Sweet Smell of Success ~

30 Weeks Totally SMOKE FREE Today!!!

You know what bothers me most about cigarette smoke now? It's not the smell of cigarettes themselves ... It's the stale smoke smell that lingers in clothing afterwards.

It always seems to be worse at Wal*Mart, doesn't it? Other check out lines too -- Heck, I can even smell it on someone who sits near me in church on Sundays.

I'm bothered when I realize I used to smell like that too. Although, I've asked around and have been told by many they don't remember me always reeking of stale cigarette smoke. Some even say they don't remember my house smelling like smoke ... That's a good thing ... not to be remembered for someone who's carried that putrid smell in all his clothes and in his home.

I've said this before and I want to be clear, especially if you're reading this and you haven't quite 'kicked the habit' yet ... I want to be a recovering smoker -- not a rabid anti-smoker. (The convert whose Holier than the Pope, so-to-speak).

Sooo, Here I am, 30 Weeks -- 210 days Smoke Free!!!! Calculating approximately 30 cigarettes a day, that's 6300 cigarettes not smoked and somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,300.00 saved.

AND -- I smell good!!!

97 Reasons To Quit Smoking ~ #'s 1 - 20

1. You won't have to pay more and more and more and more each year.Yup, taxes will almost certainly continue to go up. New Jersey, Vermont, and Connecticut are among the states leaning harder on smokers for revenue, but even some tobacco-growing states are beginning to milk the coffin-nail cash cow. Lawmakers' reasoning: There is evidence that price increases cause smokers to reduce consumption. And the medical costs of smoking are astronomical—a huge burden to the states.

2. You'll inhale fewer germs.New research suggests cigarettes are loaded with germs, which can be inhaled along with the smoke. It’s not clear if the germs can make you sick, but the yuck factor is undeniable.

3. You'll be smarter than Goofy."No Smoking" is a superb 1951 Disney cartoon depicting the history of tobacco use and, in modern times, Goofy's addiction and attempt to quit (there's a hilarious Mad Men-ish scene of an office full of smokers). It ends with him smoking an exploding cigar as the narrator concludes: "Give the smoker enough rope and he'll hang on to his habit." 4. Once you quit, you'll find it more amusing that tobacco soup smells like s**t.Or at least that's what kids at a Washington state elementary school said when Teens Against Tobacco Use visited their class in 2008 and mixed up a concoction of cigarette ingredients.
5. Smoking can cramp your style in the bedroom.Smoking can affect circulation; with less blood flow to your genitals, arousal for bout men and women can be more difficult.

6. Sever yourself from the sordid history of animal testing in smoking research.Smoking-related cancer researchers have long used animals as test subjects, producing the famous smoking beagles photos from the 1970s, which are still used by antivivisection sites today.

7. You'll sleep better.Smokers are four times as likely to report feeling un-rested after a night's sleep, studies have found; it seems going through nicotine withdrawal each night can contribute to sleep disturbances.

8. Cool bonuses at work may be in your future.Employers are increasingly offering incentives—such as gift cards, premium discounts, or cash—to employees who participate in smoking cessation programs.

9. Quitting is a plausible excuse to play computer games.A 2008 survey commissioned by online game maker RealNetworks suggests that playing games online can help distract people from smoking.
10. Nonsmokers have stronger bones than smokers.Women smokers have been found to lose 2.3% to 3.3% of bone mineral density for every 10 pack-years of tobacco use. The effects are even worse in postmenopausal women.
11. You won't have to look at those horrible antismoking messages on cigarette packs.American messages are mild by comparison, but you have to think that this country will follow Canada, the UK, Australia, Jordan, Romania, and Uruguay by starting to put big pictures of rotting teeth, mouth cancer, and postmortem tumors right on the box.

12. That ringing in your ears will be sweet music, not just...ringing in your ears.Smokers have a nearly 70% greater likelihood of developing hearing loss than nonsmokers.
13. You'll have less chance of being labeled a wild, troubled, tragic genius.Obligatory Amy Winehouse mention here: In 2008, she emerged from the hospital with early signs of emphysema—and lit up a cigarette.

