The Five Stages of Grief In The Non-Smoking Section

The Kubler-Ross Model otherwise known as The Five Stages of Grief. How will it apply to those trying to

quit smoking?

The Kubler - Ross Model and Smoking Cessation

Otherwise known as The Five Stages of Grief, this is something you, as someone looking to stop smoking very well may go through. In my book, How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone, you will learn to see smoking for what it is, an incredibly dysfunctional relationship. Have you ever been in a bad relationship and said, "This relationship's going to be the death of me!" Sure it's all tongue in cheek until you throw cancer and emphysema into the mix...

So, let's take a look at The Five Stages of Grief and see how they apply to not smoking any more.

Notice that I will not say "trying" and will not use the term "quit" when talking about not smoking anymore. If you want to know more about that or if that's of any interest to you, then read my book or hit me up on Twitter(@StopDontQuitCom) for an answer to that.

With the shameless plugs out of the way, let's dig in!

Stopping Smoking and Grief

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross published a book in 1969. The book was called, On Death and Dying. A nice cheerful subject it is! All kidding aside, this book examined what a person with a terminal illness goes through emotionally as they approach the big day (death). She interviewed and researched over 500 patients on their way out and found that they all cope with the inevitable in a very similar way.

This is how she isolated and identified these five stages. Now what's interesting is that while these stages are all common, they are not necessarily going to be chronological. What's important here for us, is recognizing that they exist and then having the self awareness to see where we're at. What stage are we in as we go through the process of not smoking anymore?

"But Dave," you ask, "The Five Stages of Grief are for people who are dying from a terminal illness! What does this have to do with me? I'm just trying to quit smoking!"

Glad you asked! Your first problem is your "trying" and your second problem is you're "trying to quit." Thirdly, odds are really good that smoking will lead to YOUR premature death so you better start coping now!

OK, where was I?

Ultimately, as further research was done and time passed, it became clear that you don't have to be in the midst of a terminal illness or literally in a stage dying to experience this. People experience grief. Period. They have loss, tragedy, break ups, illness, etc. and one way or another people need to find a way to cope with what's happening or with what just happened.

Cope. That's the key word here. Dictionary.com defines "cope" as: to struggle or deal, especially on fairly even terms or with some degree of success (usually followed by "with" )

Time for you to stop smoking? Transitioning to the non-smoking section will require some work. Let's examine five things you might go through along the way. Keep in mind you may be in one of these stages now...

Denial

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt as they like to say! This may be rather obvious, or not, if you're in denial!

This is for those of you who are in the old, this doesn't apply to me, category. Just because Sammy Davis Jr, Nat King Cole, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy, Rod Serling, Jack Webb, Patrick Swayze, and countless other all died of smoking related illness, I'll be fine!

"It won't happen to me, I can quit anytime I want."

Edward R Murrow was 57 when Lung Cancer took him. Do you really want to check out at 57? He was quoted as saying, "I doubt I could spend a half hour without a cigarette with any comfort or ease." He died two days after turning 57.

This is denial folks. As I write this, It's 2012. If you still think you'll be fine, if you still think cancer or other smoking related illnesses doesn't apply to you, you're either Wolverine from the X-Men or in denial. Which one is it?

Anger 

"Why do I have to stop?" "This is bull$#!7!" "How can something so good be so bad?" "I should be able to smoke any damn where I please!" "Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do with my body?!?!?!"

As you can see, we're transitioning out of denial, starting to recognize that smoking cigarettes actually IS bad for you and that continued use will lead to your early demise. This anger phase my also resurface during withdrawals as well. You want to be extremely aware of this so as not to misdirect the anger in the wrong direction. You wouldn't to unleash on some poor undeserving soul, that's not cool! Think spouse, kids, boss, 285 pound amateur UFC fighter...

In Wikipedia it says this, "Once in the second stage, the individual recognizes that denial cannot continue. Because of anger, the person is very difficult to care for due to misplaced feelings of rage and envy."

Two things to consider here. This is about you caring for yourself (finally) and so YOU need to be aware of your anger about stopping and give yourself permission to not only experience the anger but to find a way to filter it into something positive. Otherwise you wind up turning in to Darth Vader. (he needed a breathing apparatus. Coincidence? I think not!)

The other consideration here is the envy. You're going to have a few friends who will continue to smoke. Do not allow yourself to envy their continued self destructive behavior. Instead, strive to make them envy you for having the strength to conquer this addiction.

Believe you me, you have the strength!

Bargaining 

What if....?

So when you're getting a handle on the fact that this relationship is "toxic" and that you need to stop or have already stopped and are trying to justify having a cigarette, you start bargaining with yourself and or your higher power.

Examples of this would be:

• I'd walk a mile for a Camel
• What if I can get down to just 5 a day?
• It's been 3 days, let me just have one now and I'll be alright
• God, if I can keep smoking, I'll go to church more often
• I'll only smoke at work
• One last cigarette and that'll be it!

You're postponing. You're trying to weasel out of doing what must be done.

Basically, what's happening here is, "I know I need to quit, but if I could just... [insert tit for tat here]

First of all, stop trying to quit and just stop already, secondly, the word but (not butt) essentially, diminishes everything that came before it and what came before it is usually B.S. anyway.

"I really like you, but..."

See what I mean? The time to stop is now. No deals with the Devil. It didn't work out so well for Robert Johnson or Jerry Garcia and look what it did to poor Keith Richards.

Buckle down and ride the wave. Once you're aware that you may start trying to weasel your way out of it, you will then be able to recognize it, acknowledge it for what it is and then make the choice to move beyond it.

Depression  

"Forget it man, it's too late, I can't quit, I've tried, it'll never work, it is what it is, if I get the cancer, I get the cancer, at least I died doing what I love... besides, there's nothing really worth living for anyway and I don't really deserve to live a healthy active live anyway. Screw it..."

