Follow this 5-day countdown to your Quit Date.
5 Days Before Your Quit Date
Think about your reasons for quitting.
Tell your friends and family you are planning to quit. Stop buying cigarettes.
4 Days Before Your Quit Date
Pay attention to when and why you smoke.
Think of other things to hold in your hand instead of a cigarette.
Think of habits or routines to change.
3 Days Before Your Quit Date
What will you do with the extra money when you stop buying cigarettes?
Think of who to reach out to when you need help.
2 Days Before Your Quit Date
Buy the nicotine patch or nicotine gum.
Or see your doctor to get the nicotine inhaler, nasal spray, or the non-nicotine pill.
1 Day Before Your Quit Date
Put away lighters and ashtrays.
Throw away all cigarettes and matches.
Clean your clothes to get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke.
Quit Day
Keep very busy.
Remind family and friends that this is your quit day. Stay away from alcohol.
Give yourself a treat, or do something special.
Smoke Free
Congratulations!!!
If you "slip" and smoke, don't give up. Set a new date to get back on track.
Call a friend or "quit smoking" support group.
Eat healthy food and get exercise.
Source: EverydayHealth.com
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Five Keys for Quitting
Studies have shown that these five steps will help you quit and quit for good. You have the best chances of quitting if you use them together.
- Get ready.
- Get support.
- Learn new skills and behaviors.
- Get medication and use it correctly.
- Be prepared for relapse or difficult situations.
- Set a quit date.
- Change your environment.
- Get rid of ALL cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and place of work.
- Don't let people smoke in your home.
- Review your past attempts to quit. Think about what worked and what did not.
- Once you quit, don't smoke — NOT EVEN A PUFF!
Studies have shown that you have a better chance of being successful if you have help. You can get support in many ways:
- Tell your family, friends, and coworkers that you are going to quit and want their support. Ask them not to smoke around you or leave cigarettes out.
- Talk to your health care provider (for example, doctor, dentist, nurse, pharmacist, psychologist, or smoking counselor).
- Get individual, group, or telephone counseling. The more counseling you have, the better your chances are of quitting. Programs are given at local hospitals and health centers. Call your local health department for information about programs in your area.
- Try to distract yourself from urges to smoke. Talk to someone, go for a walk, or get busy with a task.
- When you first try to quit, change your routine. Use a different route to work. Drink tea instead of coffee. Eat breakfast in a different place.
- Do something to reduce your stress. Take a hot bath, exercise, or read a book.
- Plan something enjoyable to do every day.
- Drink a lot of water and other fluids.
Medications can help you stop smoking and lessen the urge to smoke.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved five medications to help you quit smoking:
1.Bupropion SR — Available by prescription.
2.Nicotine gum — Available over-the-counter.
3.Nicotine inhaler— Available by prescription.
4.Nicotine nasal spray — Available by prescription.
5.Nicotine patch — Available by prescription and over-the-counter. - Ask your health care provider for advice and carefully read the information on the package.
- All of these medications will more or less double your chances of quitting and quitting for good.
- Everyone who is trying to quit may benefit from using a medication. If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, nursing, under age 18, smoking fewer than ten cigarettes per day, or have a medical condition, talk to your doctor or other health care provider before taking medications.
Most relapses occur within the first three months after quitting. Don't be discouraged if you start smoking again. Remember, most people try several times before they finally quit. Here are some difficult situations to watch for:
- Alcohol. Avoid drinking alcohol. Drinking lowers your chances of success.
- Other Smokers. Being around smoking can make you want to smoke.
- Weight Gain. Many smokers will gain weight when they quit, usually less than ten pounds. Eat a healthy diet and stay active. Don't let weight gain distract you from your main goal — quitting smoking. Some quit-smoking medications may help delay weight gain.
- Bad Mood or Depression. There are a lot of ways to improve your mood other than smoking.
Source: EverydayHealth.com
Friday, August 29, 2008
Everyday Tips to Quit Smoking
Preparing to Quit Smoking
Try these tips to increase your chance of success when you're ready to quit smoking:
- Set a date for quitting.
- If possible, have a friend quit smoking with you.
- Notice when and why you smoke. Try to identify your smoking triggers (such as drinking your morning cup of coffee or driving a car).
- Change your smoking routines: Keep your cigarettes in a different place. Smoke with your other hand.
- Don't do anything else when smoking. Think about how you feel when you smoke.
- Smoke only in certain places, such as outdoors.
- When you want a cigarette, wait a few minutes. Try to think of something to do instead of smoking; you might chew gum or drink a glass of water.
