Moreover to the linked disclaimer, the following shall not be taken as a medical advice or in any similar way. The following only constitutes a collection of ideas that I had and thoughts that I gathered. Under no circumstance, shall I be held liable to any consequence related to the hereunder content.
Accordingly, should you opt to adopt any of the hereunder content, you should first consult with a certified health professional or do it at your own responsibility.
By no means, shall any of the hereunder content be considered as an incitement to smoking, or to increasing smoking.
OK people. We have tried sincerely, actively, and exhaustively to quit smoking but unfortunately, to no avail. Some of us succeeded in refraining for a while, but only to go back again.
On the other hand, we’ve been aggressed, penalized, rejected, offended, by the good and the bad, though we have taken every care to avoid bothering anyone around us.
All of this has made us overlook minding for our own selves thus, making things even harder on our bodies. So while, we are still at it, let’s try and make the least harm out of it.
Following is a number of tips that should help us smokers, reduce the effect of smoking on our own health.
Settling for as little as two or three puffs a cigarette, might be a good way to start. It’s a well known fact that the cigarette filter loses its efficacy geometrically with each puff. Accordingly, the less puffs, the far less is the harm.
High taxes levied on cigarettes, might be an obstacle in this regard still, if we can afford it, let’s go for it. In any case, I think that it would be worth the investment.
On the other hand, if putting off a cigarette before reaching its butt might affect our "bad boy" or may be even our "bad girl" image, fine, skip it for that time being. Still, when in our privacy or when the surrounding isn't too threatening to our “image”, this tip is worthwhile.
Moreover, if we’re still not satiated after the couple of puffs, we might just light up a new cigarette, even if that means, lighting it from the old one!
Physical exercise, will help us get rid of many toxins from our bodies, boost our immune system, and make us crave less for smoking without an extra effort. Aerobics, such as walking, are also a good exercise for the lungs. However, it would be better to go for a full physical check up before starting any exercise regime, specially if it has been some time since the last workout.
By all means we shall, refrain from smoking while doing any physical activity; along with the high demand for oxygen our lungs are trying to get, if we are smoking, we will just inhale double and triple the amount of toxins that we are sucking in.
Changing brands every now and then would be good also, as each brand holds a different "set" of toxins. Thus, changing brands allows our system to clean out some of these toxins while challenging it to develop immunity against others.
You’ll like this one! Many studies have shown that smoking the "light" variant of a given cigarette brand does in fact make things worse. Apparently the process that the tobacco under goes to become "lighter" and/or the additives that make it as such, turn it into a more harmful substance. So if you're smoking "lights" at the expense of pleasure, thinking that it would be less harmful, you might just be wasting your pleasure!
Avoiding smoking where we sleep, or where we spend most of our time awake. Alternatively, adopting a space for smoking that is not occupied, the obvious ultimate solution being the outdoors.
Taking various antioxidants from supplements (multivitamins & multiminerals) and those contained in certain fruits and vegetables have shown to substantially reduce the effects of smoking. Among those are berries of various kinds, broccoli, lemon lime and other citrus fruits, kiwi ...
Also, omega fatty acids (3,6 and 9) in the right proportion, support our bodies well against toxins.
Avoiding smoking on an empty stomach, specially upon waking up. Drinking some water might be an occasional limit compromise. Having a couple of biscuits would be much better.
A rather farfetched, yet quite an attractive theory, suggests that caffeine and nicotine, when taken together are positively antagonistic. That is, the toxins in both cancel each other!
However, I would keep my fingers somehow crossed over this one ...
It’s not a good idea to obsess about the effects of smoking or ways to get around them; it will make things worse. Remember we are what we think.
A more general tip would be to watch out for our emotional well being. Stress, anger, sadness, tension and the rest of the negative emotions, have been proven to cause heart problems, suppress the immune system, or incur cancer, to mention a few. These negative effects were observed in non-smokers as well.
If any of these tips shall take joy away from smoking, we shall consider dropping them out! After all, smoking should be a pleasurable experience, not one that is only labeled as such.
Besides, we have seen many long lived research results, and old adages going down and being superseded. So, in fact we never really know!
As individuals with varying physiological tolerances, results may vary, and while someone might benefit from a tip or two to a certain extent, another might benefit more from some others.
As for you non-smokers who might land on this post, stop bothering us and find something more important to pick on. Trust me there are many. Just take your anger and frustration and dump them somewhere else.
As for those who have succeeded to quit, well, I truly envy you, and I honestly wish you won't end up like A.P. Herbert, who said upon quitting smoking:
“Thank heaven, I have given up smoking again!... God! I feel fit. Homicidal, but fit. A different man. Irritable, moody, depressed, rude, nervy, perhaps; but the lungs are fine.”
A final word for us smokers; again, let’s not worry much about smoking. There are many smokers who outlived non-smokers, without spending their life sick. There are also many other potential threats to our well-being that might be far more dangerous are definitely worth considering when assessing the risk analysis of our own lives. Among these largely overlooked threats, are vehicle accidents, overeating, electro-magnetic waves, stress, weapons, natural disasters, food additives and processing, …
Need I mention that if you have any other tips to help reduce the harm of smoking, let us know. Also, if you have experimented with any of the above, let us know about your personal experience.
Now I need a cigi, badly.
Have a nice and “safer” smoke …
