Smoke Free Blog

Tips on how to quit smoking

Jan
12

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What Can Prescription Drugs Do For Your Stop Smoking Campaign?

Category: Stop Smoking Tags: Leave a Comment

There are quite a few drugs available to help you stop smoking. This can be a relief for smokers that have tried to drop the habit for a long time and never been able to do so. You have to make sure that you actually get the assistance that you need rather than just thinking that something won’t work for you. You also don’t need to be embarrassed or feel ashamed if you haven’t managed to quit smoking yet. A lot of people have to come to it in their own time, and that means sometimes just going through the motions until you figure out what you need to do next. You need to believe in your heart that a day without tobacco will be possible for you.

So, let’s get into the drugs that you can turn to help you stop smoking, shall we?

The first thing that you need to know is that there are really only two that seem to come up in the conversation. The most popular one is Chantix, which is a medication that helps you stop smoking. You can still smoke while the drug builds up in your system, which is something that many smokers find pleasing. They can smoke for a little while and then ease down once the Chantix works with their body to release them out of the bonds of nicotine. You’re still going to have to have the willpower and desire to make changes, but many find that it’s easier to quit smoking when you can get the chemical assistance from the Chantix.

Another drug that comes in handy is Zyban, which is actually the identical twin of Wellbutrin. Zyban is what’s prescribed for those that want help with their stop smoking campaign, but we put both names here just so you have them in reference.

Now, one thing that you might wonder after all of this interesting information is why nicotine is so hard to beat in the first place. Well, one thing about nicotine is that it releases dopamine in the brain. This is a pleasure substance, which makes you feel good. It reduces anxiety and tension and it can even suppress appetite. This is often why smokers who are trying to quit find themselves constantly eating or putting things in their mouths – they want to feel good, they want to know that they have things under control. So you are building a reward system — when you get nicotine, you’re happier. When you don’t have nicotine (like when you run out of cigarettes and you don’t have the money for more) — you’re cranky and upset, you’re irritated and you’re very hungry. Your body is screaming for nicotine because it wants that dopamine release. This is something that can be hard to deal with.

The way Chantix works is that it releases dopamine, but a lot less dopamine than nicotine. This means that you’re getting the reward process, but in a way that can allow you to let go of the cigarettes. The problem that some have with Chantix is that it can be hard to let go — there’s going to be a little bit of a crash as you wean yourself off Chantix, but it’s easier to break your bond to Chantix than to nicotine. Again, you’re not getting the same rise of dopamine.

The road to quitting smoking can be long, and these drugs can help you ease the tension that comes with such a life changing decision. Is it worth it to quit smoking? Absolutely — your body will truly thank you once you’ve quit for good, so make sure that you get started today, for your own sake!!

Dec
24

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Are Anti-Smoking Medications Really Effective

Category: Stop Smoking Tags: Leave a Comment

One of the big things that you might have to tackle in life is giving up smoking. Smoking is something that can really keep you from the things that really matter in life, like friends and family. Not everyone wants to be around a smoker, as it impacts their own health. If you’re tired of having to smoke by yourself to keep from disturbing people, you might have made the decision to quit smoking.

However, how do you actually quit smoking when it feels like all of the cards are stacked up against you? Indeed, you know more than anyone else that smoking is an addiction. It might not be that you really want to keep smoking, but you’ve noticed that when you don’t have that cigarette you’re not the lovable and fun person that your friends and family are used to. Any smoker that’s run out of cigs and not had the money to take care of the problem can definitely relate to this!

One path to recovery might be medication, but it begs the question: are anti-smoking medications really effective? The answer is like many things in life: it really depends.

You see, it depends on you and how committed you are to giving up smoking. The best medicine in the world cannot break a mind that’s determined to keep doing whatever it is that it wants to do. If you really want to keep smoking, you’re going to keep smoking. So before you do anything that involves prescription drugs, you will need to make sure that you are truly dedicating yourself to quitting smoking. That will make it easier to deal with the medication and the side effects that might be associated with it.

