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National Institutes Of Health

National Institutes of Health: The Nation’s Medical Research Agency, is an organization that has been around for a very long time, maybe even longer than any other health organization out there.

With roots dating back to 1887, the National Institutes of Health was created within the Marine Hospital Service, predecessor agency to the U.S. Public Health Service.

The National Institutes of Health funds many research studies to help individuals quit smoking

The National Institutes of Health offers a variety of helpful information regarding smoking cessation.

A helpful guide suggests preparation for quitting:

• Decide positively that you want to quit. Try to avoid negative thoughts about how difficult it might be.

• List all the reasons you want to quit. Every night before going to bed, repeat one of those reasons 10 times.

• Develop strong personal reasons in addition to your health and obligations to others. For example, think of all the time you waste taking cigarette breaks, rushing out to buy a pack, hunting for a light, etc.

• Begin to condition yourself physically: Start a modest exercise program; drink more fluids; get plenty of rest; and avoid fatigue.

• Set a target date for quitting-perhaps a special day such as your birthday, your anniversary, or the Great American Smokeout. If you smoke heavily at work, quit during your vacation so that you're already committed to quitting when you return. Make the date sacred and don't let anything change it. This will make it easy for you to keep track of the day you became a nonsmoker and to celebrate that date every year.

Regarding ways of quitting smoke, the National Institutes of Health suggests the following methods as suggestions for quitting smoking:

Switch Brands

• Switch to a brand you find distasteful.

• Change to a brand that is low in tar and nicotine a couple of weeks before your target date. This will help change your smoking behavior. However, do not smoke more cigarettes, inhale them more often or more deeply, or place your fingertips over the holes in the filters. These actions will increase your nicotine intake, and the idea is to get your body used to functioning without nicotine.

Cut Down the Number of Cigarettes You Smoke

• Smoke only half of each cigarette.

• Each day, postpone the lighting of your first cigarette 1 hour.

• Decide you'll only smoke during odd or even hours of the day.

• Decide beforehand how many cigarettes you'll smoke during the day. For each additional cigarette, give a dollar to your favorite charity.

• Change your eating habits to help you cut down. For example, drink milk, which many people consider incompatible with smoking. End meals or snacks with something that won't lead to a cigarette.

• Reach for a glass of juice instead of a cigarette for a "pick-me-up."

• Remember: Cutting down can help you quit, but it's not a substitute for quitting. If you're down to about seven cigarettes a day, it's time to set your target date to quit and get ready to stick to it.

Don't Smoke "Automatically"

• Smoke only those cigarettes you really want. Catch yourself before you light up a cigarette out of pure habit.

• Don't empty your ashtrays. This will remind you of how many cigarettes you've smoked each day, and the sight and the smell of stale cigarettes butts will be very unpleasant.

• Make yourself aware of each cigarette by using the opposite hand or putting cigarettes in an unfamiliar location or a different pocket to break the automatic reach.

• If you light up many times during the day without even thinking about it, try to look into a mirror each time you put a match to your cigarette-you may decide you don't need it.

Make Smoking Inconvenient

• Stop buying cigarettes by the carton. Wait until one pack is empty before you buy another.

• Stop carrying cigarettes with you at home or at work. Make them difficult to get.

Make Smoking Unpleasant

• Smoke only under circumstances that aren't especially pleasurable for you. If you like to smoke with others, smoke alone. Turn your chair to an empty corner and focus only on the cigarette you are smoking and all its many negative effects.

• Collect all your cigarette butts in one large glass container as a visual reminder of the filth made by smoking.

Tags: addiction, cigarettes, nicotine addiction, nicotine withdrawal, quit smoking, quitting, smoking, smoking cessation, stop smoking, tobacco use

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