Quit Smoking Weed – 5 Tips to Help You Quit Smoking Weed

Quit Smoking Weed – 5 Tips to Help You Quit Smoking Weed

If you’re looking for a way to quit smoking weed, you’ve come to the right place. First off, let me start out by listing the positives and negatives of smoking weed.

Smoking weed reduces your learning ability and it clearly limits the ability to absorb and retain information. Your verbal skills suffer as well. Regular weed smokers are more likely to get chest colds, bronchitis, bronchial asthma and emphysema. Over use will damage your lungs and could lead to cancer. Smoking one joint is equal to smoking 5 cigarettes! Evidence suggests that smoking weed will limit the body’s immune system. Smoking weed regularly can also delay puberty in guys and will reduce sperm count. For women, smoking weed regularly can disrupt normal menstrual cycles. Pregnant women who smoke weed run the risk of effecting their babies health as well. Also, studies have shown indications of learning disabilities in kids who were exposed to marijuana before birth.

You cannot overdose from smoking too much weed. There are absolutely no reported cases. Smoking weed does not cause brain damage. It does not create chemicals that damage brain receptors, unlike alcohol. Smoking weed does impair your short term memory, but only while you’re high. Smoking weed increases alpha-wave activity in your brain. Alpha waves are normally tied to relaxing and meditative states, which are often associated with creativity. Weed is useful in treating forms of epilepsy caused by multiple sclerosis.

Tips to quit smoking weed

Avoid situations that you are more likely to smoke in. Maybe limit time with friends who smoke weed, and spend a little more time at the gym or go on a walk. Walking relieves stress and it’s good for you when you have the urge to smoke weed.

Realize that you have an addiction. If you didn’t have an addiction, you wouldn’t be searching the internet trying to find out how to quit smoking weed! Your addiction is not a chemical addiction. It is a psychological one. You believe you need it because of the comfort from the high and you can’t find this comfort anywhere else. You can’t let this go, and you are psychologically addicted.

Understand why you smoke. Do you smoke out of boredom? Do you smoke to escape reality or simply because all of your friends smoke too? Once you figure out why you smoke, then you can set yourself free and break loose of the chains.

Some people replace their addiction with something else. This could be music, painting or something creative and fulfilling. This doesn’t mean move on to another drug either! Just find something that relaxes you and that you enjoy.

You must be motivated and have strong will power to quit smoking weed. This is a mental game and having a strong will power will ensure that you quit smoking weed.

by prensa420

4 Key Tips To Quit Smoking Pot

Do you know somebody that is attempting to quit smoking pot? It’s a depressing but true idea that huge numbers of people in America are hooked on marijuana, and want to break the addiction. This informative article was written to help the reader better understand the treatment options now available . It is our wish that the following info will help you to quit smoking pot rapidly and completely.

Here Are 4 Key Points Of Information About Smoking Pot.

Education Is Vital to Quit Smoking Pot:

Whomever originated the term, ‘ignorance is bliss’, has done the English language a grave disservice. Lack of knowledge is never the ideal choice, and ignorance of pot addiction consequences will result in certain disappointment for anybody trying to quit smoking pot. It is necessary up-front for the pot addicts to learn the unpleasant truths about addiction generally, and cannabis addiction in particular. It’s a sad fact that most weed smokers even now cling to the concept that pot is not addictive. Several smokers will say that pot is no more dangerous than cigarettes. What a crock! It has been established again and again that marijuana can lead to a number of health (not to mention psychological)difficulties. Education, consequently, is vital.

Hypnosis Can Be Used Effectively to Quit Smoking Pot:

There are numerous studies that demonstrate hypnosis to be an effective treatment. The identical therapy that is successful for cigarette smokers can also be effective in the process of quit smoking pot. The patient who is undergoing hypnosis can hopefully uncover the emotional and psychological reasons behind their dependancy. Knowing these types of reasons can make it simpler to quit smoking pot. There are real studies that demonstrate a successful plan finished within a week using hypnosis techniques!