Of course, a lot of us don’t really want to stop and think about the side effects that might be waiting for us when we go with these types of medications, but the truth of the matter is that it’s really something that you will want to think about before you get too committed. If you aren’t careful and think about the side effects, you’ll end up doing something that’s going to cost you dearly in the long run — why would you put yourself through that?

The best place to start with your doctor. Talk to your doctor and show them that you’re really committed to getting things taken care of.

Of course, there’s nothing that says you can’t get in the rush and feel of smoking while you try to break away from cigarettes. Enter e-cigarettes that have no smoke and no ash. If you want, there are nicotine and non-nicotine versions that you might want to look into. If you really want to break away from nicotine but know that you need a little help, you might want to get the nicotine version — it doesn’t have all of the harsh chemicals that a cigarette has so keep that in mind.

Overall, are anti-smoking medications really effective? Sure they are — but like most things, it really all starts with you!

Dec
16

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Yes, You Can Use Your E-Cigarettes in Public!

Category: Electronic Cigarettes Tags: Leave a Comment

If there’s one question that people wonder about, it’s whether or not they can really use their e-cigarettes in public. It’s a hard question to answer, because everyone’s location is different. However, what has to be understood is this:

An electronic cigarette does not produce smoke. It does not produce flame. It does not produce ash. These three things are the biggest reasons why smoking in public places is not allowed. The smoke is offensive to other people, and there are a lot of valid concerns about secondhand and even thirdhand smoke these days. However, that doesn’t mean that you can always pull out your e-cigarette and start “vaping”.

You will need to stop and make sure that you’re in a space that lets you have space between you and everyone else. If you just plunge in without thinking about it, you’ll end up just alienating the people around you. That’s definitely tends to get the attention of the wrong people — like the police. IF you want to use your e-cigarette in a public place like a small, it wouldn’t hurt to at least run it by security. Otherwise you’re going to get stopped a lot, and you can even get asked off the property. This is something that you will definitely want to make sure that you avoid as much as possible.

Restaurants are the same way. It’s up to the owners and the managers about whether or not they are okay with you using your e-cigarette. Instead of taking offense, you should take the time to educate. Let them know that your cigarette doesn’t produce any flame, ash, or smoke. Once they see that you really aren’t hurting anyone, you never know — you could start a trend!

Of course, if you do get someone that tells you to put it out, this is not the time to argue with them, or make a big scene. If you’re in a restaurant, you’re not really on public property. The establishment can still tell you to leave, and it doesn’t really matter if you’ve finished your business there or not. Of course, the restaurant wants to make sure that they earn your loyalty, but if you’re going to be belligerent about anything, they would rather take the loss!

Overall, it’s important to make sure that you really handle yourself the right way when you’re out using your e-cigarettes. You never know though. As time passes and more people join the revolution, you might see establishments actually posting signs that it’s okay to use your e-cigarette there!

Nov
21

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3 Steps to Helping Your Friend Quit Smoking

Category: Stop Smoking Tags: Leave a Comment

If you’re not a smoker, then congratulations — you’re avoiding a very bad and very expensive habit. However, chances are pretty good that you know quite a few smokers in your life, and not all of them really want to stay smokers. The truth of the matter is that once you’ve been a smoker for so long it can be really hard to actually do the things that you know that you need to do in order to quit.

Thankfully, you can help them start down the path to a smoke-free life, if they really want to do that. Now, you will have to make some concessions. If they really want to keep using nicotine, then you might need to go with patches instead of having them quit cold turkey.

Yet could there be a better way? Actually, there can. Let’s get on with those steps first.

First and foremost, you will want to sit down with your friend and explain to them that they you really do want to help. You want to make sure that they understand that your focus is on them, not just your hatred of smoking. If people feel like you’re judging them, then they aren’t going to be receptive to anything that you really have to say. It’s just better in the long run to focus on getting everything else in place — like their goals. You will want them to start dreaming about all of the things that they can have by moving towards a smoke free life. Let them write it down. In fact, if you can get them keeping a daily journal about how they feel about giving up smoking this can really help.

