Best Stop Smoking Programs-Toss, Toss, Toss Those Cigarettes

Yes, I was a smoker. It may sound silly, but I smoked 2 cigarettes a day for 1 year. So, what's the big deal, you might be thinking. It should have been easy to quit. It's not like I was smoking a pack or 2 or 3 a day. It was just 2 cigarettes.

Well I'm here to tell you that quitting was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. Why, because I only smoked 2 cigarettes a day! It was easy to downplay that amount and "justify" myself to keep on smoking.

I hated, hated, hated the control cigarettes had over me. The idea that I could not control myself was frustrating and a bit scary. Smoking literally ran my life from the moment I got up in the morning until I went to bed at night. As soon as I awoke in the morning, the thought would be there: When should I have that first cigarette? I'd decide to wait until after I was dressed. Then I'd postpone until I got to work. I really couldn't wait much longer.

Once at work, I'd close my office door and drink in that smoke and focus on each breath. After all, I only had 1 left after this one. Then all day long, I'd think about when I was going to have that 2nd cigarette.

Smoking cigarettes literally haunted me all day long, every day for the year that I smoked. It ran my life. I knew deep down that I had to give it up because if 2 cigarettes were running my life, I could only imagine what 30 or 40 would do.

Some day you WILL decide to quit. You know that. When will it be, today or years from now? What is holding you back from quitting right now? One thing: FEAR. Fear of failure. Fear that you will fail and then be even more unlikely to ever kick the habit.

What is the antidote to fear? Knowledge. "Know thy enemy" is an age-old military truism, which is applicable here. Don't even think of quitting, until you have a quitting plan. A solid, reasonable plan that has worked for others.

The thing is, what works for one person may not work for you. So part of your plan should be, no MUST be, Plan B. That's right, a second, different stop smoking program.

That way Plan A cannot truly fail, as it is just a warm up, a trial balloon for Plan B. So you just go whole-heartedly into Plan A. Want it to work, will it to work, make it work. And it will. For a while. Maybe forever, but we don't care, because we're covered.

If you find yourself with a lit cigarette in your mouth in a few days or months, that's okay. Congratulate yourself. You've succeeded for X number of days, you've improved your health, you've learned something about yourself and your habit, you've eliminated many of the toxins from your system.

It is the next step that is CRITICAL! Put that cigarette out immediately. You have not "relapsed" or become a smoker again. You have just moved on.

It is now time to put Plan B into place. And this time will be much easier, without all those withdrawal symptoms. Or hesitation. Or fear.

Grab your nonsmoking notes, order whatever product or service you have PREVIOUSLY selected, and ... pick a Plan C.

You see the pattern? Always be one step ahead of the tobacco habit.

You will never run out of plans to try. Since each plan will be preceded by longer and longer periods of nonsmoking time, balanced against just one partially smoked cigarette, it just keeps getting easier.

So do a little research, pick your programS, and get started. With the Endless Stop Smoking System you truly cannot fail.

Copyright: 2008-2012 Oran Kangas, All rights reserved.

The labels you hand on yourself are very powerful. Even more powerful than how others label you. So, when you stop smoking ...

CHANGE YOUR WORDS
... tell yourself: I am a NON-smoker.

By holding onto the label of "smoker", you are just holding on to a reason to go back to smoking. Studies have shown that we take action based on how we perceive ourselves. Perceive yourself as a NON-smoker.

Do it now. Throw out those cigarettes and say to yourself, "I'm a NON-smoker." What use does a NON-smoker have for cigarettes?

Make a list of all of the reasons you might want to quit on a piece of paper.

This step is very important because it not only will help you realize just how much smoking controls you, but you can find the major reason you want to quit.

While you are writing the list, put a star next to the reason that trigger the most emotion. This is the one you can use to repeat to yourself whenever the urge really gets to you. It's YOUR ANCHOR REASON.

Keep that list or at least your anchor reason on a 3x5 card or piece of paper where you usually keep your cigarettes -- in your pocket, next to the bed, everywhere you used to keep cigarettes.

The next module will remind you of other reasons you have for quitting now.

You need to get rid of all your remaining cigarettes. No, don't say, "I'll quit after I finish this pack or carton. That means cigarettes are still in control of you. TAKE BACK YOUR POWER!

Throw away ALL of your cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays -- anything that has to do with smoking.

Don't give them to a friend who smokes. That places value on cigarettes, and they do NOT have value. In fact, they will indiscriminately injure anyone you give them to.

