Tag: Urge

Deciding to Stop Smoking: Rising Above Withdrawal Urges

When you smoke, your body is exposed to nicotine, a very addictive substance. The longer period that the body is exposed to nicotine, the harder it is for the body to function properly without such substance. This is the reason why people who smoke, especially those who have been smoking for a long time already, may find it difficult to stop smoking. They have become addicted to nicotine, and they will need longer time just to cleanse their system from the nicotine. So, even if they have finally stopped from smoking, they are still faced with the urge to go on a relapse and smoke again. This is commonly known as nicotine withdrawal urges.

Withdrawal symptoms may come in different forms, and has different effects on different people. Some urges may take form in the following:

* Difficulty to sleep
* Always being nervous and worried
* Unable to concentrate
* May feel depressed
* May feel irritable
* May feel the urge to light up another stick of cigarette
* Increased hunger and need to eat

Thus, before you finally stop smoking, you should first have an idea on how to fight these withdrawal symptoms, because if not you may end up starting on the process all over again.

Start by knowing the possible urges that you may experience once you have finally stopped smoking. By doing so, you would have ideas on how to manage them properly when they eventually manifest. There several products which can assist you as you begin to cut down your exposure to nicotine. There are nicotine gums and patches which are available in the market to satisfy your need for nicotine without the need of smoking a cigarette. However, if you choose to buy these products, you should realize that you would still have to stop using them eventually because you would want your system to be cleansed from nicotine.

There are also medicines and prescription drugs which can help you overcome depression after you have stopped smoking. Sometimes, these medications may also help with other withdrawal symptoms aside from depression. However, before you take any of these drugs, you should consult your doctor first so that you would be guided accordingly.

These withdrawal urges may come and go throughout the day. You just have to wait it out until the urge passes. You have to fight hard not to smoke despite such strong urges. After several times of being able to fight off the urge to smoke, you will feel that such urges will become less powerful, and you will find it easier to defeat such tendencies. You just have to stay strong because it is not easy to flush out the nicotine from your body, and will surely take time before you are absolutely cleansed from it. So, as you wait, you have to stay strong, firm, and focused. Try hard not to relapse; otherwise you might end up on the starting line again, and youd waste your efforts. Do your best to divert your attention to healthier activities so that you will not think of smoking as often as necessary. Remember your reasons for quitting, and hold on to them. The process you need to go through to stop smoking may not be easy, but it shall be worth it.

Things to Know If You are to Stop Smoking

You should understand that the fight to stop smoking starts from the moment when you have finally decided to quit. However, it does not end there, because the hard part is when the withdrawal urges kick in and you find yourself on the verge of smoking again. These urges are just temporary in nature, and they too shall pass you just have to fight them when they manifest. So, as you stop smoking maybe you should know ten things that will help you with the cigarette renunciation.

1. Patience is the key to winning over the battle against smoking. The truth is that this process is not easy, nor is it for a short period of time. Thus, you should be patient to deal with the rehabilitation for as long as it takes you.

2. Go through the process day by day. Do not think of how long the process will really take, instead live through the rehabilitation each day. You will soon notice that as each day passes, your craving to smoke gets weaker, and your strength to defeat such craving gets stronger.

3. Do not let yourself be bothered by negative thoughts which may only make you wanting to smoke again. By being constantly reminded of your purpose and your goal, you will be more motivated to end your smoking life and replace it with a healthier lifestyle.

4. During your rehabilitation, you should not forget to satisfy your other needs, such as food and water. A good diet and sufficient hydration can help you flush away the toxins from your body that has accumulated because of smoking. You should also keep your body physically fit, so exercise regularly and then take enough rest daily.

5. Refrain from drinking alcohol, because it may just trigger your urge to smoke. Some people cannot detach smoking from drinking, because these two are very much related to each other.

6. Being stressed will not help you in your struggle to stop smoking. It may only tempt you into releasing your stress through smoking. Thus, you should not be stressed out, especially during your withdrawal phase.

7. You would definitely feel the urge to smoke again, sometime in the middle of your rehabilitation. You may find yourself craving for the pleasure of smoking, but you should not give into the temptation. You should learn to repress this urge, and soon enough you will realize that you are no longer feeling the drive to smoke.

