Drug and Alcohol Relapse Prevention - Quit Smoking Cigarettes For Best Results

Smoking cigarettes can greatly increase the risk of returning to drug and alcohol use.



There is a growing body of evidence provided by research studies that shows that smokers have a significantly higher rate of relapse back to drug and alcohol use than non-smokers. This should come as no surprise when we look at nicotine use as consuming a drug.



Nicotine is a drug, it is mood altering, highly addictive, and a poison.



In drug and alcohol treatment, the concept of complete abstinence from all mood altering substances is almost universally accepted. Why has nicotine been traditionally excluded? I am not sure, quite possibly because of historical social acceptance of smoking. Condoning nicotine use for an alcoholic or drug addict is almost like telling an alcoholic to give up rum, scotch and beer...but tequila is OK.



There is a popular myth that trying to quit using nicotine products while giving up drugs and alcohol is too much to handle. The new evidence shows the reverse is true; people attempting to stop smoking while in treatment for drugs and alcohol actually have a higher rate of success. Arguably, for a smoker, a key element in their drug and alcohol relapse prevention plan is to stop smoking.



This higher rate of success makes sense if we look at some key elements of how to quit smoking and their ready availability during drug and alcohol treatment.



1. Getting support and setting a date. In treatment, counseling, encouragement and peer support is readily available.



2. Learning alternative coping skills. An important element in quitting smoking is to make concrete changes in dealing with situations where smoking occurred. For example, handling boredom or stress.



3. Preparing a relapse prevention plan. A prepared plan to handle difficult situations is like an insurance policy; you may never need it, but it is wise to have it in place.



These are important elements in any type of relapse prevention plan. There is a great deal of additional information available on relapse prevention and quitting smoking.

Benefits of Quitting Smoking - Results in 20 Minutes

You're on the verge of taking the plunge. Finally ready to lay aside those smokes. Without doubt, you have heard of the many deadly side effects of smoking. There are many and they are real.



Cigarettes Cause Health Concerns



The 1982 Surgeon General's report stated, "Cigarette smoking is the major single cause of Cancer mortality in the United States." Many studies show how cigarette smoking is a major cause of heart disease, which can lead to heart attacks. According to the American Heart Association, 30% of all coronary heart disease deaths in the United States each year are attributable to cigarette smoking. The toll on health is devastating!



Smoking is Expensive



Not only is smoking taking a toll on health, it hits the wallet hard. Smoking is very expensive these days. When I was smoking, I spent around $3,600 and some change a year. Wow! That's a lot of money. If you multiply that by 20 years, that's a really nice chunk of change!



But more than money, it takes off days to your life and adds to your health bills. Illnesses related to smoking cost the nation billions each year. The CDC says the smokers cost the country 96 billion dollars a year directly in healthcare cost.



Get Results in 20 Minutes



Good news though. If you quit right now you can start seeing results within 20 minutes!



ท In 20 minutes, your blood pressure returns to normal.



ท Another 48 hours from now, your chances of having a heart attack have lowered.



ท Your sense of taste and smell will have returned to normal, and nicotine will have left your body yay!



ท In 3 weeks, your circulation will have improved greatly and your chronic cough will have gone.



ท One year after you have quit, your risk of heart attack will have dropped by half



ท In 5 years, your risk of a having a stroke will have returned to that of a non-smoker.



These are just few of the great things that happen if you were to quit right now, there are many more. The best probably is that in 15 years, your risk of heart attack has returned to that of a non-smoker. Don't put it off any longer the time to quit is now!