Did Miley Cirus Stop Smoking?

Miley Cirus tweeted out on Feb 3rd 2014, "2 months no cigs #proudofmyself" So is she giving nicotine the
boot for good or will her affinity for Mary Jane pull her back?  "Living to the fullest" in her 20's seems to be the goal here but the reality is whether it's the weed, the peyote, or whatever she's putting in her system, it's really just a way to escape.  As a role model (Sorry, but she is.  Sad I know) there is an obligation to all the young women out there...  This line of thinking is a dead end actually.  Between the Twerking and ya-da-ya-da-ya-da...  Parents, just keep the kids off her line of sight.  What was I thinking?  Use Miley as an example of how NOT to be famous and let's all send a good vibe and a prayer towards Miley that she stay in the non smoking section for good....

Another Marlboro Man Dies From Smoking Related Illness

Stop Smoking San Luis Obispo - Former Marlboro Man, Eric Lawson passed away from COPD on January 10th, 2014.  He started smoking when he was 14.  Eric Lawson isn't the only Marlboro Man to pass away from a smoking related illness.  Others would include David Millar, who died of emphysema in 1987, and David McLean, who died of lung cancer in 1995.

Esquire Magazine reported on a living Marlboro Man named Turk Robinson who is an actual cowboy.  Turk credits his survival as a Marlboro Man with NOT SMOKING!

“I just never did think it’d be too good for your health,” says Robinson. “And I didn't like the smell of it. Still don’t.”

And there you have it folks.  You can be the Marlboro Man, just don't use the product.  That's the Frank Lopez was right when he said, "Don't get high on your own supply."

dangerous part.  I guess

Let's take a moment to get acquainted with COPD:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is a type of obstructive lung disease characterized by chronically poor airflow. It typically worsens over time. The main symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, and sputum production. Most people with chronic bronchitis have COPD.  Tobacco smoking is the most common cause of COPD.

There are two main forms of COPD: Chronic bronchitis, which involves a long-term cough with mucus; Emphysema, which involves destruction of the lungs over time.

In 2011, it ranked as the fourth leading cause of death, killing over 3 million people. The number of deaths is projected to increase due to higher smoking rates and an aging population in many countries. It resulted in an estimated economic cost of $2.1 trillion in 2010.

Mr. Lawson, later appeared in an anti-smoking commercial that parodied the Marlboro man and an “Entertainment Tonight” segment to discuss the negative effects of smoking.

So RIP Eric Lawson.  I wish you and your family peace.  Thank you for doing your part to get the message out about the danger of smoking.

Nicotine Yield Up 15% Makes Cigarettes Now More Addictive Then Ever

Big Tobacco is doing everything possible to protect it's revenue and keep it's client base coming back for more.  Or at least until they die.  Which is why it's so important to hook people as fast as possible and as young as possible.

In a study done by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, researchers found a significant increase in the amount of nicotine yielded per cigarette between 1998 and 2012.

There was a 15% increase, from 1.65 mg in 1999 to 1.89 mg in 2011. Though the amount of nicotine in each cigarette has remained unchanged,  the actual nicotine yield  has changed. This means that the amount of nicotine in the smoke, which is also inhaled, has gone up, making each cigarette more potent and habit forming than ever before.

Researchers also note that Big Tobacco has most likely altered the design of cigarettes to make them more efficient in delivering nicotine to a smoker's lungs, thus making them more addictive. (Nicotine, mind you, has been shown to be as addictive as cocaine and heroin.)

The tobacco industry would have us believe that the changes in nicotine yield is due to "agricultural fluctuations."  (What ever the #$%* that means!)  

Researchers consider these design tactics by the cigarette manufacturers especially concerning in light of major tobacco companies’ recent purchase of e-cigarette companies. E-cigarettes are unregulated and their nicotine content is untested and vulnerable to manipulation.

“Nicotine yield and yield-to-content ratio are factors controlled by the manufacturers,” said Wenjun Li, PhD, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine. “Therefore it is important for the government to keep its eye on the design features of cigarettes, to make sure that cigarettes and other products that contain nicotine are not being made more addictive.”