That's right, it's down in the dumps time. You ever get dumped? Break up? You ever loose someone or something important to you? Of course you have. Dysfunctional or otherwise, you've had a long standing relationship with cigarettes and you are loosing a friend right now. Being sad, missing it, these are quite normal feelings to have and there's no need to fight them right now. Especially, when you have the presence of mind to, again, recognize what's going on right now.

If you got sadness on you, know a few things:

• Your brain has been chemically altered by nicotine. After a couple days without any, you're body and mind will start returning to normal and that means your brain chemistry will change too, so being a little down right now makes since.
• You can choose whether or not you are going to allow yourself to wallow or rise up.
• Do not fight the depression. Fighting depression could very well be why you started smoking in the first place. Recognize that the mere act of stopping is an act of love and you're taking better care of yourself and this is part of a transition. It's not forever.

How To Stop Smoking In Nine Words!

Acceptance 

"I'm going to get through this, it's going to be OK."

Freedom is another word I like here. When researching this, I came across an idea that I loved. I found that The 5 Stages of Grief were also being acknowledged as a learning process.

Getting into the non-smoking section is also a learning process. You're learning how to live without nicotine in your life and you're learning new ways to deal with your circumstances other than smoking. You are not only coming to terms with not smoking, but you are learning how to live differently. Even the way you drive home will change. You get to find new ways to function in the car and you have a new route home, meaning you don't need to pop into 7-11 for a pack anymore, you can just go straight home.

This process will have an ebb and flow to it. There will be good moments and some pretty crappy ones too. The key principle here though is to commit to moving forward.

If you're rowing out to sea, you will have to fight the waves first. This will be the hardest part. Then the tide, also difficult, but not impossible at all. Soon you'll have the current to deal with and then you'll have just the ebb and flow of the sea.

Remember this though, you're the one rowing the boat! Take ownership and responsibility for where you row. The current may sway you, your job, your mission, your duty to yourself and to those who love you is to stay on course!

And so it goes... Light yourself up!

What stage are you in?

Do you like the idea that not smoking is a learning process?

Does that it make it even more tangible to you?

Smoking, as you'll see in my book, ultimately is a decision. You chose to start, now choose to stop! Don't quit. Don't "try" to quit.

Your opportunity is to learn to be a non-smoker. Learn to live your life better. Learn to love yourself better. You learned to walk, talk, tie your shoes, use a toilet. You learned to read and write, you learned to drive and at some point you learned that when certain things happen, both good and bad, that a cigarette goes quite well with that.

Now it is time to learn that you don't need a cigarette during those moments, learn that you can function without them, learn that you, not nicotine, controls your world. It's a process. Are you up for it?

How To Stop Cigarette Cravings and Get Into the Non Smoking Section

Cigarette Cravings, Nic Fits, Withdrawels, Oh My!

Cigarette Cravings and how to stop them. Three simple and effective ways to keep you on point and become a non-smoker.
"I need it man!" You got the jones on you! You got the monkey on your back.

So, you've quit! Actually, you're trying to quit... face it, you'll never really quit. Quitting smoking is a myth! It's all media hype actually strategically laid out by either big tobacco or the nicotine replacement business. "Quitting" smoking is a scam. You can't "quit" smoking. Nicotine is way too powerful. Heck, I even wrote a book about how to quit and realized that it was all a big fat lie so I changed the title!

Do I sound paranoid enough for you yet?

Truth is, nicotine, just like alcohol, heroin, meth, and a multitude of addictive substances and habits, it a drug that creates such powerful chemical change in your melon that "quitting" is nearly impossible. Impossible because it's an uncomprehending concept to your addicted brain.

How many smokers do you know who've quit more than once? How do you "quit" more than once?

"I've tried to quit smoking three times!" They say while lighting up and shaking their head. "I can't believe I started back up again..." Insert drag of joy and exhale of relief as brain chemistry returns to it's perceived view of normal.

And there in lies the problem. Nobody took Yoda very seriously when he said, "Do or do not, there is no try." Which makes no since to me at all. Why wouldn't you take a Muppet who's about to psycho-kinetically remove an X-Wing fighter from a swamp seriously?

C'mon people, where's your since of imagination and what a great challenge for you. Heck, if Yoda can move an X-Wing strictly with his mind and being in harmony with the Force, how is it that you're still smoking?

Elementary my dear Watson! I refer you to Dr. Wayne Dyer:

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change!"

Perhaps you're looking at this quitting thing all wrong. Perhaps your perception just needs a tweak and you'll be good to go.

Now I'm not going to sit here and opine that you can become a non-smoker just by reading this article, but stranger things have happened. Wouldn't you agree?

What I am going to do is load you up with three simple things you can do to stay in control of and ahead of your self while you maintain your commitment to not smoke... trust me on this one and remove the word "quit" from your addicted vocabulary. It will not serve you at all but only make it way more of a pain in the ass then it already is.

Number One: Hold Your Breath 

So instead of bringing in the smoke and gazillion other chemicals, try plain old boring air. Take a deep long breath and hold it.

In fact, do it now.

Ready? Set? GO!

Now, hold it for as long as you can...

just a little longer...

5 more seconds...

OK...

Now exhale.

How long was it?

Do the poll over there...

And now for the WHY!

It takes self control and willpower to resist the urge to breathe. Even if just for a little bit. Sooner or later, instinct will kick in and you'll breathe. But what happens in the mean time? While you're holding your breath and resisting the urge to breathe?

Is it possible that willpower is a skill that can be learned? And is it also possible that willpower is willpower and if you can practice it in one arena, who's to say it's not going to help in another?

See where we're going with this? And what a great way to develop your willpower while learning how to be a non-smoker. Holding your breath. Try it again if you need to. In fact, do it every time you feel like smoking and see what happens. I dare you.

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." -Humphrey Bogart at the end of Casablanca.

Strategically placed quote considering we lost Bogie way too soon from esophageal cancer.

Push Ups  

Drop and give me 20!

Or 15.

OK, Drop and give me 10.

5?

Really? You can't do 5?

Alright, look here, a push up is a push up is a push up! If you need to do them on your knees or off a wall or from an incline like a sink, by all means, do so.

