Smoking Bans
By Patrick Glancy | July 27, 2008
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Over 50% of states are covered by a smoking ban of some form according to en.wikipedia.org. The ban severity depends on the state. Some states the ban includes hotel rooms and others it includes restaurants and bars while other states smoking isn’t allowed anywhere. Since healthcare costs in America are completely out of control, many feel bans such as these have come at a good time. If anything the laws are only going to get more and more strict.
In 2005 Washington state imposed $100.00 fines for lighting up within 25 feet of restaurants, bars, movie complexes and other public places according to an article in USAToday. Indiana will not allow smoking at bus stops or ATMs, and in many states healthcare workers are forbidden to smoke during the work day and must sign a contract agreeing to this rule before they are hired. If found in violation of the contract, employees are fired on the spot. Other states have taken their smoking bans to another level, in Iowa even smoking in your car anywhere on the grounds with get you a fine USAToday also reports. California, who has been a pioneer in the smoking ban, also became the first state to out law smoking on all of its beaches, These trends have no where to go but up mainly due to people raising awareness among the public.
More and more research has come out about second hand smoke. Often those who are exposed to second hand smoke suffer the same health problems as smokers. Cancer, asthma, and emphysema are some of the more common problems associated with second hand smoke. The public feels an obligation to keep non-smokers healthy. The cost of health care are on the rise because of both obesity related health problems and smoking related health complications. The public has had enough.
Since California has been one of the major players in the smoking ban, they decided to take it one step further. Just when the public thought the ban couldn’t get any tougher, California added the old one two and included a ban on driving while smoking with children in the car. This law passed in 2007 making it one of the most drastic in the nation according to cigarettehouse.net. It outraged smokers who feel smoking in their own car is their business, however California’s govern and its lawmakers felt differently. Children should not be made to be exposed to second hand smoke.
Some feel by imposing smoking bans on the public, law makers are taking away a smokers right to choose what they do to their own body. While this maybe true, children and non-smokers are not given a choice at all when they are being exposed to second hand smoke. Smokers are still able to smoke in their homes and private property. They are only asked to respect the public who does not want to be around smoke.
Fifty years ago smoking was a widely accepted form of socialization among adults. Smoking was allowed everywhere from restaurants, work sites and in schools. However after seeing the effects of smoking many have chose to quit. Banning smoking is replacing the smoking socialization factor of fifty years ago, the new trend is healthy and no one should expect this new trend to go away any time soon.
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Childbirth - Relax Through the Birth
By Sara Mendez | July 27, 2008
From the time a woman finds out she is pregnant the only thing on her mind is the thought of child birth. The process is a mystery to most and it can be terrifying and exciting at the same time. They know there will be pain, but every woman feels pain differently making it hard to decide how painful childbirth will actually be. Pain can be managed through many different ways.
One of the first questions a woman is asked by her OBGYN is what sort of birth they want. One woman may want a natural childbirth, others may want an epidural or maybe an under water birth. The choices are endless and making this decision is one which should not be taken lightly.
The thought of squeezing a baby the size of a watermelon through an opening the size of a lemon is a scary. You know there will be pain and it will take hours. You know it will take weeks to recover from either natural childbirth or a c-section and typically you are not able to be on your feet for long periods which is unreasonable with a new baby. Some women become so nervous that they psych themselves out and the whole process becomes unpleasant and the baby is born into an unhappy environment.
Pain free child birth is something every woman wants but with the least amount of risk to herself and her baby. An epidural will help the mother feel minimal pain, but can sometimes leave the mother out of it or she may be allergic to the drugs and not know it until they are administered. Lamaze breathing can help reduce pain during natural childbirth but still the conscious thought of pain can cause tension and anxiety which can create high blood pressure causing danger to both mom and baby.
Hypnoanesthesia is a new form of childbirth that many women are experimenting with. Hypnosis allows you to no use drugs and enjoy hearing your babies cry for the first time. You will not be allergic to hypnosis or have an adverse reaction to it as you may have with drugs. It helps you to relax, ease tensions and anxiety about childbirth. You will not have to worry about high blood pressure and hypnosis is thought to decrease labor time by three hours and help you not be so tired after labor. The mother will experience shorter recovery and a mother can choose when to feel labor and when not to, simply by hypnosis and the ability to control your mind.