14. You'll have more dining and barhopping options on overseas vacations.England, France, New Zealand, and Puerto Rico are among the exciting destinations now 100% smoke-free in restaurants and bars.

15. You may be less likely to get psoriasis.Studies have shown that daily smoking is linked to the risk of developing psoriasis. The higher the number of cigarettes over 20 smoked per day, the greater that risk.

16. Your chance of having cold hands and feet will go down...When you quit smoking, your circulation gets better right away.
17. ...which means you can reduce your risk of frostbite.Smoking restricts circulation, which is particularly bad for the fingers and toes of those desperate people who step outside to puff in wintry climates.

18. You can drink less coffee for the same buzz—and save money.Smokers' bodies clear caffeine 56% more quickly than nonsmokers'. That's why you should cut your caffeine intake in half when you quit—or risk some serious irritability and insomnia.

19. The Pill suddenly becomes a lot safer to use.If you're on the Pill and smoke, you should cut out one or the other. The Pill is not recommended for smokers because oral contraceptives carry a risk of clots, heart attacks, and strokes; those risks are increased if you smoke.

20. Slow the progression from HIV to AIDS.HIV-positive people who smoke appear to have a faster progression time than those who don't smoke. The effect is likely a result of smoking's impact on the immune system.

97 Reasons To Quit Smoking ~ #'s 21 - 40

21. You may be able to cut back on your dosage of certain medications.Smoking affects the liver enzymes that process certain drugs, so smokers sometimes need to take higher doses to get the same effect.

22. You'll be less likely to burn down your house.One study found that people who live in smoking households were up to 6.6 times more likely to experience a fire injury than those in nonsmoking households. According to another study, cigarettes were the cause of 55% of all house fires involving a fatality. Overall, cigarettes are the leading cause of death from residential fires. On April 9, 2008, a 3-year-old Texas boy burned down his family's house after playing with a cigarette lighter. The boy, a repost said, would now attend a fire safety course.

23. You'll cut your risk of Crohn's disease.Smokers are four times more likely as those who never smoked to develop this chronic—sometimes debilitating—disease, which can be painful, causes frequent diarrhea, and can require intestinal surgery.

24. Save money—lots of it—and purchase more important luxuries, like gas.Calculate how much you'll save.

25. If you stop buying cigarettes online, you'll not only save money, but you'll also chip away at a sleazy business.Yes, you can save tons of money buying cigarettes online—but then you're supporting a sleazy business. In 2004, a California Study showed that kids had no problem finding and ordering cigs online, and 77% got their tobacco delivered.

26. Decrease your risk of heart attack or disease. Smokers are at two to four times greater risk of developing coronary heat disease as nonsmokers. Cigarette smokers with coronary heart disease are also at twice the risk for sudden cardiac death as nonsmokers with coronary heart disease.
27. You'll be less likely to die of a brain tumor.The brain is a common site for lung cancer to spread. In fact, according to the American College of Radiology, radiation therapy may sometimes be used on the brain even when no cancer has been detected in "this vital site."

28. You'll brighten up your choppers.Nobody likes tobacco stains… The average professional teeth-cleaning procedure costs somewhere between $500 and $1000. (And hurts your gums!)

29. You'll be less wrinkly.After 10 years, smoking can speed up your skin’s aging process by narrowing your skin's blood vessels and damaging the tissues that give the skin its strength and elasticity.
30. Cut the risk of acid reflux.If you've smoked for 20 years, you're 70% more likely than a nonsmoker to have acid reflux.
31. Carry a smaller purse or streamline your pants.No more toting that pack (or two) of cigarettes, lighter, breath strips, and gum.

32. Enjoy your food more.Smoking diminishes the taste of food and the pleasure of eating.

33. Preserve your sense of smell.About twice as many smokers as nonsmokers have a reduced sense of smell.

34. Eat less. (Despite muting the taste buds, smoking brings food cravings of its own). Smoking is associated with greater calorie intake, particularly from food high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

35. Avoid that attractive "yellow fingers" look.Smoking can permanently stain your fingers.

36. Keep your walls the color you painted them.Cigarette smoke creates persistent yellow stains on painted walls that take a concentrated effort to remove.
37. Reduce the premature need for expensive hair treatments.Smokers are three to six times more likely to go prematurely gray than nonsmokers.

