An integral part of this program is our daily contact with each other. You are encouraged to email me any time you feel you need one-on-one support. There is no limit to the number of times you can contact me...the more the better!  I'll respond back to you the same day.

Quitting smoking is the single most important lifestyle change you can make to improve your overall health and well-being. It doesn't matter what method you are using to quit smoking (ie. gradual reduction, cold turkey, nicotine substitutes, herbs, hypnosis, Zyban, acupuncture, or any other means) because this program, combined with your determination and willpower will help you to successfully quit smoking!

Take it one day at a time and firmly believe that you can quit smoking. Believe in your convictions and you will conquer and win out. Have visions of improved health and well being. Realize that you will gain personal and rewarding insights about yourself in this process of quitting. You will be a better person for it in the end. Above all, think of yourself as being a non-smoker.

All the best in quitting smoking!
Blair

Blair Price B.A., Psych.
support@quitsmokingcoach.org

Why is it so hard to quit smoking?

Mark Twain said, "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times." Maybe you've tried to quit too. Why is quitting, and staying quit, hard for so many people? The answer is the power of nicotine!

Nicotine is a drug found naturally in tobacco. It is highly addictive, as addictive as heroin and cocaine. The body becomes physically and psychologically dependent on nicotine. Studies have shown that smokers must overcome both of these to be successful at quitting and staying quit.

When smoke is inhaled, nicotine is carried deep into the lungs where it is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and carried to the heart, brain, liver, and spleen. Nicotine affects many parts of the body, including the heart and blood vessels, the hormonal system, body metabolism, and the brain. Nicotine is found in breast milk and in cervix mucous secretions. Nicotine freely crosses the placenta and has been found in amniotic fluid and the umbilical cord blood of newborn infants. Nicotine is metabolized by the liver, lungs and a small amount is excreted by the kidneys. Nicotine is broken down into cotinine and nicotine-N'-oxide.

Although several different factors influence the rate of metabolism and excretion, measurements of nicotine or its metabolites will vary depending on the fluid being measured (blood, urine, or saliva). In general, a regular smoker will have nicotine or its metabolite (cotinine) present in the body for about 3 to 4 days. In studies measuring nicotine levels in urine, 72 hour urine collections yielded greater than 90% of cotinine in most subjects.

Nicotine produces pleasurable feelings that make the smoker want to smoke more and also acts as a depressant by interfering with the flow of information between nerve cells. As the nervous system adapts to nicotine, smokers tend to increase the number of cigarettes they smoke, and hence the amount of nicotine in their blood. After a while, the smoker develops a tolerance to the drug, which leads to an increase in smoking over time. Eventually, the smoker reaches a certain nicotine level and then smokes to maintain this level of nicotine.