Be aware -- and beware -- those routine situations that trigger your urge for a cigarette. The situations which will likely trigger a response include:

1. Drinking coffee
2. Drinking alcohol
3. Sitting in a bar
4. Social events
5. Right after eating

Learn to recognize those situations and CHANGE YOUR HABITS, ie. what you used to do in those situations. For instance, if drinking alcohol triggers your urge to smoke, do not drink alcohol for awhile.

If you usually smoke right after eating, find another response. For instance, take your dog for a walk; do some deep breathing exercises; play with your children; or read. Do anything that will get you out of your old familiar routine.

You have to stop doing what you've always done, so you can get a new outcome.

Let your family and friends help. Tell them that you may be a little jumpy or edgy. And ASK them to support you.

Detail ways they can help -- how they can distract you when you usually have a cigarette. Tell them about your ANCHOR, so they can remind you when you ask for help.

GET A SUPPORT PARTNER

Usually, the best supporters are those who:

• do not smoke themselves OR
  
• has quit smoking OR
  
• is quitting with you.
  

Sometimes a smoker will feel threatened. They may feel like you are asking them to quit and they aren't ready to make the commitment yet.

The best support partner is your child.

Save the money you usually spend on cigarettes and buy yourself something you really want after a week or a month.

REWARD YOUSELF with a movie or a trip to an amusement park or perhaps an afternoon of reading a good book.

The trick is to do something fun that you normally don't do as often as you'd like.

You could even save for a year and treat yourself to a vacation.

Keeping your mouth fresh and clean helps whether you're craving a cigarette or a snack. It is absolutely the best way I've found to make smoking and eating less tempting.

Brush your teeth often -- in fact brush your teeth whenever you have a craving to smoke. If you are somewhere that you can't brush, have a breath mint or chew sugarless gum.

KEEP YOUR MOUTH FRESH.

Really! I didn't want to eat or smoke right after I brushed my teeth. So, brush often. I flossed and used mouth wash. I wallowed in the feeling of cleanliness. It was an amazing find. This also helps if you're dieting too.

Try it. I think you'll agree that it is a very small thing, but it pays off big time.

What worked for me and for my father, who smoked for 50 years before quitting, is going through the house and systematically deodorizing. Not just your clothes, but your bedding, towels and even your curtains or drapes.

GET RID OF THE STINKING SMELL.

My father took it one step farther than I did -- of course he had to, because smoke had permeated everything in his house. He removed everything from the closets and drawers -- smelled them and declared them, "Stinking Stuff!" Then he washed everything with a fragrant detergent and fabric softener.

If you are in the same boat -- that smoke and smell has penetrated everything in your house -- remember: remove, scrub, and replace. And, when the clothes come out of the dryer, actually smell them. That's right. Take a deep whiff and say, "Wow. This smells so clean!"

My father had the drapes cleaned and he had to paint the walls. When he took the drapes down, he discovered that the walls, like his teeth, had turned yellow. He took the photos down and shook his head in disbelief, as he realized that his lungs undoubtedly looked far worse!

Your body is filled with the toxins of thousands of incinerated cigarettes. So, switch from smoking to drinking - water. Water is good for dieting, AND it is an excellent way to flush the toxins out of your body.

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

The rule is to drink about 8 glasses of water a day. A trick is to fill a container each morning with 64 oz of water (8 ounces x 8 glasses). Then throughout the day, drink the water. It's best if you can carry it around with you.

If drinking water is difficult for you, try these tricks. Drink as much regular water as you can, then...

1. Drink Gatorade or the like instead. These drinks are filled with electrolytes, so they are good for you.

2. Mix 1 cup of juice with 7 cups of water. Grape and cranberry juices are good choices. They also help curb your sugar craving.

3. Put slices of lemon or lime in the water.

Be prepared. When the craving hits, and it certainly will, have a distraction planned. Take a walk, take a bath, read a book, watch a good show, have sex (yep, that works) -- anything to distract yourself. In minutes the craving is forgotten. This time.

DISTRACT YOURSELF

Plan what you will do in advance: have various scenarios worked out. What if it's midnight, or you're at your office desk, or driving, or you're watching TV, or you just got up. Plan now, so that when the craving hits, you know exactly what to do.

If you select positive distractions, such as taking a walk, instead of negative ones, like having a piece of cake, you'll be developing life-long good habits. It only takes 21 days to create a habit. Negative or positive.

You've decided to quit and the clock begins. However, it's smart to get help.

As in dieting, there's not a single program that will work for every person. I have researched and reviewed well-known and alternative stop smoking programs... and found some startling results.

I encourage you to examine the products and programs below to discover a program that you GUESS will work for you. Then start on your way to a smoke-free life.