The point here is to do something that will result in you becoming slightly (or completely) out of breath in a very quick period of time. Push ups have a way of doing that.

Another cool aspect of exercise is that it releases endorphins and feel good chemicals in the brain.

Exercise has long been used as an effective treatment for depression and since you're coming out of a highly dysfunctional relationship right now, you very well may be a bit depressed.

Also, it requires (here's that word again) willpower to drop and give yourself 20. You can wallow or push up, it's up to you. I say push up!

Breathe 

So, we've held our breath, we've worked out, now what?

Breathe! Just breathe.

The best part here is you can do it anywhere, anytime and for as long as you like!

There are multiple ways to breathe.

There's the Miyagi way of in through nose, out through mouth. There's diaphragmatic breathing, Chi Breathing, Yoga breathing, and so on and so forth. Google breathing exercises and find one that works for you.

Bottom line here is that returning to the very thing that gives you life will be a sure fire way to weather the storm of a nic fit.

Breathing is drawing in positive life giving energy and releasing negative energy. Even on a biological level. Oxygen in, carbon dioxide out.

We all need oxygen to live so before you wind up having to carry yours around with you, try getting it the old fashioned way first.

When the urge to light up hits you, breathe deep. So deep you feel it at the bottom of your chest and into your belly. Then let out all the bad stuff.

The bad stuff can be defined as "all the crap that lead me to smoke in the first place." and when you inhale, take in all the good stuff. The good stuff can be defined as "all the wondrous aspects of living on this beautiful planet."

So breathe. Breathe deeply and consider your life and how good it is in spite of everything.

No Butts About It, Just Stop Already!  So Now What?

Well, the first thing I'd like you to do is leave a comment below. Second thing is I'd like you to do is shove this article in the face, inbox or on the wall (Facebook or otherwise) of anyone you know who will benefit from reading this. Thirdly, if you got the monkey on you're back and you need help with becoming a non-smoker, get you're self a copy of my book, "How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone."

I've never been one for being subtle... Thanks for reading this far. Let me know how this helps!

Cold Turkey: How To Stop Smoking Now (but don't quit)

Cold Turkey: Stop Smoking Now

Is Cold Turkey the most effective method to stop smoking? What is the meaning of cold turkey anyway? We're going to look at that and a few other things as well pertaining to your addiction to nicotine.

Do you need to stop smoking like yesterday? Look, now that you know It's time to finally stop smoking, let me ask you seriously, what exactly are you waiting for anyway? I'll bet it's safe to say that it's been "time" to stop for a while now? Wouldn't you agree? And yet somehow you still find yourself walking into 7-11 and as you open the door and hear the 'a customer just came in' chime say to your self, "OK, last pack..."

But then tomorrow comes or 48 hours pass and guess what? You're arguing with yourself again. How many mornings do you need to wake up with a tight chest and a cough? Are you getting a full night's sleep or do you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night to pee and then since you're up, might as well have a smoke before going to back to bed.

Or better yet, do you simply roll over at 3:30 AM and light one up? You're literally so addicted you have to interrupt a full night's sleep...

Wow.

So when you've finally gotten over it... when you finally click... as if someone turned on a light switch for you... you decide for yourself and actually finally realize "I have to knock this crap off..." What do you do? Now what?

Let's start by examining the value of mild suffering now vs major suffering later while also looking at earning the right to sit in the non-smoking section. The most effective and powerful way to have at it is with a cold turkey smack down of harsh reality and tough love...

Quick Detour First

Let's take a little sidebar while I pitch my book using a little wisdom from Grant Cardone. Grant has been helping sales people elevate their game and has quite literally revolutionized how business is transacted across multiple verticals of business. "Selling" as Grant teaches in his most recent book Sell or Be Sold, "is a prerequisite for life." Right now, I need to not just sell you on not smoking, but you too, must sell yourself on it. You will also need to go back and re-close yourself multiple times. One of the first things I learned from Grant was an acronym called "A3." Or "A-cubed." This stands for Attitude, Approach and Action.

A3 is quite literally the formula for success. If one of these elements is out of sync, the whole thing falls apart. You can't achieve success with a bad attitude. If you approach success with the wrong approach, success is doomed. If you don't take the appropriate levels of action necessary to achieve success, you can forget about it happening.

Success for you right now means getting in the non-smoking section. You will need to have the right attitude, approach and action to succeed here. My book will help you attain all 3 and empower you to finally stop.

Question for the audience:

What is the value of suffering now vs later and earning it with a cold turkey smack of harsh reality and tough love?

Somewhere in my life I heard the phrase, anything worth having must be earned. Frankly, I don't specifically know or remember where I heard that, but I think Dr. Laura had something to do with it. Either way, it's a powerful concept, wouldn't you agree?

Look here's the deal. How did you learn to walk and ride a bike? You had to fall down. A lot. Falling down is painful, pain is an indicator. Pain typically results in learning and growth. Assuming you use it.

So far, you haven't used it. You've medicated it with cigarettes. Now you are going to decide to stop and that too, like learning to walk or ride a bike will be painful.

You will need to earn being a non-smoker. You have this amazing opportunity that people who never smoked have. You get to learn how to handle your s#!7 without cigarettes. This will make you stronger because people who never smoked, turn to ice-cream and chocolate, where you turned to cigarettes and now, will be able to handle it free and clear.

One of my personal chief motivators to stop smoking was I eventually came to loathe dependency on a foreign substance to "get by."

NOTE: If you personally had any denial or thoughts like "well that ain't me" then stop reading this hub right now and read this one: The Five Stages of Grief In The Non-Smoking Section then come back here and pick this one back up.

Picking up here, the media and pharmaceutical companies want you to believe that you can't do it alone. The want you to believe that you need to chew nicotine laced gum, wear a patch, take a pill or smoke nicotine infused water vapor in order to "quit" smoking.

Pharmaceutical companies are nick named "Big Pharma." What other multinational conglomerate group of companies also start with "Big?"