Quit Smoking Pot Using Rehab Centers:

Any major metropolitan area in america will offer rehabilitation programs for many addicts. You can find professional agencies that run rehabilitation operations much like a hospital, with prolonged and overnight stays and meticulously regimented activities. These are very effective in the preliminary process of getting clean. Once completed, the patient should then consider an outpatient plan of some kind, which will reinforce the benefits that were acquired in the rehab plan. The key here is consistency. It is essential that the patient have a way of continuing the program once rehab has completed.

EFT As a Means to Quit Smoking Pot:

EFT stands for emotional freedom technique. It is designed for all sorts of addiction, not only pot. It operates by using pressure on preselected areas of your body as you contemplate the pit falls of your craving or dependancy. As a result, EFT in fact will send positive reinforcements to your depths of the mind, which will also assist in kicking the habit. For instance, once the desire to light up hits the individual, they ought to begin to think about smoking pot while at the same time tapping a key place on the body such as elbows cheeks, or kneecaps. This method is very simple, and is totally free of charge, so it ought to be considered as a way of therapy for almost any individual.

Conclusion:

Those who have a relative fighting pot dependancy understands how hard it may be on the remainder of the family. All addictions are bad, clearly, but pot smoking can be one of the most damaging to the patient himself and also to his loved ones. Our wish is that this data will prove useful for the readers effort to quit smoking pot.

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by luccawithcheese

Projector Purchase Plunge Entertainment Industry

A projection in the field of entertainment do people talk about for years, although many products have claimed to be the market entertainment Projector , But in fact most of the entertainment industry application is not suitable, because they are but the business machine used as entertainment only. Real applications for the entertainment industry did not have many products designed one of the most professional when Sharp introduced several series of Digital China. More developed in the entertainment industry in the south, such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, KTV and bar famous brand of choice is the Sharp projector. The reason is that God yards and Sharp the unique needs of the entertainment industry accurately, from product design to follow-up service, can do to solve customer problems, and this achievement were established code of God, and Sharp H325, so God was set up code solutions for the entertainment projector benchmark, Sharp H325 as product benchmarking. This is why my paper all the reasons for using SHARP as an example.

Body Projector LCD TVs are gradually replaced as KTV bars and other entertainment industry and the user’s new favorite. However, in the entertainment industry, due to special application environment, such as smoking crowded, the air in the smoke and tar is the projector’s “killer”, the general Projectors Sooner or later there will be spots, blurring the issue, while others are necessary to clean a few days, so that operators troublesome.

Therefore, how to choose their own entertainment projector needs to become confused a lot of entertainment industry customers. I carefully collect data in and visited senior members of the industry, the form below in the hope of the friends in the entertainment industry helpful.

Good ability to anti-smoke tar And education and business venues are different, in the entertainment industry is characterized by a large numbers of people smoking. General dust networks by blocking dust, while the tar is all pervasive. Therefore, the entertainment choices of the first element of the projector is to see whether the projector has a good ability of anti-smoke tar.

For LCD projectors, because the core of the optical components are exposed to air, if the tar attached to the LCD panel, will bring fatal damage to the projector, but also can not be effectively cleaned. Tar to prevent dust attached LCD panel cooling, a direct result of component temperature, accelerate aging. Once the LCD panel problem, replacement cost is equivalent to more than half the price of the projector. If we affect business, that loss is even greater.

And DLP projector side in the anti-smoke tar has natural advantages. As the case can be made of the sealed optical design, so that you can effectively block the invasion of dust. Such as Sharp’s H325 all-enclosed all-metal internal optical engine, the complete elimination of dust and damage of optical movement. Titanium metal enclosed structure than the plastic structure, more durable, better heat dissipation, you can maintain long-term operation without distortion, anti-aging, anti aging; movement and better overall performance of dust-tar, and the overall longer life.

Rapid and efficient thermal design Projector using the process, its power supply, lamp and imaging systems will continue to generate heat, if not to the divergence of the heat out in time, will cause the internal temperature is too high, so that the projector’s efficiency and effectiveness of the fall and even light bulbs may cause rupture. The cost is easily thousands of light bulbs, so, in order to extend the life of the projector, lower utility costs, efficient thermal design is also essential entertainment projector.

