A FEW TIPS TO HELP YOU TO QUIT SMOKING

Quitting Tip Sheet

1. Quit cold turkey! In the long run it's the easiest, quickest, least expensive and most effective technique of smoking cessation. It only takes 72 hours before your blood becomes nicotine free and the symptoms of physical withdrawal reach their peak. There are over one billion "comfortable" ex-smokers on earth today and almost all of them quit cold turkey.

2. Our minds will quickly forget most of the reasons that made us want to quit smoking. Take the time now to write yourself a loving letter that will fully remind you of all your reasons for quitting. Keep your reasons letter with you and read it often.

3. Get rid of all your cigarettes. All of them! Tell friends and family that you've started a new nicotine free life. Commit completely to your healing!

4. Quit smoking one day at a time. Do not concern yourself with next year, next month, next week or even tomorrow. Concentrate on not smoking from the time you wake-up until you go to sleep. Be patient with your healing. Baby steps!

5. Attitude is extremely important because we are what we think! If we allow our mind to dwell upon negative thoughts like "quitting is hard" and that we're "depriving ourselves of smoking" we can make ourselves miserable. If we allow our mind to dwell upon positive notions like our freedom and healing are wonderful and glorious, or that we're doing ourselves a favor, our journey home can be awesome.

6. Be proud of yourself for not smoking! Don't rely upon others for your self pride.

7. Symptoms such as headache, inability to concentrate, dizziness, time perception distortions and the ubiquitous sweet tooth encountered by many, can be the result of a blood sugar drop that occurs after quitting. Help your body adjust by avoiding white sugar products and by putting small amounts of food (fuel) into your body at least every three hours. Always leave room for more food but never allow yourself to feel hungry. Get your sugar from juices and fruits (cranberry juice is excellent).

8. Be aware that many routine situations will trigger a crave for nicotine. Situations which may trigger a response include: after meals, talking on the phone, driving, drinking, reading, coffee, alcohol, setting in a bar or pub, social events with smoking friends, or even activities like card games. Try to maintain your normal routine while quitting. If any event seems to tough, leave it and go back to it later. Do not feel you must give up any activity forever. Everything you did as a smoker, you will learn to do at least as well, and maybe better, as an ex-smoker.

9. Drink plenty of fruit juice the first three days. It not only helps flush nicotine from your system it will also help raise your blood sugar level. Also, divide your body weight by two. Use the resulting number as the number of ounces of daily water that your body and lungs need for proper healing and flushing.

10. To help avoid weight gain, eat vegetables and fruit instead of candies and pastries. Celery and carrots can be used safely as short-term substitutes for cigarettes. Smoking was your bodies old cue that your meal had ended. Find a new cue.

11. If you are concerned about weight gain, do some moderate form of regular exercise. If you have not been exercising regularly, consult your physician for a practical exercise program which is safe for you.

12. If you encounter a crisis, (e.g. a flat tire, flood, argument, family illness, finances) while quitting, remember, smoking is no solution. Smoking will just complicate the original situation while creating another crisis - full and complete nicotine relapse.

13. Be honest! Truly see yourself as "addicted to nicotine" because you are! Just one puff and you will either immediately or shortly thereafter experience full and complete relapse back to your prior level of nicotine use or higher. Don't look at it as taking just "ONE" puff, look at it as taking them all back. Picture them all.

14. Don't debate with yourself how much you want a "cigarette." You don't crave a cigarette any more than the heroin addict craves a needle. The cigarette and needle are simply drug delivery devices. What you want is the drug inside.

15. Save the money you usually spend on cigarettes and buy yourself something you really want after a week or a month. Save for a year and you can treat yourself to a vacation.

16. Practice deep breathing exercises when you have a craving. Breathe slowly and deeply into the bottom of each lung while clearing your mind of needless chatter.

17. Visualize the challenges ahead (stress, tremendous joy, weight gain, boredom, an accident, a serious illness, the death of a loved one, a funeral, financial problems, the end of a relationship, drinking, extended periods of time around a smoker) and picture yourself successfully overcoming each of them.

