Šalje: QuitSmokingSupport.com [support@quitsmokingsupport.com] Poslano: 11. ožujak 2001 14:38 Prima: List Member Predmet: QuitSmokingSupport Newsletter - Volume 4 Number 11 QuitSmokingSupport.com - http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com --------------------------- ListBot Sponsor -------------------------- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb ---------------------------------------------------------------------- .................................................................... Saturday March 10, 2001 *** Volume 4 Number 11 *** .................................................................... ...IN THIS ISSUE... 1 What's New on QuitSmokingSupport.com 2. Anxiety, Stress and Smoking 3. Quitting Tips ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS: Quit Smoking with the help of an artificial cigarette. Keeps your hands, mouth and mind busy, without the deadly smoke. http://www.quitsmoking.com/ez.htm ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` TRAIN YOUR MIND TO FINALLY STOP SMOKING FOREVER. Mental imagery and addiction specialist, Marvin H. Berenson, M.D. has developed a program that trains your mind to quit smoking permanently. The Think Yourself Smokeless program includes a step-by-step booklet, a motivational journal and an audiotape. Money back guarantee. Go to : http://www.thinkyourselfsmokeless.com for more information and a free newsletter. Order the program online today and receive a valuable free bonus. You have nothing to lose but a dangerous habit. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` "SMOKESAVER" turns your computer into a virtual therapist. By replacing your screen saver, SmokerSaver drops in on you several times a day, every day ? bite-sized instalments that accumulate into a comprehensive 30-day course. This powerful interactive guide shadows you throughout the day, initially assessing your habit, then advising you, monitoring your progress, supporting and inspiring you, until you reach your ultimate goal of being a non-smoker. Visit: http://www.SmokerSaver.com for more information! ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ========> 1. What's New on QuitSmokingSupport.com Be sure to register for our "World Famous" quitting smoking bulletin board at: http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/76750 It's so famous that a book has been written about it! Visit our Amazon.com bookstore at: http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/amazon.htm Over 15 excellent quitting smoking books to help you to quit smoking! ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ========> 2. Anxiety, Stress and Smoking Do you feel that smoking a cigarette helps you to calm down and get through some difficult moments in your life? Do you feel anxious and tense most of the time? Do you feel too stressed to be able to quit cigarettes? If you?ve answered "yes" to these questions, you may have a great deal of stress in your life. You might have an underlying anxiety disorder that is causing that feeling of being "too stressed out". It?s even possible that smoking is causing some of your stress. In this column, I?ll discuss stress, anxiety, and anxiety disorders and provide some tips on how to tell the difference. What is stress? Stress occurs when the demands put upon us by our jobs, our spouses, our children, our friends, or our life circumstances go beyond our ability to cope with them. We use the word stress to describe the way we feel when we just can?t cope with these demands. The physical effects may include headache, fatigue, difficulty with sleep, upset stomach, neck pain, headache, backache, change in appetite (either loss of appetite or overeating), heart pounding, and increased sweating. The psychological effects of stress may include anxiety, increased tension, irritability, anger, resentment, and inability to concentrate. Most people who are experiencing the symptoms of stress can identify a specific cause.Smokers generally report higher stress levels than non-smokers. However, their stress levels and anxiety both can go down a great deal several weeks after quitting. It seems that smoking itself may actually be causing some of the symptoms of stress, perhaps by inducing mild withdrawal between cigarettes. What is anxiety? Anxiety is a general feeling of being worried or tense, and is a part of normal human experience. For most of us, it occurs only occasionally and we are generally able to determine specifically what is making us feel anxious. Perhaps we feel anxious because of rumors about an upcoming job layoff. Or perhaps we?re worried because a close relative is about to undergo major surgery. The same physical effects that are caused by stress can also occur with anxiety. What is an anxiety disorder? Anxiety disorders are illnesses of the nervous system which cause the individual to feel anxious and tense much of the time and which interfere greatly with enjoyment of life. An anxiety disorder is different from stress because the cause of the anxiety cannot be identified. It is also different because the feelings of anxiety and tension