Are E-Cigarettes Safe for Smokers?

June 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Smokers are likely to try just about anything that promises to save them from nicotine withdrawal while they try to give up tobacco. Companies that sell e-cigarettes claim that they have made a product that allows smokers to get their fix without inhaling all of the carcinogens and harmful chemicals found in cigarettes. Are e-cigarettes really a safe alternative for smokers?

The Benefits of E-Cigarettes 

Electronic Cigarettes 

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There are some benefits to using e-cigarettes, especially if someone uses them to replace tobacco cigarettes. E-cigarettes contain pure liquid nicotine. That means smokers only inhale this chemical. Clearly, this is a healthier alternative to smoking tobacco because you eliminate a large number of the carcinogens and chemicals that can cause health problems.

Makers of the e-cigarette also maintain that their product is useful for people trying to quit smoking. E-cigarettes, they say, are similar to nicotine patches, except that the electronic cigarettes also help satisfy oral fixations that can make it difficult for smokers to quit.

E-Cigarettes and Nicotine Addiction

That’s where e-cigarettes become questionable. Compared to tobacco cigarettes, they are safer. Compared to not smoking at all, though, they are diseases waiting to happen. It’s dishonest to compare e-cigarettes with nicotine patches. Patches are designed to help individuals wean themselves off of nicotine. Electronic cigarettes, however, position themselves as alternatives to smoking. Users feel that they have made a healthy choice, so they are less concerned about quitting altogether.

This is one of the reasons that cities across the United States have extended their smoking bans to cover electronic cigarettes, too. What are more useful ways to give up smoking without suffering through psychological and physical withdrawal symptoms.

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Various Ways to Stop Smoking

March 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Nearly every smoker wants to quit, but most find that it is a very tough thing to actually do. There are several stop smoking aids available now that may be able to help make the process of stopping a little less stressful. One of the most commonly used stop smoking aids is the nicotine patch. The nicotine patch is worn on the body similar to a band aid and is usually placed on the upper are. The patch slowly releases nicotine that is absorbed into the skin. By using a nicotine patch, the cravings for cigarettes is lowered. Most patches are worn for a day then discarded and replaced by a new one. They are said to help alleviate the withdrawal symptoms that smoker’s feel when trying to quit.

Also available is nicotine gum that works in a similar manner as the nicotine patch, but is chewed instead of worn. There are specific instructions as to how often it is considered safe to use the gum. The gum packages come with a dosage instruction pamphlet that should be followed closely. Most gums come in various strengths and are supposed to be used according to how many cigarettes the person smokes per day. Hypnosis is another way to try to stop smoking, although many that have tried it, have stated that it doesn’t work well. Using acupuncture is another way many smokers try to quit.

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How to Stop Kids from Smoking

February 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Knowing the dangers that cigarettes pose, no one really wants kids to take up the habit. Sadly, for many reasons such as peer pressure or curiosity, many children will try smoking. There are many programs that try to help stop kids from smoking with varying degrees of success. Efforts aimed at teens are not always successful at conveying the message that smoking is not cool.

Some ways that parents and other adults that help stop children from smoking include:

Talking to them about it: As soon as you deem it appropriate start talking to your child about the dangers of smoking. Do not use a judgmental tone when discussing the issue. Depending on the age of the child using pictures that depict the health effects of smoking such as a diseased lung is worth considering. When watching movies with your children discuss what is seen. Using this opportunity to discuss the real world as against the images generally seen on TV and in the print media will help reinforce good habits.Stop smoking if you are a smoker: Few things work with kids like emulating their parents. If you smoke, your no-smoking message may not have the desired effect.If penalties are applied to persons who sell underaged kids cigarettes, fewer kids would have access.Getting children involved in activities may help keep them busy enough to avoid smoking. Plus, those involved in sports may be less inclined to start since they need to remain healthy to play.

Studies have shown that the children of smokers are more likely to smoke. This doesn’t mean that if you smoke you should not try to stop your child from doing it as well. Most would agree however that the best method is to talk to them frankly about smoking to try to keep them from starting.

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The Health Cost of Smoking

February 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The health cost of smoking has manifold angles. It takes in the cost to society as a whole and to the individual smoker and their family on the basic level. Of course, some smokers would argue that nonsmokers also add to health care costs since they live longer.

The Individual Costs

There are many additional costs that smoking adds to an individual’s expenses. The first of course is the cost to purchase the cigarettes. Each pack of cigarette is money that could have been saved or used for something else.

Smokers generally have to pay more for health insurance. They are considered high risk by insurers since smoking is known to cause some forms of cancers. Often their premiums far exceed what non-smokers pay for coverage.

