QSWW - World No Tobacco Day Celebration.

I have not been able to keep up with weekly posting of my Stop Smoking series as I promised to you and the bloggers who run the Meddesktop. But I was busy with some other stuff from the life. But tomorrow being the "World No Tobacco Day" I thought it is time for me to pick up my gears and write.
I have made a lot of mistakes as a young man but I have never regretted those except my smoking. I went on to earn a PHD in Physics and yet could not understand the damage I was doing to myself with smoking.
I was too Dependant on smoking needlessly to the extent that I was scared to give up smoking, even to try. I imagined all sort of things and listened to stories about people falling apart trying to give up smoking.
All those were proven wrong when I tried to give up smoking for the first time. It was a like sailing through mildly choppy waters. (I am taking sailing lessons now).
You can get where you want but need to keep your sails, wing and rudder in check. But it is no big deal. After smoking for more than 25 years, I just gave up over a long weekend. Yes I started on a Friday (Thursday evening) and I was working on Monday.
I had to go through cravings, going crazy without the security blanket that you had all those years. I would walk in to the balcony (I never smoked inside the house, except in the bathroom that had a giant vent) only to realize that I don't smoke any more. I did not have to go downstairs at work every hour no more. All those were fine but the pride that I was able to escape the grips of cigarettes and be a non smoker is the greatest feeling. The only regret I have is for not trying earlier.
All you need is to think, "Yes I Can and I Want To Stop Smoking" It will work. Now to a little bit about "No Tobacco Day".

The tobacco industry catches all of us very young. How do they do that? well you can learn more about tobacco industry's advertising, promotion and sponsorship tactics and how they are a threat to you and everyone near and far from you, please visit this site.
WHO, World Health Organization site for more information so that you can help yourself and others..

Continuation of Series Articles;
1. Quit Smoking and Weight Watching Article Series.
2. QSWW Prelude! Quit Smoking and Weight Watching Article Series.
3.QSWW-S1, Quit Smoking and Weight Watching - Supplemental 1.
4.QSWW - World No Tobacco Day Celebration.

Tags: QSWW, World No Tobacco Day, No Smoking, Stop Smoking, How To Stop Smoking, WHO, Bad Tobacco Industry

QSWW-S1, Quit Smoking and Weight Watching - Supplemental 1.

As I mentioned in my previous article, the second in the Quit Smoking and Weight Watching Article Series., QSWW, here is the publication from JAMA.
Most people know that smoking is bad for your lungs and can cause cancer. However, fewer may be aware of the effects of smoking on the heart and the circulatory system—the arteries and veins that carry the blood throughout the body.

SMOKING, BLOOD VESSELS, AND DEATH

Cigarette smoking is the main preventable cause of premature death in the developed world. It accounts for nearly 440 000 deaths every year in the United States.

When you smoke, toxic chemicals from tobacco enter your bloodstream. Some of these chemicals send signals to your heart to beat harder and faster. Smoking also causes blood vessels to constrict (become more narrow), forcing blood to travel through a smaller space. Both of these effects cause high blood pressure. Smoking also lowers high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol) in your body and increases the likelihood of plaques (fatty buildups) collecting on the inside of blood vessels, a condition called atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Smoking also increases the risk of thrombosis (blood clots blocking a blood vessel). Over time, these effects increase the risk of having a myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Smoking can also increase the risk of having a stroke (sudden blockage of blood circulation in the brain). A stroke is usually caused by a blood clot getting lodged in the blood vessels supplying the brain with blood and oxygen. When this happens, brain cells begin to die. This can cause permanent brain damage or even death. Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives (birth control pills) are at a much higher risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke than women taking oral contraceptives who do not smoke.

Series Articles;
1. Quit Smoking and Weight Watching Article Series.
2. QSWW Prelude! Quit Smoking and Weight Watching Article Series.
3.QSWW-S1, Quit Smoking and Weight Watching - Supplemental 1.

Tags: QSWWA, QSWW, quit smoking, weight watching, JAMA, lipoprotein

QSWW Prelude! Quit Smoking and Weight Watching Article Series.

I promised a while ago to write about my giving up smoking and consequent weight gain and what I am doing about it. Giving up smoking is one of the best things that happened to me and that has given me courage to more things, because "I Know I Can". It reflects through out your life. I did not stop smoking for a long time because I was so scared that I would not be able to without it.
I knew I was addicted to it because I would make sure that I had my cigarettes with me where ever I went, I smoked when I was hungry, I smoked when I was angry, I smoked when I was cold, I smoked when I was sad, I smoked when I was tired, I smoked to stay up late, I smoked to not fall asleep while driving long distance, basically I smoked for every reason and more. Even though I loved traveling, I dreaded being in an air plane for few hours without a cigarette. So I had every reason not to stop smoking. But finally I got tired of the control, nicotine had over me.
So one fine Friday, November 24th of 2006, with a glass of cognac I smoked my last cigarette. I had opened a pack of cigarette containing 20 that evening and had smoked two earlier. Now three of them gone, the balance sits in a framed box with miniature replica guns.
The talks about not being able to stop smoking are all bull, at least to me. I have smoked for over a 25 years and never tried to stop smoking before and the first try it worked. I was and am mad at myself for not trying before. Also remember, I also had a open box of cigarettes right in the house, all the time. It is just how much you want to do it.
So set up a time to stop, do not think of trying to stop. You do not need to try, because you are going to stop! After the initial shock that your body gets and when you recover, everything else becomes easy.
You will be proud of yourself! I am going to preach this over and over hoping this will inspire someone to stop smoking. Next time I will write about the first day without a cigarette. Until then read the next article that I got from JAMA about Smoking. It is very educational.

Tags: QSWWA, QSWW, quit smoking, weight watching

Quit Smoking and Weight Watching Article Series.

I completely gave up on smoking in the first go and it has been 18 months since. A lot of people could not believe that I could stop smoking. I have been smoking for a while, almost 25 years. I gave up in one weekend, and now I feel sorry for people who light up.
But giving up smoking has also given me another problem, Weight. I have gained almost 40 pounds and I am 203 pounds now (around my waist mostly! ;)0). Now I am working on getting back to what I was and a little more. I would like to be 150 pounds, and I am on my way there.

Due to my life style and work, I will not be able to keep a weblog but MedDesktop is on its way becoming a good health blog. So I have asked Solarion and his partner to allow me to post weekly post or more on Giving up smoking and and also keep the weight down. Who knows, perhaps later I will have my own Blog.

People, even if you gain weight, "Give up smoking", it makes you feel great, no more colds and coughs. and again, It makes you feel great and it is darn good not to have a monkey on your back. Usually every winter I end up with 5 o6 bouts of colds and may be flu as well, even with flu shots. This winter, I had no flu, no colds.
QSWWA
tag: QSWWA, QSWW, quit smoking,