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Smoking Cigarettes


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#1 catdaddy

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Posted 01 December 2006 - 06:32 PM


We all know they're bad. The worst thing you can do for your health. So on this board, with its focus on longevity no one really wants to be known as a smoker. But it's a fact- some of us smoke or have smoked in the past. So what helped you in your struggle against the nicotine demon? I'm looking for personal accounts here, rather than statements like "I've heard that x is really good for stopping smoking."

What helped give you an edge? What supplements, exercises or changes in daily routine really made a difference? Tell us about the initial withdrawal and the more recurring long term struggle as well.

I'm 27 years old. Got hooked at 19. Have had short periods of time when I was smoke free, the longest being the first six months of this year. I was running on a regular basis and just didn't have the urge to smoke when I was working out like that. But I live in Houston and when summer came around I used the heat as an excuse not to run, and started up again.

Now I'm stopping again - this time for real [thumb] . I did a two week herbal cleanse, started running again and cut out caffeine and alcohol for the most part, my two biggest triggers to smoke. I chew gum. I've found that lobelia helps with cravings, bacopa with relaxation, and rhodiola with mood. I just started drinking herbal teas (chamomile and rooibos). This is my fourth day without smoking and my cravings are mostly gone.

Okay, now it's your turn.

#2 ajnast4r

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Posted 01 December 2006 - 06:44 PM

quitting is 95% willpower, plain and simple.

lobellia and rhodiola are your best bet. i believe lobellia contains a chemical that occupies the same sites in the brain as nicotine, and should drastically reduce the physical cravings/side effects... although most of smoking addiction is mental.

http://www.iherb.com...s&pid=GAI-40070

#3 Shepard

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Posted 01 December 2006 - 06:52 PM

I just tossed the remainder of my carton in the trash and said I was done. I also told all my friends when they eventually asked me for a lighter/smoke. At that point, my personality didn't really give me a choice in the matter.

I didn't use anything to counter the cravings, although I did up my exercise around the same time.

I have heard of people using deprenyl or ashwaganda for smoking cessation.

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#4 catdaddy

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Posted 01 December 2006 - 06:54 PM

You got that willpower part right.

As to lobelia, I had read the same thing. Lobeline is structurally very similar to nicotine, and it really does help with the cravings.

What's your story, ajnast4r? Are you, or have you ever been a smoker?

#5 kottke

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Posted 01 December 2006 - 09:14 PM

I pick them up now and then when im not having a good week. I get organic American Spirit cigarettes. I smoke about 1 to 2 a day until the pack runs out, then repeat every other month or so. Not really healthy but they certainly are enhancing :)

#6 olderbutwiser

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Posted 03 December 2006 - 03:14 AM

Willpower is 98% of the cure.

I smoked for almost 15 years, quitting a few times for up to 1 year. But I backslid. It took me several experiences with quitting to realize what the deal was going to be. The cravings will subside and the triggers will diminish in their pull, but they never entirely go away. I couldn't rationalize that I would have "just a couple because it was special occasion". Once you are habituated to nicotine, the return to addiction is measured in just a cigarette or two.

I finally quit for good 11 years ago, cold turky with no crutches. I tossed a full pack out the window driving down the road. My catharsis was listening to a radio report on a $1.00/pack tax levied "for the children". Some anti-smoking pol was explaining how it was okay to transfer wealth from smokers to teachers because the kids needed it and smokers were destructive to the fabric of society and owed amends. Of course, there have been several more levels of penance extracted since then.

It is amazing to reflect on exactly how far society has changed its views and rules in 20 brief years. 15 years ago I was smoking on planes, in restaurants, at work. Today a smoker is lucky if the cops don't show up if they smoke in their back yard. The diminishing number of smokers is a good thing, the paralyzing encroachment of the nanny state is not. We may be a healthier society in one way, but we are definitely sicker in some others.

I haven't smoked in 11 years. But occasionally, at the oddest times, some trigger will get pulled and I still want "just one". But I know what the deal is now.

