The Truth About Smoking---Smoking Relaxes?

"There's just something about smoking that relaxes me."

For decades, my mother was pretty much a chain smoker. She would be smoking about three packs or more every day, under the deluded impression that all that poison was helping her to relax.

If you look at if from a purely technical point of view, she was right: For three to five minutes after a cigarette is smoked, the smoker feels calmer.

There are three basic reasons for this. First, nicotine is a drug---and a very powerful one. And it both relaxes and stimulates. Both of these effects are very short-lived: within a few minutes after you smoke that cigarette, the edginess and brain-numbing effects begin to build again. Your body says, "Give me some more of that. I am used to it. I need it. And if I don't get some more soon, I'll get sleepy, cranky and dull-witted."

So, yes, smoking does relax you---for a very short while. The truth about smoking tobacco is that it creates far more nervousness and sluggishness than it erases. It's also a very powerful poison. If you were to extract all the nicotine from one pack of cigarettes and shoot that into your bloodstream, chances are quite high that you would be dead in a matter of minutes. And if you smoke enough of it to stay relaxed most of the time, then you are doing three or more packs per day, which is is your ticket to permanent relaxation---as in "pushing up daisies" relaxed.

The second reason that smoking seems to relax is that it gives smokers something that they otherwise would not get as much of: oxygen. The deep inhale of smoke brings with it a dose of oxygen, which your body loves. Your body thrives on oxygen, needs it to be fully functional. For many smokers, deep breathing only happens when they are smoking or having sex. Please extract any conclusions you might draw from that about having sex!

The third reason that many people find smoking to be relaxing is that it is something they are used to. They smoke with other smokers, or to be alone with themselves. Since they do it regularly, it becomes part of routine, of mindset.

"I'm tired now, so I'll smoke."

"I ran out of cigarettes, so I'l smoke that butt."

"The boss just yelled at me, so I'll go have a smoke."

"My kids are driving me nuts, so I'll take a smoke break."

The amazing thing about stopping smoking is that, especially after your third day of freedom, you will find that you have more energy and are more clear in your thinking.

There are three keys to making this true for you: First, amp up the deep breathing when you quit. Otherwise, your body will be creating an addictive urge that you might think is the urge for tobacco when it is actually your body requesting that you feed it more oxygen. Taking three long, deep breaths every hour or half-hour will be a major boost to your energy and your mental clarity.

The second key: Watch your thinking. What you feed your mind determines what your body demands. If you keep on saying to yourself: "I need a cigarette" or "I want a cigarette", the mental poison you are feeding it can be just as damaging as the poisons in the smoke itself.

Key three: Move your body. Exercise. Frequently. As with the suggestion about oxygen above, see your doctor before making any changes in exercise routine. A series of short exercise sessions, even for as little as a minute, can make a big difference, especially in the first few days after you release tobacco from your life.

I have other tips that I will be sharing in these hubs on a weekly basis. If you'd like more of them sooner, please download the free stop smoking system manual I have created at

http://freestopsmokingsystem.com/free-downloads/

Next week: Tobacco Truth #2: The Magic Fluid to Bust the Stress

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Chuck Tedesco smoked for over 36 years and is the developer of Free Stop Smoking System. For more information about the system, see the site above or google "Smoking Release Associates" (the original name of the program) to find more extensive information about the program. The old website is still up as a promotional tool for the designer of the website.