18. Climb out of your deep smoker's rut and begin living your new life. Engage in activities that require more than an hour to complete and challenge your new body.

19. Ask yourself how you'd feel about going back to your old level of consumption. Quitting smoking is one of the few propositions in the world where being 99% successful means 100% defeat. It's an all or nothing proposition.

20. Remember that there are only two good reasons to take a puff once you quit. You decide you want to go back to your old level of consumption until smoking cripples and then kills you, or, you decide you really enjoy withdrawal and you want to make it last forever. As long as neither of these options appeal to you - NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!

NUTRITION UPDATES

TO PREVENT STROKE DRINK TEA! Prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea. (actually, tea suppresses my appetite and keeps the pounds from invading.... Green tea is great for our immune system)! INSOMNIA (CAN'T SLEEP?) HONEY! Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative. ASTHMA? EAT ONIONS!!!! Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes. (when I was young, my mother would make onion packs to place on our chest, helped the respiratory ailments and actually made us breathe better). ARTHRITIS? EAT FISH, TOO!! Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis. (fish has omega oils, good for our immune system) UPSET STOMACH? BANANAS - GINGER!!!!! Bananas will settle an upset stomach. Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea. BLADDER INFECTION? DRINK CRANBERRY JUICE!!!! High-acid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria. BONE PROBLEMS? EAT PINEAPPLE!!! Bone fractures and osteoporosis can be prevented by the manganese in pineapple. PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME? EAT CORNFLAKES!! !! Women can ward off the effects of PMS with cornflakes, which help reduce depression, anxiety and fatigue. MEMORY PROBLEMS? EAT OYSTERS! Oysters help improve your mental functioning by supplying much-needed zinc. COLDS? EAT GARLIC! Clear up that stuffy head with garlic. (remember, garlic lowers cholesterol, too.) COUGHING? USE RED PEPPERS!! A substance similar to that found in the cough syrups is found in hot red pepper. Use red (cayenne) pepper with caution-it can irritate your tummy. BREAST CANCER? EAT Wheat, bran and cabbage Helps to maintain estrogen at healthy levels. LUNG CANCER? EAT DARK GREEN AND ORANGE AND VEGGIES!!! A good antidote is beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables. ULCERS? EAT CABBAGE ALSO!!! Cabbage contains chemicals that help heal both gastric and duodenal ulcers. DIARRHEA? EAT APPLES! Grate an apple with its skin, let it turn brown and eat it to cure this condition. (Bananas are good for this ailment) CLOGGED ARTERIES? EAT AVOCADO! Mono unsaturated fat in avocados lowers cholesterol. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? EAT CELERY AND OLIVE OIL!!! Olive oil has been shown to lower blood pressure. Celery contains a chemical that lowers pressure too. BLOOD SUGAR IMBALANCE? EAT BROCCOLI AND PEANUTS!!! The chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps regulate insulin and blood sugar. HEADACHE? EAT FISH! Eat plenty of fish -- fish oil helps prevent headaches.. So does ginger, which reduces inflammation and pain. HAY FEVER? EAT YOGURT! Eat lots of yogurt before pollen season. Also-eat honey from your area (local region) daily. Kiwi: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E &fiber. It's Vitamin C content is twice that of an orange. Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low Vitamin C content, it has antioxidants &flavonoids which enhances the activity of Vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke. Strawberry: Protective fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits &protects the body from cancer causing, blood vessels clogging free radicals. (Actually, any berry is good for you..they're high in anti-oxidants and they actually keep us young....... ..blueberries are the best and very versatile in the health field....... .they get rid of all the free-radicals that invade our bodies) Orange : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2 - 4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessen the risk of colon cancer. Watermelon: Coolest Thirst Quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are Vitamin C &Potassium. (watermelon also has natural substances [natural SPF sources] that keep our skin healthy, protecting our skin from those darn suv rays) Guava &Papaya: Top awards for Vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high Vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene, this is good for your eyes. (also good for gas and indigestion) Tomatoes are very good as a preventative measure for men, keeps those prostrate problems from invading their bodies.