OBW

#7 distinct

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Posted 03 December 2006 - 03:57 AM

When I quit smoking I had been smoking 1 to 1.5 packs a day for something like 5 or 6 years. Some say it's "not that bad", but everything's relative. I had been really into endurance athletics and found that eventually I just couldn't do it anymore. Then about a year went by and I decided to get back into my health with a passion and found I could hardly do any aerobic training at all without feeling really bogged down and slow, sometimes painfully so. I had tried to quite A LOT in the past. I tried herbs, the patch, gum, and wellbutrin. Nothing worked! Some would say it's because I "wasn't ready" while others would say I just didn't care enough yet. I think it's a combination of both, but I also like to remind others of the power of psychological addiction.

To the meat of the subject, and this may be something which you don't want to hear... I just really, really wanted to quit and was exceedingly dedicated and driven to succeed. I set a date to make it a concrete thing and then just stopped. It was probably one of the most difficult things I've ever done and to this day I can't believe I actually haven't smoked a single cig since (I always thought the addiction & my mental weakness held that much power over me). The key was exercise and a total lifestyle change. I changed my diet, changed certain habits and even slightly altered certain routines.

I haven't really had major cravings since the first month, but during those first weeks I used anything from toothpicks to chewing gum to keep me trivially occupied. Everytime something major came up I would either jump on my road bike, bang out a few pushups, play an intense piece on the guitar or something equally as intense. I work out of my house which made stuff like that easier though. Oh yeah, deep meditative breathing and affirmations help to reinforce your dedication and keep your focus up and your stress/anxiety down.

Sorry 'bout the verbosity of this post, but it's a passionate thing for me. [thumb]

Edit: I forgot I didn't mention that it was literally 100% willpower, which I believe is the deciding factor in your success. There isn't a damn thing that can change you other than yourself. GOOD LUCK!!!!

#8 distinct

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Posted 03 December 2006 - 04:02 AM

Willpower is 98% of the cure.

I smoked for almost 15 years, quitting a few times for up to 1 year. But I backslid. It took me several experiences with quitting to realize what the deal was going to be. The cravings will subside and the triggers will diminish in their pull, but they never entirely go away. I couldn't rationalize that I would have "just a couple because it was special occasion". Once you are habituated to nicotine, the return to addiction is measured in just a cigarette or two.

I finally quit for good 11 years ago, cold turky with no crutches. I tossed a full pack out the window driving down the road. My catharsis was listening to a radio report on a $1.00/pack tax levied "for the children". Some anti-smoking pol was explaining how it was okay to transfer wealth from smokers to teachers because the kids needed it and smokers were destructive to the fabric of society and owed amends. Of course, there have been several more levels of penance extracted since then.

It is amazing to reflect on exactly how far society has changed its views and rules in 20 brief years. 15 years ago I was smoking on planes, in restaurants, at work. Today a smoker is lucky if the cops don't show up if they smoke in their back yard. The diminishing number of smokers is a good thing, the paralyzing encroachment of the nanny state is not. We may be a healthier society in one way, but we are definitely sicker in some others.

I haven't smoked in 11 years. But occasionally, at the oddest times, some trigger will get pulled and I still want "just one". But I know what the deal is now.

OBW


I totally agree with everything you said. I think the act of physically destroying a pack of cigs was pretty signifigant for me. I would always "wait til the pack ran out" all of the times I failed. Often I am around those who smoke and don't want one at all, but VERY rarely for reasons I cannot explain I just want one puff or something like a cigar. Of course I never cave, and the strength of the urge fades with time, it's still probably going to be with me for the rest of my life.

#9 zoolander

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Posted 03 December 2006 - 05:00 AM

organic cigarettes? Now that's just ridiculous!

#10 Shepard

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Posted 03 December 2006 - 07:33 AM

organic cigarettes? Now that's just ridiculous!


My newest theory:

organic filterless cigarettes lit with matches will not cause any harm.

Discuss.

