Declare Your Independence!

July 4th is a great day to quit smoking.

Here in the U.S., July 4th is a day that is synonymous with freedom.?? What better day to mark the beginning of your new life, free of the chains of nicotine addiction?

Use the resources below to get started with smoking cessation.

How to Overcome the Fear of Quitting

Quit Smoking 101 - a Free Email Course

The Mindset for Success

Smoking Cessation Support Forum

There is no time like the present to start work on the changes you want to make in your life.

Make today count!

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The First Six Smoke-Free Months

There is no better teacher than the voice of experience, and when it comes to quitting tobacco, members of the About.com Smoking Cessation forum have valuable insights to share. An important resource for the new quitter, their stories are full of practical tips about what works when we quit smoking and the benefits we might expect to enjoy.

The personal quit stories I've selected to share here focus on the first six months of smoking cessation. While the journey to quit smoking is a personal one, many of us face similar challenges early on. Learning how others have broken the chains that bound them to nicotine addiction? sets us up to overcome the issues we might encounter successfully.

Settle in and do some reading -- these real life success stories are sure to inspire, and if you're still smoking, motivate you to embark on your own journey to freedom from nicotine addiction.

Reader Contributions:

Image ? Stockxpert

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Third-Hand Smoke

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children (MGHfC) have coined a new term that describes yet another set of dangers associated with cigarette smoke: third-hand smoke. Study results published in the January, 2009 issue of the journal Pediatrics discuss how this new health hazard, third-hand smoke, is especially dangerous for children. Have you ever stood in a check-out line and known there was a smoker nearby, even though no one was smoking at the time? Or have you perhaps walked into a room that had the unmistakable smell of stale cigarette smoke lingering, regardless of the fact that a fan was moving the air? This is what researchers are calling third-hand smoke -- and it represents the toxic deposits that are left behind long after a cigarette is put out.

Cigarette smoke contains gases and small particles that are deposited on every surface they come in contact with, be it the smoker's hair and clothing, or the environment the cigarette was smoked in. Dangerous for young children who may crawl on contaminated surfaces and ingest toxins via hand-to-mouth, third-hand smoke is a serious health risk for our kids, especially those who live in the homes of smokers.

In discussing the hazards of transferring toxins clinging to the smoker and his or her surroundings to children in the vicinity, Jonathan Winickoff, MD, MPH, lead author of the study and assistant director of the MGHfC Center for Child and Adolescent Health Policy explains, "When you come into contact with your baby, even if you're not smoking at the time, she comes in contact with those toxins. And if you breastfeed, the toxins will transfer to your baby in your breast milk."Winickoff adds however, that nursing a baby if you're a smoker is still a better choice than bottle-feeding.

Researchers involved in the study surveyed more than 1,500 households in an effort to learn about adult attitudes regarding the danger third-hand smoke represents to their children and how that might affect smoking in the home. Highlights of what they discovered include: approximately 95 percent of nonsmokers and 84 percent of smokers believe that secondhand smoke is hazardous for children.On the issue of whether third-hand smoke threatens the health of children: 65 percent of nonsmokers and 43 percent of smokers felt that third-hand smoke harms kids. When asked about rules regarding smoking in the home: approximately 88 percent of nonsmokers said they didn't allow smoking, while only 27 percent of smokers prohibit smoking in the home.However, both non-smokers and smokers who felt that third-hand smoking was harmful to children's health were more inclined to restrict smoking in their homes. Researchers have identified upwards of 4,000 different chemical compounds that are present in cigarette smoke, including 200 poisonous gases, 60 carcinogens and several heavy, toxic metals. When a cigarette is smoked, about half of the smoke is inhaled and exhaled (mainstream smoke) by the smoker and the other half floats around in the air (sidestream smoke). The combination of mainstream and sidestream smoke makes up environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Also known as secondhand smoke, ETS plays a role in a multitude of health problems that can affect nearly every organ of our bodies. From heart disease and cancer to respiratory problems that steal our ability to breathe, secondhand smoke is toxic and dangerous to anyone exposed to it. Children face a higher risk than adults of the negative effects of secondhand smoke. Not only is a child's body still developing physically, but their breathing rate is faster than that of adults. Adults breathe in and out approximately 14 to 18 times a minute, where newborns can breathe as many as 60 times a minute. Up until a child is about 5 years old, the respiratory rate is quite fast; usually between 20 and 60 breaths per minute. When the air is tainted with cigarette smoke, young, developing lungs receive a higher concentration of inhaled toxins than do older lungs. Young children have less control over their surroundings than the rest of us. Babies can't move to another room because the air is smoky, or the floor is contaminated with the toxic residue of cigarette smoke. They depend on us to provide them with a healthy environment to grow up in.