Is there any difference between Big Tobacco and Big Pharma? Not really. This is really a perfect example of frying pan to fire type of marketing, because here's the reality at the end of the day; you will eventually either chew Nicorette for the rest of your life (think crutch) or you eventually will have to put down your crutch and learn to walk again.

Personally, I have tremendous pride knowing that I suffered through all fun stuff that comes from nicotine withdrawal and come out much stronger on the other side.

It is an opportunity to conquer addiction, your self, and take charge of your emotional well being without having to rely on a chemical substance, like nicotine, to function in the world.

The Origin of Cold Turkey

By way of the good ol' Wikipedia, the term "Cold Turkey" has multiple origins.

"Cold turkey" describes the actions of a person who abruptly gives up a habit or addiction rather than gradually easing the process through gradual reduction or by using replacement medication. (IMO, the easy way out, not that there's anything wrong with that... except you didn't pay any dues and there by won't fully respect it)

There are several explanations of the phrase's origin:

• A narrowing of the meaning "suddenly or without preparation," from cold turkey being a dish that requires little preparation; originally used for heroin addicts.
• From the American phrase talk turkey meaning "to speak bluntly with little preparation".
• Some believe the derivation is from the comparison of a cold turkey carcass and the state of a withdrawing addict — most notably, the cold sweats and goose bumps.
• Reference to the periods after Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays where cold (leftover) turkey was likely to be eaten, coinciding with the end of those holidays' characteristically high alcohol consumption.

What's the real origin or is it a combo of them all? Who knows? The main thing is that, when it's time to kick the habit, you can do it by yourself. You do not need more drugs... or ANY drugs for that matter.

All you really need to stop smoking is A-cubed with a side of moment to moment commitment to not smoke right now.

Smoked Salmon Another Reason to Stop Smoking

The Great American Smoke Out

How to stop smoking is the question plaguing the minds of smokers the world over. We all know what the major side effects of cigarette smoking are. What's always interesting is what gets over looked in the world of smoking related illness and long term side effects. We tend to focus on facts about lung cancer, emphysema, throat cancer, and heart disease. These are the most common side effects of cigarette smoking. But there are plenty of other complications that smoking can bring forward.

I'm going to take a look at one of those underrated side affects of smoking. It's something that tends to get overlooked. However, I'd like to do it in a rather unique and interesting way. Hopefully, if you smoke, your imagination will carry you from interested to inspired. If the coming visual works for you and you don't smoke, please send this on to someone who does.

If you're ready to stop, I have written a book about how I stopped and how you can too. I also managed to stop smoking without quitting?

Intrigued? Confused? Cold Turkey too. I haven't had a cigarette since mid 02 and have not used the gum, patch or that vapor water e-cigarette crap either... no, I'm not a fan. There's only one way to really stop smoking. Cold Turkey, one day at a time. But you got to have you're head straight or you'll be headed to failure in the worst way.

My book and this article is here to help you get your head straight. I like to do it in a way that's creative and motivating. This article may also have a "sucker punch" like affect. Main thing though is to find ways to see smoking differently and have a little fun going through a very serious topic.

How to Smoke Salmon

Just humor me here for a second, OK?

1. Start with some fresh Salmon fillets.

2. Cut them up into strips and keep the strips about an inch thick.

3. Mix up some brine. (Brine: Water saturated with or containing large amounts of a salt, especially sodium chloride.)

4. Chill brine mixture down to 38 deeze greeze.

5. Submerge Salmon in brine.

6. Put the brine and salmon in the fridge to marinate the fish for anywhere from 30 minutes up to 3 hours. The longer you let is sit, the saltier it will taste.

7. Take the salmon out of the fridge and out of the brine mixture.

8. Gently, rinse off the brine.

9. Now, put salmon on rack to dry out. Keep temp at 35 - 40 deeze greeze. Keep it this way for 6-8 hours.

10. Take out salmon for 1 hour and let it set at room temp. This will form a pellicle. (Pellicle: a thin skin or film [Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology] the hard protective outer layer of certain protozoans, such as those of the genus Paramecium) The Pellicle will hold in moisture while smoking.

11. Put salmon in the smoker. "Use wood chips in the smoker that match your own taste, there are many flavors available." (Thank you eHow)

12. Smoke for 6 to 8 hours. When the temp is at 160 degrees, smoke it for at least 30 minutes at this temperature to kill all bacteria and parasites. From there you can smoke it as long as it takes to get the desired flavor.

Total time to prepare smoked salmon is about 24 hours. The average time it takes to smoke a cigarette is 4 minutes. 18 packs of cigarettes is roughly the volume you'd need to effectively match the time under smoke in your mouth. So for the most part, you've smoked your mouth and gums like salmon in under a month. If you're a pack a day smoker that's 18 days. 2 packs a day? Heck, you're the smokehouse here, you do the math!

Your Mouth

Smoking is one of the leading causes of Periodontal Disease. That brine I was talking about? Take a look at a standard brine recipe. Water, Salt, brown sugar, water, soy sauce, herbs. Now, from Yahoo answers, look at this, "Brining promotes a change in the structure of the proteins in the muscle"

NEXT!

Salivia: "Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands, and hundreds of minor salivary glands. Human saliva is composed of 98% water, while the other 2% consists of other compounds such as electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds, and various enzymes. As part of the initial process of food digestion, the enzymes in the saliva break down some of the starch and fat in the food at the molecular level. Saliva also breaks down food caught in the teeth, protecting them from bacteria that cause decay. Furthermore, saliva lubricates and protects the teeth, the tongue, and the tender tissues inside the mouth."(Thank you Wikipedia)

Notice anything similar? Your spit acts like a kind of brine for the food you put into your mouth.

Smoking tobacco, dries the mouth and relieves the mouth of the ability to properly begin digestion.