#11 kottke

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Posted 03 December 2006 - 07:36 AM

Hah, yea but they're sure as hell alot better then smoking some menthols with the added 4 million chemicals for flavor. All in all cigarettes are far worse for you then they are good. They do have a few key benefits however:

1) An excuse to leave a party or step outside to get away from the craziness and ponder a bit. Or to just leave your computer for awhile and get some sun

2) Added chance of getting a lady. I have picked up many women by giving them a cigarette or asking for one. Its a good way fo you 2 to get alone and talk :)

3) When added with ethanol the effects can be quite pleasant

4) Oh and when a girl asks you for a cigarette and you say the word "orgasmic" silently you get a weird look (sometimes good or bad) then you simply back up the reply with "organic, these cigarettes are organic"........so yea cigarettes umm dont really get you anywhere fast except death.


I think all the suggestions given on stopping smoking so far are very good and i dont know what more I could add. Just dont watch any movies from the 50s up till say now, and you'll be alright. Oh yea TV that too [thumb]

#12 magrus

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Posted 03 December 2006 - 03:35 PM

I had quit cold turkey last March and then smoked a pack one day in June. That slip was followed by a lung infection which led to a rather long case of walking pneumonia that made me feel half-alive for about 4 months and then some. So... as you may guess my cravings have somewhat subsided. :)

#13 sutur

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Posted 03 December 2006 - 07:22 PM

i totally agree that the only thing that can actually help you quit is probably a huge amount of willpower. but besides the fact that you have to overcome your cravings there are other negative sideeffects that come with quitting. stress for example. to quit smoking definitely puts an enormous amount of stress on your body and we all know how bad this can be. does anyone know a way to protect yourself from the negative sideeffects of quitting?

#14 magrus

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Posted 04 December 2006 - 03:45 AM

The few SURE ways to protect yourself from negative side effects of quitting smoking that I know of are:

a. to keep on smoking
b. to have your attention fully occupied with the symptoms of smoke related illnesses.
C. to die

If none of the above works, developing a heroin habit may be of help. Temporarily of course, just to get through the withdrawal phase.

Edited by magrus, 04 December 2006 - 11:08 PM.


#15 Shepard

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Posted 04 December 2006 - 04:12 AM

stress for example. to quit smoking definitely puts an enormous amount of stress on your body and we all know how bad this can be.


Do you honestly think this is going to do more harm than continuing smoking?

#16 kottke

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Posted 04 December 2006 - 05:34 AM

does anyone know a way to protect yourself from the negative sideeffects of quitting?


Catdaddy's first suggestion of Bacopa and Rhodiola. Cancer puts alot more stress on your body then stress itself.

#17 Agarikon

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Posted 04 December 2006 - 08:42 AM

I had to program myself to quit...everytime I lit up I thought of the black smokers lungs I've seen in pictures and at bodyworlds(works?). Then eventually I got sick at the thought of smoking and just stopped...but that didn't get rid of my cravings...I started to run, which was hard because I was so out of shape and had been smoking for awhile, but your lungs will improve with time, start slow and keep at it. Oh yeah, this may sound cheesy but I started to sing. Not only is singing good for your lungs and heart/cardiovasular system, because its largely a breathing exercise, but its also a good mental exersice as well. I all of a sudden found myself speaking longer more complex sentences. Trading smoking cigs for running and singing was one of the best decisions i've ever made.

#18 Ghostrider

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Posted 05 December 2006 - 04:21 AM

I have never smoked, so I am not sure what the cravings feel like. If I was addicted though, I would acknowledge that a substance dependency is very difficult to give up and go see a doctor for help. Try to find people or close friends who do not smoke and tell them that you are quitting. If everyone knows that you are trying to quit, it will be harder for you to start smoking again. Also, every time you feel a craving, look at some "anti-smoking" photos of people lying in a hospital bed with their throats cut up like swiss cheese. Basically, realize how deadly smoking is.

I have a co-worker who smokes and I would like to tell him to stop for the sake of his health. That is a hard topic to address though.