- Buy one pack of cigarettes at a time. Switch to a brand of cigarettes you don't like.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Glossary of Smoking Cessation Terms
addiction: A chronic, relapsing disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and abuse and by long-lasting neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain.
adrenal glands: Glands located above each kidney that secrete hormones, e.g., adrenaline.
craving: A powerful, often uncontrollable desire for drugs.
dopamine: A neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure.
emphysema: A lung disease in which tissue deterioration results in increased air retention and reduced exchange of gases. The result is difficulty breathing and shortness of breath.
hyperglycemic: The presence of an abnormally high concentration of glucose in the blood.
neurotransmitter: A chemical that acts as a messenger to carry signals or information from one nerve cell to another.
nicotine: An alkaloid derived from the tobacco plant that is responsible for smoking's psychoactive and addictive effects.
pharmacokinetics: The pattern of absorption, distribution, and excretion of a drug over time.
rush: A surge of euphoria that rapidly follows administration of some drugs.
tobacco: A plant widely cultivated for its leaves, which are used primarily for smoking; the N. tabacum species is the major source of tobacco products.
withdrawal: A variety of symptoms that occur after chronic use of an addictive drug is reduced or stopped.
adrenal glands: Glands located above each kidney that secrete hormones, e.g., adrenaline.
craving: A powerful, often uncontrollable desire for drugs.
dopamine: A neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure.
emphysema: A lung disease in which tissue deterioration results in increased air retention and reduced exchange of gases. The result is difficulty breathing and shortness of breath.
hyperglycemic: The presence of an abnormally high concentration of glucose in the blood.
neurotransmitter: A chemical that acts as a messenger to carry signals or information from one nerve cell to another.
nicotine: An alkaloid derived from the tobacco plant that is responsible for smoking's psychoactive and addictive effects.
pharmacokinetics: The pattern of absorption, distribution, and excretion of a drug over time.
rush: A surge of euphoria that rapidly follows administration of some drugs.
tobacco: A plant widely cultivated for its leaves, which are used primarily for smoking; the N. tabacum species is the major source of tobacco products.
withdrawal: A variety of symptoms that occur after chronic use of an addictive drug is reduced or stopped.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Questions to Think About
Think about the following questions before you try to stop smoking. You may want to talk about your answers with your health care provider.
1. Why do you want to quit?
2. When you tried to quit in the past, what helped and what didn't?
3. What will be the most difficult situations for you after you quit? How will you plan to handle them?
4. Who can help you through the tough times? Your family? Friends? Health care provider?
5. What pleasures do you get from smoking? What ways can you still get pleasure if you quit?
Here are some questions to ask your health care provider.
1. How can you help me to be successful at quitting?
2. What medication do you think would be best for me and how should I take it?
3. What should I do if I need more help?
4. What is smoking withdrawal like? How can I get information on withdrawal?
Source: EverydayHealth.com
1. Why do you want to quit?
2. When you tried to quit in the past, what helped and what didn't?
3. What will be the most difficult situations for you after you quit? How will you plan to handle them?
4. Who can help you through the tough times? Your family? Friends? Health care provider?
5. What pleasures do you get from smoking? What ways can you still get pleasure if you quit?
Here are some questions to ask your health care provider.
1. How can you help me to be successful at quitting?
2. What medication do you think would be best for me and how should I take it?
3. What should I do if I need more help?
4. What is smoking withdrawal like? How can I get information on withdrawal?
Source: EverydayHealth.com
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Immediate and Long Term Benefits
Within 20 minutes after you smoke that last cigarette, your body begins a series of changes that continue for years.
20 Minutes After Quitting
Your heart rate drops.
12 hours After Quitting
Carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
2 Weeks to 3 Months After Quitting
Your heart attack risk begins to drop.
Your lung function begins to improve.
1 to 9 Months After Quitting
Your Coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
1 Year After Quitting
Your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
5 Years After Quitting
Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker's 5-15 years after quitting.
10 Years After Quitting
Your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker's.
Your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases.
15 Years After Quitting
Your risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker's.
Need more convincing?
Compared to smokers, your…
20 Minutes After Quitting
Your heart rate drops.
12 hours After Quitting
Carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
2 Weeks to 3 Months After Quitting
Your heart attack risk begins to drop.
Your lung function begins to improve.
1 to 9 Months After Quitting
Your Coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
1 Year After Quitting
Your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
5 Years After Quitting
Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker's 5-15 years after quitting.
10 Years After Quitting
Your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker's.
Your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases.
15 Years After Quitting
Your risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker's.
Need more convincing?