38. Reduce the need for premature hairpieces.Men who smoke are twice as likely to become bald as men who don't smoke.

39. Cheer up without meds.Smoking may increase the risk of depression.

40. You'd fit in nicely working at Dell.The computer giant (with 28,000 U.S. employees) banned smoking on all its U.S. campuses starting January 1, 2009... So have a lot of companies.

97 Reasons To Quit Smoking ~ #'s 41 - 62

41. Protect Fido and Fluffy.A number of studies show that secondhand smoke at home may be associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, lung and nasal cancer in dogs, and lung cancer in birds.

42. Get more work done at the office.A study in the Netherlands showed that smokers take an average of 11 more sick days a year than nonsmokers.

43. No more little, round burn holes in your clothes or car seats.It doesn't matter if you're wearing linen, cotton, or wool (or if your car seats are wearing leather or vinyl), all sorts of materials are susceptible to cigarette burns.

44. Cut your chances of a horrible elevator experience.If you take cigarette breaks in a tall building, you'll take more elevator rides.

45. Save water, cut your carbon footprint.According to studies, washing machines suck up 21.7 percent of household water usage. Stinky clothes need more washing. Ergo, you'll save water and reduce your electricity bill.

46. Save trees, cut your carbon footprint.A Belgian University study from the 1990s cited deforestation (to make way for tobacco farming) and wood burning (to cure the tobacco) as negative factors in the ecology of developing countries.

47. If Obama can do it, so can you.Well, at least he’s trying … Yeah, right!!!!

48. Spend less time in the dentist's chair.According to the ADA, smoking puts you at greater risk for all kinds of dental problems, including oral cancer and gum disease. It also takes longer for your dentist to clean all the stains off your teeth at your checkups. Wouldn't you rather be doing, well, anything other than sitting in a dentist's chair?

49. Save money on breath fresheners.The gum, mint, and breath freshener industry takes in $3.7 billion a year. But it'll take less of your money if you don't have to pop a mint after every smoke.

50. Be nagged less.We now live in a society where haranguing a smoker is almost a civic duty, and certainly an act of love if said smoker is a relative or dear friend.

51. Stop that nagging cough too. Smokers and those who live with smokers are at a higher risk to develop bronchitis.
52. Use the cigarette lighter for a higher purpose: Keep your kids from fighting in the car.Most portable appliances, including iPods and personal DVD players, plug in to the cigarette lighter in your car via an adapter. Chuck the lighter and deploy the power source to keep the kids entertained with movies or music.

53. Avoid carbon monoxide and other well-known killers.Cigarettes produce carbon monoxide, which, when inhaled, binds to the oxygen-carrying molecules in your body, depriving you of air.

54. Your life insurance rates will go down—substantially...One 2007 comparison showed a 40-year-old nonsmoker paying $55.13 a month for a $1 million 20-year policy. The price for a smoker of the same age: $231.46 per month. That's pure, actuarial math—the increased risk of dying that the smoker presents to the insurance company and that the company then passes on to the smoker.

55. ...and your life insurance company may even bribe you to quit.John Hancock's Quit Smoking Incentive allows a cigarette smoker to pay a nonsmoker premium for the first three years of the policy. If the smoker hasn't quit and stayed off cigarettes for at least 12 months by then, the premium doubles.

56. You won't be pumping out carcinogens like a Soviet-era steel plant.According to the 2006 Surgeon General's Report, there are more than 50 carcinogens in secondhand smoke.

57. Your wounds will heal better.Several studies have found that smokers do not heal as well after surgeries such as face lifts, tooth extractions, and periodontal procedures.