Features for the entertainment industry, Sharp in the H325 series models in innovative QuickPack intelligent frequency thermal protection system. The system can automatically adjust the fan speed of the internal temperature to ensure stable temperature within the chassis to provide a reliable picture quality. In order to avoid the core components of the first heat against, H325 within the DMD chip has a separate heat sink and fan Sharp original turbo conversion, so that life is more durable chip, up to 100,000 hours, so that imaging performance more stable.

Order to fan rotating at high speed while reducing noise, H325 series of projectors using the new catheter within the exhaust design, with optimized aerodynamics exhaust pipe, the operating noise to a more low level. It has been tested under normal circumstances the use of only 26-29 dB of noise, and whisper very quietly, to provide quiet audio-visual environment.

Simple maintenance, low total cost of ownership

General, most users choose a time when more is to look at the purchase price, with little attention to the overall cost of ownership after purchase, in fact, this is not a comprehensive procurement methods. Affect the overall cost of ownership projector main factors include the purchase price, lamp life, maintenance of LCD panels (LCD projector) and filter cleaning and replacement. In addition to price, other hidden costs that occurred after purchase even more cause for concern.

Find More Smoking Tar Articles

by Malingering

Smoking During Pregnancy: Risks to the Pregnancy and Harm to the Baby

Smoking during pregnancy is one of the worst things you can do. When you smoke, your baby smokes too. There about 600 ingredients in cigarettes, and when a cigarette is burned, it releases over 4,000 chemicals. Many of these are poisons, and at least 50 of these chemicals cause cancer. So when you take a puff, your growing baby gets exposed to these harmful pollutants too. Because your baby is developing inside you, exposure to these pollutants can be very detrimental to his overall health and the safety of your pregnancy.

The nicotine and tar in your cigarette decreases the level of oxygen and nutrients that your baby receives. This can slow down your baby’s growth and development, and it puts you at risk for miscarriage and stillbirths (a baby with no heartbeat).

Luckily, if you quit smoking immediately, your baby’s growth will return to normal shortly.

Smoking during pregnancy has been associated with 5 percent of infant deaths, 10 percent of preterm births, and 30 percent in low birth weight babies. Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke can also increase:

Infertility—When compared to women who don’t smoke, smokers have a 30 percent increased risk of being infertile. They also experience a delay in conception—i.e. it’s harder to get pregnant when you smoke. Placental Abruption—A serious and dangerous complication that can occur during the third trimester of pregnancy. It occurs when your placenta separates from your uterine lining. Placental abruption can cause vaginal bleeding, resulting in fetal distress, uterine tenderness, and increased frequency of contractions. Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PRROM)—Your water breaks early, before the onset of real labor. Placenta Previa—Your placenta grows in the lowest part of the uterus, which can cause problems for the baby. You may bleed and require prompt care. Some women are even hospitalized.

It is estimated that over 20 percent of American women in their childbearing years smoke cigarettes, despite knowing its harmful effects. In 2005, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey reported that 14 percent of women smoke during pregnancy.

Babies who are born to women who smoked during pregnancy are also at an increased risk of having a cleft lip or cleft palate. A cleft palate occurs when there is a split in the baby’s lip and the roof of his/her mouth, creating a hole between the nose and mouth. Surgery is often used to reconstruct that part of the baby’s face.

The danger of smoke doesn’t end when your baby is born. Being around smoke can also put your newborn baby at risk.

When exposed to secondhand smoke, babies have an increased risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). As they grow, your child is at an increased risk of developing asthma, respiratory problems, ear infections, pneumonia, and bronchitis.

Because the babies of smokers tend to be premature and have low birth weights, they are also at an increased risk of serious lifelong health problems, such as mental retardation, learning problems, and cerebral palsy.  These babies are also more likely to have birth defects, including congenital heart defects.