Do your part to insure that children don't suffer the health hazards posed by cigarette smoking. Ban smoking in your home and car, and if you smoke, quit now.

Source:

Third-Hand Smoke: Another Reason to Quit Smoking. 29 December, 2008. EurekAlert - American Associateion for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

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This Too Shall Pass

"This Too Shall Pass."

The quote, in itself, is simple. The true wisdom to be found in its meaning is revealed in the story from which the quote originates. I have no idea if you know where this quote came from, but I shall tell the story here. I think you will find it incredibly wise, whether it serves as a reminder or this is the first time you hear it....

King Solomon, feeling blue, asked his advisors to find him a ring he had once seen in a dream.

"When I feel satisfied I’m afraid that it won’t last. And when I don’t, I am afraid my sorrow will go on forever. Find me the ring that will ease my suffering." he demanded.

Solomon sent out all of his advisors, and eventually one of them met an old jeweler who carved into a simple gold band the inscription, "this too shall pass." When the king received his ring and read the inscription, his sorrows turned to joy and his joy to sorrows, and then both gave way to equanimity.

You see, the great King found himself unable to be content. He felt sorrow when he was happy, and sorrow when he was not, because he was unable to see his way forward. The ring served to cancel out his sorrow. By constantly having something to look forward to, he found himself content. What he previously thought was satisfaction was only a superficial feeling that was brought on by his great wealth, which was only temporary, thus his satisfaction could not last forever. True satisfaction could only be found when he recognized his wealth for what it was.

Think of King Solomon's satisfaction as smoking... his wealth, instead of gold, was cigarettes. When he did not have it, he was miserable because he wanted it, and believed it would make him happy. When he did have it, he was miserable because he knew that it wouldn't last, and that he'd constantly require more.

This forum can be your ring. This too shall pass. Believe that, and you will have found your peace with the process of recovery from nicotine addiction.

There is happiness to be found in realizing that you are already happy. Happy that you do not smoke. Happy that you committed to doing something tough, and did it. Happy that you've finally allowed yourself to be happy.

Do not be jealous of people who can smoke. Don’t look at quitting as a sacrifice.

"I can not smoke."

Instead, look at it as,

"I can not smoke."

Two sentences made up of exactly the same words, but with two hugely different meanings. The former suggests deprivation. It says that you want to smoke, but simply cannot. The latter, a more optimistic view, says that you finally recognize that you can do this... you can live your life without an addiction that leaves nothing but death and despair in its wake.

Stay strong!

I quit 2 Months, 20 hours, 9 minutes and 57 seconds ago! By saying NOPE to 1,731 cigarettes, I have saved $282.22, and 6 Days and 15 minutes of my life.

I changed my life forever on 4/1/2006 11:38 PM

-Jared

More from Jared:
What Does the Future Hold?

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The Nicotine Patch

One of the most popular NRTs(nicotine replacement therapies) available on the market today is the nicotine patch. First introduced in the U.S. by prescription only in 1992, the nicotine patch could be bought over-the-counter beginning in 1996. Studies have shown the using NRTs can be helpful in a person's quit program, and that using the nicotine patch can double the rate of success with smoking cessation.

I used the nicotine patch to help me quit smoking, and it worked like a charm. It's important to note however, that the nicotine patch, or any other quit smoking aid for that matter is not a cure-all. They are exactly what their names imply...aids. They are useful tools, but your success or failure with quitting tobacco depends on you, not your quit aid.

A Perspective on Using NRTs

Foster the mindset you need to quit smoking successfully and you'll find the lasting freedom from nicotine addiction that you're looking for.

