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If you are like numerous people today that are trying to kick the habit of smoking you have probably tried numerous clever techniques to help you reach that goal. Some people try substituting something else for their cigarettes, such as gum or candy, like the readily available nicotine gum. However, other people have turned to smoking cigars instead of smoking that pack of cigarettes a day.

Many people believe that lighting up a cigar instead of a cigarette is a good way to overcome their nicotine addiction, and therefore quit smoking. On the other hand, the increased popularity of cigar smoking today can not only be contributed to this reason. There is an image that many people have when they think about smoking cigars, much like the image people think about when smoking cigarettes.

If you were to take a few moments to really look at the smokers around you, you may be amazed to see how many of them are actually smoking some type of cigar. This is especially true among the younger population, such as teenagers and young adults. What’s even more astounding is that there are numerous women that have taken up cigar smoking, due in part to the social status it can provide to them in certain circles.

Whatever the reason may be, there seems to be a general consensus that lighting up a cigar is far less dangerous to your health than lighting up a cigarette. Numerous cigar smokers also believe that this type of smoking will not lead to addiction. Their typical way of thinking is that cigar smoke is not inhaled the same as that of a cigarette so how can I become addicted? On the other hand, with a little research you may find that everything you have come to believe may not be as true as you once thought.

Cigar Addiction

Have you ever asked yourself if you can become addicted to smoking cigars? If not, you may be amazed by the answer. We all know that it is the nicotine in cigarettes that makes them so addictive. Studies have provided evidence that cigars can contain higher rates of nicotine than cigarettes. Therefore, smoking just one cigar a day can put you at risk of becoming addicted.

Health Risks
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As we have stated before, cigar smoke is not inhaled in the same fashion as cigarettes so this leads people to believe that they are not at risk for lung cancer from smoking a cigar. While the risk of contracting lung cancer is not the “same” as cigarette smoking, you may be putting yourself at risk for different forms of cancer.

Cigar smoke is typically held in the mouth for a period of time and this can put you at risk for contracting oral or throat cancer at a higher rate than cigarette smoking. The smoke doesn’t travel down to the lungs so it is absorbed almost entirely by the mouth and throat. What’s more, cigar smoking can lead to an increased risk of heart disease.

Cigarette manufacturers are required to put warnings on their packing, however cigar manufacturers are not. The lack of this warning on the label is what leads numerous smokers to believe they are not taking the same types of risks that are associated with cigarettes. However, if you take a little time to do some research you would find that lighting up a cigar in place of that cigarette can be putting you in as much danger, possibly more, of contracting cancer and other illnesses as that of cigarette smoking.

One of the things I hear a lot from smokers in my Toronto (Ontario, Canada) hypnosis quit smoking clinic is “I smoke to relax”. If smoking really was relaxing then the more you smoked the more relaxed you’d be and chain smokers would be the most relaxed people on the planet. Do you know anyone who chain smokes and is really relaxed? I certainly don’t.

The fact is that nicotine is a powerful stimulant, and the minute it enters your bloodstream, your heart beat speeds up 10 to 15 beats a minute in an attempt to get rid of the poison you’ve just inhaled. If you take your blood pressure just just after a cigarette you will notice a sharp increase. So, the truth is it’s impossible to smoke and relax.

So where does the feeling of relaxation come from? Part of it is conditioning, over the years you’ve been conditioned (aka “hypnotized”) to associate smoking with relaxing. After all don’t you smoke when taking a break and doing many other relaxing things? The other part is how you breathe when you smoke. If you inhale deeply when you smoke, you are probably breathing in a way which promotes relaxation. So why not just learn to breathe that way without the cigarettes? That way when you quit smoking you can keep the relaxation after you stop.

Here’s how to breathe so that it slows down the pace of your whole body and promote physical relaxation. Take a deep breath using your belly muscles and let your stomach expand as far as possible as you inhale. Fill your lungs as completely as possible and let your stomach expand as though it were being filled like a balloon. If you want put your hand on your abdomen so you get some tactile feedback.

Now slowly exhale and feel your stomach return to its normal position and pause comfortably at the end of the breath until you feel ready to take the next deep breath. Don’t force it, take your time and allow your body to slow down. You can do this for as long or a short a time as you like, but doing this for the 4 or 5 minutes that you would normally smoke a cigarette should significantly quiet your whole body and leave you felling very relaxed.