The more you smoke during pregnancy, the more harm it will do to your baby. It is very important to try to quit smoking. Even if you can’t kick the habit completely, try to limit your daily cigarette intake.

Make an appointment to talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about your desire to quit smoking. They can refer you to a smoking cessation program and offer other ways to help you quit.

Remember to surround yourself in a positive environment. You are more likely to succeed if you have the support of friends and family who understand the harmful effects of smoking.

Find More Baby Smoking Articles

Legitimate Online Cigarette Sales – The Recent Smoking Ban in India

Legitimate Online Cigarette Sales

Suddenly smoking seems to be such and important issue in India because of the countrywide ban on the deadly habit all public places and offices. Is this ban justified? Definitely. Compared to other countries who have banned smoking in public places, Indians were free to smoke as and when they wished, risking hundreds of lives. This will now end, hopefully. Legitimate Online Cigarette Sales

Agreed that when a person smokes, he or she is solely responsible for their health. Why should it trouble others if someone is spoiling their health? But do they have the right to endanger the lives of others? Medical evidence has shown that the dangers and health problems associated with passive smoking is almost the same as that of regular smoking and this is the main reason why the Government of India and put a nationwide ban on smoking. Kudos to Dr. Ramadoss, the Union Health Minister, for his efforts in bringing up the issue of smoking.

People, especially young children, are picking up smoking like never before leading to more and more health concerns. A major inspiration for them to start smoking is through films and media. As film stars have a huge fan following, their actions and on-screen mannerisms are often aped. Likewise, a popular actor when smoking on screen can unintentionally inspire many other fans to start smoking. This fact quite fully justifies the ban on on-screen smoking on television and films. Legitimate Online Cigarette Sales

However, the point about banning smoking in films such like taking away freedom of art and expression. Most directors and actors smoke on screen to portray certain characteristics in a particular character and by banning smoking, they have limited one aspect of characterisation. If smoking is an issue, then alcoholism, and so many other evils are equally important issues and banning these will not solve the problem, or even limit it.

Not surprisingly, a poll conducted by a popular Indian daily revealed that almost 84% of it’s readers are quite happy with the smoking ban. In addition to this, many popular celebrities and other figures are endorsing the ban, so that the public takes it more seriously. Sadly, officials in the country need to be informed of this. Following the day after the ban was imposed, several Indians were booked, however the officials who booked them were not aware of the rules of the ban themselves. This is indeed a sad comment on the law enforcement service in the country.

There will always be a debate about the culture of smoking, especially since the country has a population of an estimated 120 million smokers, one of the largest in the world. We can only hope, pray or speculate that positive results can be achieved by imposing smoking bans. Legitimate Online Cigarette Sales

by kmdiogo

Smoking During Pregnancy: Risks to the Pregnancy and Harm to the Baby

Smoking during pregnancy is one of the worst things you can do. When you smoke, your baby smokes too. There about 600 ingredients in cigarettes, and when a cigarette is burned, it releases over 4,000 chemicals. Many of these are poisons, and at least 50 of these chemicals cause cancer. So when you take a puff, your growing baby gets exposed to these harmful pollutants too. Because your baby is developing inside you, exposure to these pollutants can be very detrimental to his overall health and the safety of your pregnancy.

The nicotine and tar in your cigarette decreases the level of oxygen and nutrients that your baby receives. This can slow down your baby’s growth and development, and it puts you at risk for miscarriage and stillbirths (a baby with no heartbeat).

Luckily, if you quit smoking immediately, your baby’s growth will return to normal shortly.

Smoking during pregnancy has been associated with 5 percent of infant deaths, 10 percent of preterm births, and 30 percent in low birth weight babies. Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke can also increase:

Infertility—When compared to women who don’t smoke, smokers have a 30 percent increased risk of being infertile. They also experience a delay in conception—i.e. it’s harder to get pregnant when you smoke. Placental Abruption—A serious and dangerous complication that can occur during the third trimester of pregnancy. It occurs when your placenta separates from your uterine lining. Placental abruption can cause vaginal bleeding, resulting in fetal distress, uterine tenderness, and increased frequency of contractions. Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PRROM)—Your water breaks early, before the onset of real labor. Placenta Previa—Your placenta grows in the lowest part of the uterus, which can cause problems for the baby. You may bleed and require prompt care. Some women are even hospitalized.

