http://www.richardmackenziedirect.com

Hypnosis is an induced state of mind where the body goes into an extremely relaxed state and the mind is made to be highly suggestible. This highly suggestible state appears to be almost trance-like even though it is not. The trance-like state can be achieved by a hypnotherapist or induced by self-hypnosis. There are many different ways that this state is induced, ranging from using pendulums and metronomes to counting backwards and meditation.

Hypnotism is gaining popularity as it is considered to be the one of the simplest ways to stop smoking. Self help to stop smoking is believed to yield positive results through self hypnosis as a natural cure. There are several methods to stop smoking such that some are quick and easy, while some take more time ensuring higher levels of success. The theory is that when people are in the trance like state that comes with being hypnotised they are more likely to be able to be persuaded how bad smoking is. The hypnotist uses the strong power of suggestion to give the person the willpower to give up smoking on their own.

Hypnosis for smoking can’t force people who don’t want to give up smoking to stop, but it may be some help to people who want to stop but don’t know how to do it. Those who do not have experience with hypnosis usually think that in order to be hypnotized you have to be in a trance-like state. However, the truth is that when you are hypnotized, you will be aware of everything around you. It is just that you will be very relaxed, and your subconscious will be very susceptible to reprogramming changes you would like in your life

There are tapes and CD`s providing subconscious stimulation even while a person is sleeping or meditating. Recently, certain studies show that people using self help to stop smoking by the natural way of self hypnosis enjoyed better results in comparison to those who chose quitting smoking on his own. However, this study also stated that there are positive outcomes from people who receive emotional support from their friends and relatives.

People having emotional and psychological stress can certainly use self hypnosis and help eradicate the belief that smoking is not the solution to reduce stress or forget such problems. Complementary tools also play a vital role to support self hypnosis such as exercising and finding alternative healthy outlets when a person craves for nicotine. Above all, deciding on self help to stop smoking is not an easy task and requires lot of preparation and hence they should not hesitate in accepting support and help from their loved ones.

Hypnosis is relatively inexpensive. Some people might think a bit superficially about this at first and think that paying for a hypnosis session is too much while in fact this is a complete bargain when the smoker thinks about how much they spend each year on smoking. A lot more than just the cost of each pack of cigarettes has to be considered; for example,many smokers spend almost a full month out of every year engaged in the act of smoking, so not only do they spend thousands each year in dollars on smoking, they also waste hundreds of hours spent smoking as well.

Well it worked for me…here’s Richard Mackenzie’s site details again …

http://www.richardmackenziedirect.com

As well as NRT, there are other products available on prescription that do not contain nicotine that can help you go quit smoking, such as:

CHANTIX
Chantix works by reducing your craving for a cigarette and by reducing the effects you feel if you do have a cigarette. You set a date to stop smoking, and start taking Champix tablets 1 or 2 weeks before this date. Treatment normally lasts for 12 weeks.

ZYBAN
Zyban (Bupropion Hydrochloride) is a treatment which changes the way that your body responds to nicotine. You start taking Zyban1 to 2 weeks before you quit and treatment usually lasts for a couple of months to help you through the withdrawal cravings.

As for the Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products they work by doubling your chances of successfully going smoke free by helping you manage your withdrawal symptoms. Because it goes into your body differently to nicotine from cigarettes, it’s much less addictive. NRT does not contain tar, poisons or carbon monoxide the way cigarettes do, so it doesn’t cause cancer. You can get a prescription for NRT, or buy it over the counter, and follow the instructions on the packet. It’s suitable for most adults, but if you have a heart or circulatory condition, or are on regular medication, you should get the OK from your doctor. Likewise if you are pregnant, you should ask your doctor or midwife before using NRT to help you stop smoking.

1. GUM
Chew the nicotine gum gently and then ‘park’ it in the side of your mouth. The nicotine is then absorbed through the lining of your mouth.

2. PATCHES
Nicotine patches work well for most smokers and can be worn around the clock (24 hour patches) or just during the day (16 hour patches).

