The fact is that smoking and quitting smoking touch the lives of millions of people per year. In the past, smoking was fashionable, even sexy. It’s only recently, now that medical science understands all of the health implications of long-term smoking, that it is regarded as a filthy habit.
Smoking in general dates back to over seven thousand years ago. Usually used in shamanic rituals, or during significant occasions, this smoking is probably not as likely to have resulted in a long-term health effects. When people began smoking regularly, sometimes multiple times a day, the cumulative effects of cigarette smoking could more readily be seen.
Exactly what made its way into cigarettes and smoking products in the past as compared to recently may have made a difference, too. Before the invention of things like synthetic pesticides, mold retardants, and other additives, cigarettes and other smokable products were essentially just tobacco, or a blend of other herbs. While inhaling smoke of any kind is certainly not healthy, the ingredients added to modern tobacco products to repel pests, fight mold, aid the curing process, or add flavor do increase tobacco’s load of carcinogens and dangerous chemicals.
That said, as dangerous as smoking is, it’s no secret that it’s also highly addictive. Nicotine creates very strong cravings in the user, encouraging them to smoke more cigarettes more often. Though nicotine is a stimulant, users generally find that one of their withdrawal symptoms is anxiety or agitation, and satisfying their nicotine craving actually has a calming effect. As a result, some people will develop a several-packs-a-day habit as they try to quell their nicotine cravings.
Unfortunately, nicotine’s highly addictive nature and serious withdrawal cravings make quitting smoking hard to do. There are tons of cigarette-replacing products on the market to help people with reducing the frequency of their smoking and quitting smoking altogether, but not all of them will work for everyone. Electronic cigarettes deliver nicotine without the tar and other byproducts of tobacco, and allow people to control just how much nicotine they are dosed with. Adhesive patches allow people to absorb measures doses of nicotine through their skin, to help stave off cravings.
Nicotine gum works similarly to patches, but in an orally-dosing form. Herbal, tobacco-less cigarettes are used by people who want to break the habit of needing to have a cigarette in their hands. Interestingly, these herbal cigarettes are also sometimes used by actors who don’t smoke, but are required to for a movie or T.V. Show. Inhaling the smoke from these isn’t very healthy either, but they don’t have the same addictive qualities and bouquet of carcinogens as tobacco.
Quitting smoking is a question of getting rid of several habits at once- the body’s habit of craving nicotine, a person’s habit of having a cigarette in their mouth and hands, and the habit of stopping for a cigarette break. By joining a group of other people who are trying to quit smoking, and using one or more cigarette-replacers to fight these habits, people can achieve greater success with reducing the frequency of their smoking and quitting smoking altogether.
For a complete guide on how to stop smoking in about 38 minutes even if everything else you’ve tried has failed, click here:
