90 Smoke Free Weeks Today!

That's 630 Days if you're keeping track ... And I am!

I've written recently about how distasteful I find stale cigarette smoke permeating in my clothes.


I find it hard to believe that after nearly thirty years of smoking I can be repulsed so easily by the smell of second hand smoke.

That does NOT mean however, I never crave a cigarette. In fact this week I found me having more than one hankering for a brief smoke.


Did I ever mention I absolutely HATE paperwork? One day while sitting at my desk I was thinking about how easy it would've been to stroll down to the Circle K on the corner and spend, what? about Seven Bucks now? all for one cigarette.

Fortunately for me, these thoughts are pretty fleeting anymore. That's the good news.

So, if you are still new to this no smoking thing ... if you gave it for Lent, or even a new year's resolution which still has you in the 90 day range ... Take heart, the cravings do get smaller every single day!

Are Jobs for Tobacco Users Going Up in Smoke?

By Lisa Johnson Mandell.

Do you think it's fair for a potential employer to pass on hiring you just because you're a smoker? Do you think it should be against the law for your boss to fire you because you use tobacco? The trend toward using a person's smoking and non-smoking status as a factor in the hiring and termination decisions, may have gotten its start in some hospitals and health care businesses, but it's apparently on the rise in other industries as well.

Hospitals such as the Cleveland Clinic and Crittenton Hospital Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y., have made it a policy only to hire non-tobacco users. Other health care companies have followed suit -- some even require that employees take a smoking breath test.

The American Cancer Society and American Lung Association obviously don't hire tobacco users. But other organizations such as Kalamazoo Valley Community College, some police forces in Ohio and Ohio-based Scotts Miracle-Gro have also adopted non-smoker hiring policies. Even Union Pacific hires only non-smokers in states where it can do so legally.

More and more companies are insisting that not only do smokers waste company time and resources for cigarette breaks as well as bothering non-smokers, but also the cost to insure tobacco users is much higher than the cost to insure those who don't smoke. Some companies are even passing along an additional $50 to $100 health insurance surcharge per month to employees who smoke.

But workers' rights advocates argue that an employer has no right to dictate what an employee can and can't do in their own, personal, off-work time. In fact, there are 29 states in the United States that have made it illegal to discriminate against tobacco users. Smaller companies with fewer employees -- and that number varies by state -- are free to set their own non-smoking policies. An estimated 20.6 percent of U.S. adults smoke, according to the Detroit News.

For former smokers, where do the triggers really lurk?

Being at parties or hanging around smoking friends were by far the biggest ways to get those of you who'd quit to start craving again. It was an even split between the two, with a total of 70 percent of people surveyed picking one or the other. Coffee came in as a strong third, with 22 percent of you citing it as an instigator.

I've written about strong 'triggers' in the past ... those that seem to draw me into a cigarette craving the most. This time of year, the spring air, driving and my sunroof always seem to do it. In fact, that's why I have a sunroof in my car. I love it. Cruising around with the windows down, the sunroof open and a cigarette in hand ........ One powerful trigger!

For some, another can be intimacy. While sex is often associated with a jump start in cigarette cravings, only 9 percent of you said that you felt the urge to light up after being intimate.

"There's strong evidence that the addictive properties of drugs, like nicotine, become physiologically associated with particular places the person used the drug, or activities they engaged in while using the drug," says Nolen-Hoeksema. "Know you're walking into a situation where you used to smoke and the stakes are therefore higher than ever."

If you're dealing with these effects, she recommends setting some bottom-line rules. For example, if you're meeting up with friends at a bar, make sure it's at least a place where you, personally, have never lighted up. Better still, make it a bar that doesn't allow smoking. (If you're a very new non-smoker, you make want to eschew these situations altogether and opt for a different activity.)

Similarly, if you've just quit, try drinking tea rather than coffee. Or, try switching in another "reward," like some totally frivolous Internet surfing, to pair with your morning cup. Rather than worrying about relapsing, keep a mental image of how much you like your healthier, non-smoking self in mind.

Heavy Smoking Declines In U.S.

By AOL Health Editors

The number of Americans who smoke a pack of cigarettes per day or more has dropped significantly, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Since the first surgeon general's report on smoking and health in 1964, there has been a major decline in smoking prevalence. In 1965, 56 percent of adult smokers consumed 20 cigarettes or more per day. By 2007, just 41 percent of smokers were using a pack or more.

California, which has consistently led the United States in using public policies to reduce cigarette smoking, has seen the greatest decline in smoking rates. Only 23 percent of all smokers smoked at least a pack a day in 2007. The state has also seen more rapid declines in lung cancer rates.

Researchers also found that fewer people are smoking 10 or more cigarettes per day.

"The rapid decline in prevalence of 10 or more-cigarettes per day smoking across birth cohorts in the mid-1960s is consistent with earlier reports of increased incidence of cessation that occurred following the dissemination of the early scientific reports that smoking caused cancer," researchers stated.

Study authors added that the dramatic change in smoking patterns could be attributed to the reduced number of people who pick up the habit and well as a greater number of Americans who quit smoking.

Happy St Patrick's Day ~

~ This is me about 25 years ago on St. Patrick's Day ~

(I know, first time I've pictured myself in my little blog here)

I'm the one with the cigarette in hand. (Of Course)

~ Have a fun and safe Parade Day ~

Arizona County Workers Being Tested for Nicotine Use

The Associated Press

PHOENIX – Some county workers in Arizona are up in arms about a new health plan that requires them to undergo a saliva test to determine if they use nicotine.