The Cost to Society

Because smokers tend to have poorer health than nonsmokers, they place greater burden on the health system. Many of them develop cancers, heart disease and respiratory diseases. These lead to extended hospitalization and surgeries, and more often than not, they have to be on medication for life. The cost is mind-boggling considering the number of smokers as well as nonsmokers affected by passive smoke.

In 2009, figures reportedly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that the cost of smoking for direct health care was $96 billion annually. Added to this was the projected loss in productivity of $97 billion per year. It is easy to see that this can have a negative impact on any economy.

In addition to the financial costs, there are also the emotional costs resulting from smoking. Many families have been destroyed after losing loved ones to smoking related illnesses. Children have had to see parents suffer from various illnesses that are directly related to cigarette smoking such as emphysema.

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Why It is So hard to Stop Smoking

February 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment

On the face of it, it would seem like an easy thing to stop smoking if you want. The question may be asked, if some people just stop cold turkey why can’t everyone. There is no simple answer to the question as to why some persons beat their nicotine addiction easier than others.

Scientists have found that nicotine, the drug in cigarettes, is highly addictive. Once someone gets hooked on nicotine, they become both physically and psychologically dependent on it. As with any type of addiction, learning to live without the source of addiction is hard.

Over time, when a smoker does not have nicotine, they suffer withdrawal symptoms which can be unpleasant. These include irritability, tiredness, difficulty focusing and for some people hunger. Some smokers gain weight when they quit. These feelings make the smoker think that smoking is necessary to function properly. Plus, many people especially women, use cigarettes as a means of keeping their weight in check.

Apart from the physical reasons, some people find it hard to quit because it gives them a feeling of belonging. This is especially true for teens who give in to peer pressure. For them, smoking is a way of showing maturity.

There is also an emotional side to smoking. It helps many people to relax when stress hits. Many smokers will say that smoking helps them to think clearly. When someone stops smoking they have to find new ways to deal with stress and frustration which can be hard, especially for long-term smokers.

Quitting the habit sometimes calls for repeated attempts before success is achieved. The addictive pull of nicotine and the psychological boost are hard to do without.

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The Top Ways To Quit Smoking

January 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Smoking is one of the major problems in society. This is because of the diseases that smoking can cause in the person who is smoking. Other than causing diseases in the person who smokes, cigarettes and the tobacco can also cause problems in the person who is near a person who is smoking too.

A smoker can try to make sure that he quits smoking if some of the methods that are listed here are followed. The first thing that the smoker needs to know is that smoking can lead to health problems for him and also for the other people who love around him. There are several people who are still ignorant of these problems. Only a percentage of the population knows of all the health problems that can be caused by smoking. All the others need to be educated on the health problem that can be caused by this habit.

After the awareness is created, the smokers must be given a chance to come clean. This can be done by giving them tips to overcome smoking. Some of them can be asked to chew gum that helps to overcome smoking. There are some chewing gums that help to overcome smoking by creating an alternate sense of satisfaction in smokers.

Some of the smokers can be distracted from smoking by asking them to start a hobby in which they are interested. There are several kinds of hobbies that can be started by the person. They can start some things like musical instruments playing, singing, philately and others. All this causes the energy of the person to be focused on other methods and helps them to quit smoking. In case a person is not able to quit smoking in any of these methods, then the person should make sure that he uses the help of a counselor or a therapist.

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A Look at Electronic Cigarettes as Stop Smoking Aids

December 25, 2010 by Leave a Comment

It used to be if you wished to quit smoking you had to turn to drugs, hypnosis, gums or patches. However the latest in smoking aids appears to be a fairly new concept known as the electronic cigarette. While the Food and Drug administration will not allow electronic cigarettes to be labeled as an aid to stop smoking, many people all over the country are using them to wean themselves off of the tobacco cigarette.

The concept behind the electronic cigarette is simple. It looks and feels just like a real cigarette but it does not contain the harmful chemicals that a regular tobacco cigarette does. Instead there is a water vapor solution that contains the nicotine that most smokers are addicted to. The electronic cigarette is then used in a similar fashion to a real cigarette only instead of inhaling some of the 4,000 dangerous chemicals the person is using water vapor and getting their nicotine fix that way.

The electronic cigarette is being used as a stop smoking aid because the solution that is used with the cigarettes has a varying amount of nicotine in it. There are packages that contain high, medium, low and no nicotine. Smokers that are looking to quit gradually will make the switch to the electronic cigarette and slowly start to wean themselves down through the levels of nicotine until they are at the lowest level or on the no nicotine level.

With this understanding of how the electronic cigarette works it might cause many people to wonder why they cannot be labeled as stop smoking aids. The answer is fairly simple. Electronic cigarettes have only been in the United States for about two years. The Food and Drug Administration does not believe there has been enough studies or research done on it to allow it to be considered a smoking aid at the moment. That does not mean that it doesn’t work just that it hasn’t passed the tests.