are present most of the time, perhaps going back for many years. It is estimated that 30 million Americans have an anxiety disorder. It is known that people with anxiety disorders are more likely to be smokers. Likewise, individuals with anxiety disorders have a much harder time with quitting because their anxiety symptoms can get much worse during the withdrawal phase. Treatment for the anxiety disorder can be extremely effective, however, and once the anxiety is treated, quitting cigarettes is easier. The most common types of anxiety disorders are the following:1) Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) - People with GAD may feel on edge or very restless most of the time. They may also feel tired, have difficulty with concentration, feel irritable, experience muscle tension, and have difficulty with sleep.2) Panic disorder - This condition is characterized by episodes of very dramatic anxiety or terror, usually lasting 15 to 30 minutes, and accompanied by a wide variety of physical symptoms.3) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - PTSD may occur in an individual who has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, though many people with PTSD cannot remember the event. The symptoms can be very similar to those of generalized anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are usually caused by a combination of psychological, physical, and genetic conditions. Many people who have severe symptoms are already diagnosed and being treated. However, folks who have a milder form of anxiety disorder may simply feel that they are stressed. They may be using tobacco, alcohol, or sleep medications to deal with their symptoms.If you?re feeling overwhelmed and just too stressed to be able to give up cigarettes, you may actually have a mild form of an anxiety disorder. Or perhaps smoking itself is causing some of the problem. Either way, it is especially important to see your doctor who can help you to determine what?s causing your symptoms and get you started on treatment. No matter what the cause, effective treatment for anxiety may let you feel calmer, more in control of your life, and able to kick the habit for good. Dr. Trudy Manchester, M.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Primary Care and General Medicine, UMASS Memorial Healthcare ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ========> 3. QUITTING TIPS The most important step to take is the first step ? admitting you have an addiction. When asked why you smoke, you might have said, "I just like to smoke!" or "It's my choice to smoke." The tobacco companies have promoted the idea that smoking is a matter of personal choice. As I see it, there really isn't as much choice as they have suggested to their customers. Ask yourself, and be totally honest: Am I addicted to tobacco? Am I truly making a freely made choice when I smoke? You might consider that you need to have a cigarette. Studies have shown that nicotine addiction is as hard to break as heroin or cocaine addiction. In Nicotine Anonymous' 12 Step program, which sprang from the venerable Alcoholics Anonymous program, the first step is admitting to yourself, "I'm powerless over tobacco." Making this admission may seem trivial to you, but for many it is a very significant part of completing the journey to becoming a non-smoker. By telling smokers that smoking is a personal choice, the tobacco industry has helped to keep its customers in denial about the true extent of their addiction. If smoking is a choice, then what's the rush to quit? The tobacco companies have used this spin to help keep millions of customers buying their deadly products. Admitting that you're smoking more out of addiction than choice will help motivate you to go on to the next steps -- taking control of yourself and becoming a nonsmoker. This admission will further serve you by helping you stay smokefree later. In the months and years after you quit, when temptations to smoke occasionally overpower you -- and they will -- remind yourself, "I have an addiction and I'm powerless over tobacco." Saying this to yourself in overwhelmed moments of desire will help give you the strength to say no to "just one" cigarette. If you can make it for just five minutes without giving in, the urge to smoke be controllable or disappear. In this way, you'll be able to stay smokefree for life. Š 2000 by Patrick Reynolds ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` The contents of this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the opinions of QuitSmokingSupport.com. We want this newsletter to be the best one around. If you have suggestions, ideas, or feedback about this newsletter, feel free to email us at support@quitsmokingsupport.com Please feel free to pass this newsletter along to anyone you know who may benefit from it! To unsubscribe to this newsletter, please go to http://www.listbot.com/ (c) Copyright 1995-2001 QuitSmokingSupport.com Take care and have a great week! Blair support@quitsmokingsupport.com QuitSmokingSupport.com http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to nosmoke-unsubscribe@listbot.com