Gum tissue: Your gums are part of the soft tissue lining in the mouth. Your gums cover and surround your teeth. They also provide a seal around them. A good amount of your gums are tightly bound to the underlying bone which helps resist the friction of food. Healthy gums are usually pinkish. What else can you think of that's pinkish? Salmon, perhaps? When might the color change? Increased redness? Tendency to bleed? Inflammation? Plaque? Smoke?

Gingivitis: Untreated, gingivitis leads to periodontal disease. Periodontal disease leads to bone loss, receding gums, loose teeth and eventually tooth loss.

Fixing this sucks.

Read this about smoking meats and then think about what's happening inside your mouth and too your gums when you smoke:

"Smoking is a preservative because smoke contains chemical compounds that retard the growth of harmful bacteria. More than three hundred components of smoke have been identified. Carbonyl compounds in smoke contribute to the distinctive flavor and aroma of smoked meat, while the carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide help produce the bright red pigment. Phenolic compounds in smoke play a role in protecting fat from oxidizing and turning rancid, which is no doubt a major reason why fatty foods, such as herring or pork, were (and are) so often smoked. The composition of the smoke changes as the temperature of the fire rises, with the best quality smoke produced at a temperature of 650° to 750°F. Control of humidity in the smokehouse is also important since high humidity favors deposition of smoke on the surface of the food and absorption of the flavor. High humidity also assists in the rendering of fat ."

Think of your gums as salmon...

This Doesn't Have To Be You

Listen folks, people worry about lung and heart disease but let's face it, your grill's at risk! So if you're heart's going to give out because your one good lung can't absorb enough oxygen and you're going to drop dead, don't you want to go out with a nice set of choppers?

But I digress.

Bottom line here, you got one heart, one set of lungs and one grill. Thanks to modern science, you can actually get new ones of all of these things. So don't worry about it. Smoke up! Right?

I digress again. Hopefully, you're insurance is up to date and they are a forgiving company. People that get hearts and lungs get them because the one's they came with don't work so well. Yours, the smoker heart and lung, is defective because you choose to make it so.

The good news? They repair themselves for a lot less than transplanting a new one?

The Last Word

Up above here is my website.  Who's smoking? You? Your spouse? Your buddy? Sibling? Co-Worker?

Help them help themselves or simply step up and help yourself. It's time to stop. And if not for you than for the one's that love you. And if not for them, then do it for me!

To all those smoker's who are terribly cool out there... you do not not have to give up any piece of you or your identity to become a (as I put it in my book) a smoker who doesn't smoke. I have found a way to not smoke and remain terribly cool and you can too.

Look, if you, like me, realize that smoking is not how you have to identify yourself, stopping suddenly becomes more manageable.

And notice I say stop. Don't quit. It's too difficult to quit and quitting is something we try. We all know there is no try. "Trying" something is weak. Come into it from a position of strength and just stop.

For more words of wisdom and food for thought, get the book, check out the blog, leave a comment, let me know how I can help you stop.

Also, if I've ruined smoked salmon for you, please accept my humble apology.

A Tip To Reduce the Urge to Smoke: How to Stop Smoking with Oysters

Coping With Cravings

How do you reduce cigarette cravings? How do handle the urge to smoke when you're trying to quit? Is it even possible to beat cigarette cravings? What is the right mindset to handle nicotine withdrawal? I mean, what if your perception was the difference between success and failure?

I've Got You Under My Skin

Let's say you're on oyster... How does an oyster make a pearl? And is it possible to use this knowledge to break a habit like smoking cigarettes?

Now, stay with me on this because it'll be worth it. I promise. If you're an oyster, you produce your own shell. You have an organ known as the mantle that takes what you eat and converts it into your shell. The inner lining of your shell is called nacre. It is also produced by the mantle. As an oyster, you're mostly made up of muscle and organs. Your skin is your shell. It is there to protect you from the elements.

So what if you got something under your skin? Frank Sinatra used to sing about it. However, when Old Blue Eyes was crooning, it was a good thing. If you're an oyster, this is a problem. As a human, you can relate. Ever get sand in your pants?

Now as an oyster, if you get a little sand under your skin or some other foreign object that starts rubbing on you and grinding on you, what do you do? What if this irritant winds up in your mantle?

Well for an oyster, he/she/it will make a pearl. The oyster will have the mantle start cranking out nacre to surround the "irritant." Eventually what forms in there is a beautiful pearl.

The Prestige

So, like any good magic trick, there are three key elements. The setup, the performance, and the prestige. The prestige is where you pull the rabbit out of your hat.

What? From pearls and oysters to rabbits and magic?

No. To the prestige. The end. The point where it all comes together.

So you've decided to stop smoking. Now what? You've tried before with little or no success. You tried, succeeded (kind of) and then started again. But this time, you declare, will be different.

But what is the one thing you dread? What is it that makes it so hard? Why is it so hard to quit? Well, in my opinion it's impossible to quit, so why bother? For a deeper understanding of that, take a look at my book, How to Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone available on Amazon.com

For many, including myself, the hardest part about getting off cigarettes is the withdrawal phase.

The urge, desire, craving, to smoke pokes at you, grinds on you, burns you up. It's like having sand in your pants. A Lot of sand. What other kind of sand is out there that pulls out the craving? Some jerk at work, too much work, traffic, spouse problems, family trouble, money problems. The world is full of sand. What get's under your skin? What is your sand?

So now you're irritated. Normally, you smoke.

But now you're an oyster. What are you going to do?

Why make a pearl of course!

That's the Prestige.

How to make pearls

I was listening to Mantra: A Practice for Power, Peace & Prosperity by Niurka and Larisa Stow. In it, Larisa talked about oysters and how they make pearls and I was so inspired by this analogy. I instantly thought of making pearls to stop smoking and how simple and powerful this wisdom is.

An oyster, as you know, covers the irritant with nacre. This makes the irritant smooth and round and less irritating, in fact probably not irritating at all. Remember, you produce your own shell. You are in charge of protecting yourself.

But you're not an oyster. How do you make a pearl? How do you create your shell?

What is the pearl actually? Well in this case it's better lung function, lower chance of cancer, stroke, heart attack, etc. You know why smoking's not a good idea. That's your pearl. So is being free from the pains of nicotine addiction.