#19 ameldedic2

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Posted 05 December 2006 - 11:00 AM

If you don't smoking, your going to crave carbohydrates. I strongly recommend to go the library or search for websites for find professional help to quit.

#20 catdaddy

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Posted 05 December 2006 - 07:50 PM

I was away from my computer for a couple days...Thanks for all the responses, guys. I'm going on about a week now and feeling pretty good. Don't really have cravings most of the time-I've found that mental state where cigarettes are just not in the picture. I know I still can never let my guard down 'cause that's when you relapse. I'm just continuing with my running, up to 2 miles daily now, takes about 20 minutes. Noticing a big increase in my lung capacity and I'm anticipating future gains, it's very motivating.

I think sharing these experiences can be a very positive, supportive thing. Keep posting!

#21 doug123

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Posted 06 December 2006 - 03:07 AM

News source: Doctor's Guide Publishing Limited

Non-Nicotine Smoking Cessation Zyban (Bupropion Hydrochloride SR) Launched In UK


LONDON, UK -- June 27, 2000 -- Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride SR), the first non-nicotine pharmacological therapy licensed for smoking cessation, was launched in the UK today. Doctors can now prescribe this treatment to help people who are motivated to quit smoking. Zyban, available in tablet form, offers an entirely new approach to smoking cessation.

Most people do not continue to smoke out of choice, but because they are addicted to nicotine. This explains why only 3 percent of smokers are able to quit each year by relying on willpower alone, and why current treatments for smoking cessation have limited success.

It is thought that Zyban reduces the cravings and withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting smoking by altering two neurotransmitters - dopamine and noradrenaline. These two neurotransmitters are believed to play a key role in nicotine addiction.

A large comparative study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that almost one in three people (30.3 percent) treated with Zyban were not smoking at one year, compared to 16.4 percent of people using a nicotine patch. Zyban was thereby found to be almost twice as effective as a nicotine patch in helping people to quit smoking and remain abstinent at the one-year follow-up.


"Zyban is an exciting new treatment which will offer patients a real chance of successfully quitting smoking,"said Dr Chris Steele, Manchester GP and smoking cessation expert.

"Most smokers do not continue to smoke cigarettes out of habit, but because they are addicted to nicotine. Zyban is the first non-nicotine prescription medication that tackles the biochemical basis of nicotine addiction."

"Zyban represents a unique advance in smoking cessation therapy, and the success rates of patients using Zyban are very encouraging,"comments Dr Gay Sutherland, Clinical Psychologist at the Tobacco Research Section, Institute of Psychiatry, London. "It is another much needed weapon in our fight to help people stop smoking and reduce the incidence of smoking-related disease."

To achieve success with Zyban, it is important that smokers are motivated to quit. A personalised patient support programme, called the "Right Time ProgrammeTM" is therefore available for patients who have been prescribed Zyban. It is designed to encourage and support patients, through the use of a stop smoking action plan, health benefits chart, access to a dedicated telephone help line, and motivational letters timed to arrive at key stages in the quitting process.

The GP is in a strong position to help patients stop smoking. Evidence shows that giving pharmacological treatment in combination with advice and support is the most effective way of helping smokers to quit smoking, and that just three minutes of a GP's time can make a difference in helping smokers to quit.

Glaxo Wellcome is a research-based company whose people are committed to fighting disease by bringing innovative medicines and services to patients throughout the world and to the healthcare providers who serve them.

Visit the Zyban® website for for Healthcare Professionals only.

Zyban is the same drug as is in Wellbutrin (bupropion hydrochloride).

#22 catdaddy

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Posted 06 December 2006 - 05:08 PM

You always have something to contribute, don't you Adam. [lol] Have you used Zyban in a personal smoking cessation program or are you just throwing that out for information purposes?

I really would like to hear more the personal accounts from people who have quit rather than yet another article or people just chiming in to say what they would do if they were addicted.

[quote](ghostrider) I have never smoked, so I am not sure what the cravings feel like.