Compared to smokers, your…
- Stroke risk is reduced to that of a person who never smoked after 5 to 15 years of not smoking
- Cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus risks are halved 5 years after quitting
- Cancer of the larynx risk is reduced after quitting
- Coronary heart disease risk is cut by half 1 year after quitting and is nearly the same as someone who never smoked 15 years after quitting
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk of death is reduced after you quit Lung cancer risk drops by as much as half 10 years after quitting
- Ulcer risk drops after quitting
- Bladder cancer risk is halved a few years after quitting
- Peripheral artery disease goes down after quitting
- Cervical cancer risk is reduced a few years after quitting
- Low birth weight baby risk drops to normal if you quit before pregnancy or during your first trimester the benefits of quitting
Monday, August 25, 2008
Why Quit?
Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you will ever do. Why? Here are just a few good reasons:
Source: EverydayHealth.com
- You will live longer and live better.
- Quitting will lower your chance of having a heart attack, stroke, or cancer.
- If you are pregnant, quitting smoking will improve your chances of having a healthy baby.
- The people you live with, especially your children, will be healthier.
- You will have extra money to spend on things other than cigarettes.
Source: EverydayHealth.com
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Power of Nicotine
Most smokers use tobacco regularly because they are addicted to nicotine. Addiction is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, even in the face of negative health consequences. It is well documented that most smokers identify tobacco use as harmful and express a desire to reduce or stop using it, and nearly 35 million of them want to quit each year. Unfortunately, only about 6 percent of people who try to quit are successful for more than a month.
Research has shown how nicotine acts on the brain to produce a number of effects. Of primary importance to its addictive nature are findings that nicotine activates reward pathways—the brain circuitry that regulates feelings of pleasure. A key brain chemical involved in mediating the desire to consume drugs is the neurotransmitter dopamine, and research has shown that nicotine increases levels of dopamine in the reward circuits. This reaction is similar to that seen with other drugs of abuse, and is thought to underlie the pleasurable sensations experienced by many smokers. Nicotine's pharmacokinetic properties also enhance its abuse potential. Cigarette smoking produces a rapid distribution of nicotine to the brain, with drug levels peaking within 10 seconds of inhalation. However, the acute effects of nicotine dissipate in a few minutes, as do the associated feelings of reward, which causes the smoker to continue dosing to maintain the drug's pleasurable effects and prevent withdrawal.
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms include irritability, craving, cognitive and attentional deficits, sleep disturbances, and increased appetite. These symptoms may begin within a few hours after the last cigarette, quickly driving people back to tobacco use. Symptoms peak within the first few days of smoking cessation and may subside within a few weeks. For some people, however, symptoms may persist for months.
While withdrawal is related to the pharmacological effects of nicotine, many behavioral factors can also affect the severity of withdrawal symptoms. For some people, the feel, smell, and sight of a cigarette and the ritual of obtaining, handling, lighting, and smoking the cigarette are all associated with the pleasurable effects of smoking and can make withdrawal or craving worse. While nicotine gum and patches may alleviate the pharmacological aspects of withdrawal, cravings often persist. Other forms of nicotine replacement, such as inhalers, attempt to address some of these other issues, while behavioral therapies can help smokers identify environmental triggers of withdrawal and craving so they can employ strategies to prevent or circumvent these symptoms and urges.
Source: EverydayHealth.com
Research has shown how nicotine acts on the brain to produce a number of effects. Of primary importance to its addictive nature are findings that nicotine activates reward pathways—the brain circuitry that regulates feelings of pleasure. A key brain chemical involved in mediating the desire to consume drugs is the neurotransmitter dopamine, and research has shown that nicotine increases levels of dopamine in the reward circuits. This reaction is similar to that seen with other drugs of abuse, and is thought to underlie the pleasurable sensations experienced by many smokers. Nicotine's pharmacokinetic properties also enhance its abuse potential. Cigarette smoking produces a rapid distribution of nicotine to the brain, with drug levels peaking within 10 seconds of inhalation. However, the acute effects of nicotine dissipate in a few minutes, as do the associated feelings of reward, which causes the smoker to continue dosing to maintain the drug's pleasurable effects and prevent withdrawal.
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms include irritability, craving, cognitive and attentional deficits, sleep disturbances, and increased appetite. These symptoms may begin within a few hours after the last cigarette, quickly driving people back to tobacco use. Symptoms peak within the first few days of smoking cessation and may subside within a few weeks. For some people, however, symptoms may persist for months.
While withdrawal is related to the pharmacological effects of nicotine, many behavioral factors can also affect the severity of withdrawal symptoms. For some people, the feel, smell, and sight of a cigarette and the ritual of obtaining, handling, lighting, and smoking the cigarette are all associated with the pleasurable effects of smoking and can make withdrawal or craving worse. While nicotine gum and patches may alleviate the pharmacological aspects of withdrawal, cravings often persist. Other forms of nicotine replacement, such as inhalers, attempt to address some of these other issues, while behavioral therapies can help smokers identify environmental triggers of withdrawal and craving so they can employ strategies to prevent or circumvent these symptoms and urges.