It is estimated that over 20 percent of American women in their childbearing years smoke cigarettes, despite knowing its harmful effects. In 2005, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey reported that 14 percent of women smoke during pregnancy.

Babies who are born to women who smoked during pregnancy are also at an increased risk of having a cleft lip or cleft palate. A cleft palate occurs when there is a split in the baby’s lip and the roof of his/her mouth, creating a hole between the nose and mouth. Surgery is often used to reconstruct that part of the baby’s face.

The danger of smoke doesn’t end when your baby is born. Being around smoke can also put your newborn baby at risk.

When exposed to secondhand smoke, babies have an increased risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). As they grow, your child is at an increased risk of developing asthma, respiratory problems, ear infections, pneumonia, and bronchitis.

Because the babies of smokers tend to be premature and have low birth weights, they are also at an increased risk of serious lifelong health problems, such as mental retardation, learning problems, and cerebral palsy.  These babies are also more likely to have birth defects, including congenital heart defects.

The more you smoke during pregnancy, the more harm it will do to your baby. It is very important to try to quit smoking. Even if you can’t kick the habit completely, try to limit your daily cigarette intake.

Make an appointment to talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about your desire to quit smoking. They can refer you to a smoking cessation program and offer other ways to help you quit.

Remember to surround yourself in a positive environment. You are more likely to succeed if you have the support of friends and family who understand the harmful effects of smoking.

More Baby Smoking Articles

Terramed Alliance News USA Cancer Rates Falling

From http://www.childhood-leukemia.com/news/us-cancer-rates-falling/

Overall, cancer death rates fell 2 percent per year from 2001 to 2005 in men and 1.6 percent per year from 2002 to 2005 in women. By comparison, between 1993 and 2001, overall death rates in men declined 1.5 percent per year and, between 1994 and 2002, 0.8 percent in women.

“We continue to see a decrease in death rates from cancer in both men and women and this is mainly because of prevention – mostly a reduction in smoking rates; detection which includes screening for colorectal cancer, for breast cancer and for cervical cancer; and also improved treatment,” said report author Ahmedin Jemal, strategic director for cancer surveillance at the American Cancer Society.

“To put this in perspective, the number of lives saved is more than the population of Washington, D.C.,” said Dr. Louis M. Weiner, director of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University. “In my mind, that’s a cause for some celebration. However, there are some sobering trends that we have to be aware of. The death rate for cardiovascular disease has dropped much more dramatically over that period than has the death rate from cancer, indicating the difficulty of developing new strategies to reduce the incidence of cancer and also to treat it more effectively. This is a very complex set of diseases. While we have come a long way, we have a lot further to go.”

Hopefully, continued reductions in smoking rates, especially among women, should push cancer rates further down in the future, the researchers noted.

Although some 45 million Americans continue to smoke, for a prevalence rate of about 20 percent, “smoking prevalence is going in the right direction,” Jemal said. “We’re going to see a reduction in lung cancer death rates, although I don’t know when it might be. In particular, we will see a reduction in cancer death rates among women that’s going to drive [down] the overall cancer death rate.”

Better screening could also further fuel the trend. Only 50 percent of Americans over the age of 50 currently get regular screening for colorectal cancer, he said.

Here is a summary of the report’s findings:

* In 2009, an estimated 1,479,350 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. (766,130 in men and 713,220 in women) and 562,340 people will die of the disease (292,540 men and 269,800 women). This means 1,500 deaths from cancer every day).

* Between 2001 and 2005, the incidence of cancer in men declined by 1.8 percent per year; from 1998 to 2005 the incidence rate in women dropped 0.6 percent per year. In men, the gains were largely as a result of decreases in the incidence of lung, prostate and colorectal cancer (the three most common cancers). In women, the decline was largely attributable to declines in both breast and colorectal cancer, the two most common tumor types in women.