3. INHALATOR
Much like a plastic cigarette, the inhalator releases nicotine vapour which gets absorbed through your mouth and throat. If you miss the hand to mouth aspect of smoking these may suit you.

4. MICROTABS
These small tablets contain nicotine and dissolve when you place them under your tongue.

5. LOZENGES
Lozenges are sucked slowly to release the nicotine and take about 20-30 minutes to dissolve.

6. NASAL SPRAY
The spray delivers a swift and effective dose of nicotine through the lining of your nose.

So what next? Choose the product that is best for you.

Stop smoking aids are there to help – what’s stopping you?

The addiction to smoking, which implies addiction to the substance nicotine has several components. The better one is aware of these components and understand them, the better is the chance for succeeding in stopping the smoking habit. Here is a survey of the components that addiction to smoke consist of.

THE SOCIAL COMPONENT

To some extend the habit of smoking is a product of socialization. Socialization is simply the tendency to repeat patterns of behaviour one sees other persons in the society exhibit. Socialisation is one major way children and young people learn social skills. Children and teenagers learn skills necessary to live and work in the society by a socialisation process. Unfortunately also bad habits and bad ways of thinking are learned the same way.

If one lives or works together with other smoking individuals, one will more or less automatic adopt these individuals’ smoking habits. If one then tries to break out of the social structure, one will feel anxiety for not being accepted any more by the social group one is a part of.

If the other individuals also make moves to threaten or freeze out an individual trying to brake this bad social standard, the difficulty of breaking out of the habit will be even greater. The threatening actions may not even be very serious to frighten a person from braking out of such a socially standardized habit, and may not even be meant as a threat.

THE NEED FOR SUCKING AND CHEWING

Every person have a need for sucking and chewing. This need is necessary in early infanthood, but it also persists into adult life to some degree. Some persons use cigarettes or other smoking devices and the smoke as a means to satisfy this need. There is a hypothesis that this need is greater by some adults then by others because this need, or some other similar basic need, has not been fully satisfied in early infanthood.

If you want to stop smoking, you can try to satisfy this need by other means, for example by always keeping something in your pocket that you can put in your mouth to chew at when the need for smoke appears.

AUTOMATIC REPEATING

When a person have done something many times and frequently enough, there will be created a pattern of automatic repetition of that particular behaviour. This is especially true if the particular action is done in a distinct recognizable situation.

The pattern of automatic repetition also have the effect of making a person feel safer in the daily life and routines.

Such a pattern of automatic repetition is always a component in the smoking habit. It you want to quit smoking, you should make an investigation to find out in which situations and which environments you usually take a cigarette.

Then try to avoid these situations or environments where you use to smoke, or to deliberately alter these situations.

NICOTINE USED AS A SELF MEDICATION

Nicotine has a tranquilizing effect upon nervous feelings. At the same time it has some anti-depressive effect, at least in the short run, and it makes a person feel more awake. A person suffering from nervousness or from depressive symptoms may feel that the smoking helps him against his mental symptoms.

However, gradually there will be a need for steadily higher doses of nicotine to give these good effects, and if there is a lack of nicotine in the body, the nervous or depressive feelings will be greater than before.

This gratification, but with the need for steadily higher doses to get the good effects is a major incentive for the smoking habit. You should consider if this anti-depressive or tranquilizing effect is a reason for your smoking. Then you should try to find other ways to achieve the same effect. Engaging in some sport or outdoor life will often make you feel less depressed. If the depressive feelings are more serious, some appropriate treatment can be necessary.

THE PLEASURE COMPONENT

There is to some degree a plain and direct pleasure connected with smoking. This pleasure is in itself a good effect. This good effect is probably in most cases too small compared to the painful effects of smoking, but will gives a temptation for an individual to continue the habit. However, also this pleasure effect will gradually be difficult to obtain without increasing the doses.

If the plain pleasure of smoking is a main reason for your habit, then you should try to find other sources of pleasure instead, for example some good food, some good music or some erotic action.

THE GENETIC COMPONENT

Not all people get equally easy dependent of nicotine. There are factors yet not fully understood that make some people more easily addicted than others. Perhaps some persons have receptors on their nerve cells that more easily get trigged by nicotine than others, or perhaps some people have more receptors with the ability to get trigged by nicotine, and this is inherited in the genetic code.

