke.

Cigarettes and cigars differ primarily in how people use them. Cigarette smoke is inhaled into the lungs, and absorption of nicotine quickly follows. Cigar smoke is not usually inhaled because it is more harsh, but it's important to note that nicotine is still absorbed through the lining of the mouth in quantities sufficient to produce dependence. Also, cigarette smokers who smoke cigars are more likely to inhale the smoke from their cigars as well.

See Also:
The Dangers of Cigar Smoking
6 Fast Facts about Cigar Smoking

Source:
Questions and Answers about Cigar Smoking National Cancer Institute

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Carbon Monoxide

Photo © Stockxpert Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous, colorless and odorless gas that is produced as a result of incomplete burning of carbon-containing fuels. Cigarette smoke can contain high levels of CO.When inhaled, CO quickly binds with hemoglobin in red blood cells in the lungs, creating COHb. This can affect the amount of hemoglobin available for the transport of oxygen throughout the body, which may in turn lead to symptoms of CO poisoning.Breathing low levels of CO can cause: fatigue increased chest pain in people with chronic heart diseaseIn otherwise healthy people, inhaling higher levels of carbon monoxide may cause flu-like symptoms (with no fever) such as: headaches dizziness weakness sleepiness nausea vomiting confusion disorientationAt very high levels, exposure to carbon monoxide will cause loss of consciousness and death.

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Cigarette smoke can contain high levels of carbon monoxide, and smokers generally have COHb levels in the blood that are many times greater than those who do not smoke. Because secondhand smoke may also contain high levels of CO, nonsmokers who breathe in ETS have increased levels of CO in their blood as well.Secondhand smoke is a toxic cocktail of over 4,000 chemical compounds, 200 of which are known to be poisonous and upwards of 60 that have been identified as carcinogens. if(zSbL

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Chantix as a Quit Smoking Aid

Varenicline tartrate was discovered and developed by Pfizer, Inc. specifically to help people quit smoking. Marketed as Chantix™, this prescription medicine works on two levels. First, Chantix partially activates sites in the brain known as nicotinic acetylcholine receptors that are affected by nicotine. This gives the person quitting mild nicotine-like effects and eases symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Second, Chantix has the unique ability to neutralize the effects of nicotine if a person smokes while using this drug. Let's take a closer look. Nicotine provides its user with an almost immediate "kick" of euphoria that is the result rapidly changing brain chemistry beginning within 7 seconds of the first puff on a cigarette. Nicotine attaches to nicotinic receptors which affect functions such as breathing and heart rate. That process in turn triggers the release of dopamine, the neurotransmitter thought to be responsible for reinforcing the pleasure/reward associations people have with smoking. The nicotine molecule is very similar in shape to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which affects many bodily functions, including breathing, heart rate, learning and memory. Acetylcholine also affects other neurotransmitters that have influence over appetite, mood, and memory. In the brain, nicotine binds with nerve cell receptor sites in places where acetylcholine would, creating the same effects. Chantix works by partially activating a specific type of nicotinic receptor called alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptors. The effect of this on the user is similar to a low to medium dose of nicotine. In this way, Chantix helps to relieve symptoms of nicotine withdrawal that people experience when they quit smoking. Nicotine activates the same reward system as do other drugs of abuse such as cocaine or amphetamine, although to a lesser degree. Research has shown that nicotine increases the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine, a chemical in the brain responsible for feelings of pleasure and well-being. The acute effects of nicotine wear off within minutes, so people continue dosing themselves frequently throughout the day to maintain the pleasurable effects of nicotine and to prevent withdrawal symptoms. Once in place, Chantix blocks nicotine from activating alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptors, which in turn prevents dopamine stimulation in the brain. This gives the person quitting a critical advantage. Should he/she decide to smoke while using this drug, there is no nicotine "feel good" rush, and the smoking experience is flat; dull. Smoking then becomes unfulfilling, and quitting hopefully, easier to accomplish. Six clinical trials involving 3659 chronic cigarette smokers were used as a basis for the effectiveness of Chantix as a therapy for smoking cessation.

Five of the trials were randomized, placebo-controlled studies, and showed that Chantix was more effective than a placebo to help people quit smoking. In two of the five trials, people using Chantix therapy (22 percent) were more successful at quitting smoking than those using Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride) (16 percent) as a quit smoking aid. For those taking a placebo, abstinence at the one year mark was approximately 8 percent.