Unless you are driving or doing something that requires your attention, you can achieve even greater relaxation by closing your eyes and letting your mind focus on a restful scene or anything else which gives you a peaceful feeling. For some people repeating a word or “mantra” like “relax” can also help quiet the mind during deep breathing.

The beauty is that you can do this almost anytime or anywhere and in many places where smoking is not permitted. Over time this type of breathing will likely become a habit (like smoking was), but this new habit that will improve your health and sense of well being.

Everyone knows the dangers of smoking as the health risks are everywhere even on a cigarette packet. However, many people find it very difficult to give up even when they know the damage it can do to their bodies. For most people the health risk is not effective in getting them to give up. To give up smoking you need to take responsibility and make a commitment to kick the habit.

Here are a few suggestions to help you quit:

Support

Although quitting is up to you the journey ahead can be made a lot easier by having the support of family and friends along the way. Whoever you choose tell them what you are going to do and make it clear how important their support is to get you through this. There may be a point where a relapse is possible and at this point the support of family and friends can make all the difference by giving you the courage and belief you need to follow through.

Another way to prepare yourself is to speak to your doctor to get advice on nicotine substitutes to help you with the withdrawal systems. Also, check support groups in your local area as going through this with people in the same situation will be a great help.

Set Your Goal

Writing down your goals is a very effective method in helping you achieve them as it makes it clear in your mind what you need to aim for. Begin by choosing a date that you will decide to quit smoking and write it down and put it in a place where you will see it every day. The next thing to do is write down your reasons why. This could be better health, more energy, more money saved or even whiter teeth. Writing these down will reinforce your commitment to quit.

The process of quitting can be done in two ways. The more drastic option is to stop smoking completely and the other way is to cut down gradually. The first method will bring on the withdrawals symptoms much quicker and more intense so, you need to be sure you have the discipline to do it.

Distractions

Cutting down on the cigarettes gradually is probably the easier option. If you smoke ten a day then smoke one less cigarette each day. Prepare by giving yourself enough distractions to stem the urge to light up. Use healthy alternatives like fruits, mints or gum. If you feel the urge to put a cigarette in your mouth use one of those instead.
The most effective distraction is taking regular exercise. It also has the added benefit of keeping you fit and helps you get rid of the toxins in your body.

If you socialise with friends who smoke then avoid them until you have successfully quit. Make sure you explain why you are doing it so they understand. Change certain habits for example, a lot of smokers have the habit of lighting up after eating a meal. If you have this habit and you feel the trigger to light up get up immediately from the table and do an activity that will distract you such as washing the dishes.

When a long time smoker has finally come to the point when they know they must stop smoking, they usually also realize that they will need help to stop smoking. As more and more people are becoming aware of the negative side effects of prescription drugs and even of over-the-counter medications, there has been an increased interest in finding natural ways to kick the habit.
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There is no question that there are prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies to help smokers quit and they have been a great help to many people over the years. But in addition to the side effects that people report from using them, they can also be quite expensive. There are even some of these drugs that can become addictive in and of themselves. Who wants to trade in one addiction for another even if it does mean that you will stop smoking cigarettes?

The good news is that these days there are more and more natural remedies that people can use to help them with all kinds of health concerns, including some that can help them kick the cigarette habit. These natural methods can provide a great deal of help to stop smoking, but which one is right for each individual smoker will depend on their beliefs and perceptions of what will best help them.
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One of the natural quit smoking methods that most people will come across when they start to do research into the subject is hypnotherapy. You can find quit smoking programs on CDs that take you through several hypnosis sessions to help you overcome your addiction. These sessions typically deal with different aspects of the smoking issue to help you clear all blocks from all angles. In addition, you can also visit a hypnotherapy clinic and get customized sessions to help you with specific problems and issues you might have.

Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT, is another approach that has recently been used to help people give up their cigarette addiction. EFT is a tapping technique that involves light tapping on various meridian points on the body. Tapping these points, similar to stimulating acupuncture points, can help release emotional issues, which are often at the root of a person’s need to continue smoking. When these emotional matters are resolved, often the desire to smoke simply melts away.

Some people find that they want to take some type of supplement that will give them help to stop smoking. The taking of an herbal supplement can in some instances help a person feel that they are replacing the smoking with something else that is beneficial to their body. Taking St. John’s Wort, which is also used as a natural anti-depressant, has proven to be an effective natural way to quit.