Cigarettes, traditional or electronic are delivery devices for nicotine.  Nicotine by itself is a lethal at 30-60 mg.  It is highly addictive, increases heart rate and blood pressure, has negative effects on memory and cognition, and can constrict coronary arteries, to name a few side effects.  While nicotine in and of itself is not as dangerous as cigarette smoke, it is still carcinogenic and carries it's own health risks and concerns.

You're better off without it in any form.  Especially when the main producers of it are constantly looking at more efficient ways to get and keep you hooked.  Pimps and drugs dealers is all they are.  Do not allow yourself to be Big Tobacco's little bitch.

"Its what got me to stop!" Success!

G. Ridgeway on Amazon reviews How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone!

Mr. Bradley's book, is honestly, nothing all that special. But what is special about his book is really the fact that he does a very good job of making you smack your forehead and go "Duh!"

Of course, this is my opinion!

How to stop, does a good job of working you through your addiction, getting to the root of many of the whys, and putting the blame smack dab at where it belongs, "your feet!". His approach works off a similar, AA/NA approach, You are a smoker, you will always be a smoker. But you can choose to be a smoker that does not smoke!

Acknowledgement of using the word "quit" as a negative affirmation, and rather using "stop".

This is much more that can be said about this book, but It helped me big time!

How I found this book is that I just stopped smoking, Which I had done 3 times in the past, this time using the gum. I was having a massive case of nic fits, and hopped on YouTube and types in "How to stop a nic fit" and up popped one of his videos with three suggestions on how to do this. After watching a few more, I had gained back my will to stop, and in a very strong way.

Many of the things he suggests in the book, I had been thinking myself! But kept second guessing myself because of the the common, and over told way we are commonly told to stop now.

You need Gum, Patches, or a medication to stop! As where Bradley, strongly suggests you go cold turkey, in which I cant agree more.

Pick up this book, read it, pick a day, And STOP! Then read it again. You'll spend a few days wanting to die, and after a week you'll be through your withdrawals and really be free, you wont have to then rely on your patch or whatever. Awesome book, and worth every penny!

Cigarettes can make you stupid

Did you know that a smoker's risk of dying from a stroke nearly double?  So often we put the attention on the lungs and heart, but what are cigarettes doing to your brain?  In a recent post in the Independent, Charlie Cooper talks about a TV commercial which will "bring to life the toxic cycle of dirty blood" that is caused be breathing cigarette smoke.  Not only can smoking double your chance of a stroke, it is also related to cognitive decline and dementia.

People tend to turn a blind eye to the consequences of smoking in favor of the short term pleasure and stress relief smoking brings.  Smoking is still the biggest cause of premature death and one in two smokers will die early from a disease directly related to smoking.

While damage to the brain from smoking tends to get over looked, it makes since.  Look at the obvious.  Deprive the brain from oxygen, what happens?  It dies.  Period.  Add in the fact that cigarettes contain chemicals like arsenic and cyanide which can cause massive damage to the cells in the brain.  Not only will that increasing the risk of stroke, but it will also contribute to cognitive decline and dementia.  

In fact, one study, done at the University College London shows that cognitive decline in men can be up to 38 per cent faster for a regular smoker.  

Basically, at that rate you may very well intend to quit, but you forget to do it!  The good news is, if you tie a string to your finger so you remember to not smoke, your body can show near full recovery within five years back in the non-smoking section.

Bottom line is smoking will harm you in one way or another.  But it becomes clear that the intensity of the addiction is too strong for many people to respond logically to the information that this will to your untimely death and simply stop.  Somehow smoking has become more important than living a healthy life.  Nicotine effectively rewires the brain to believe it is a necessity.  The process of getting back to the non-smoking section requires that you rewire your brain back to it's original programming and this will meet with some real resistance from the body and the brain.  The beauty of the mind and body is that it can and will overcome nicotine addiction.  There are 7 steps to do this effectively and permanently and I cover them in my book, How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone, but if I can sum them up for here, it looks like this:

1.  Decide to stop 

2.  Understand your history so you can not repeat it

3.  Commit to a higher purpose

4.  Stay in the now - right now you're not smoking - stay in that place

5.  Eat right and get regular exercise

6.  Become a better human

7.  Repeat daily - hourly or by the minute if you have to

Simple yet not easy but very doable and doable without NRT or drugs like Chantix.  You had the power to start which means you have the power to stop!

