Quit Smoking--Easy For You To Say
For me smoking cigarettes is an addiction, an obsession. I have smoked most of my adult life. Sure—I quit several times—10 years being the longest period of abstinence. So if I could make it that long—what happened?
Well mostly it was a separation and ultimately a divorce that weakened my resolve.
We smokers make all sorts of excuses for continuing, but I am intelligent enough to realize that I'm just lying to my friends and family, and more importantly, I am lying to myself.
We smokers will grasp at any evidence that smoking is OK! My step-grandfather smoked a pack of unfiltered Camels for as long as I knew him. He was in his mid-nineties when he died—not of cancer or heart disease. Let's call the cause of death simply old age...
Now this is, of course, a pretty weak excuse for me since he wasn't a blood relative, so I can't claim any hereditary benefits.
My days all begin the same about the same way: During the week I drag my weary butt out of bed at 5:00 a.m., shower, dress and then walk the dog. All this time until I hook up Cindy's leash I'm thinking about that first cigarette.
And so it goes throughout the day. Oh, I have cut back a bit. One pack usually lasts a day and a half. As I write this I often think of myself as a 73 year old idiot. But you see I am addicted to nicotine.
Government at every level has come down on us smokers. Most places are off limits and smoking has been banned anywhere I go.
Light at the End of The Tunnel
At times over the years I've been given something to hang onto. Medical science will come up with some new finding that gives me a glimmer of hope. But is there really any defense against the myriad health problems that smoking lays claim to? Quitting seems like medical science's only solution.
A short time ago –in an email exchange, a lifelong friend said, "You've been smoking so long that it probably won't make any difference if you did quit." Unfortunately I tend to believe him.
So what is on the horizon for us smokers? The most recent flash of light came from a report I read about a very amazing discovery. I was researching material for an article I was writing on "free radicals." The free radicals I speak of are not a bunch of 1960's flower children who avoided prison. The free radicals in this case are inside our bodies and they are an enemy of our good health.
Briefly, free radicals are molecules that have been damaged by some internal conflict. Electrons have been stripped away from their host molecule, and since nature abhors an unbalance, those molecules seek replacement electrons by stealing some from nearby tissues.
Many say this is one cause of cancer, and many other health problems. What I'm getting at is that we can take steps to counterattack free radicals by introducing antioxidants into our bodies. Sound familiar? We are told we should maintain high amounts of antioxidants-rich foods like vegetables and fruits.
Vitamin C and E are thought by researchers to be our best source of antioxidants; a study I found touts honey as being rich in antioxidants, gram for gram, alongside of vegetables and fruits. The best part is that honey tastes much better than some yegetables.
Sometime back medical science released findings that drinking a glass of red wine daily provides a number of health benefits—particularly the human heart. So what is the beneficial ingredient?
Is Resveratrol The "Silver Bullet?"
A select group of research scientists discovered a kind of "silver bullet." It's called resveratrol and it was thought to possess miracle qualities as an antioxidant. Resveratrol is found in the skins and seeds of red grapes.
Can you see where I'm going with this? OK, one researcher stated that heavy intake of antioxidants "may" be of value to smokers because tobacco smoke is heavy in free radicals. Of course, medical science joined against this "theory" and pooh-poohed it mainly because they are unanimously opposed to smoking—so let's not encourage people to continue.
My opinion, for what it's worth, is that it seems perfectly logical that if one of the greatest dangers of smoking is the introduction of free radicals—following a diet rich in antioxidants "may" just fight some of the damage!
Here's What One Respected Researcher Says
Dr. Emmanual C. Opara, a research professor at Duke University points out that smoking cessation programs have poor success rates and that antioxidants can minimize the damage. "Cigarette smokers have an enormous oxygen free radical load…Research in this area provides compelling evidence for a beneficial role of specific antioxidant supplements in the prevention of smoking-related oxidative damage."
A diet rich in antioxidants is often lacking in most of us. But many believe that vitamin and mineral supplements are a rip-off. In many cases that is true. I take regular daily doses of vitamins and omega 3, but I feel more confident with what I'm taking based on an exhaustive study on this very subject that even includes the lowdown on the vitamin industry. "The Ultimate Guide to Vitamins" is an eye-opening guide that can help you make the right choices, and author, YanMai Bloor also has a free report just for the asking.
Get YanMai's Free Report Here
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