The test is intended to reveal whether those being insured are smokers, according to a report in the Arizona Republic, and employees are divided on the subject.

Some who said no to the test are penalized with higher medical-insurance premiums, while those testing negative for tobacco use are spared a premium that is $480 higher per year.

Some county workers said they cannot afford to refuse the test. Others said they fear the medical information obtained from the exams will be used against them or shared with others.

A county spokeswoman said officials do not keep data on how much tobacco users cost to insure compared with non-tobacco users.

Information sent to county workers said the test results will be shared with the county's employee-benefits division, but will be kept confidential by staff trained in patient confidentiality.

The Next Fourty Days ~

The beauty of giving up smoking for lent is if you succeed you will gain a great sense of accomplishment and feeling of being able to endure the toughest of circumstances.

Lent is a time for prayerful sacrifice ... as for me it was hard to concentrate on prayer when all I really wanted was a smoke, but as each day passed the torture got a little easier to endure.

The worst part about having giving up smoking so many times during Lent was the going back to smoking sometime after Easter ... I know, you're asking yourself; "Does that even make sense?"
Answer being; "NO" ... But it happened more than once.

This time the habit is kicked for good though (at least I'm pretty confident). Lent is still Lent, a time of sacrifice and prayer ... but this time the sacrifices are not nearly as insufferable.

Good Luck if a smokeless Lent is your resolution.

Ash Wednesday ~

The first day of Lent; a time of sacrifice and penance ... for me, more than once this has been my first day of no smoking for the entire Lenten season. Unfortunately, I always seemed to succumb to my addiction sometime after Easter.

Today however, on this Ash Wednesday, I am 613 days into my new non smoking life. Lent remains a time of prayer and fasting, today however, not smoking cigarettes is no longer a sacrifice. I still want to encourage any who wants to give up smoking for Lent to do so and I want to offer my help.

Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, historically is a day when people feast prior to their self-examination and penitence in preparation for Easter. More than once it was my day to smoke like Hell (pun intended:)!

One year, I easily smoked two packs of cigarettes at bar celebrating Fat Tuesday with bikinis and a giant food buffet ...... Nearly literally "smoking my brains out". The morning after was not pleasant and my desire to even have a cigarette was snuffed out that morning for at least a few hours. It didn't take long for the cravings to over take my illness though.

Even though I thought I found the cigarettes pleasurable, it was clear my addiction was not necessarily to cigarettes but the nicotine they contain. Cigarettes are just the delivery device of this tremendously addictive drug. Nicotine is so powerful, even though a smoke may relieve craving, our bodies immediately starts to craving more nicotine just as we've finished our most recent cigarette.

Ash Wednesday is observed by fasting, abstinence, and repentance—a day of contemplating one's transgressions. There is no better time to tackle an addiction many experts say is stronger than heroin. One thing is for sure, you wont easily forget the sacrifice you are making this Lenten Season.

If this is your penance this year I wish you luck and encourage you to follow along.
FJW

Cigarettes Bad For Your Hair ~

Here is one article I found that I actually do NOT need to worry about anymore! But for some of you nicer looking people with nice hair, yet another reason to quit smoking for good. It's bad for you lungs, it's bad for your skin, it makes you smell bad and now .... come to find out:
It's Bad for your hair too.

We’ve all heard time and time again that smoking is one of the worst habits around. In fact, smoking damages almost every organ in the body and kills nearly 444,000 people in the US per year, according to the American Cancer Society. So if those statistics alone aren’t reasons enough for you to quit — or you’re tempted to light up in any way, shape, or form — I’m here to help out. Perhaps you’ve taken my quiz about the dangers of smoking, and as promised, I’ve set out to explore exactly what smoking does to the body from a beauty perspective. Let’s start off with its effects on hair. Find out more when you keep reading.

There are no such cigarettes which would not affect your health. They all do in different way , even if it is the best brand like Dunhill cigarettes.

* This stinks: The most obvious and immediate effect of lighting up? Your hair smells like smoke.

* Dullsville: Smoking can cause your strands to turn brittle and dull-looking. This is because smoking constricts your blood vessels, restricting oxygen flow into the scalp. Essentially, your hair ends up lacking the nourishment it needs.

* Fired up: From eyebrow hair to the strands atop their heads, I’ve seen people accidentally catch their hair on fire while lighting up a cigarette on more than one occasion. The stench of fuming hair and SOS calls to your stylist are never fun.

* Hair loss: And if you’re not losing hair because of flames, you might be losing it because smoking can cause premature thinning of the hair — even balding in some cases. A 2007 study published in the Archives of Dermatology proved that smokers, especially ones who smoke more frequently, are more likely to experience balding and thinning of the hair. This is most likely attributed to the fact that smoking damages the hair follicle and interferes with circulation and hormone production in the scalp.

* Premature graying: A report in the British Medical Journal proved a link between puffing up and premature graying. This can be attributed to the fact that the toxins contained in cigarettes can not only cause damage to hormones, but to hair follicles as well. Also, once hair does start to go gray, it can take on an unwanted yellow hue thanks to tar and nicotine contained in cigarettes.