Smoking Addiction

When smokers are confronted with the harsh reality of the problems - both health related and social - that their smoking habit brings for themselves and others, the majority admit that they have always intended to become non-smokers, but that there has always been an excuse to put it off to a “better time”.

All smokers' energy levels are depleted because of lack of oxygen in the bloodstream. Oxygen levels decrease by about 15 percent when smoking, to be replaced by carbon monoxide. When you become a non-smoker your energy levels will increase and your senses will be heightened, especially your sense of taste and sense of smell as your nasal passages clear.

I have always believed that the transition from being a smoker to a non-smoker should be as smooth and uneventful as possible. Why remind yourself each day that you used to smoke, or feel the need to congratulate yourself for getting through another day without tobacco? Far better just to forget you ever were a smoker. No more embarrassment when you have told all your friends and family that you are a non-smoker, only to announce later that you are smoking again, resulting in yet another blow to your self-esteem. You can become a non-smoker if you are given the right tools to do so.

When you become a non-smoker, both men and women experience significant and immediate health benefits. The body systems begin to return to normal and the body immediately begins to repair the damage. Below are the typical physiological experiences that your body undergoes after quitting your last cigarette:

20 minutes after ending the smoking addiction: Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal. Circulation improves, making you look healthier as well as feel healthier.

8 hours after ending the smoking addiction: Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood are greatly reduced; oxygen levels in the blood return to normal. The chances of a heart attack start to fall.

24 hours after ending the smoking addiction: Carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris.

48 after ending the smoking addiction hours: Nicotine has been eliminated from the body. Your senses of taste and smell are greatly enhanced.

72 hours after ending the smoking addiction: Bronchial tubes begin to relax; energy levels increase. Breathing becomes easier.

2-12 weeks after ending the smoking addiction: Circulation improves throughout the body.

3-9 months after ending the smoking addiction: Lung function is increased by up to 10 percent, therefore coughing, wheezing and breathing problems improve.

5 years after ending the smoking addiction: Risk of heart attack falls to approximately half that of a smoker.

10 years after ending the smoking addiction: Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker. Risk of heart attack falls to the same as for someone who has never smoked. More information on quitting here

Avoid Late Nights Snacks is the number one tip in helping you to overcome your sleeping problem - You might think your tummy is rumbling, but it really may be Boredom, especially if it’s late at night. When you eat and then lay down, the digestion of the food can cause problems. A late night snack may cause you to get heartburn or acid reflux. Falling asleep may be rough when your insides are burning. Eat an earlier snack or wait for breakfast to eat so you sleep well.

Skip Caffeine after Dinner follows very closely in helping you to overcome your sleeping problem - You ate a big dinner and feel a little sluggish. For a pick me up, you have a cup of coffee or a glass of soda. Wrong! That little bit of caffeine after dinner may keep you awake all night. By the time the pick me up takes effect, it will be close to bedtime. Caffeine not only keeps your body awake, but your mind too. You may have trouble falling asleep, and when you do, it may be restless and full of strange dreams. Skip the caffeine until breakfast to have sweet dreams.

Skip Nicotine to help overcome your sleeping problem - Nicotine products can interfere with a good night’s sleep. The nicotine in cigarettes and tobacco products is addicting, and if indulged before bedtime, can make the body experience withdrawals right away that interfere with sleep. If you need to use tobacco products, use them an hour or so befre you are planning to go to bed. This will give your system adequate time to process the nicotine and withdrawal without harming sleep.

Eat an Early Dinner -The sooner you can begin your digestion, the sooner you can have a snack. Early snacks have the proper amount of time needed to digest before laying down, preventing heartburn, and helps tremendously in overcoming sleeping problems.  Early dinners also burn off more calories, keeping you healthier too!

Another tip in helping to overcome your sleeping problem is to try Relaxing Music - A song can soothe the soul, at least for some people. Classical music CD’s playing quietly can set the mood to sleep peacefully at night. In addition, studies have shown that playing them while your baby sleeps improves their think patterns. If it can help them so much, it can’t hurt you either! If the mood is peaceful and relaxed, and if you wake up during the night, you may fall back to sleep easier since it still remains peaceful and relaxed.

Make Your Room Peaceful - If the budget allows, paint your walls a tranquil colour. Pick a colour you like, preferably in soft hues to cover the walls. Loud patterns, coloured stripes or bright wallpaper may interfere with your relaxation at night. If you walk into a bedroom decorated the way you like, you can exhale deeply, and fall right into bed, what sleeping problem?. It’s your room and the way you like it. Sleep sound knowing you picked it out.

More information on healthy natural sleep here

Drug Abuse Addiction Facts

The facts about drug abuse and addiction can be scary. They can be intimidating, and they can be all too real for those who are dealing with a drug addiction. drug abuse and addiction is actually quite a complex disease that affects a person both physically and psychologically.

Drug abuse and addiction is characterized by an uncontrollable craving for a drug and the inability to keep from using that drug. Whether your drug of choice is marijuana, nicotine, alcohol, or something stronger like heroin or cocaine, it takes control of your life making it impossible for you to live without it.

The fact is that you have a physical dependence on the drug and when it is taken away from you – meaning if you don’t use it – the physical implications become too much to bear. Addicts are beset with uncontrollable shaking, hallucinations, sleeping problems, and even heart arrhythmia when they don’t use drugs.

Drugs affect the way our brain works. It takes hold of portions of the central nervous system and the effects of the drugs you use are shown in the way you act and think. They also affect the chemicals in your brain and how they work to regulate your brain activity. This is why drug use and addiction has such a strong hold on the user.

drug abuse and addiction is also characterized by compulsive behaviours such as promiscuity, stealing, and acting in ways you wouldn’t normally without the drug. In fact, most drug addicts will do whatever they have to do to get their drugs, even if it means acting in ways that are less than desirable.

Another fact of drug abuse and addiction is that there are certain people who are more prone to becoming an addict. These include people who are children of drug abusers or users, people with low self-esteem, and people who feel they have no control over their lives. Unfortunately, once individuals with these pre-existing factors begin using drugs, those drugs become part of who they are and they are almost powerless to stop.

Social circumstances also play a huge part in drug abuse and addiction. Casual drug use often begins in social situations like clubs or parties. Then it spills over into private life and the user will find themselves using when they’re not in these situations. Eventually, they find they are addicted and cannot live without that drug.

drug abuse and addiction knows no boundaries and doesn’t pick and choose its victims. All walks of life are affected from the rich to the poor and everyone in between. Well-known celebrities and everyday Joes can fall prey to its stronghold that drugs can put on their lives. That’s why it’s so important to learn as much as you can about drug use and addiction and stop the problem before it starts.

The facts about drug abuse and addiction are vast and widespread. But the cold hard fact is that it is an epidemic that is spreading and growing. drug abuse and addiction is a blight on society, and it needs to be conquered. If we want to win the “war” on drugs and minimize its impact on our lives, we first need to get the facts – the facts about drug abuse and addiction You’ve gotten a good start by reading this article!

 More information on Drug Addiction can be found here