You may say, "I've tried stopping smoking programs before and they don't work!" Yes, you may have tried to stop smoking before, perhaps many times. You probably first tried to stop without any program to help you and concluded that you simply couldn't stop for good. Then you may have gone on to try one or more of the most popular plans on the market -- and found those to be only slightly better. Does that mean you are out of options? Absolutely not!

Below, we'll review the most common methods used to stop smoking, then show you some alternative stop smoking programs that actually work -- helping people quit smoking for good.

You need a doctor's prescription just to get Zyban. You'd think that would be a good thing, that it would mean it's a great product. Well is could be ... if you are depressed. Zyban is an Anti-Depressan drug.

But does it work to stop smoking? A large, recent study done by the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine reported an initial failure rate for Zyban to stop smoking of over 60%! That's just the initial failures. After 12 months, the failure rate was 70%! And actually that's the "good" news!

Here's the bad news. While antidepressants can provide some help, many people have had a worsening of depression or other symptoms, including suicidal thoughts/attempts. The following side effects are also associated with Zyban: feeling restless, anxious, dry mouth, incomplete or infrequent bowel movements, dizzy, chronic trouble sleeping, excessive sweating, involuntary quivering, loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, throwing up, stomach cramps, ringing in the ears, high blood pressure, painful periods, itching,hives, rash, headache, gas, hepatitis caused by drugs, joint pain, cannot focus thoughts, hallucination, feeling faint, seizures, chest pain, abnormal liver functions test, confused, delusions, paranoia, blurred vision, throat irritation, "change of life" signs, muscle pain, drowsiness, fever, taste problems, temporary redness of face and neck, heart throbbing or pounding, diarrhea, frequent urination, nervous, feeling weak, and false sense of well-being. WHEW!

Do you really want to risk further endangering your health by taking a prescription drug intended for depression?

As one can imagine, replacing one nicotine delivery system (smoking) with other nicotine delivery systems (gum, patches, or inhaler) still leaves one ... craving nicotine.

This explains why the study mentioned above found that after 12 months Nicotine Replacement Therapy had a failure rate of over 85%! That's an even worse record than Zyban. Plus you're still consuming the addictive poison that you want to get away from!

The respected Mayo Clinic offers its Nicotine Dependence Center, including a very costly in-patient plan for stopping smoking. With clinics in Arizona, Minnesota and Florida, this is perhaps the Rolls Royce of stop smoking programs.

You check in for just a week, but it's certainly not cheap!

Such in-patient therapies do have a better track record than Zyban or Nicotine Replacement, and they are no doubt a safer option. Still it's a very high-priced one which nonetheless fails more often than it succeeds.

After doing extensive research on smoking and stop-smoking programs, I've found that there are a few effective programs which are also affordable.

If you can afford to smoke, you can easily handle the choices below. Check them out -- they offer guaranteed results.

1. Easy Quit Hypnosis -- hypnosis audio program

2. Nicocure -- an herbal supplement

I've detailed each in the modules below.

Easy Quit Hypnosis
If you don't want to take supplements, chew gum or wear a patch, another way to quit that has proven to be very effective is hypnosis. It is a safe and painless way to quit smoking IF you find the right message.

Easy Quit Hypnosis is highly recommended by doctors because there are no drugs, supplements or medical procedures involved. Easy Quit Hypnosis will help you quit smoking without withdrawals or weight gain.

If you aren't sure if this is the method for you, you can learn more about this program and get Your FREE "First Step" Hypnosis Session NOW! Just Click Here!

Nicocure

If you think an herbal supplement might be worth trying, then Nicocure is the one I recommend to help you quit.

Kick the smoke addiction naturally. This health supplement is a new generation aid to stop smoking which directly reduces your urge to smoke, thereby ending your smoking habit once and for all.

Another benefit is that...

It makes cigarettes taste terrible - you actually won't want to smoke them.

It is also safe, fast and guaranteed to work in 30 days with no side-effects.

Check it out by clicking Nicocure

The New York City Health Department issued match books with graphic images to make people aware of the dangers of smoking. Images include: ravaged lungs, rotting gums, and large, painful tumors.

The department's press release states that the match books are also "designed to counter tobacco industry marketing, which undercuts awareness of the devastating consequences of smoking".

The matchbooks are an extension of the Health Department's 2008 "Eating You Alive" advertising campaign. These match books are free at 132 cigarette retailers in the South Bronx, East and Central Harlem, and North and Central Brooklyn.

The following pictures are on cigarette packets in the UK.

For full story, click Cigarette packets.

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Copyright 2008-2012 Frankie Kangas All rights reserved.