58. Your baby will be safer.Exposure to secondhand smoke is linked to a higher risk of SIDS.

59. Clean up your children's lungs.Secondhand smoke is now believed to be a risk factor for children to develop asthma; it also contributes to respiratory infections (such as pneumonia and bronchitis) and ear infections, as well as coughing, wheezing, and decreased lung function.
60. If you're pregnant, you can leave the 70% of pregnant smokers who can't quit in your dust.According to the American Lung Association, only 30% of smokers quit when they find out they are pregnant. In 2004, 10% of women giving birth were smokers.

61. Experience menopause as scheduled, not before.Smoking may advance the arrival of menopause in women by several years.

62. Perk up those sperm!Even if they can get it up, men who smoke cigarettes have a lower sperm count and motility and increased abnormalities in sperm shape and function than men who don't smoke.

Dilbert ~ by Scott Adams

Smoking, Lead Exposure Increase ADHD Risk

By Stephanie Booth from AOL Health ~

Children exposed to lead or whose mothers smokedduring pregnancy are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),new research shows.

The study, published in the December issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, found that children exposed prenatally to tobacco smoke had a 2.4-fold increased likelihood of ADHD diagnosis. Those whose blood showed what researchers categorized as high lead levels were 2.3 times more likely to have ADHD.

Exposure to both lead and prenatal tobacco triggered what head researcher Tanya Froehlich, M.D., a developmental and behavioral pediatric specialist and assistant professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, called an alarming "synergistic effect." Children in this category had eight times the risk of being diagnosed with ADHD.

Froehlich and other researchers analyzed data on 2,588 children between the ages of eight and 15 who participated in the 2001 to 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Nearly nine percent of the children met the criteria for a diagnosis of ADHD, including inattentiveness, difficulty focusing, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Of those children, 16.8 percent had mothers who said they had smoked during pregnancy. More than five percent of children categorized as having "low" lead blood levels had ADHD and nearly 14 percent had what researchers considered "high" levels.

"These findings are not surprising, but do provide confirmation of what we already know: Lead levels in utero are a potential threat to normal brain development and tobacco can be toxic to embryos and fetuses," says Anthony L. Rostain, M.D., director of the Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia. "The takeaway message here is that mothers certainly should not smoke and risks for lead exposure in the U.S. are still important to investigate."

The study estimates that up to 35 percent of ADHD cases in children between the ages of eight and 15 could be reduced by eliminating exposure to these environmental toxins. That could translate into 800,000 children.

How To Slow Age ~

Last night was Trivia Night, an annual fund raiser at my oldest sister's home parish. It was also my 27th week anniversary from not smoking. I didn't bother mentioning that to anyone until the end of the evening.

By that time an older fellow came up to me and just started talking for some reason. (I don't know why but I seem to have that kind of inviting face). At one point he wanted me to guess his age. I HATE that game -- no where can you be a winner in that game.

"Are you over retirement age," I started, pretty much knowing that answer was 'Yes'. I go on to ask; "more than 70?" He gives me the thumbs up, indicating to me to guess higher.

"My mother's 72," I say, "are you older than her." Thumbs up. "Seventy-five?" I say trying to add some surprise to my guess.

Higher the sign indicates. Finally, I reach the correct 82 years old in this game I loath. The conversation continues. Unfortunately.

After the age guessing game my new found friend tells me he owes his longevity to having given up smoking many years ago. This is where I got to share with someone that I too had 'kicked the habit' for good!

As the encounter finally came to a close I was given this card. It read:

~ How To Slow Age ~

Don't Smoke!

Drink Lots of Water

Take Vitamins

Exercise

Try Something New Every Day

Have a Sense of Humor

Talk to God

Moderation in all Things

By The Way, Don't Smoke

Six Months Smoke Free

Just the other day I reached the six month, 26 week, one half a year mark being totally smoke and tobacco free!

I've now gone more than 185 days with out a cigarette -- and that's over 5400 cigarettes and nearly $1,200 saved!

Think about this ... that means I used to smoke over ten-thousand (10,000) a year! Yikes! When you think about it as a pack and a half a day it doesn't sound nearly that voluminous.

In a recent conversation I was explaining how the cravings aren't nearly what they were five and half months ago. Even coming from what has to be one of the most tobacco friendly cities in the U.S., New Orleans, I have to say I have been able fight off all nicotine cravings without much discomfort.