Developing the Will to Quit Smoking Successfully

The nicotine patch resembles a square tan or clear bandage. The size depends on the dosage and brand used, but generally is between one and two inches square.

Review: Nicoderm CQ Thinflex Patch

The nicotine patch provides a steady, controlled dose of nicotine throughout the day, thereby reducing the effects of nicotine withdrawal. Patch strength is reduced over time, allowing the user to wean themselves off of nicotine gradually. Nicotine patches typically come in three different dosage strengths: 21mg, 14mg and 7mg, though this may vary between manufacturers slightly. These numbers refer to the amount of nicotine in the product.

The 21mg patch is usually recommended as a starting point for people who smoke a pack of 20 cigarettes or more daily. From there, following package instructions, the user 'steps down' to lower dose patches until the final step down to no patch.

The nicotine patch should be applied once a day to clean, dry, hairless skin. Manufacturers usually recommend wearing the patch between 16 and 24 hours a day, depending on what you're comfortable with. However, wearing the nicotine patch to bed at night can disrupt sleep and cause vivid dreams. If this becomes a concern, remove the patch before bed and put a fresh one on the next morning.

Side effects of nicotine patches may include: Itching, burning or tingling when the patch is applied. This usually goes away within an hour, and is a result of nicotine coming in contact with the skin. Redness or swelling at the patch site for up to 24 hours. Dizziness Headache Upset stomach Vomiting DiarrheaIf any of the above symptoms are severe or do not go away, consult your doctor.

Notify your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following: severe rash or swelling seizures abnormal heartbeat or rhythm difficulty breathingIf you take any other medications, be sure to check with your doctor before starting the patch, as it can change the way some medicines work. Let your doctor know if you have any illnesses, including the following: Do not smoke when using nicotine patches or any other NRT, as you run the risk of receiving an overdose of nicotine.

Signs of a nicotine overdose may include: dizziness upset stomach bad headaches vomiting cold sweats drooling confusion blurred vision hearing problems weakness or faintingIf you suspect an overdose, take the patch off and call your doctor immediately.

The nicotine patch is a solid tool to help you quit smoking, but remember: the magic of success lies within you, not in any package containing a quit aid. Work on developing the resolve to do whatever it takes for however long it takes, and apply yourself daily to the task. Do this, and you will not fail!

Sources:Medline Plus - Drugs and Supplements - U.S. National Library of Medicine

About Nicoderm CQ - GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.

Silagy, C et al. Meta-analysis on efficacy of nicotine replacement therapies in smoking cessation Lancet 1994 Jan 15;343(8890):139-42.

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The Will to Quit Smoking

A part of me desperately wants to quit smoking, and I know I should quit smoking, but do I feel I must quit. Truthfully, I love smoking, and know that I'll be miserable without my cigarettes. They've become a part of me, and I almost can't bear the thought of giving them up. Yet I know I have to...

Sound familiar? Does your mind bounce back and forth on the issue of smoking cessation? Or do you quit, only to find yourself smoking again within days, or at most, a few weeks? Does your smoking habit make you feel weak? Powerless? Do you wonder if you'll ever find a way to quit smoking for good?

You're not alone.

Nicotine addiction is powerful, and smoking cessation involves a lot of work for most people -- it's not handed to us on a silver platter. You can, however, quit smoking successfully, and the good news is that thousands of people do just that every year. They've found their way out of the prison of nicotine addiction. And most of them thought, just as you do, that they couldn't quit.

How did they do it?

How did they turn a feeling of should into the certainty of must? How did they turn dreams of quitting into a reality in their lives?

While there is no magic bullet that makes smoking cessation easy and pain free, there are steps you can take to develop the commitment necessary to quit smoking permanently.

As smokers, we often think of lighting up as an enjoyable pastime. Cigarettes offer comfort, entertainment and companionship -- or so we think. At the same time, we relate smoking cessation to feelings of pain, misery and sacrifice, and for most of us, these opposing feelings exist and are reinforced on a subconscious level. They're below the surface of our thoughts, and the result is that we adopt unhealthy and inaccurate beliefs as facts of life when in reality they are only our distorted perceptions of the truth.