No offense, but I'm interested in hearing from those who have struggled and about that whole process of facing the addiction. Did you quit cold turkey, like shepard, olderbutwiser, and distinct or did you find you needed something to go along with willpower in your fight?

Just wanted to clarify a bit.

#23 lunarsolarpower

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Posted 06 December 2006 - 07:23 PM

I just finished talking to a MD, PhD, MPH smoking cessation counselor and he also mentioned the use of Zyban/Wellbutrin to combat the chemical side of cigarette addiction. In addition there is a motor pathway to the addiction that needs to be overcome. As with most pleasurable activites (eating, working, sex, alcohol, social interaction) dopamine is released in response to smoking. Zyban acts to keep dopamine levels elevated for 24 hours which is also how it functions as an antidepressant.

He said that one needs to find something else to use to replace the physical side of the smoking ritual such as chewing on something. Perhaps sunflower seeds? Even a drink of cold water has been shown to have a minor dopamine effect.

The key in fighting addictions is when the urge hits, you have to fight it for about the first two minutes until it loses some of its intensity. Then you can perform your selected alternate ritual and build up new pathways to reinforce the positive behavior.

All of this information is just what the doctor mentioned to me.

#24 zoolander

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Posted 29 December 2006 - 03:13 PM

I've always thought that galantamine, stimulating nictonic ACh receptors may be able to assist with giving up

and this out today....

Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2006 Dec;44(12):614-22.
   
Galantamine reduces smoking in alcohol-dependent patients: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

        * Diehl A,
        * Nakovics H,
        * Croissant B,
        * Smolka MN,
        * Batra A,
        * Mann K.

    Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany. alexander.diehl@zi-mannheim.de

    INTRODUCTION: The high morbidity and mortality caused by smoking highlights the importance of investigating new strategies for smoking cessation or reduction. Galantamine is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that increases the effect of acetylcholine (ACh). The nicotinic ACh receptor is activated via positive allosteric modulation (APL). METHODS: We investigated whether galantamine reduces smoking by performing a 24-week randomized, placebo-controlled, multicentric clinical trial in recently detoxified alcohol-dependent patients. We included all study subjects irrespective of an intention or motivation to abstain from nicotine. Specific treatment for cessation or reduction of smoking was not provided. Smoking behavior was assessed by means of patients' diaries. The nicotine metabolite cotinine was measured to verify the number of smoked cigarettes as documented in the patient's diary. RESULTS: 114 randomized smokers received galantamine (n = 56) or placebo (n = 58) for 12 weeks. Follow-up examinations were terminated after an additional 12 weeks without treatment. Smoking behavior did not differ between both groups at baseline. After treatment, the intention-to-treat analysis revealed significant differences with a 20% lower cumulative number of smoked cigarettes and a 15% lower number of smoking days in the galantamine group compared to placebo. The average number of smoked cigarettes per smoking day as well as the cotinine values decreased about 10%. Cotinine values showed a positive correlation with the number of documented cigarettes, validating the patients' diaries. CONCLUSION: Our tentative data indicate that galantamine reduces smoking behavior even without any additional specific intervention. We suggest introducing the term "substitution therapy" into the treatment of smoking. This result could open up a new treatment approach for groups of patients which usually have a low motivation for change.

    PMID: 17190371 [PubMed - in process]



#25 DukeNukem

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Posted 29 December 2006 - 05:16 PM

>>> We all know they're bad. The worst thing you can do for your health.

Just now peeking at this thread, but this line immediately stuck out. I've argued for a long time that being overweight is far more damaging to one's health. I'm no fan of smoking -- I'm one of the biggest anti-smokers you'll ever meet. But, the facts seem to be clearly evident: I see tons of 60+ smokers. I see practically no obese people older than 60. My guess is that once obese, your lifespan is about 15 years. I have a cousin who's been obese for three years now -- she's 27. She will not live to 40. She could likely smoke 10 packs a day and not be killed off so quickly.