Woman dies from burns suffered during cigarette-smoking accident

Stop Smoking Penn State!  A Monroe County, Pennsylvania woman died Monday 12/23 from burns suffered from smoking a cigarette while using oxygen.  The Lehigh County Coroner's office said it took her more than two weeks to succumb to her injuries.

Carol Hanna, 51, of East Stroudsburg, was pronounced dead at 7:40 a.m. Monday at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.  The Coroner Scott Grim said that he ruled the cause of death as complications from burn injuries and ruled the manner of death an accident.

Hanna was burned on Dec. 6 inside her home on East Brown Street, Grim said.

Lesson is obvious and heartfelt as Carol very well could be someone's mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend.  It is also a sad and tragic loss.

I will go out on a limb here and assume that if she was on oxygen, she was already suffering from a smoking related illness and yet still unable to stop.  How powerful is nicotine and it's addiction?  People willingly put their lives in danger on multiple levels.  First, there's the cancer and emphysema but now once you have that you continue to smoke?  This is no different that heroin or alcoholism.

There is the possibility of reclaiming control though.  It is a struggle but people do it and survive.  They go on to live a much longer fruitful life.

If you smoke, stop now.  You are robbing yourself and your family of precious time on this planet.  If you have a loved one like Carol.  Help them to stop.  All death related to smoking is tragic.  Tragedy by definition is always avoidable, meaning, it didn't have to happen that way.  Choose life and help others do the same.  No one needs to suffer that way.  Ever.

Vaper Shark whores out Santa and picks up where big tobacco left off

In Florida, Vaper Shark posts a billboard showing Santa Claus smoking an e-cigarette or rather "vaping" as they like to call it.  Vaping is simply a politically correct propaganda term to avoid calling it what it is.  Smoking.  Ironically, Vaper Shark is really just taking it's que from the Big Tobacco marketing playbook from back in the day.

The jury is still well out on the safety of the e-cigarette, but it can go without saying that it seems to be better than a traditional cigarette.  How much safer is yet to be seen and here is my primary concern and argument...

It has been known for a very long time that cigarettes are bad for you.  However, tobacco companies back
in the day promoted cigarettes as healthy, good for you, glamorous, cool, and sophisticated.  America bought in.  Hook, line and sinker.  Even after it was clear that this may not be a good idea after all, tobacco companies still promoted smoking.  They did everything to make it seem harmless and not addictive.  They would go so far as to show Santa Claus smoking a cigarette.  Looking at cigarette adds from the 40's and 50's and the celebrity endorsements.  Jack Webb of Dragnet fame endorsed Fatima cigarettes and died of a heart attack when he was just 62.  Even the people promoting the things are dying prematurely.

And now here we are, 2013 and Santa Claus once again on the payroll of the latest and greatest nicotine delivery device.

If I were you, I'd stop on the virtue of that alone.  Because if history is repeating itself, it won't be long before we find out that "vaping" wasn't as safe as we all thought it was.  It wasn't the solution after all.  That it has deadly consequences just like traditional cigarettes.

If it's safer for you to put your head in the sand and roll the dice, go for it, but for me...  I'm proud in the knowledge that I took back control over my mood, my actions, and spending from nicotine and addiction.  There are multiple ways to conquer nicotine and smoking.  An whether you get want you need to finally stop from my book, from a tea or a powerful article, or the look on your kids face, find a way to stop.  There's no quick fix, no magic pill, no easy way.  It's a grind and a badge of honor.  Jack Webb carried a badge...  and a monkey on his back.  All the way to the grave...  How 'bout you?