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My First Helpful Hints for Quitting Smoking

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Written by Lorelei Fenton

Friday, 23 May 2008

by LoreleiFenton

If you are what they call a long-term smoker you have probably struggled with the questionWhy can't I stop? You may have been baffled by the very insanity of it all. You know you should stop. Any thinking intelligent person would stop. Why is it that you can't or won't stop this killing behavior. Especially as it is quite literally putting you on a fast and unstoppable train bound for the 'land of cancer.' There must be some more helpful hints for quitting smoking, that actually work.

If you are in this situation, you can stop worrying about your sanity because nicotine has been called one of the most, if not the most, addictive substances on the face of the earth.

And so you might say "That's very interesting, but what does it mean to me?"

In essence, from an addiction standpoint, you have about 10 trillion cells in you body. Now with nicotine addiction, it will not take very long before every one of those 10 trillion cells is addicted to that substance. And when that happens, you've got trouble. You have a full blown addiction that is just as strong as any skid row addict's dependency. But unlike the skid row addict, it seems you can operate relatively functionally with this addiction. So there is not the strong pull to get help for yourself. On the contrary, with ten trillion cells telling you to smoke, it's pretty easy to ignore the claims that some day, in the future, you might get sick and die. From your cells point of view, you are dying now if you are not getting it.

Some people say one of the best helpful hints for quitting smoking is the taper-off method. From an addiction standpoint, this is simply not such a good idea. You see, nicotine, like many drugs, produces or grows receptors in the body. The purpose of these receptors is to handle the overflow of huge amounts of a drug. And the only thing these receptors do is to 'want the substance.' If these receptors do not get the substance, they become very agitated. If they do not get the substance for a long time, the agitation begins to subside. In essences the receptors give up trying. So going cold turkey, if you can last that long, does have its benefits.

Now if we look at the other side, when a receptor gets its drug, but does not get enough, it will continue its metaphorical screaming, until the screaming hits a manic pitch. Like a child in a temper tantrum, the receptors demand the drug with a vengeance, now that they know is out there and available. Thus it is much harder to taper off than it is to quit cold-turkey.

We still do not know the best way to quit smoking. One way that people have met with success with this very physical addiction is the body, mind, spirit method of getting help through the 12-step program, Nicotine Anonymous. Such a program for smoking addiction will also allow you to share your journey with other people in the same boat. And if it saves your life, it is worth the trouble.

There is a brand new method for quitting smoking through Neuro-Linguistic Programming. I hear it is meeting with a high level of success, as the brain and central nervous system is able to override your cells and receptors when they scream for their drug. This may be a mind trick, but in my book it's a good one. If you try it or some other method, and you are able to stop, then for goodness sake don't ever pick up a cigarette again. By now, I hope it is clear exactly where you would be with that. And pretty quickly, I might add.

About the Author:

For lots of assistance with different addictions visit famed speaker and writer Lorelei's blogs at helpfulhintsforquittingsmoking and also at fightingfoodcravings

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