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Smoking Prevention: A Look at the Chemicals You are Inhaling

December 10, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Many people who are smokers have been for a number of years. It is an addiction that they picked up in their early years and have a hard time letting go of it. These people will fight tooth and nail to keep smoking no matter what people say to them. However, if you ask these people what exactly they are putting into their bodies with these cigarettes they probably would give you a blank look. Over 80% of smokers do not know what is inside their cigarettes that they are smoking.

On the outside a cigarette looks innocent. It is just a small four inch item that can be light up and enjoyed. However, unravel that item and you are left with a very toxic stick. Cigarettes are made up of over 4,000 different chemicals, many of which if you presented to a person they would refuse to put into their bodies.

Here is a look at some of the chemicals that can be found in tobacco cigarettes.

Commercial Cleaners. If someone were to walk up to you and ask if you would drink a toilet bowl cleaner you would probably say no. But there are chemicals such as ammonia and arsenic which can be found in these cleaners.

Fluids. Cigarettes contain the equivalent chemicals that are used in butane lighters, rocket fuel and car gasoline. Cigarettes contain carbon monoxide, methanol and butane which is all used for the following components.

Battery Elements. They tell you not to swallow batteries because those can be bad for you. However, cigarettes contain a chemical known as cadmium which is only found in batteries. If you would not eat a battery why would you inhale the chemicals and metals that are found on one?

Other Chemicals. There are thousands of other chemicals that are found in cigarettes including tar, hexamine (found in barbaque lighters) and acetic acid (found in vinegar).

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Common Stop Smoking Aids

December 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment

After hearing that there are over 4,000 chemicals and toxins in a cigarette that might give you a good enough reason to try to stop smoking. While many people believe that you can just snap your fingers and stop smoking at will it is not that easy. Smoking is a habit and an addiction that takes some time and careful weaning off of to achieve. One of the best ways to stop smoking is to seek the help of a stop smoking product that is on the marketing. However, with all the products on the market it can be hard to consider which one to choose from.

Here is a look at the various products that are available as smoking aids to help those that want to quit, quit.

Gums. There are many gums on the market that contain nicotine inside them. When a person has a craving for a cigarette instead of picking up a pack and smoking, these people will chew on a few pieces of gum and cure the craving.

Patches. The patches work in a similar way to the gum. It is believed that by placing a patch onto the body, the body will get a continual flow of nicotine that will prevent the person from having a craving for cigarettes. The patches come in different levels and you can essentially be weaned off of them by starting out high and working your way down.

Hypnosis. Let’s face it, you can probably be hypnotized to do just about anything. However, people have reported that hypnosis has proven successful in helping cure their smoking habits.

Electronic Cigarettes. Many electronic cigarettes have not been able to be marketed as stop smoking aids but they can help significantly. These products act like cigarettes but do not have the harmful chemicals that tobacco cigarettes do. Just like patches there are varying levels of nicotine that can help aid in reducing the need for cigarettes.

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What could you afford, if you quit smoking?

October 25, 2010 by
Cigarettes - $7.00 a pack
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If you are confused about quitting cigarette, this article will help you a lot. Cigarettes are bad for your health as well as for your budget. Everyone knows that smoking causes lungs cancer and heart attack. The list of smoking related diseases is too long and the two diseases that I have mentioned are most common. If you do not worry about your health, there is another fact that can make you quit smoking.

Let’s review the current economic crisis, have you, in the past week, complained about your lack of income or twitched every time you pulled out your credit card? Think about what you are spending it on, think about cutting back or cutting it out all together and just imagine what you could buy. You could pay all your bills in the same month, you could pay off that tacori engagement ring that you bought four years ago after you asked your wife to marry you.

Do you know that you can get rich, if you stop smoking today? Let us try to prove it! Well, if you are smoking one pack of cigarette per day, you are spending an average of 5$ on this. If you keep on smoking one pack for a whole year, you would be spending $1,825 on this. If you keep on saving $1,825 per year, you can easily estimate the total amount at the end of 10 years. You can then invest the saved money anywhere! It is all about long term planning…Ask yourself sincerely whether you want to get rich or not? If the answer comes out to be “YES”, quit smoking today.

If you are a heavy smoker and smokes 2 packs a day, quitting cigarette can be easier for you. Simply double all the savings which I have mentioned above. After few years you will be richer than those who smoke one pack a day. Life is all about the way you think….

Cigarettes affect your health badly and they keep you from becoming that much rich which you deserve. So, Why to keep on smoking when there is a healthy and rich life waiting for you outside this smoking environment?

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