Smoke? Drink? - Want to Stop?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KICKING THE HABIT
Smoking and alcoholism have many things in common. They are both addictive behaviors that are harmful to the body, and for many they also are difficult to abandon for. The idea of quitting is desirable to most alcoholics that have realized that they are no longer in control of their lives. Generally, smokers also have a desire to quit when they realize the health risks that they are exposing themselves to because of their habit.
Though they are difficult to overcome, both smoking and drinking can be terminated with the aid of a program of emotional support, nutritional supplementation and detoxification through the use of herbs.
No one will quit a habit that they don’t want to quit. There are, however, according to the Complete Home Medical Guide from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, ten steps that will be useful for those who desire to end their smoking habit. Similar steps may be useful for drinkers.
1) List your reasons for quitting: the desire to have clean breath or to avoid diseases like lung cancer are good motivators.
2) Emphasize immediate benefits: fewer health risks may not be as effective in helping you not reach for a cigarette as saving money or having fresher smelling clothes.
3) Study your smoking habit: by keeping a diary you can discover what circumstances trigger your desire to smoke. If you wrap that paper that tracks your activity around your pack of cigarettes, you will also become more aware of the act of lighting up.
4) Plan your quitting: you should set a date by which you will be free of smoking.
5) Enlist the help of friends and family: it’s OK to ask others not to smoke around you.
6) Get rid of all cigarettes and other smoking accessories; including favorite ashtrays and lighters.
7) Examine your diet: as you quit smoking, you will find that you can truly taste and smell your food again. This can contribute to weight gain if you don’t avoid high calorie foods.
8) Increase exercise: this calms nerves, improves feelings of breathlessness and can provide a natural “high”.
9) When possible, avoid situations in which you usually smoke: you can plan other activities, such as walking, for times like these.
10) Reward yourself: save the money that you would normally spend on cigarettes for something you want to do, like a vacation, or reward yourself every day with little things you enjoy.
Smokers are addicted to nicotine which travels to the brain from the cigarettes in about seven seconds causing the release of adrenaline and creating a “high.” Unfortunately, when nicotine is eliminated from the system it can cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, lack of concentration, depression, and craving for more smoking, among others. To avoid the withdrawal symptoms, smokers unconsciously maintain a constant level of nicotine in their systems.
It is necessary to cleanse nicotine from the system if a person is going to the habit. When cleansing, it is very helpful to drink lots of fluid, including water and unsweetened fruit juice. It also is helpful to eat high fiber, low sugar fruits such as figs and prunes. Along with cleansing, it is desirable to take herbs that can lessen the effects of withdrawal. It would be advisable to take nervines such as oats, chamomile, passion flower or a nervine combination. Herbal expectorants such as pleurisy root and grindelia will help alleviate mucus in the lungs and thus lessen smoker’s cough. Perhaps the most helpful herb in dealing with smoking withdrawal is lobelia.
Alcoholism is often triggered by nutritional imbalances, although genetics appears to have an effect, in that children of alcoholic parents are four to five times more likely to become alcoholics. Alcoholics do not eat well because alcohol is a high calorie “food source” that has little or no nutritional value. As a result, alcoholics are usually deficient in zinc, magnesium, sodium, vitamins A and C, and the B vitamins, among others. Mega doses of these nutrients, as well as glutamine, have been shown to lessen the desire for alcohol.
SOURCES
The Alternative Health and Medicine Encyclopedia by James Marti with Andrea Hine (Detroit, Michigan; Visible Ink Press, 1995).
Breathe Free: Nutritional and Herbal Care for Your Respiratory System by Daniel Gagnon and Amadea Moringstar.
Complete Home Medical Guide by The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (New York, New York; Crown Publishers, 1989).
An Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine by Michael T. Murray, N.D. and Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D. (Rocklin, California; Prima Publishing, 1990).
The Ultimate Healing System; Breakthrough in Nutrition, Kinesiology and Holistic Healing Techniques by Don Lepore (Provo, Utah; Woodland Books, 1988).
HERBAL COMBINATIONS FOR SMOKERS
Making the decision to break a habit such as smoking or excessive drinking can be the most important decision a person may make toward better health, but it can also be a very difficult challenge.
To Quit Smoking See Stop Smoking Naturally