* Cancer death rates dropped by 11.4 percent for women between 1991 and 2005, with a 37 percent decline in deaths from breast cancer and a 24 percent decrease in deaths from colorectal cancer.

* The three leading cancer killers in men are lung, prostate and colorectal cancer. In women, they are lung (accounting for 26 percent of all cancer deaths), breast and colorectal cancer.

* Men have a 44 percent chance of developing cancer during their lifetime and women a 37 percent chance, although women are more likely to have the disease earlier (before age 60).

* Lung cancer shows the greatest regional variation in cancer incidence, ranging from a low of 39.6 cases per 100,000 in men and 22.4 per 100,000 in women in Utah to 136.2 in men and 76.2 in women in Kentucky. These statistics correlate directly to smoking rates in the two states, with Utah having the lowest prevalence in adult smoking in the country, and Kentucky the highest.

* Blacks still assume a disproportionate share of the cancer burden, with black men being 18 percent more likely to develop cancer and 36 percent more likely to die. Black women have a 6 percent lower incidence rate but this is more than made up for with a death rate, which is 17 percent higher than that seen in white women.

* The five-year survival rate for children with cancer is now 80 percent, up from only 58 percent for those diagnosed in the mid-1970s. But cancer is still the second leading cause of death in youngsters aged 1 to 14 (after accidents), with leukemia being the most common cancer diagnosed.

* And in a special section, the report finds that cancer survivors are about 14 percent more likely to develop a new cancer than individuals who have never had a cancer diagnosis; almost 900,000 cancer survivors have been diagnosed with more than one cancer. Patients diagnosed with tobacco-related cancers, such as cancers of the oral cavity, lung, esophagus, kidney, and urinary bladder, have the highest risk for a second cancer because smoking is a risk factor for at least 15 types of cancer. Breast cancer survivors comprise almost half of women who develop a second cancer.

Unfortunately, cancer remains the leading killer (surpassing heart disease) for persons under 85, and one-quarter of deaths in the United States still come from cancer, the report stated.

“It’s good news that the death rates for the most common cancers are on the decline, but there are still too many Americans dying of cancer every year,” said Dr. Alan Astrow, director of medical oncology and hematology at Maimonides Cancer Center in New York City. “It’s troubling that African-Americans continue to experience higher rates of mortality from cancer than whites. It’s also troubling that Americans with less education have higher death rates. There are continued high rates of deaths from lung cancer. It’s hard to feel good about 160,000 Americans dying of lung cancer every year. That’s a disturbing statistics which we, as a nation, need to address.”

The report appears online and in the July/August print issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

Terramed Alliance is a non-profit organization in the battle against leukemia  helps  children living with cancer and their families. Our goal is to make sure children battling cancer know they are not alone. For more information please visit www.terramedalliance.org.  Email at contact@terramedalliance.org

Related Smoking Prevalence Articles

by Pierre Marcel

Health Consequences Of Tobacco Smoke In People

Cigarette smoking as well as exposure to second hand tobacco smoke has association with premature death caused due to chronic diseases such as different kinds of cancer, heart diseases and lung diseases. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, smoking is the leading cause of about 80 percent of lung cancer deaths in males and almost 70 percent of deaths in females. The risk of dying of lung cancer is almost 26 times higher among the male of the species that smoke cigarettes. Among women that smoke tobacco cigarettes compared with those who never smoked is about 15 times higher. Apart from that, smoking leads to many diseases including cancers of the bladder, oral cavity, kidney, lung, pancreas, and stomach. It is also the leading causative factor of acute myeloid leukaemia. Also, exposure to cigarette smoke during one’s childhood days makes one prone to respiratory infections, ear infections, and asthma.