Another appealing thing about hypnosis is the technique can be transferred to a nurse, husband or other partner and they will be able to help the mother maintain the state of relaxation through different cues and suggestions which will help her throughout her labor.
There are ways out there to clam yourself through childbirth but they do not always have to involve drugs and you do not always just have to deal with the pain. Child birth is a happy, exciting and beautiful experience for all new mothers. As a new mother it is your choice how you want to delivery your baby, but before you make a decision for your baby, you need to decide what will put both of you at ease, research all your options before making this important decision.
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Drugs and Alcohol - Behind the Abuse
By Patrick Glancy | July 27, 2008
There are many forms of drug and alcohol abuse. Some people binge drink while others drink just to get though the day or to cure their hang over from the previous night. Same with drugs, some abuse street drugs while others take excessive amounts of prescription pills but yet feel it is ok to take the prescription pills since they were prescribed. Whatever your choice of addiction is, they have one thing in common, low self esteem.
Drugs and alcohol are usually just a mask to hide the real problem, low self esteem. According to Selfesteeminternational.org, recovering addicts and alcoholics indicate that low self esteem is the biggest problem in their lives. They feel alcohol is only a symptom to the alcoholic’s real disease. Low self esteem causes and contributes to anxiety, neurosis, defensiveness and ultimately drug and alcohol abuse according to Selfesteeminternational.org.
Drug and alcohol abuse can start early on, earlier than some parents and society would like to admit. In a study done by Selfesteeminternational.org, 18 year olds who already use drugs and alcohol heavily started using when they were as young as seven. They reported feeling alienated by their families, not good enough, anxious, unhappy and overly impulsive. 66% of high school seniors surveyed reported using drugs or alcohol heavily in order to fit in and fill a personal void.
Sometimes the pain of low self esteem is so difficult to deal with that people turn to destructive behaviors such as drugs and alcohol. They self medicate in hopes that the pain will go away. Addicts use their addictions to help them work through to pain of self hate, or so they think. By drinking or using drugs a vicious cycle of more self hatred starts and before you know it, your life is completely out of control. One drink turns into two, two turns in to three and before you know it your life is all about drinking. You family doesn’t want you around, you have spent all your money and lost your job. Your actions only lead to more self hate and disappointment in yourself.
It is difficult to estimate how many people are experiencing low self esteem, but it is safe to say many people suffer from at least one of the symptoms. Maybe you are happy to see someone fail, overly aggressive, do not recognize your own good qualities, or try to please others because you do not know how to say no. There are many reasons why people have low self esteem however, it is not just one isolated incident that causes it. Typically low self esteem is brought on by many years of unpleasant memories and criticism. The criticism can come from anyone, a parent, teacher or society.
One of the most important factors in recovery is acceptance of the disease and being able to identify why you choose to be an addict in the first place. Often it is difficult to address years of low self esteem in a twelve week program. That is why follow up counseling and treatment is recommended. One new treatment that is being recommended is hypnosis. Hypnosis works with the subconscious mind to identify painful memories causing the low self esteem and help the patient work through the memory and develop new self confidence. Hypnosis is done in a safe environment and is chemical free which appeals to many recovering addicts.
Some people feel therapy and counseling is the best and only treatment needed to help recovering addicts. Unfortunately, if this were true all rehab facilities would offer a 100% cure rate. Most can not even offer a 70% cure rate. It is important to have a treatment plan that will help to identify why you started abusing drugs or alcohol in the first place, and this is difficult to do with a counselor. Often addicts have little trust in counselors and are more censored when talking until they get to know the counselor. Since hypnosis works with the subconscious mind, it allows the addict to think and speak openly about low self esteem issues.
Drug and alcohol abuse is a very serious problem, but what is more concerning is the underlying behavior of self hate. Until that issue is dealt with, the thought of alcohol and drug abuse is always there for the addict. There are many ways to help improve self esteem but why not do it in a safe environment and start dealing with the real problem today.
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Stress Management-Take a Deep Breath
By Sara Mendez | July 27, 2008
Stress can have a profound effect on your daily life. Stress is hard to define for many people. It can be a variety of different feelings and be triggered by numerous situations. It is vital to know how to deal with stress and how to address the triggers that make you stressed. Learning how to do this will allow you to lead a happier, healthier and more complete life. Behavior modification can assist you in reaching your goal and it doesn’t just stop there.