My mother smokes. But, she works out lifting weights, she takes supplements, and she eats well. She is 67, not fat at all, she's fit (muscle-wise), and going strong with little sign of aging -- no sign of being feeble in the least. Yes, she has smoker's face (all wrinkled), but I give her at least 12 years of life, maybe a lot more. (My father is 70, and has at least 20 years in him -- he can outdo most 45 year olds. He doesn't smoke, takes 60 supps a day under a program I've created, lifts weights, climbs mountains, hikes, eats well, and no one ever believes he is older than 60.)

#26 Centurion

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Posted 29 December 2006 - 05:23 PM

I used to smoke 20 a day as a teenager. Decided one day enough was enough. crumpled the packet in my hand and didnt buy another since. Job done.

#27 Centurion

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Posted 29 December 2006 - 05:24 PM

Your mother is the same age as mine Duke! lol

#28 olderbutwiser

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Posted 29 December 2006 - 09:32 PM

>>> We all know they're bad. The worst thing you can do for your health.

I've argued for a long time that being overweight is far more damaging to one's health.


Being anti-smoking goes beyond rational for many people.
There is no doubt that smoking at any level is potentially harmful, but the harm per dose is not linear - upregulation can deal with some level of exposure. Smoking is also the direct cause of the damage observed. Being overweight is just a symptom of a damaged metabolism - not the root cause.

I would second your opinion on the relative risks to longevity between smoking and "syndrome X". If I had to choose a cross to bear, I'd be a smoker long before I'd willngly accept being an "X'er". A light smoker who takes protective measures - like increasing antioxidant consumption, avoiding alcohol, extra care avoiding inhaling "junk" (silica, asbestos, etc) and keeping in good aerobic shape - isn't damaging himself to nearly the degree that an obese person is. The problem with most smokers is that they don't care much about their health and that attitude fosters poor health choices beyond smoking.

Of course, that opinion does nothing to rationalize either choice.

OBW

#29 ora101

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Posted 01 January 2007 - 05:55 AM

>>> We all know they're bad. The worst thing you can do for your health.

I've argued for a long time that being overweight is far more damaging to one's health.


From Britain

Obesity 'worse than drinking or smoking'

14/12/2006
Celia Hall

Obesity is more damaging to health than smoking, heavy drinking or poverty, a Government agency said yesterday as it launched guidance on how an increasingly fat nation can get back into shape.

Obesity costs the nation more than £3 billion a year

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) said the prevalence of overweightness and obesity in England had trebled in 25 years with a third of women and nearly half of men overweight.

In total, 24 million adults are overweight or obese. Among children, 16 per cent are obese compared with 11 per cent in 1995. A fifth of all children is expected to be obese within four years.

Nice added that the obesity epidemic costs the nation between £3.3 billion and £3.7 billion a year in health and economic costs.


A light smoker who takes protective measures - like increasing antioxidant consumption, avoiding alcohol, extra care avoiding inhaling "junk" (silica, asbestos, etc) and keeping in good aerobic shape - isn't damaging himself to nearly the degree that an obese person is. The problem with most smokers is that they don't care much about their health and that attitude fosters poor health choices beyond smoking.


Hypothetically speaking, for the cost of a couple packs of cigarettes per month, one could cover their bases supplement wise with taking Methyl B12, Multi, Green Tea, a little Coq10, and something to lower homocysteine, no? Harm reduction for cigarettes; seemingly paradoxical. It would also reason that plain tobacco itself doesn't come close to being as bad as some of the additives put into cigarette companies' "nicotine delivery systems".

I saw "The Insider" the other day, interesting stuff. Russell Crowe's character blowes the whistle on the cigarette company that fired him, stating that they added many known harmful ingredients to speed-up its effect on the body, namely (!!)coumadin, if I'm not mistaken.

#30 sutur

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Posted 05 January 2007 - 02:17 AM

I quit smoking today. I've been smoking 10-20 hand rolled cigarettes a day for about six years now since I was 15 (legal age for tobacco and alcohol is 16 in Austria), and I plan on doing it without any substitutes, "cold turkey" as you call it. I'll report back in two months to tell you my personal experiences :)




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