Source: EverydayHealth.com
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Understanding Addiction: Smoking and Nicotine
There are more than 4,000 chemicals found in the smoke of tobacco products. Of these, nicotine, first identified in the early 1800s, is the primary reinforcing component of tobacco that acts on the brain.
Cigarette smoking is the most popular method of using tobacco; however, there has also been a recent increase in the sale and consumption of smokeless tobacco products, such as snuff and chewing tobacco. These smokeless products also contain nicotine, as well as many toxic chemicals.
The cigarette is a very efficient and highly engineered drug delivery system. By inhaling tobacco smoke, the average smoker takes in 1 to 2 mg of nicotine per cigarette. When tobacco is smoked, nicotine rapidly reaches peak levels in the bloodstream and enters the brain. A typical smoker will take 10 puffs on a cigarette over a period of 5 minutes that the cigarette is lit. Thus, a person who smokes about 1-1/2 packs (30 cigarettes) daily gets 300 "hits" of nicotine to the brain each day. In those who typically do not inhale the smoke—such as cigar and pipe smokers and smokeless tobacco users––nicotine is absorbed through the mucosal membranes and reaches peak blood levels and the brain more slowly.
Immediately after exposure to nicotine, there is a "kick" caused in part by the drug's stimulation of the adrenal glands and resulting discharge of epinephrine (adrenaline). The rush of adrenaline stimulates the body and causes a sudden release of glucose, as well as an increase in blood pressure, respiration, and heart rate. Nicotine also suppresses insulin output from the pancreas, which means that smokers are always slightly hyperglycemic (i.e., they have elevated blood sugar levels). The calming effect of nicotine reported by many users is usually associated with a decline in withdrawal effects rather than direct effects of nicotine.
Source: EverydayHealth.com
Cigarette smoking is the most popular method of using tobacco; however, there has also been a recent increase in the sale and consumption of smokeless tobacco products, such as snuff and chewing tobacco. These smokeless products also contain nicotine, as well as many toxic chemicals.
The cigarette is a very efficient and highly engineered drug delivery system. By inhaling tobacco smoke, the average smoker takes in 1 to 2 mg of nicotine per cigarette. When tobacco is smoked, nicotine rapidly reaches peak levels in the bloodstream and enters the brain. A typical smoker will take 10 puffs on a cigarette over a period of 5 minutes that the cigarette is lit. Thus, a person who smokes about 1-1/2 packs (30 cigarettes) daily gets 300 "hits" of nicotine to the brain each day. In those who typically do not inhale the smoke—such as cigar and pipe smokers and smokeless tobacco users––nicotine is absorbed through the mucosal membranes and reaches peak blood levels and the brain more slowly.
Immediately after exposure to nicotine, there is a "kick" caused in part by the drug's stimulation of the adrenal glands and resulting discharge of epinephrine (adrenaline). The rush of adrenaline stimulates the body and causes a sudden release of glucose, as well as an increase in blood pressure, respiration, and heart rate. Nicotine also suppresses insulin output from the pancreas, which means that smokers are always slightly hyperglycemic (i.e., they have elevated blood sugar levels). The calming effect of nicotine reported by many users is usually associated with a decline in withdrawal effects rather than direct effects of nicotine.
Source: EverydayHealth.com
Best Western Customer Service Phone Numbers
All the numbers in one place. No more searching for hidden numbers.
AUSTRALIA: 131779
AUSTRIA: 0800295194
BELGIUM:080016776
CYPRUS: 80091166
DENMARK: 80010988
FINLAND: 080012010
FRANCE: 0800904490
GERMANY:01802212588
GREECE: 0080044141460
IRELAND:1800709101
ISRAEL: 18009452041
ITALY: 800820080
JAPAN: 0120421234
LUXEMBOURG: 08006776
MEXICO: 0018005281234
NETHERLANDS: 08000221455
NEW ZEALAND: 0800237893
NORWAY: 80011624
PORTUGAL: 0800993900
SPAIN: 900993900
SWEDEN: 020792752
SWITZERLAND: 0800552344
TURKEY:00800399072333
U.K: 0800393130
USA: 1800WESTERN
800-528-1238 (accessible from North America only)
Source: http://www.eguru.info
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Seminar on Computer Fraud
I spoke at my first seminar yesterday. The location was the scenic Couer D’Alene Resort in Couer D’Alene, Idaho. The topic pretty much veered off from computer fraud to computer crime. It wasn’t surprising to see some of the audience were completely shocked at the end of the day. Nevertheless, it was an exhilarating experience and I’m getting ready for my next course on IT Auditing. Feels different being an instructor for a change.
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