subject: Herbal smoking cessation [print this page] Any time of the year is a good time to quit smoking. You know how they say former smokers are the preachiest about smoking? Well, now that I'm a former smoker, I see the truth in that saying. Herbal smoking cessation has never been better, and there are some excellent patches and pills that can help you get through those ugly cravings for cigarettes, and actually stop those smoking cravings right in their tracks.
If your purchase through our site, we thank you for supporting our continued supply of herbal and natural news, as we receive a portion of the proceeds. Zero Nicotine is a superior product, as several former smokers can attest to, and an excellent alternative to nicotine patches, it makes quitting much easier on your body and mind.
Herbal smoking cessation patches really were not around when I tried to quit smoking. They may have been offered at some specialty shops, but mostly the rage to quit smoking was Nicorette gum, which I found nauseating to chew (I did try it once), and various medically prescribed nicotine patches that I simply didn't have the money for to go for the doctor's visit and the prescription price. So, I found myself doing it alone, not knowing the benefits a natural patch could offer to me just a few short years down the line.
This herbal patch for quitting smoking is actually one of the most effective ways to help get you through your smoking cessation goals without the horrible withdrawal symptoms that we all know too well, since we've all probably tried to quit several times unsuccessfully. Those withdrawal symptoms, for me, were headache, extreme irritability, sleeplessness, and out of control hunger to make up for the lack of smoking which resulted in a much loathed weight gain for me.
My Smoking Cessation Story :
You see, I have asthma, and it really was stupid that I started smoking in the first place, but thanks to college and peer pressure to smoke when I was drinking at "social functions", I gave in and tried a cigarette. It was actually a Camel Filter cigarette, I remember it well. I loved the rush that smoking gave me, that instant "pick me up", so I kept on smoking until I was a habitual, every day smoker and found that I was smoking even when I wasn't socializing. I was smoking on the job, between jobs and classes, pretty much all the time.
Before I knew it, my asthma came back with a vengeance. I had enjoyed a relatively asthma free life for a few years, having an attack only occasionally, but after I became a regular smoker, I noticed I was reaching for my albuterol inhaler more often, and that I could not get through my workouts as well as I could before. I was an avid aerobics enthusiast, and stayed that way through smoking, and I hated how my lungs simply lost their capacity to take in and expel oxygen as well since I smoked.
I also hated how smoking made my teeth yellow, and I had to constantly whiten them at least once a week, making my tooth enamel weaker, and wearing away at my gums. My face was also starting to show the effects of smoking. My skin tone became more sallow, not as fresh and young looking, and I noticed some fine lines creeping up on me that had never been there before. You see, when you smoke, you reduce the oxygenation to the blood.
Oxygen deprivation actually speeds the aging process, so when people say smoking is an aging accelerator, they are not kidding. It really is true. Smoking accelerates the overall aging process by depriving your body and your blood of ample oxygen. Quitting smoking dramatically improves your rate of aging, almost immediately.
It has been scientifically proven that the lungs begin to repair themselves literally within hours of your last cigarette. Most times, your lungs may completely heal themselves within one month, depending on how long you have smoked for. Your lungs are remarkably resillient, but you have to quit to see this resilliency in effect.
Quitting smoking not only gave me more energy, it also helped me to remain calmer, and not get so anxious in stressful situations. You see, most people smoke when they are stressed out, and think the cigarette calms them down. In fact, smoking has been shown to increase overall stress and anxiety levels, not decrease them. That stress minimalization you experience with a cigarette is only temporary. In the long run, smoking increases anxiety.
My skin started to look healthy almost immediately after I quit smoking. It returned to it's fresh, healthy color, and I noticed those wrinkles softened and I again looked youthful, as I should have, for being in my late twenties. My teeth also were much whiter, and my breath and clothes did not smell of cigarettes for once. I loved feeling clean and fresh, instead of smoky all the time.
My sleep behavior was much more consistent. I slept more soundly. I did not have asthma any more. I could actually do my full workouts without feeling like I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen, and my endurance went right back up again. Overall, as a former smoker, I now see how awesome it is to be a nonsmoker, and it's hard for me to see people struggling with this horrible addiction.
That is why I am glad there are natural and herbal smoking cessation products out there today that are readily available and actually WORK. Hopefully this makes it much easier and more accessible for more smokers to kick the habit, for good.