While a 22 percent success rate may not seem like great odds, keep in mind the sheer number of people who are addicted to nicotine and dying because of it today. Globally, smoking-related disease causes 4 million deaths every year. Put another way, tobacco claims a human life every 8 seconds somewhere in the world. A drug that has the potential to help 22 out of every 100 people using it quit smoking is impressive indeed.

We are fortunate to live in a time when advances in medicine offer smokers more choices than ever before to quit smoking successfully. Nicotine addiction kills, plain and simple, and drugs like Chantix give hope to those who might not have been able to quit smoking otherwise.

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Health Effects of Smoking

Smokers have a harder time healing from surgeries, and have more overall health issues than do nonsmokers. This results in more time away from work, and more doctor and hospital visits. Smoking compromises a person's health in so many ways. Smokers are more likely to be absent from work than nonsmokers, and their illnesses last longer. Smokers tend to incur more medical costs, to see physicians more often in the outpatient setting, and to be admitted to the hospital more often and for longer periods than nonsmokers. Smokers have a lower survival rate after surgery compared to that of nonsmokers because of damage to the body's host defenses, delayed wound healing, and reduced immune response. Smokers are at greater risk for complications following surgery, including wound infections, postoperative pneumonia, and other respiratory complications. Periodontitis is a serious gum disease that can result in the loss of teeth and bone loss. Smoking is causally related to periodontitis. This may be because smoking affects the body's ability to fight infection and repair tissue. Peptic ulcers, which are located in the digestive tract (stomach and duodenum), usually occur in people with an infection caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacterium. Among persons with this infection, smokers are more likely to develop peptic ulcers than nonsmokers. In severe cases, peptic ulcers can lead to death. Although only a small number of studies have looked at the relationship between smoking and erectile dysfunction, their findings suggest that smoking may be associated with an increased risk for this condition. More studies are needed, however, before researchers can conclude that smoking is causally related to erectile dysfunction.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004. if(zSbL

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Gaylene's Quit Story

My story starts 36 years ago. Still to this day, I have trouble believing I became a smoker. Both of my parents smoked. I hated that, and was continually waving away the smoke, hiding their cigarettes, and complaining. Finally, when I was in college, my roommate and I decided we'd add smoking to our weight loss plan. We'd eat a very small amount, then choke down a cigarette or two. It certainly did cut down on our eating...UNTIL we became used to smoking, and didn't get sick every time we lit up! Before we knew it, both of us NEEDED to smoke. We were addicts.

I managed to keep my habit a secret (or so I thought) from my family for a year or so. Finally, Mom told me that Dad was pretty sure I was smoking because there were always dirty ashtrays in my house. The final unrobing of my "secret" was the day Grandpa arrived at my home bearing a small gift. It was the cutest little boot shaped cigarette lighter! How do you suppose he knew I smoked!!??

The next thing I knew, I was married and had two sons. I'm ashamed to say they went through the exact same suffering from my smoking that I went through with my parents. I braved their anti-smoking assaults just like Mom and Dad had braved mine.

Then came a grandchild who hated smoking. One thing that proved the power of addiction was both my husband's and my disregard for our (at the time) four year-old grandson's fears. One day out of the blue, he said, "I don't want Grandpa to die." When asked why he was worrying about this, his answer was, "He smokes cigarettes." I get tears every time I think about not giving up our "enjoyment" and letting this little boy's mind be at rest.

I had been smoking for about twenty-four years when I started developing a cough. This cough started out as occasional and progressed to very often. Not wanting to admit that maybe the cause of the cough could be smoking, I decided I must have allergies to the chemicals I use every day while working in my hair salon. This led me to purchase all kinds of cough syrups, over the counter allergy meds, and throat lozenges. I bought machines to clean the air and stopped using aerosol sprays. Funny thing, the cough didn't go away or even diminish.

I started getting slightly short of breath, then progressed to VERY short of breath. I could no longer climb mountains, water ski, or play sports with my boys. I used to walk for miles daily. My boundless energy was gone. At night I would lie in bed and feel my heart pounding while my chest ached. I began to suspect COPD. Denial made me hope that I had something wrong with my heart. I felt something could be done to help me if I had heart troubles. COPD sounded too scary, too final. I went to a heart clinic to get checked out. After a treadmill test, ultra sounds, etc., it was determined that my heart was fine. This left me no choice but to admit I had a serious lung problem.

Gaylene learns she has emphysema

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