It’s been said that the average person has approximately 60,000 thoughts a day; a significant percentage of those thoughts are negative and usually directed at ourselves. We're almost always our own worst critics. A first step in successfully developing the will it takes to quit smoking involves learning how to pay attention to what we tell ourselves and correct false statements as soon as they occur. It takes practice and patience, but if you keep at it, listening in consciously on the thoughts that go through your mind on a daily basis will become second nature, as will correcting those that don't serve you.

Just as we condition our bodies to build strength and endurance, conditioning our minds is an exercise in building new associations that will help us put smoking permanently in the past.

Work with the thoughts that don't serve your best interests, and do it as soon as they crop up. Change the language. Restructure your thoughts in terms that will help you. For instance, if you tell yourself: "I won't enjoy the party, because I can't smoke. I'll be miserable and hate every minute of it. In fact, I'm already miserable just thinking about it."What will be the result? At a minimum, you'll feel deprived and unhappy at the party. The stage is set for a smoking relapse, because on a subconscious level, you are giving yourself the message that smoking cessation is a sacrifice. Shift your focus and correct the language by countering with something, such as this: "Going to the party smoke-free will be a challenge, and I may feel uncomfortable, but it will provide me with the practice I need to learn how to live my life without leaning on cigarettes. After all, practice makes perfect. I know these discomforts are a temporary stage of healing from nicotine addiction."Positive self-talk is a stepping stone to positive action. Once you manage the event without smoking, you'll find it easier to believe the positive corrections you're making the next time around.

When you say: "My friends get to smoke; why I can't I?"Remind yourself that your friends don't get to smoke, they have to smoke because they're addicted to nicotine. Give yourself a positive mental cue by counteracting your feelings of self-pity with: "My friends wish they could quit smoking like I have. I remember how desperately I wanted to quit every time I lit up. It was a vicious cycle that I'm free of now."Or when you start reflecting fondly on your old smoking habit with thoughts, such as: "I'm bored without my cigarettes. Life isn't fun without them."Adjust your mind-set by looking at it from another angle: "At 10 minutes smoking time per cigarette, I used to waste nearly 3 hours every single day smoking! It's no wonder I feel a little fidgety and empty. I'll take up a hobby and do something productive with the time I used to spend smoking."And, when you're feeling the discomforts of nicotine withdrawal, be careful to reinforce that the pain you're feeling is because of smoking, not quitting: "I feel so irritable without my smokes. I'm impatient and angry without cigarettes."Reinforce this way: "Cigarettes did this to me. Once I’m free of this addiction, I’m never going back to the slavery that nicotine forced me in to again."Or if you say: "I think about smoking nonstop! My day feels like one long, incessant craving!"Add this statement: "I know that nicotine withdrawal is a temporary phase of the recovery process. The discomforts won't last forever. I'm growing stronger with every smoke-free day."You get the idea. Replace thoughts that don't help you with ones that do. Train yourself to change the way you think and feel about smoking. If you persist and work with yourself enough, consciously trained thoughts will ultimately lead you to a new set of beliefs, and from there, you can make changes that will stick -- permanently.

Quit Aids and Support

Fortify the resolve you're working to build by considering one of the many quit aids available today and by connecting with like-minded people at the About.com Smoking Cessation support forum.

Smoking cessation is a gift that will reward you with benefits far beyond what you can probably imagine, so be patient and do the work to change your mind about smoking. Believe in yourself. You can do it!

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Three Months Smoke-Free

For most people, early smoking cessation is an emotional roller coaster. We're excited that we've quit; we're saddened by the sense of loss we feel. We're exhilarated at the thought of freedom from nicotine addiction; we're terrified at the thought of never smoking again.

Early cessation is uncomfortable on a variety of levels, especially the first few months. However, with education about what to expect when we quit smoking, along with a good support network, we all have what it takes to weather this temporary phase in the recovery process.

I'd like to introduce Kay, a member of our smoking cessation forum here at About.com. Kay recently celebrated three months smoke free and has been good enough to share her perspectives on early smoking cessation with readers. While her quit program is still relatively new, I can hear solid resolve in her words. Her attitude is where it needs to be and with time, I have no doubt Kay will find the freedom from nicotine addiction that she's working so hard to achieve.

From Kay:

I remember my first post at the smoking cessation forum. In it, I claimed to have had several prior quits of respectable duration, ranging from three months to one year or even longer. The truth is that this present quit is the first genuine three-month quit I have ever owned.

I cheated on all of my prior quits. The most recent quit that lasted more than a few days was from September 6 to October 31, 2006 - not quite two months.

I would begin my cheating by having just one or two per week. After that, I tended to become a weekend smoker, having all I wanted on weekends and going back to none Monday through Thursday. Before long, I would be back to my typical daily quota or even more.

One thing I have learned here is that all it takes is a single puff to break a quit. By reaching for a smoking buddy's pack after not smoking for a few days or weeks, I actually lost all my previous quits well before the three-month anniversary.

I can honestly say that, today, my quit meter is rightfully ticking along, and at present it reads: Three months, 920 cigarettes not smoked, nearly $300 saved.

I have been very upset this weekend. I thought about smoking, but, upon entering the thoughts and inspecting them like rental rooms I might or might not take, I found that I did not experience an actual craving. The thoughts were there and permission was granted. I could have smoked had I wanted to. Quitting does not forbid me to ever smoke again. I can have a stinking puke stick if I really want it.

I don't want it. I do not want my smoker's cough to return. My memory is forever marked by the vivid and hideous pictures I have seen of lung cancer, facial and neck tumors, people with no lower jaw, people with permanent tracheostomies and no vocal cords, some of them so addicted that, even after laryngectomy, they continue to smoke through the surgical stoma in their throats. Last night, I heard one of my favorite songs on the radio and sang along:

"This is the air I breathe.

This is the air I breathe -

Your Holy presence

living in me ..."

The voice - MY voice - is too nice to ruin by resuming smoking. No, I do not want a sickorette. I do not want to take a puff.

The aforementioned are a few of the things that smoking does to addicts like me. I do not want to embrace Nicodemon's chains again. I do not want my nicobinky. It is no pacifier. It is a ball and chain.

During these three months, I have been wondering why I ever took up smoking. I know why now. I began to smoke because I am highly sensitive and, therefore, easily angered or upset. For me, a puke stick was analogous to a binky, a baby's pacifier. Up until I quit smoking, I would always say, "Please pass me a pacifier" when cadging a cig from someone else.

So, here I am, actually marking three months for the first time ever. I have not had even a single puff since June 26. This is the longest-lived quit I have ever had.

Since I have been upset lately, I have been feeling vulnerable. It would be easy to relapse. Three months is a sticky milestone. I have learned here that one is either a smoker or a non-smoker, that there is no in-between, that sneaking one cigarette on Friday evenings will make me a smoker again. Thus far, I have avoided that pitfall and hope to continue to avoid it. If I can make it to four, five or six months without even one puff, I believe that my final peace will come.

It has not yet come. Whenever I am angry or hurt, I experience the full-blown emotions of my childhood, the emotional experience I ran away from when I started to smoke and from which I successfully shielded myself by putting up a continual smokescreen.

Without nicobinky, I feel every synapse tearing when I become upset. I hear the ripping sound, as if fine silk were being torn, and I feel every one of my nerve endings sizzle. I am hot all over. I hear the pitiful cries of all the starving children of this world. This is what one of my emotional meltdowns feels like and looks like. It is not a pleasant experience. The only thing I dislike about quitting thus far is that this experience has been renewed. I thought I had put it behind me, but it was only wrapped in a curtain of smoke, ready to manifest itself again if ever I put my nicobinkies down.

What I must do in order to reach the fourth month is find another way to shield myself from the exaggerated way in which I experience unpleasant emotions. I prefer the natural, holistic approach. Therefore, I shall be looking into herbal remedies, changes in diet and a stepped-up exercise program, in order to release the dopamine I need.

There is nothing more for me to say at this point. I value this quit enough to find my way out of the Icky Three Woods and into the peaceful light.

~Kay

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