THE NERVOUS MECHANISMS WORKING BY ADDICTION

The normal brain has signal substances with a tranquilizing effect, and substances with a stimulating effect upon nerve cells. Like most narcotic substances, nicotine act like a signal substance by fitting into receptors on some brain cells.

Nicotine attaches itself to some receptors and thus give the nerve cell having these receptors a signal. The cells getting such a signal from nicotine, will react by secreting another signal substance, dopamine that influence still other cells. Dopamine will tranquilize some brain cells and stimulate others, and the total effect of this is the pleasurable effects of smoking.

However, when nicotine steadily induces dopamine release, the brain will gradually decrease the production of dopamine when nicotine is not present, and the brain will feel a steadily greater need for nicotine to work normally and feel well.

Knut Holt is an internet consultant and marketer focusing on health items.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Knut_Holt

According to one of the researches, it has been found that the smell and taste of cigarettes play a greater role in women’s smoking behavior than in that of men and make it more difficult in some circumstances to stop cigatrette smoking. Another study found that cognitive-behavioral therapy aimed at changing attitudes about weight promotes smoking cessation by women. Even if we compare their stats with men, we’ll be surprised to know that the guys who smoke are one out of every three. However, while smoking as well as smoking-related deaths from such diseases as lung cancer have been falling in men, they have been increasing in women. Smoking, in fact, takes a greater toll on the health of women than men; a smoking woman loses, on an average, 15 years of her life while a smoking man loses just over 13 years.

In the first half of the 20th century, lung cancer in women was extremely atypical. In addition to that smoking wasn’t very ubiquitous. Unfortunately, that soon changed when the tobacco industry started targeting women. In 1964, the first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health was released and it became clear that smoking was a deadly habit which engulfed 45 percentages of women all over. A media campaign followed and smoking rates began to fall, as did tobacco industry profits. But the rates declined more in men than women; the tobacco industry had started their own media campaign, once again marketing directly to women.

Lung Cancer

By 1987, lung cancer had outdone breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in women.
Today, more women die each year from lung cancer than breast cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancers combined. In fact, lung cancer among women is now considered a scourge, killing almost 75,000 in the US last year. Women appear to be more vulnerable to lung cancer than men, and they tend to get it at younger ages.

Symptoms of Lung Cancer

• Shortness of breath

• Fever with an unknown cause

• Hoarseness

• Chest pain

• Wheezing

• Coughing up blood

• Chronic cough

• Weight loss & loss of appetite

• Repeated bouts of bronchitis or pneumonia

Other Smoking influenced Diseases in Women

While lung cancer might be the most lethal disease caused by smoking, it’s not the only one. Smoking doubles the risk of having a heart attack, and increases the risk of dying from a heart attack within the first hour. This is an especially serious problem for women since women are more likely to die after a first heart attack than men. Women who use birth control pills; and smoke are at especially high risk of having a heart attack.

Smoking also increases the risk of other cancers, including breast, uterine cancer, bladder and oral cancer. Smoking also increases a woman’s risk of low bone density and osteoporosis.

Smoking-Related Disorders in Women

• Heart disease

• Stroke

• Lung cancer

• Emphysema

• Oral cancer

• Uterine cancer

• Breast cancer

• Bladder cancer

• Rectal cancer

• Colorectal polyps

• Osteoporosis

• Infertility

• Early Menopause

• Miscarriages

• Stillbirths

Family Matters

Smoking is not just bad for women; it’s bad for their families and future families as well. Smoking can cause infertility in women. If a woman becomes pregnant, smoking increases her risk of miscarriages, stillbirths and premature births. Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are also more likely to have babies with asthma, sleeping disorders and chronic ear infections than non-smoking mothers. The menstrual cycle phase has an effect on both mood and tobacco withdrawal symptoms for women trying to quit smoking — a finding that clearly suggests that women could improve their success rate simply by starting their quit attempt during certain days of their cycle.

