I was a cigarette smoker for almost 20 years, so I know that it can be difficult to quit... however, it can be done!
If you smoke, please try to quit. You are worth it!
Although some people use "the patch" or nicotine gum, I would suggest trying simply to taper down your tobacco consumption slowly rather than relying on these pharmaceutical methods.
I switched from manufactured cigarettes to loose rolling tobacco and that seemed to help, and eventually I was able to stop altogether.
It's probably easier on your body to quit slowly rather than attempting to quit "cold turkey," but however you do it, just quit!
There is very good evidence that eating plenty of fresh raw foods can help with the withdrawal.
Some people find that smoking marijuana can help them kick the habit, but of course, this method is not for everyone.
I found that it helped me to spend a lot of time with people who don't smoke.
Just as you can learn bad habits, you can pick up healthy ones, too!
People who quit not only begin to feel better, but they also look more attractive. Smoking robs the body of nutrients and causes premature wrinkling around the mouth and elsewhere on the face.
Some people experience weight gain when they stop smoking. This is because tobacco smoking changes the metabolism.
If you can eat sensibly and try to get a lot of exercise, you may be able to control unwanted weight gain while you regain your health. Exercise releases helpful chemicals into the body that help with craving for tobacco as well.
And most of all, don't beat yourself up for smoking, it has been so engrained into our culture through movies and advertising that we are led to believe that everyone smokes, and that it helps people get through stressful situations more easily.
The downside of using tobacco to cope is that smoking is not permitted in some of the most stressful places, such as hospitals, courtrooms, schools and airplanes!
One of the biggest myths perpetuated about smoking is that it is glamorous! Lung cancer and heart disease are not glamorous. Mouth cancer is horrible.
Something that you should consider is that the smoke from your tobacco smoking can make other people feel unwell.
The butts from cigarettes ruin the landscape and are harmful to birds, animals and fish who must deal with these non-degradeable items.
So for yourself, for your family, for the environment and all the creatures that live in it, please stop smoking!
You deserve it!
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If you don't smoke but know someone who does, nagging will not help the smoker and is often counter-productive.
Provide support and try to be patient, because tobacco is supposedly harder to kick than heroin or cocaine.
Because I have never experienced addiction to these drugs I can't confirm that claim, but I have seen people risk arrest, even putting themselves in harm's way simply to light up in a restricted area, so it's possible. I personally believe that some cigarette manufacturers "lace" their wares with addictive substances.
Because tobacco is not considered a food or drug, it is not regulated in the same way that many other products are.
Tobacco companies' trade secrets are protected by law and therefore do not have to report what is in cigarettes besides tobacco. That means anything goes - from perfume to a myriad of other ingredients - some companies apparently use chemicals that help the tobacco burn more slowly, others put substances in the cigarette paper. Tobacco is often grown in soil that has had fertilizer and herbicides used on it for decades, and these are very dangerous. None of these harmful things are reported, so we must rely on watchdog organizations and other interested parties to get to the truth.
I truly have no wish to see tobacco farmers go bankrupt, but I do believe that their land could be used differently to help people somehow.
My beef is with the huge corrupt multinational tobacco corporations, who do not care about anything except profit.
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