I've quit smoking so many times in the past -- many times for lent, 40 days or longer -- but I'm not confident I can remember how long my second longest time has really been. If not six months, darn close.

However, I have one goal to reach and then a new one to top it off with. Goal one: go one entire year completely tobacco free -- I'm half way there! My newly established Goal Two: Make 2010 completely smoke free.

I continue to try to live up to the name of this Blog:
My New Life; Living Smoke Free --
URL: http://my-new-life-blog.blogspot.com/

Smoking and Macular Degeneration

Smoking Can Increase Blindness Risk

By Jordan Lite ~ From AOL Health

Note: will the reasons to quit smoking never stop coming? Maybe the reasons not too will soon!

You probably knew that smoking causes Lung Cancer and raises your risk of heart disease, but did you know that it also increases your chances of going blind?

New research from UCLA shows that smoking continues to take its toll even when we're old and gray. Age-related mascular degeneration occurs more than five times more often among female smokers over 80-years-old compared to non-smoking women of the same age. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in the West and is two to three times more common among smokers than nonsmokers, according to Alliance International. Age is the biggest risk factor for AMD, which occurs when the macula -- an area of the retina in the back of the eye that processes fine detail -- is damaged.

"The damage from smoking is cumulative over time," said Michael Rosenberg, M.D., chairman of ophthalmology at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. "The older you get, the higher the risk for AMD itself, regardless of smoking. That combined with more time smoking increases your risk."

Overall, nearly a third of the nearly 2,000 women in the study -- published in the January issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology -- had AMD. Study co-author Anne Coleman, M.D., didn't immediately respond to a call and emails from Aol Health seeking comment. But in a UCLA-issued press release, she noted that while the risk of AMD was slightly higher overall among women over 80-years-old than among those in their late 70s, "the rate was dramatically higher in older women who smoked."

While the association between AMD and smoking isn't new, most research has been done on people 75 and younger, Coleman said in the release. In this study, Coleman followed 1,958 women beginning at age 78. Doctors snapped photos of their retinas every five years. Among all women in the study, those who smoked had 11 percent higher rates of AMD than women who didn't.

Smoking may increase the risk of AMD by decreasing blood and oxygen flow to the eye, by reducing pigment -- or color -- in the retina or by promoting mini-clots there, according to a 2005 study published in Eye. The good news is quitting can really save your sight. That study found that former smokers have only a slightly higher risk of AMD than people who never smoked and the risk evens out the longer a person goes without lighting up.
An estimated 1.75 million Americans have AMD, and the number is expected to hit 2.95 million by 2020 as the U.S. population ages, according to the National Eye Institue.

"There are many reasons to stop smoking, but this is another one," Rosenberg said.

My "Staying Quit" List ~

Stay on track after you have quit.

1 ~ Understand your urge to smoke
2 ~ If you have a slip-up, don't be discouraged quit again right away. And try this to help you understand your behavior: write down the date, the number of cigarettes you smoked, your reason for smoking, and what you'll do next time.
3 ~ Manage your triggers and "stay quit"
4 ~ Continue to avoid the routine of smoking with the following suggestions:

* Go for walks to avoid places that make you want to smoke
* Drink plenty of water
* Exercise (check with your doctor before starting a new activity)
* Take up a new hobby Chew sugar-free gum instead of smoking

And Keep reading this blog for inspiration!

~ 01.01.10 ~

If you've been a pack-a-day smoker and this is your first day smoke free, this means you've gone from 20 to zero cigarettes in just one day.

With the Cold Turkey method (the most common but not always the most successful strategies) you've completely stopped your smoking all at once, relying on your will power alone to fight your nicotine addiction.

Whether or not you are using some sort of nicotine replacement or not, you may want to go back and review my post from November 19 of this past year: Great American Smokeout; Going Cold Turkey ~ to help with the constant cravings you are no doubt experiencing.

An even better Idea would be to go back to the begining of this blog and every time you crave a cigarette read another post.

Keep this in mind -- Today is the worst of it and it does get better!