Cosmetic and Other Considerations

Ironically, teens and young women often think smoking is sexy and glamorous. However, the consequences — such as stained fingers and teeth, tooth loss, gum disease, bad breath — are anything but sexy and glamorous. Smoking also hastens the aging process most likely because of its adverse effect on estrogen. It can cause early menopause, facial wrinkling, and permanent voice lowering and urinary incontinence.

Old Habits Die Hard

Women and girls are not only more susceptible than men to the negative consequences of smoking; they are more likely to become addicted to cigarettes even when smoking comparable amounts.

Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known to a man…and woman. Researchers are studying gender differences in smoking behavior and working to develop treatment plans that will help more women end their nicotine addiction. In fact, nicotine is considered more addictive than heroin or cocaine. And nicotine is more addictive for women than men.

The highly addictive nature of nicotine is a major reason why most people have difficulty quitting smoking, and women have a harder time quitting than men. Another thing that makes quitting difficult for women is the weight gain that, unfortunately, often accompanies quitting smoking. On the other hand, the weight gain, which rarely exceeds five pounds, can be reversed by a healthy diet and exercise.

More importantly, quitting smoking can also reverse many of the deadly consequences of the habit.

Weighing the Benefits

A woman who stops smoking reduces her risk of stroke to pre-smoking levels. Within a year, her smoking-related risk of heart disease drops by 50 percent. After three years, the risk of a heart attack is no greater than for a woman who never smoked. Within five years, her smoking-related risk of heart disease can disappear altogether. Clearly, the benefits of quitting outweigh the possibility of any weight gain. So think again…Are we going the right way?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Read

I wanted to quit smoking for 20 years, then I quit 26 months ago. I am 60 years old tomorrow. I coughed with my first cigarette at the reckless age of 16. That’s a long time ago. My final quit date was August 17, 2005. I enjoy numbers, well most of the time. Not too much during tax time but I enjoy helping my 14 year old with his geometry. But here is some numbers which are disturbing.

Let’s depict my smoking experience with simple numbers. Let’s make some assumption which if anything they understate the truth

-Total smoking years – say 40 years…

First ten years – 1 pack a day at $1 per pack
Second ten years – 2 packs per day at $1.50 per pack
Third ten years -2 packs per day at $2.00 per pack
Last ten years – 1 pack per day at $3.00 per pack.

OK, let’s calculate what smoking cost me in out of pocket dollars for my cigarette purchases.

First ten years …………$ 3650.00
Second ten years……..$10950.00
Third ten years………..$14600.00
Last ten years………….$10950.00
Total Cash Paid Out….$40150.00

Now this $40,000.00 does not take into account the time value of money or the relative buying power of a 1970 dollar versus today’s dollar. Additional costs would be lighters, dry cleaning, damaged suits and other clothes at say $500 per year for 40 years, that’s $20000. Then you have damaged vehicles, furniture and rugs. The reduced resale value of vehicles and houses is difficult to estimate so let’s just put in an estimate at $20000 over 40 years, that’s 3 houses and 17 vehicles. That sounds fair doesn’t it? Now let’s consider time off sick and medical expenses. Most of my life I have worked for myself so the cost of this ‘time lost’ category is very difficult to estimate. I wonder how many orders I lost because my customer did not approve or appreciate of my smoking habit? OK enough it’s starting to be very painful. If we consider all of the above, the cost of my smoking would be far in excess of $100,000.00 in today’s dollars.

Now here is the cherry on top, that does not take into consideration my limited income potential during the past seven years. I suffer from Copd and severe emphysema. Since 2000, my ability to work drastically diminished. As of 2004 I could no longer predictably function in a ‘traditional’ workplace due to the symptoms of Copd and severe emphysema. OK, enough is enough, probably all in all the estimate should be at least $200,000.00. This is very very conservative number. Now it is not a fortune, but that is my elective and consequential out of pocket cost due to smoking to date. Do you think that I would prefer to have that money in an IRS? How about you?