In my book, you'll read that releasing myself from the bondage of nicotine was a chief motivational factor and frankly, that was more my pearl than anything.

Another pearl was the ability to exercise better, harder and faster. I train with Russian Kettlebells. You can't smoke and Swing and Snatch a Kettlebell at the same time.

You start making your pearl and building your shell every time you make the conscious decision to not smoke. There's the urge, the grinding, the rubbing, the craving. Normally you go smoke and release yourself of the discomfort, but instead, you're going to breathe deep, recognize what's happening right now and then make the decision to not smoke.

If you're smoking now and just thought to yourself, but it's not that simple , take a moment and just be with that thought for a second. What if it is? What if it is that simple? Keep in mind, simple doesn't mean easy. More often than not we confuse simple with easy. That confusion can slow down our progress dramatically. Think about it.

Going through this phase is part of growth and development. Look at growth and look at birth for that matter. It's a traumatic experience. In your life, it is usually the hard times and challenging moments that produce the greatest results later. Have you ever been thankful after a traumatic event? Did that moment, incident, experience change you and change you for the better? While you're in it, it's a dark tunnel, but as you emerge through the light you come out stronger, reborn, renewed.

Elenore Roosevelt taught us that no one can hurt us without our consent. Viktor Frankl showed us that between stimulus and response is our ability and obligation as humans to choose.

Continuing on this path will shape and form a beautiful pearl.

If this is your journey, get yourself a copy of How to Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone as it can be your road map to finally living a smoke-free life.

Vitamins For Smokers and Recent Non Smokers

Vitamins for smokers? What is the cost of smokers on health care and health care for smokers? What are effective supplements and vitamins for a smoker ex-smoker?

What vitamins should smokers take? And what are the best vitamins for ex smokers? Let's look at the best vitamins for smokers to take before and after they quit. A smoker's health is a delicate one. You're loading your body with chemicals and carcinogens known to cause all sorts of fun stuff later in life. You're also adding to the cost of health care if you're a smoker.

What sort of effective vitamins and supplements should you take if you're a smoker?

I have a book at home called, "The Prescription For Nutritional Healing." It's sold over 8 million copies and gone through 5 editions. Phyllis A Balch put it together. She is Certified Nutritional Consultant with over 25 years in the field of natural health and wellness. Needless to say, she knows what she's talking about!

This book covers basically everything you'd need to know about health, wellness, vitamins, supplements, and natural health. In here is a section on smoking dependency.

We're going to look at what the book says is essential and very important for the current and non-smoker alike to be taking along the road to not smoking anymore.

CoQ10 or Coenzyme Q-10 is a oil-soluble and is vitamin like. Meaning it is used by an organism for a vital function. CoQ10 has it's highest presence in the heart, liver and kidney. CoQ10 helps with aerobic cellular respiration and ATP production, which is 95% of how the body creates energy.

CoQ10 also aids in blood flow and oxygen to the brain. It protects heart tissue, and can act as an antioxident to help protect cells and... wait for it... LUNG TISSUE!

Clearly, we don't need to discuss how smoking puts a strain on the lungs and heart, you all know that by now.

CoQ10 has been used in the treatment of heart disease, migraine headaches, cancer, and lowering high blood pressure.

The book calls for 200 mg twice a day. Me personally, I take it right before bed. Body heals and rejuvenates at night so I want to make sure it's well supplied to do the job! Definitely worth a try.

Now, if you prefer getting your CoQ10 from whole food sources, look to olive oil, sesame seeds, avocado and parsley. There are also high concentrations in chicken, beef, fish and pork.

Finally, the book also suggest taking your CoQ10 with Coenzyme-A from Coenzyme-A Technologies. Coenzyme-A works together with CoQ10 to help the body boot out toxic substances. Not a bad combo considering all the toxic substances your inhaling...

American Biologics - Oxy-5000 Forte

This powerful antioxidant blend will help beat down the free radicals produced in the smoke!

Oxy-5000's top 3 ingredients are:

• Catalase 10,000 IU - an enzyme that proceses hydrogen peroxide into oxygen the body.
• Superoxide dismutase 5,000 U - another enzyme that revitalizes cells and reduces the rate of cell destruction.
• Reduced L-Glutathione 10 mg - a very POTENT antioxidant that protects not only on a cellular level but the very tissue of the arteries, brain, heart, and wait for it... lungs!

Other ingredients are N-Acetyl cysteine 10 mg, L-cysteine 10 mg, Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 5 mg, Vitamin E (Natural) 5 IU, Thioproline 1,000 mcg, Folic acid 60 mcg, and Selenium (from 25 mcg sodium selenite) 11 mcg

Together this antioxidant cocktail will help get you ship shape again and give your body the nutrients it needs to clean you up from the inside out after years of smoking.

Pycnogenol or Grape Seed Extract

Both of these will help with protecting and repairing the lungs! Both also help with blood flow and have both been shown to have anti-cancer properties.

To note, Pycnogenol and Grape Seed Extract are both phytochemicals known as flavonoids. The long hard to pronounce term actually is Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins. Let's go with OPCs for short!

They can strengthen and help repair connective tissue, including the cardiovascular system as well as supporting over all immunity and aiding in slowing the aging process.

Smoking, as you know, speeds that deal up!

Vitamin B Complex

A good B-Complex will help your body in the production of energy and to make red blood cells. Not a bad start right?

B complex supplements can also help out with a few specific health conditions, such as anxiety, depression and fatigue.

Taking a B complex can also help with heart disease.

Another thing to consider is that taking a B complex can help increase your energy levels, boost the mood, enhance your memory, and stimulate your immune system.

Clearly, if you've goon a day or two without a cigarette, you'll understand the need for a B-complex as well as arming your body with the nutrients to repair itself!

For a good breakdown of the B Vitamins and what they do, check out Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_vitamins

Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids

Hurray for Vitamin C! Two things to think with here!