8. The fight against smoking is a difficult battle. It would help a lot if you are able to find someone close to you, or some other people who are going through the same process just like you. It would make your feel at ease and comfortable, and will give you a sense of security that you are not alone in this battle.

9. Do not think that smoking a single stick would not affect your rehabilitation. The moment you give in to this temptation, you will continue doing the same again and again; and all your previous efforts to quit will just be flushed down the drain. If it becomes really tough for you, you may ask for assistance from a counselor.

10. Hold on to your reasons for quitting. You should keep in mind that you are to stop smoking for a good reason, and this should be your motivation.

Acupuncture and Drug Abuse

Acupuncture is a bright light on the road to recovery for many drug addicts and alcoholics. As an addict is recovering, the physical and psychological urge to get another fix or get another drink can be overwhelming. If the addict can get past that feeling, there is more hope for another successful day on the road to recovery. Currently there are a number of chemicals to help reduce that feeling, such as the nicotine patches to help people stop smoking. However, a major advantage of using acupuncture is that it uses no chemicals in the treatment, can be used for a number of different addictions, and is quite inexpensive compared to a number of other treatments.

Let’s take a look into a clinic that uses acupuncture to treat recovering addicts. Before the clinic used acupuncture, it was somewhat loud and not a pleasant place to be. The treatment room holds dozens of clients at the same time, each sitting in a chair. Each person sits with five long needles dangling from each ear. Depending on the person, a few also have some acupuncture needles in their hands, arms, or feet. When the time comes to remove the needles, some are removed by one of the acupuncture practitioners, or an assistant, or some clients remove their own needles at the appropriate time. Needles are left in the patient for an average of about forty-five minutes. The chairs are arranged so that the clients can see and talk to each other if they wish. This helps when they share experiences, and helps if some of the new clients are nervous about the use of acupuncture. The room, though it holds a number of often troubled patients, is generally quite calm and peaceful.

What advantage is there in using acupuncture for a recovering addict? Most of the addicts describe a release of that feeling that insists they must find a fix or must find a drink. The patient describes it as the feeling when you get home after a long day and take off your shoes. The effect of the treatment lasts for about a day, and so newly recovering addicts are scheduled for daily treatments. People such as dry alcoholics can come by on a periodic basis, or when they feel they need another acupuncture treatment. Many dry alcoholics are fine as long as their daily life is not stressful, but if a family problem arises at home or at work, the familiar feeling becomes strong once again. At those times an acupuncture clinic is a great help, for it affects an actual physical change in the person.

Many detox clinics that use acupuncture in its regimen incorporate it into an overall program, where the acupuncture treatments are the first steps that a patient takes. A typical clinic will schedule a new patient for daily acupuncture sessions, and at each session take a sample to ensure the patient has not used drugs during the past day. After 10 “clean” days, the patient is considered in sufficient shape to start additional therapy, such as a twelve step program. Acupuncture treatments continue during this time. If a patient has a relapse, the patient just starts all over again with the ten day acupuncture treatment.

Using acupuncture in recovery programs has definite advantages, both economically and in support of physical and mental health for the recovering addicts. It is just another example where the use of acupuncture incorporates healing in all areas: physical, mental, and emotional.

The Coming Of Spring

Spring is just around the corner. And with it comes
all the lovely pollen. Lots of people have no problem
with spring. They welcome it with open arms.

But for thousands of people, spring means runny noses,
itchy eyes and congested breathing. These people
suffer from an allergy. Probably the most common
allergy, affecting the most people is the allergy to
pollen.

Spring brings new growth and with this new growth,
plants have the urge to produce fruit or seeds.

Basically, pollen is created by the male plant parts
and taken to the female plant parts. While some plants
depend on insects to do their pollinating, many use
the wind.

The pollen grains are carried by the wind to other
plants to keep the species alive and flourishing.

Most people are just annoyed by the collection of
pollen on their automobiles, porch, patio and
everything else that sits around outside. But for the
people allergic to pollen, their problems are more
than annoying.

The most common symptoms of an allergy to pollen can
be seen every where. Runny noses, itchy watery eyes,
sneezing and coughing are yearly evidence that spring
is in the air.

The pollen irritates the areas that come into contact
with air. That means eyes, nose, throat and lungs. As
the pollen blows on the wind, it causes problems that
turn the joy and beauty of spring into anything from a
nuisance to a nightmare for the thousands that suffer
from this allergy.