Smoking in the 21st Century

by Mark McAuley

By now we all know that smoking is bad for us. I mean really, can there possibly be anyone left in the modern world that doesn't know this? The things people are finding more and more is that there are fewer places for them to smoke. I live in Ontario Canada. And it seems like every year there are more places being banned from smoking.

This year, where I live they have banned smoking from bars, which was one of the last places where smoking was still allowed. I believe that our local, government run casino is the only place left where people can smoke.

I'm sure it wont be long before the government outlaws smoking in your own car. Which means that more people every year will be looking for easier ways to quit smoking, because anyone who has ever tried to quit, knows how hard it really is. All the non-smokers out there find it very easy to tell smokers, "just quit, throw away your cigarettes and don't smoke anymore."

Everywhere you look there are solutions to help people quit smoking. From pills and patches, gum and hypnosis, hardcore smokers have a myriad of choices to help them stop smoking. It is great to have choices in life, so it can be up to each individual which program will work best for them. Of course, in a supply and demand market, with millions of people trying to quit smoking at any one time, this means that none of these ways are cheap.

If you can get the heavy smoker in your family to understand that the money they spend on cigarettes in a few months, could pay for a great system that will help them to quit without all the side effects that keep so many people from staying off cigarettes. Most people have withdrawals; they eat more so they gain weight. Once they see themselves getting heavier, a lot of people will just pick up the cigarettes again. That's why every company that makes stop smoking products will spend millions of dollars trying to find ways to reduce the withdrawal symptoms, and pump up your metabolism.

When I quit, the biggest problem I had was getting used to not having something in my hands or mouth. More so than withdrawals this was my biggest obstacle to overcome. What I found worked best for me, was to chew sugarless gum; also I would chew on toothpicks. After a few months, I would chew less and less until I didn't even need the gum or toothpicks.

So as we move on, and year after year there are less places for smokers to light up, there will be more options to help people quit. Which actually is a good thing, because what works for some people, won't work for other people. If you are tired of being one of those people freezing outside your office building or factory door, then it is time to find something that will work for you.

Within six months after I quit I really noticed an easier time breathing and fewer colds during the year. Overall I just felt better. Like they say, "don't quit quitting". Good luck.

Mark McAuley is a 40 year old father. He works at a factory and is struggling along with a website. He usually just writes from personal experience. Visit his websites at: http://purplemoose.us http://finalsmoke.purplemoose.us