Fist, Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that protects against cellular damage.

Secondly, smoking drastically reduces vitamin C in the body.

On a personal note and from experience, after I got off the smokey treats, my quarterly head cold went away. Seriously, I used to get a cold 4 times a year when I smoked. Since stopping [knock on wood] I usually only get sick once a year, sometimes less.

Also, I take 2000mg of Vitamin C no matter what and any time I feel my immune system compromised, like flying to Vegas for a 48 hour stint, I pop about 5000 a day plus all the places it shows up naturally in the diet!

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a very important and powerful antioxidant. Vitamin E can help protect your cells and your organs from the damage caused by cigarette smoke.

Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin and can blast away at those free radicals.

If you're going to supplement with is, take the d-alpha-tocopherol form of it as it is biologically active version.

If you get it from whole foods, wheat germ, oils and nuts are all high in vitamin E.

Vitamin A

For this deal, you want Vitamin A and not beta-carotene.

Beta-carotene has been shown to increase the risk of dying in smokers.

Well, that's important! Best place to get the good stuff is Cod Liver Oil. The antioxidants found in Vitamin A help in the healing if mucus membranes. Clearly something that gets beat up on when you smoke. Vitamin A also good when you got a respiratory infection.

This is obvious, but it's good for the lungs!

Zinc

Rounding this off is Zinc. A personal favorite mineral of mine! Zinc is good for your immune system and balancing the endocrine system.

Zinc can not only improve the immune system, but speed healing, act as an antioxidant, and there is some talk about town as zinc having anti cancer properties.

As a smoker/ex-smoker, the best zinc is a lozenge form. So if you're in the process of not smoking anymore and need to put something in your mouth, pop a lozenge or two throughout the day.

Keep in mind, you can get too much zinc, so don't over do it!

NEXT!

What did you think? Learn anything new? Take the poll over here and/or leave a comment below! Always appreciate feedback!

A Window Into The Mind of A Smoker

Never too late to stop!  www.StopDontQuit.com 

Smoker's window verses a non-smoker's window.  I don't need to tell you that if that's what's happening to your glass and blinds, imagine what's going on in your body.  Unfortunately for you, you can't see what's happening in there.  Complete out of sight out of mind scenario.  Take a good look folks and realize that this is what's happening in your body.  But you already know that yet somehow, you're still smoking.  If this photo truly mattered, you'd have stopped already.  There's something inside you that won't let you clean your blinds and your window.  You need to have the courage to clean your window and the blinds before it's too late.  You started for a specific reason, you then continued into addiction for another, and now you continue smoking even though you know it's killing you.  Why?  Pick up a copy of How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone and take back your life.  Learn how to be the non-smoker you once were again.

PS - eCigarettes don't count.

3 Natural Nutrition Tips To Help Kick Cigarettes

I trust you're looking for some natural ways to quit stop smoking?  If you, like me, have tried it all and relapsed every time, you may be thinking there's no real hope.  In my last blog post we looked at exercise as a powerfully effective method of stopping and staying stopped.  Recently The Natural News published 3 natural nutrition tips to help you in your quest to stop smoking.  I'm going to review them for you and examine why Natural News is probably suggesting them and toss my opinion in on these as options.

As you know, I am a cold turkey advocate so I immediately took issue with their first sentence which talks about weaning off nicotine with nutritional supplements that reduce cravings.  Weaning off is prolonging the inevitable.  Try and wean off heroin or even  ice cream for that matter.  See how well that works!  They do go on to say that nutrition is the Yellow Brick Road to quitting smoking and I tend to agree with them on that with a few minor exceptions.  So let me dig in here.

First, before nutrition plays a role, you must realize that smoking is a choice you make.  Even when you're under the influence of nicotine or the lack of nicotine.  You will always be in charge and you are the number one factor between lighting up and deciding not to.  Once you have made the commitment to actually stop smoking this time, it then will become a battle of will and whits.

Drug companies and even big tobacco now will try to sell you on an idea called NRT or Nicotine Replacement Therapy.  NRT reminds me of Celebrity Jeopardy on Saturday Night Live where Sean Connery misreads Therapists as The Rapists.  Because that's what happening with NRT.  Large drug companies and Big Tobacco are continuing to rape you, your health and your wallet with these "alternatives" to smoking.  It's like using Pseudoephedrine to get off meth.  At the end of the day, as it has always been, it's you verses nicotine.  Period.

Now, if you're going into battle, having some armor will help.  NRT is not armor.  It's not even a crutch.  It's the same addiction with a different delivery device.  The Natural News suggests three nutritional tips to help you manage the intensity of cigarette cravings.

1.  Juicing.  I'm in!  Well, sort of.  I do it now and have full regret I didn't start juicing sooner.  They recommend juicing as a way of alkalizing the body and flushing out toxins.  Basically putting an end to Metabolic acidosis.  They also suggest eliminating meat, milk, gluten, grease and sugar.  By sugar, I can assume they mean processed sugar and the meat part...  I don't know.  Who doesn't love a good steak?   Now here's my beef with this good idea; you're about to to make a severe lifestyle change.  If you're not juicing already, doing this and trying to not smoke is a recipe for disaster.  Also, I wouldn't suggest a delay in stopping to get into the whole juice thing.  So what do you do?  Exactly!  Here's my suggestion with juicing as a method of preparation to stop and then as a reward for staying stopped.  3 times a day starting now, either buy or make a juice drink.  Put that concoction in some kind of cup that has a lid and a straw and sip that thing over the course of an hour.  Notice the hand to mouth action, the sucking and small cylindrical object going into your mouth.  Conveniently you'll be ingesting healthy nutrients to cleanse the body and mind.  Make sure you're using uber fresh organic fruits and veggies while you're at it.  Remember to start this now.  Not once you've stopped and in you're already stopped, start this now.  In fact, while you're in the initial throws of kicking the habit, I say drink everything through a straw!  