According to some of the recent study reports, every year, almost half a million Americans die of diseases related to cigarette smoking. Heart disease is one of the leading reasons for deaths in the United States. Cigarette smokers are four times more likely to contract coronary heart disease when compared to nonsmokers, and smoking doubles a person’s risk of suffering from stroke related illnesses. In addition to that, about 90 percent of all deaths due to chronic obstructive lung diseases can be attributed to cigarette smoking and use of tobacco products. Cigarette smoking has many adverse effects on the reproductive health area. Other bad effects include an increased risk of infertility, pre-term delivery, stillbirths, low birth weight of the infant and the much feared sudden infant death syndrome.

Regardless of the knowledge related to the harmful effects generated by cigarette smoke, cigarettes and other tobacco products account for more than 60 percent of the expenditures on all such products in our country. This point to the fact that even though research studies have provided evidence that cigarette smoke unleash detrimental effects on the smoker’s health, many smokers do not take it seriously. People that want their children to grow up in a healthy and smoke-free environment need to take matters into their own hands. Steps must be taken to decrease the level of cigarette smoke exposure faced by children.

Treat your household as a tobacco-smoke-free zone. If you need to smoke, do so only outside your house. Wear a smoke coat that you must take off before returning inside. Set an example by dining with your child in restaurants that are labelled smoke-free restaurants. Ask your friends and relatives not to smoke in the proximity of your child. Be insistent so that you make your voice heard. Talk to your school going or adolescent children about the bad effects of cigarette smoke and the health consequences. Be honest with them, especially if you happen to be a smoker, and talk about it very often. Take a decision not to smoke; quitting the habit of smoking is not easy, but it is really possible.

How To Plan A Smoke-Friendly Trip

From one perspective, the dramatic rebound of premium cigars couldn’t have come at a better time. After decades of competition from cigarettes, the gradual deterioration (through age) of its customer base, and decreased consumer interest in tobacco products generally, the sudden early-nineteen-nineties resurgence of interest in premium cigars was instrumental in keeping the industry alive. After fourth quarter industry growth in 1992 (the first in years), the launch of new magazines devoted to the hobby of cigar smoking, and a proliferation of cigar bars and specialty shops, cigars were trendy for the first time in decades.

But the timing was also somewhat ironic. Between a high-profile class-action suit against cigarette companies and controversies over cigarette advertising – not to mention a general decline in the number of smokers – the world’s cigar makers found themselves experiencing new popularity at a time when their industry was also facing new marketing challenges. Along with these changes came a gradual increase in the number of buildings, towns, and sometimes entire states where smoking of all kinds was regulated. All those new cigar smokers found themselves restricted from enjoying their new hobby in airports, restaurants, and entire localities.

All of which raises a question – if you’re a smoker traveling the United States, what are your options? To what parts of the United States can you travel if you’re hoping to enjoy a box of fine cigars alongside the new sights and sounds?

There’s no easy answer to that question, because individual towns and cities within an overall smoking-friendly state can enact their own forms of anti-smoking legislation. But in terms of statewide laws, here is a brief guide to the states with the most permissive – and the most restrictive – smoking legislation.

First of all, the overall news is – if you’re planning a true cigar-lover’s vacation, you might want to stick to the South (no surprise there) or parts of the Midwest. Of the eighteen states that allow smoking in bars of all kinds, as well as in casinos, restaurants and workplaces, quite a few are in one of these two regions of the country.

Among the southern states with permissive smoking laws are Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Tobacco plays an important role in the history of many of these states: Virginia was a major tobacco producer and smoking hub, not to mention the place where many Union soldiers first discovered the habit of cigar smoking during the Civil War. North Carolina was the scene of the discovery of Brightleaf tobacco, and the home of Durham, a major tobacco city. South Carolina was also, early on, a big tobacco producer.

Other very smoke-positive states include the Midwestern states Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Perhaps smoking helps deal with the harsh winters for which many of these states are infamous. The same beat-the-cold explanation may apply in Alaska, another state with maximally permissive smoking laws, and Kentucky, which I would have counted as a “Midwestern” state, except that some Kentuckians take violent exception to this designation. (Some also don’t like it if you call them “southern.”) Rounding out the list of the top pro-smoking states are Pennsylvania and Wyoming.