Your pulse races, your chest feels tight, you feel depressed and hopeless. This is how many people describe being stressed out. Often stress can feel unmanageable and overwhelming, just this thought can add additional stress to your life and body. Hypnosis allows your mind to take a break from the stress and relax. During your session you learn different tools to combat stress and how to apply them to your daily life.
Maybe you feel stressed before a doctor’s appointment, taking a test or standing up in front of a large crowd. Maybe you feel stressed out by something more serious like family problems or financial difficulties. Whatever makes you stressed out is called a trigger. It is necessary to find out what your trigger is and address how to deal with it when confronted with one. Hypnosis will allow you to feel more in control and more relaxed when you are met with a trigger.
Through behavior modification you learn a unique method. You learn how to not only manage your stress but how to deal with the individual trigger responses. Many times a response to stress is expressed as anger, anxiety, and the feeling of helplessness. By learning to combat those triggers you can start on the path to leading a healthy relaxed life.
Stress can show itself in other areas of your life such as your health. Stress can be the cause of many health related issues such as a lower immune system, heart attack, cancer, stomach problems and skin break outs. In some cases people turn to alcohol or dugs to help them cope. Many start to gain weight or lose weight, start to smoke or lose confidence in themselves. You will learn special techniques to help with all of the issues you want to address. Just knowing that behavior modification can help in so many areas should help you to relax even more.
Hypnosis is unique in that it works immediately and will be long lasting which will help you be successful in your stress management goal. You will notice your breathing and pulse rates will become lower as well as your blood pressure just in your first session. Long term you will learn self hypnosis techniques that will allow you to relax on command.
There is lots of help out there to manage stress. You have taken the first step in gaining that help, you have acknowledged that you have stress that is unmanageable in your life. Now it is time to make the right decision for you.
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Smoking Keeps you Calm?
By Patrick Glancy | July 25, 2008
In my job, I’ve helped a lot of people quit smoking. And I’ve heard a lot of reasons why smoking is a good thing.
Smoking helps you think, relaxes you, de-stresses you, keeps you from getting upset at your family, tastes good with coffee, tastes really good after a meal. Basically, makes things “better” and makes you feel “better”.
I know you don’t really believe these reasons, or why would you be trying to stop smoking. Still, a part of you DOES believe these reasons.
You do have a strong reason to keep smoking or you would have quit by now. Just so you know, there are not any laws stating your reason to keep smoking needs to make any sense. It rarely does.
You’ve probably already proven your reasons untrue. Smoking might taste better with coffee because the coffee taste on your tongue covers the bad taste of smoking???
Most of the time you KNOW the reason doesn’t make sense. That doesn’t change the craving though, does it? Just one more one more reason in your list of reasons to quit. A list that doesn’t have much chance against the well-rooted cravings to smoke.
There are two important sides to this. The feeling that smoking will make you feel better and, the feeling you want to feel better than. That’s what needs to be changed.
If you’re too hot, you look for ways to cool off. If you’re leg hurts you look for pain relief. If you feel bad (tired, stressed, overwhelmed, angry, lonely, whatever…) you look to feel good. If you have held the belief that smoking makes you feel good, that’s where your mind takes you.
This feeling to do something is what you probably call a craving. Many smokers have more than one type of craving going on. The ‘after you wake up’ craving might feel different than the ‘after a meal’ craving. The same principles apply.
So how to help this situation? I can spend a few articles explaining it (and I have, look for them) But, it comes down to changing the feelings, motivations and beliefs involved.
First, feeling bad needs to be looked at and helped. If it’s stress, get it managed, if it’s a bad situation, do what you can to fix it or get help.
Second, the belief that smoking makes you feel good (it is often the mistaken, and understandable, belief that smoking equals being an adult, in control, strong, capable, etc…) The fact is, smoking is some plant leaf and chemicals wrapped in paper. The good feeling you’re looking for, and sometimes experience, is created by YOU. YOU make yourself feel better when you smoke. You can make yourself feel just as good when drinking a glass of water. If, your mind believes it.
And that’s the trick. Quit smoking is mainly about modifying behavior. That’s why the success rate of medication and nicotine replacement alone is so poor. The only current exception is Chantix and even Pfizer, the makers of Chantix, recommend behavior modification along with the medication.
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