2.  Maca.  This is a root from Peru and parts of South America.  It has been marketed mostly as an aphrodisiac because of it's nutrient breakdown.  It can act as an endocrine adaptogen.  Basically that means that Maca nutritionally supports a healthy hormonal balance.  Hormones do more than make man strong like bull and ladies "interesting" to be around every 24 days.  They regulate all kinds of bodily functions including stress and anxiety.  Maca as a root and dietary supplement can act as an antioxidant, help with the circulatory system, energize the body, and speed healing to name a few.  If you're doing the smoothie/juice thing, consider adding a scoop or two of Maca Up to the blender.  I've used this plant based protein powder before and really enjoy it.  If you're not doing the home made juice/smoothie thing Maca is available in capsule form as well.

3.  Mucuna.  Otherwise known as velvet bean.  This is another adaptogen that works great on helping maintain a healthy level of dopamine in the body.  Dopamine plays a huge part in the reward and pleasure part of the brain and is also released when you smoke.  If you're eliminating nicotine that can have a severe impact on dopamine levels (hence the withdrawals) and so supplementing with a little Mucuna might not be a bad idea.  It will help you maintain a semblance of calm and control when the urge seems like it's going to win.

The bottom line here is just that.  Keep calm and don't smoke.  There are multiple pathways to becoming smoke free again.  I say that to remind you that you once were smoke free.  There was once a time when you did not smoke.  You can have that back with a little work and due dilligance.  You also can have that without having to resort to NRT or additional chemicals and drugs designed to not help you quit but designed to help you buy their product over cigarettes.  See the difference here.  Take charge of your life, your health and create your life instead of being led by the media who say's you need their "whatever" to stop.  You don't.  Never did.  It's all you.

Need help wrapping your head around taking the power back?  Can a carton and instead get a copy of my book, How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone.  Short read, yet effective.  It will resonate with you.  Written by a smoker who doesn't smoke for smokers looking to, as mentioned earlier, take the power back!

Resistance Exercise Could Be Just What You Need To Stop Smoking

Stop Smoking with exercise.  Exercise helps you stop smoking!  I've been saying this all along and now here’s the proof!  A research study found that regular resistance training (weight lifting) can more than double someone’s chances of successfully stopping smoking.

This particular study was published in a journal called Nicotine and Tobacco Research, gives evidence that to lining healthy and having an active lifestyle can actually improve a smoker’s chance of kicking the habit for good.

In the past it was just aerobic exercise that had been scientifically studied and proven to help a smoker stop but now we’re talking resistance training to go with.  So insert Kettlebell here!

The research had 25 males and 25 females who had been smoking for at least one year and were smoking at least five cigarettes a day.   They were given a 60 minute circuit training routine which comprised of ten different exercises.  The 50 members of the group committed to working out two times per week for 12 weeks.  They also received smoking cessation counseling and they were given nicotine patches to last them for the duration of the course.  (RED FLAG for me, but let’s press on)

By the end of the study, 15% of subjects had not relapsed.  They also had lost weight and reduced their

body fat percentage.   Another group at the same time of this study watched an inspirational health video instead of exercising and that group had an 8% success rate.  However, the non-exercise group gained weight and their body fat went up.

So while I don’t support the patch (or any NRT for that matter) what I like best about this study is it shows that exercise, weight lifting and aerobic training increase the chances of staying in the non-smoking section!

The head guy for the study, Dr. Joseph Ciccolo, said: “Cigarette smoking kills more than a thousand Americans every day, and while the large majority of smokers want to quit, less than five per cent are able to do it without help.  We need any new tools that can help smokers successfully quit and it appears resistance training could potentially be an effective strategy.”

Damn right it’s an effective strategy.  Strengthen the body and you will consequently strengthen the mind and the spirit.  To effectively stop smoking requires the ability to keep going.  This is something that is developed through resistance training and exercise.

 

You’re in the gym, how many times do you hear, “c’mon man, one more rep!”  “Push it!”  “You got this.”  The ability to push past a perceived level of fatigue will translate into the ability to push through a craving.  “OK, it’s been 3 days without a cigarette.  C’mon man, one more day.  Let’s go.  Push it!”

If you're thinking this is you, let me help you get your mind wrapped around it.  You mindset will be crucial to being able to stop and have to push through.  Pick up a copy of my book How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone.  Help yourself or the soon to be ex-smoker in your life!

e-Cigarette Explodes and catches fire (again...)

 Oklahoma City - Cold Turkey may yet prove to be the safest way to stop smoking.  At least that how it's going to go for Theressa Chastka who's e-cigarette blew up when she plugged it in to charge up.  Theressa says her e-cigarette could have killed her after it exploded and sparked a small fire in her home.

“The battery shot out and hit the wall,” she said.  Notice the damage left behind after the explosion and small fire.  It left her wall charred, carpet singed and disintegrated part of the device.

One thing that can cause this is using the wrong charger but Chastka won't be using an e-cigarette anymore to kick the habit.  She says she’s better off going cold turkey.

“It’s going to hurt somebody or kill somebody,” Chastka said. “If I would have plugged it in and left, the house would have burned down.”

OK, so here we go...  this is the second time I've reported on the exploding e-cigarette.  Last February the same thing happened to Tom Holloway when his e-cig blew up in his face.  Theressa was lucky, Tom lost a couple teeth on that deal.

So, here's the deal, smokers and soon to be non-smokers AND you guys and gals going to the e-cigarette.  Healthier alternative to smoking aside, you're only prolonging the inevitable which is a one-on-one no holds barred death match with nicotine.  Why would you want to replace nicotine anyway?  Ultimately it's a poison and you don't need it to feel happy or satisfied or relaxed or what ever it's done for you.  You have the power to feel that way on your own.  The question is, are you willing to use that power and let the real you out?

Dear, Theressa - good for you!  Cold Turkey is the way to go and I want to help!  If you see this message, I'd like you to get a copy of my book, How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone on me.  This will have everything you've ever needed to kick the habit!  How would you like to say, "I haven't had a cigarette in 11 years?"  That's what I said this May.  My book will show you how I did it and how you can too.