Now, the next step is that you will need to get them to either taper down, or quit completely. Tapering gives them the ability to keep smoking, but they smoke les sand less with time.

The final step is to track progress until they have a smoke free life. Yet it’s in this last step that we actually get the real secret that a lot of former smokers are turning to: electronic cigarettes. It’s really all about trying to get that type of result for yourself — you might think that it’s not necessary to turn to electronic cigarettes, but you’re not a smoker either. Smoking is a social pleasure as well as a physical need after the addiction sets in. Even if you break the physical addiction, people still want that feeling of smoking. That’s why it’s so pleasurable, and also so very hard to give up smoking.

Instead of shunning your friend, you might want to read up on electronic cigarettes yourself. You can get a non-nicotine version for yourself and a nicotine version for your friend. The vapor that comes from the e-cigarette helps give you the illusion that you’re smoking, while you’re not taking in all of those harmful chemicals. There is no smoke and no flame, which means that you can actually smoke indoors. If you live in an area that bans smoking indoors, then your friend will love the e-cigarette. Now they can come visit you and still feel like they’re smoking — while saving a lot of money in the process. As you might imagine, the e-cigarette is a lot less expensive because you get a lot more “uses” from the rechargeable cartridges than you would with a normal pack of cigarettes. Once you smoke them, they’re gone for good and you have to go right back to the store and get more — at a premium, of course.

Overall, it will take a while before your friend really embraces a smoke-free life. But if you support them through the entire process you can really get a lot done in a short amount of time for your friend — how cool is that?

Sep
13

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All About Electronic Cigarettes

Category: Electronic Cigarettes Tags: Leave a Comment

What is an electronic cigarette?

The electronic cigarette provides a healthy alternative to smoking. With all the flavour, sensation and touch of puffing on a real cigarette, smokers can benefit from the lack of smoke or health problems associated with smoking the real deal. To the untrained eye an electronic cigarette looks just like a real cigarette, perfect for blending in when out and about. What’s more, unlike regular cigarettes, electric cigarettes can be smoked indoors. This is because they don’t actually emit smoke, but instead an odourless water-like vapour, so smokers don’t have to worry about second hand smoke.

How do they work?

Some e-cigarettes work in different ways but many are similar to a nebulizer. Made up of a cartridge, mouthpiece, vaporiser and battery, e-cigarettes work by converting a nicotine liquid into a mist like vapour which is then inhaled. Batteries are often rechargeable, plugging into the mains or charged straight from a computer via USB. The cartridge contains the nicotine (which can come in different strengths) and can even come in different flavours such as menthol and strawberry.


Smokers can use electronic cigarettes to help replace the nicotine supply and the sensation of smoking – two of the more difficult cravings smokers find to ignore. Whilst patches and gum can replace the nicotine hits, often it’s the simple act of holding a cigarette and the feeling of inhaling that causes the biggest craving.

Why would a smoker want to use them?

Many smokers actually want to give up. They might enjoy it but there’s always that constant knowledge at the back of their mind that it’s unhealthy. Even if they don’t enjoy it like they perhaps used to, those pesky cravings just keep coming back. Stopping smoking is not only better for their health, but also better for those around them, with the added bonus of saving them money.

Quitting is easier said than done, but there are many aids out there that can help. Some may find a combination of different aids is the best option but often a GP can offer the best advice on what might help. An electronic cigarette is something that they may suggest and something that many people find to be very useful and successful for them but everyone is different – what may work for one person might not necessarily work for another.

As a relatively new phenomenon, there is little research on electric cigarettes and there have been some concerns about their safety. As an alternative to smoking and when compared to a regular cigarette, they are a healthier option as they do not have the tar and smoke and do not even have to have nicotine. The best thing to do if anyone is unsure is to speak to your GP who should be able to answer any questions you might have.

So why not go and a get an electronic cigarette starter kit now and find a great way to still be able to smoke anywhere legally and more healthily.

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