As for the bottom of the list: if you like smoking in bars, restaurants, casinos and workplaces, stay out of Arizona, Delaware, Washington State and Washington D.C., Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, and – no surprise – California. All of these states have enacted the least permissive, widest-scale smoking bans at the statewide level. Not only that, but several of them are cold – it’s hard to imagine a worse fate than traipsing around Minneapolis or St. Paul in winter, with an unlightable stogie, exiled from your favorite bar. In Arizona and California, at least it’s warm enough out on the sidewalk.

States that allow at least some indoor, public smoking include Tennessee, Arkansas, and Montana, where some bars and casinos allow smoking, as well as Hawaii, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, where bars, casinos and restaurants that allow smoking may be found. Most of the other states have heavier but not full restrictions. (And as for Nevada, if you’re wondering – well, you can smoke in some casinos and bars, but not anywhere that serves food.)

Wherever you go, if you’re worried about encountering roadblocks to smoking, call ahead to your hotel or visit the city’s web page. After all, local ordinances can be as restrictive as any statewide ban. Do research first.

by shanlung

Smoking During Pregnancy: Risks to the Pregnancy and Harm to the Baby

Smoking during pregnancy is one of the worst things you can do. When you smoke, your baby smokes too. There about 600 ingredients in cigarettes, and when a cigarette is burned, it releases over 4,000 chemicals. Many of these are poisons, and at least 50 of these chemicals cause cancer. So when you take a puff, your growing baby gets exposed to these harmful pollutants too. Because your baby is developing inside you, exposure to these pollutants can be very detrimental to his overall health and the safety of your pregnancy.

The nicotine and tar in your cigarette decreases the level of oxygen and nutrients that your baby receives. This can slow down your baby’s growth and development, and it puts you at risk for miscarriage and stillbirths (a baby with no heartbeat).

Luckily, if you quit smoking immediately, your baby’s growth will return to normal shortly.

Smoking during pregnancy has been associated with 5 percent of infant deaths, 10 percent of preterm births, and 30 percent in low birth weight babies. Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke can also increase:

Infertility—When compared to women who don’t smoke, smokers have a 30 percent increased risk of being infertile. They also experience a delay in conception—i.e. it’s harder to get pregnant when you smoke. Placental Abruption—A serious and dangerous complication that can occur during the third trimester of pregnancy. It occurs when your placenta separates from your uterine lining. Placental abruption can cause vaginal bleeding, resulting in fetal distress, uterine tenderness, and increased frequency of contractions. Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PRROM)—Your water breaks early, before the onset of real labor. Placenta Previa—Your placenta grows in the lowest part of the uterus, which can cause problems for the baby. You may bleed and require prompt care. Some women are even hospitalized.

It is estimated that over 20 percent of American women in their childbearing years smoke cigarettes, despite knowing its harmful effects. In 2005, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey reported that 14 percent of women smoke during pregnancy.

Babies who are born to women who smoked during pregnancy are also at an increased risk of having a cleft lip or cleft palate. A cleft palate occurs when there is a split in the baby’s lip and the roof of his/her mouth, creating a hole between the nose and mouth. Surgery is often used to reconstruct that part of the baby’s face.

The danger of smoke doesn’t end when your baby is born. Being around smoke can also put your newborn baby at risk.

When exposed to secondhand smoke, babies have an increased risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). As they grow, your child is at an increased risk of developing asthma, respiratory problems, ear infections, pneumonia, and bronchitis.

Because the babies of smokers tend to be premature and have low birth weights, they are also at an increased risk of serious lifelong health problems, such as mental retardation, learning problems, and cerebral palsy.  These babies are also more likely to have birth defects, including congenital heart defects.

The more you smoke during pregnancy, the more harm it will do to your baby. It is very important to try to quit smoking. Even if you can’t kick the habit completely, try to limit your daily cigarette intake.

Make an appointment to talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about your desire to quit smoking. They can refer you to a smoking cessation program and offer other ways to help you quit.

Remember to surround yourself in a positive environment. You are more likely to succeed if you have the support of friends and family who understand the harmful effects of smoking.

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