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8 Suggestions to Help You Quit Smoking

1. Plan ahead before you quit smoking... Read all this information carefully, follow the 'General Guidelines' for Improving Health and try to use as many of the following ideas, as possible, but do so in your own creative way...

2. Learn how to make and use a "Meditation Tube"
   • Take a piece of paper approximately 10 cm. square.
   • Roll the piece of paper into a tube about the size of a cigarette.
   • Then hold the tube in your fingers as if it were a cigarette.
   • Inhale deeply through the tube, while thinking "relaxation".
   • Exhale "tension", and repeat 7 times (save and reuse).

3. Think positively (see 'Negative Thought Stopping'), tell yourself that you can quit... Then make a committment to yourself and put it in writing. Tell people that you trust your plans and ask them for their support...

4. Estimate the amount of free-time you will have when you quit (for example: 20 cigarettes/day x 6 minutes/cigarette = 2 extra hours/day): Find something realistic and enjoyable to fill that time...

5. Begin your smoking cessation program when there is less pressure around you (the beginning of a weekend or a vacation is usually best). Fasting can speed up the detoxification process (see 'Fast and Cleanse').

6. For 3 days after your last cigarette, be prepared for nicotine withdrawl: distract yourself whenever you have an urge to smoke (the urge usually passes in 2 minutes)...

   use a meditation tube,

   call a supportive friend,

   eat a fruit or a vegetable,

   drink a glass of water or fresh juice,

   read something inspirational,

   do yoga or massage your hands to relax,

   do aerobic exercise,

   take a walk (preferably in nature)

   read a poem aloud or sing a song,

   write in a diary,

   draw a picture,

   take a hot bath, shower, sauna or jacuzzi,

   study something new,

   re-read the "Reasons to Quit Smoking"

7. Reward yourself each week with some of the money that you would have spent on cigarettes (get a massage, visit a hot spring, buy some new clothes, have a special meal ...)

8. If you relapse; give the money you would have saved in one week to a beggar on the street and start carrying your cigarette butts in your pocket, then quit smoking again as soon as possible...

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There are many good "Reasons to Quit Smoking"...

You will ...

1. .. feel better as your health improves, plus you will gain self-esteem and respect from those around you;
2. .. reduce your risks of cancer, heart disease and strokes;
3. .. slow down the aging process (you will look younger & sexier);
4. .. improve your immune system and your resistance to asthma, allergies, gum disease, cataracts, infertility, colds and flus;
5. .. improve vitamin absorption and metabolism in your body;
6. .. increase your productivity and safety;
7. .. improve the health of those around you;
8. .. have more control over your life, for you will be free from nicotine addiction;
9. .. help reduce pollutants in the air, your breath, skin and clothes... (the value of a car remains higher if it does not smell like smoke);
10. .. reduce the risks of fire, burns and stains;
11. .. help land and water to be used in more beneficial ways;
12. .. increase your lung capacity and your potential sport performance.

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This program works because:

it...

1. utilizes effective physical, mental, & social techniques;
2. fills the 'smoker's gap' between the fingers and the lips;
3. encourages a smooth transition between smoking and non-smoking;
4. prepares the 'user' for the challenge of breaking a nicotine addiction;
5. is visible and people will see that you are serious about quitting;
6. is a unique way to get other people to think about quitting;
7. focuses attention on breathing;
8. can be shared, with interesting and sometimes funny results;
9. helps you to save money if you stop smoking;
10. is enjoyable, even for non-smokers;
11. is 100% natural and recyclable;
12. supports your health, as well as the health of your community;
13. contributes to ecological awareness
14. encourages a more wholistic understanding and lifestyle;
15. uses deep breathing exercises, which help one relax;
16. is very flexible, multi-dimensional and realistic.

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By the way did you know that:

The Public Health Services report that "cigarette smoking is the most avoidable cause of death in society and the most important health issue of our time"

Cigarette manufacturers use hundreds of UNREGULATED chemicals while processing tobacco. Glycerine, freon, shellac, preservatives, flavors and colors are just a few of the potentially dangerous chemicals among them. Plus nicotine is often added to cigarettes making them even more addictive! (And besides that, cigarettes are un-kosher!)

Tobacco is one of the largest cash crops in the world, allowing the tobacco industry to make huge profits at the expense of land, water and human lives (a pack of cigarettes costs less than $ 0.10 to produce).

Much of tobacco farming is still done by hand; tobacco requires about 75 man-hours per hectare (wheat only requires 8 man-hours per hectare). Many more people could be fed if tobacco fields were used to grow food instead.

Cigarette filters are usually made with plastic. All plastics create poisonous gases when burnt and some are deadly.

Babies born to mothers, or fathers, that smoke are shorter, lighter and have smaller head circumferences, because the oxygen to the fetus is reduced.

Second-hand smoke also reduces oxygen to those in the vicinity, and can cause a number of serious health problems.

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