Smoking

We were giddy; we were young; and Irish full of ourselves. We lived in a magical brownstone on a tree-lined street in New York City. Our home was filled with talented female performers all working hard to make a name…

[ Read more | Download PDF ]

Nicotine is a “feel-good” drug. It works on your brain’s pleasure zone and within ten minutes, you have a nicotine high.

I recall days as a single working mother when a cigarette seemed a reasonable solution to stress. Now I…

[ Read more | Download PDF ]

One of the most powerful tools in the addiction arsenal has long been support groups. Younger alcohol abusers seem to have good results from the traditional 12- step programs where they will have an “older” — meaning more experienced —…

[ Read more | Download PDF ]

Despite nearly 40 years of warnings about the harmful effects of tobacco use and numerous public health campaigns, one in four Americans still smokes. That’s a testament to the power of tobacco addiction and to the need for new ways…

[ Read more | Download PDF ]

Despite nearly 40 years of warnings about the harmful effects of tobacco use and numerous public health campaigns, one in four Americans still smokes. That’s a testament to the power of tobacco addiction and to the need for new ways…

[ Read more | Download PDF ]

“I started to wake up in the middle of the night to have a cigarette,” recalled Barry, a recovering alcoholic. “I could almost set my clock by it. About 2:30 every morning I’d need to wake up and have a…

[ Read more | Download PDF ]

No one says that quitting tobacco is easy. But if you smoke and want to quit, you can draw on more sources of help than ever before.

According to the American Lung Association, over 44 million Americans have quit. Most…

[ Read more | Download PDF ]

There is no one right way to quit smoking. However, people who succeed at quitting consistently do the following things:

1. Set a quit date.

Setting a date too far in the future allows time to talk yourself out of…

[ Read more | Download PDF ]

People who want to quit smoking are most likely to succeed when they gain support. This can come from many sources–family members, friends, books, classes, counseling, medication, and more. However, only one in seven smokers reports using such resources during…

[ Read more | Download PDF ]

Kelly used cigarettes to literally create a smokescreen between her and other people. “It helped me to stuff my feelings,” she recalls, describing many of her relationships at the time as unhealthy.

“This smokescreen prevented me from seeing this clearly…

[ Read more | Download PDF ]