The future cost for me is uncertain. My future will likely include significant medical expenses. My future may not include the ability to generate a predictable income. To date I am making some progress in regaining my ability to breath normally. However, my future may be immediate retirement with federal disability as my only income, if I qualify. I will not even attempt to put a cost on this limitation to my potential future earnings.

I ran out these numbers to drive home the out of pocket costs of smoking. This does not even take future health costs into account. One last calculation, let’s assume 1 pack per day at a cost of $4.00 per pack going forward. If I were smoking now, then my out of pocket cost for one year would be almost $1500 per year. What could you do with an extra $1500 per year. That’s my wife and I out for dinner in a nice restaurant fifteen times a year. That’s my natural gas bill for the year. That’s a big chunk of a Paradise Island vacation for a week with my wife.

Quitting is difficult. You just must do it. Don’t talk about it, just do it. Take pills, wear patches, chew gum, get shots, take therapy sessions, use self hypnosis, do literally whatever it takes.

I do not know how old you are but let me paint you a real life picture. I played hockey during my teens, I was pretty good but not good enough for the pros. I was active outside all my life with hockey, tennis, fishing, horses and residential construction for 5 years. Remember I’m 60. At 50 I was fine. Sure my sinus colds each Spring and Fall were lasting longer, but nothing serious I thought. What happened is that I got too successful as a contractor and started spending all my time in the truck or supervising my crews, no activity, and I continued smoking. I rapidly went from a reasonably healthy 50 to a sick 55. By 57 my doctor said “Quit or pick out a headstone.” I quit, it took me from May to August, but I did it. Somewhere between 50 and 58 my lungs had had enough. A specialist told me I had Copd and severe emphysema. I got a handicap sign for my truck. Don’t laugh. My breathing was so bad that I couldn’t walk 50 yards without stopping for a rest, stairs forget it. 10 years before I was playing ice hockey in a men’s league with 20 and 30 year olds.

Do not let life slip by. I did. I am trying my best to get back to a normal lifestyle but my lack of breathing capacity is a tremendous handicap. Do not let this happen to you because of smoking. Quit smoking. It is just a social habit which has gone out of fashion. You don’t wear long sideburns anymore. You told your barber (or hair stylist today) to shave them off to reflect current fashion. Smoking is out of fashion.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=W.Michael_Anderson

Such stop smoking aids are designed to meet the needs of all types of smokers; from the social smoker who may enjoy the odd cigarette with their friends to the hard-core forty a day for twenty years smoker. Such products aim to vary the level of nicotine in your system by gradually decreasing the smokers nicotine level of a period of time and thereby reduce their dependency on nicotine.

Here is a list of the main type of products…

Nicotine Patches

One of the most popular is the nicotine patch. Nicotine patch stop smoking aids are a simple and convenient solution for those who want to apply their stop smoking aid in the morning and forget about it for the rest of the day. The attaraction of this approach to smokers is obvious, there is no inconvenient disruptions to their daily life by having to stop and find a piece of gum or lozenge. The patches work by letting their users gradually withdraw from nicotine, by releasing a steady flow of nicotine over the course of their day. This approach differs from the gum and lozenge products which are taken whenever the smoker develops a craving for a cigarette.

Nicotine Gum Stop Smoking Aids

Patches are not always the preferred solution. Nicotine gum seems to be preferred for those who like to chew smokeless tobacco because they can hold it like a tobacco chaw between their gum and cheek and gives the individual the reassuring feel of the tobacco.Nicotine gum is usually sold in either four milligram or two milligram strengths, the nicotine gum gives smokers who are prone to sever nicotine cravings something with which to fight back. The four milligram gum will let them survive major cravings without reaching for a cigarette and inhaling all the toxins along with the nicotine. As they go without lighting up for a while, the heavy cravings should diminish, and smokers can turn to the two milligram strength of nicotine gum; they are now succeeding in their attempt to break the nicotine dependency. Ideally they will need fewer pieces of gum each day until they need none at all.

Nicotine Lozenges

Nicotine lozenges are available in a variety of flavors, which appeal to those who find chewing gum in public offensive. Using the lozenge is no different from eating a sweet, and they too are available in different strengths to help a smoker gradually quit.