Smoking is a bad habit. But does anyone really know how bad? The number of smokers is still so high that it is doubtful, especially that the amount of smokers around us makes it extremely hard to break that habit. That’s why many smokers lull themselves into a false security, repeating the stories about healthy 90-year old smokers. The truth however, is quite different.

First, let’s discuss what you won’t get from smoking. First of all, it is not pleasant. The initial relaxing effects of nicotine wear off soon after you start smoking, leaving you with nothing but an expensive habit. Then, it does not help improve your image. You may feel more adult, but yellow teeth and bad breath make you look sick rather than “macho”.

The Terrible Truth

The facts can’t be contested. Every year there are over four hundred thousand casualties of smoking a year in the United States alone. This is almost a hundred times more than died at the WTC attack and ten times more than the US has lost during the 6-year war with terrorism. The moment a smoker lights his or her cigarette, he or she inhales almost five thousand dangerous chemicals. 69 of those compounds are known to be carcinogenic. The risk is practical - over three quarters of lung cancer fatalities in the US is the direct effect of smoking.

Smoking however, does much more than just cause lung cancer. It affects also the heart making it more probable to have a stroke, and increasing chances for developing allergies, respiratory problems such as asthma and other chronic diseases. This may happen both to smokers themselves, and to those who only inhale the smoke, for example children of smoking parents.

This is still not the end. Smokers also tend to suffer from other health problems. Pneumonia, wound healing problems and reduced fertility are among the most common ones. However, the real horror starts when a mother-to-be or someone in her vicinity smokes during the pregnancy. Premature deliveries, infant deaths or at least narrowed air passages in children’s lungs are more than common. No child is able to defend itself against the negative effects of their parents’ smoking, and they often suffer from it even before they are actually born.

There is even more than that…

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The withdrawal symptoms that most smokers have when quitting smoking can make it hard to quit. These withdrawal symptoms include headaches, cravings, anxiety, or nervousness and sometimes depression. One popular way to deal with these symptoms is by using stop smoking lozenges.

Many people use stop smoking lozenges as part of their plan to quit smoking. The lozenges resemble hard candy, and provide smokers with something other than cigarettes to keep their mouths occupied. These popular stop smoking lozenges help people to relieve the craving that is a symptom of nicotine withdrawal.

Lozenges have been known to reduce cigarette cravings, and thus reduce nicotine addiction. By using stop smoking lozenges, smokers can diminish the stress they feel as a result of nicotine withdrawal.

Many people are reluctant to quit because they think they will gain weight, so they turn to stop smoking lozenges for help. It’s typical for some people to put on some pounds while quitting and that can be a scary thought for a lot of individuals. Many people find themselves eating more when they try to stop smoking. Since these lozenges prevent this pattern, they also help to control the weight of smokers who are trying to quit. Stop smoking lozenges work because they supply smokers with something other than cigarettes to put in their mouths.

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One of the most popular and well-known stop smoking remedies is the patch. Available in most drugstores, the patch helps smokers quit smoking by removing some of the discomfort associated with the symptoms of withdrawal. Though smokers will still experience cravings and other symptoms, the patch does enable smokers to withstand their cravings for longer periods of time.

The patch must be used each and every day for three months in order to be successful. One in five dedicated quitters is able to stop smoking with the help of the patch. Side effects of the patch include skin irritation and some sleep disturbance. Most professionals advise quitters to have counseling along with the patch.

Stop smoking remedies are also available as prescription medication. One such medication is popularly referred to as the “pill.” Bupropion, which is the generic form of Zyban, is a prescription anti-depressant. Although its primary purpose is that of an anti-depressant, it also curbs nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Several studies claim that Zyban has twice the effectiveness of a nicotine patch. Zyban is non-addictive, but can have some mild side effects, including sleep disturbance and dry mouth.

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Smoking is one of those habits that is difficult to quit once developed or being addicted to it. The invention and application of cigarette has caused more lives than any other products made using tobacco. Nowadays it has become a legal compulsion to publish statutory warning on every packet of cigarette or any product contains tobacco flakes.

The governments of every country is taking enough measures to develop awareness among the public to know the dangerous consequences of smoking however that appeals only few of them. Most people are fully aware the fatal effect of smoking however they are not able to get rid of this health hazardous habit. In modern times, many private and public places have been declared as no smoking zones as non smokers are more affected from the smoke of cigarette than the smokers.

Many frequent smokers cannot suppress their desire for smoking and with the increasing awareness among the public toward smoking, they really find it hard to smoke in public. Smokers use various smoking products like cigarettes, pipe, cigar and other traditionally made products to relax, to get rid of heavy mental stress or just for the sake of deriving the pleasure for nothing. Tobacco contains nicotine which enters into the body while smoking and gradually body grips into the strong and devilish clutches of nicotine.

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It is a difficult decision to quit smoking. Sometimes the decision may be made due to health concerns. Certain health issues, such as lung cancer, have been linked to smoking for years. For some smokers, the decision may be made solely for cosmetic concerns. Smoking yellows and stains the teeth and causes bad breath. The negative perception of smoking has made many smokers painfully aware of the social impact of smoking as well. No matter what the reason, stop smoking laser therapy can be the way to end the smoking habit.

But is this the right treatment? Experts and friends alike suggest a myriad of different stop smoking products. Lozenges are popular, as is acupuncture, as is nicotine gum. But you’ve tried all of these and it just hasn’t worked for you. If this is the case, laser therapy is not only a viable option it’s also a likely option. Laser therapy patients often report a quitting rate of four or five times that of other smokers.

The laser therapy procedure itself is simple. A laser technician uses a cold laser beam over the targeted energy points on the body. This is similar to a modern form of acupuncture. When the laser beam hits those areas on the body, the body releases natural pleasure chemicals called endorphins. The endorphins allow the patient to be calm and relaxed, which helps them fight nicotine craving and other symptoms of withdrawal. This lets patients quit smoking more easily.

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