Quit Smoking - Graphic Australian Anti-Smoking Ad (Video)

As promised, here is an Australian Anti-smoking Ad that will definitely make you say "I'll quit smoking today!" The Australian government are very serious about their campaign to urge people to stop smoking.

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Quit Smoking - Australia Proposes Tough Cigarette Packaging Rules

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SYDNEY (AP) — Tobacco companies in Australia will be forced to strip all logos from their cigarette packages and replace them with graphic images such as cancer-riddled mouths and sickly children under legislation unveiled Thursday — a move the government says will make Australia the world's toughest country on tobacco advertising.

The law would remove one of the tobacco companies' last methods of advertising by banning them from printing their logos, promotional text or colorful images on cigarette packs. Instead, brand names will be printed in a small, uniform font, and the packets will be a dull olive green — a color the government believes consumers will hate.

"This plain packaging legislation is a world first and sends a clear message that the glamour is gone — cigarette packs will now only show the death and disease that can come from smoking," Health Minister Nicola Roxon said in a statement. "The new packs have been designed to have the lowest appeal to smokers and to make clear the terrible effects that smoking can have on your health."

Tobacco companies have been fighting the legislation and threatening legal action since the government first announced its plan last year. The law would be phased in over six months, starting in January 2012.

The legality of the measure and whether it violates trademark laws is a matter of debate among experts.British American Tobacco, which produces several cigarette brands including Winfield, Dunhill and Benson, will probably launch legal action against the government over the legislation, spokesman Scott McIntyre said.

"What company would stand for having its brands, which are worth billions, taken away from them?" McIntyre said. "A large brewing company or fast food chain certainly wouldn't and we're no different."

Smoking rates have been declining in Australia for years, but the government says cigarettes still kill 15,000 Australians a year and cost the country about $31.5 billion annually.

Tobacco advertising on billboards and in magazines has long been banned and restrictions on smoking in public places, including restaurants and bars, are common.

Public health advocates said the move to strip packages of their enticing images goes one critical step further, and will have a particularly big impact on children.

"Our research shows that the look of the pack is an important consideration for young people at risk of being drawn to smoking," Ian Olver, CEO of Cancer Council Australia, said in a statement. "So this move by the Australian government has the potential to be one of the most significant public health measures in recent history."

Other countries, such as Britain and Canada, have considered packaging restrictions in the past, but none of the measures has passed, in part because of legal questions.

The government is required under the constitution to pay compensation to anyone from whom it takes or devalues property, including intellectual property such as trademarks. But opinions are split on what the implications of those rules, and international trade laws, are in the case of cigarette packages.

Matthew Rimmer, a legal expert at The Australian National University, said the government is fully within its power to regulate the packaging of tobacco products.

"Trademarks are a government grant and governments always retain the capacity to regulate that grant," said Rimmer, who wrote a paper urging plain packaging of cigarettes in 2008. "So historically they've always had the provisions, for instance, to ban trademarks on certain things that are contrary to law."

Tim Wilson, an intellectual property and free trade expert at the Institute of Public Affairs in Australia, disagrees, saying the measure would violate international trademark and intellectual property regulations. Stripping the tobacco companies' logos from packaging diminishes the value of their trademarks, which is against the law, he said.

Threats of legal action from the tobacco industry will do nothing to dissuade the government from moving forward with the plan, said Roxon, the health minister.

"We believe we are on very strong legal grounds," she told journalists in Sydney. "We're not going to have 'big tobacco' scaring us with legal action. We want to make sure that the glamour that might have been attached to smoking in the past is dead and gone."

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Do you think this will push through? Well, in a future post we will include a sample of an Autralian campaign against smoking. So if I were you, I'd quit smoking today!

Quit Smoking - Today!

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Once you have decided to quit smoking today, you have over come the biggest hurdle, as trying to quit without really wanting to, is not going to be easy. The decision to quit gives way to new questions: How to start, what can you eat/drink to help, how to lessen cravings... it's not really as difficult as you think; once you've made your mind up to quit smoking today, it's just like going on a diet. A little more difficult of course, as smoking is an addiction and like any other addiction, is very tough to break.

Try to set yourself a routine of diet and exercise and other aids, and stick to it. During the first 72 hours or so you will need to drink plenty of acidic fruit juice to help remove the alkaloid nicotine buildup in your body and to help stabilize blood sugar levels.

The best of these is cranberry juice, which will do the job whilst supplying your body with an abundance of vitamins and nutrients.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are a must, along with whole grains, seeds and nuts. You should be able to avoid gaining too much weight if you eat sensibly; weight gain is often associated with quitting smoking, this is because not only are you inclined to eat more to help stave off cravings, but smoking increases the metabolic rate and you will burn calories quicker, so obviously when you first quit you should try to adjust your calorie intake, at least until the metabolism returns to normal.

The best way to quit smoking is to take it one day at a time; follow an exercise routine, even if it's only walking, and find something to keep you occupied in idle moments. Many smokers agree that it's not only the craving for nicotine, but what to do with their hands when not working or otherwise occupied. Depending on your skills, try sketching (or just doodle drawing) knitting, writing; anything which keeps hands busy. Keeping a diary or journal is a good idea, as not only does it give your hands something to do, but you can keep an account of your progress; how you felt, how difficult/easy the day had been, things you had to eat or drink and how they helped, and so on. Open with "I decided to quit smoking today" and on each day re-affirm your commitment to quit.

You will definitely need something to snack or nibble on throughout the day, so arm yourself with plenty of healthy low-cal snacks: grapes and cherries are good, or cherry tomatoes (anything small which you can pick at individually) or sticks of celery are ideal, as not only will celery help calm cravings, but the body actually burns calories while digesting it! So there's a double bonus in eating celery.

The decision to quit smoking today was a difficult one to take, but having done so proves that you have strength of character and willpower, so you should be able to stick to your plan without too much difficulty. Trial and error will find the best way to quit smoking for you, but if you decide you need help, then that's okay too. There is always a solution, an easy way to quit smoking today.

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Quit Smoking - E-Cigarettes the Better Alternative, now in the Philippines!

Great news for all cigarette and non-cigarette smokers. At long last, the answer to a clean, healthy and safe smoke-free environment has finally arrived in the country, in full-support of the Department of Health’s (DOH) anti-lung cancer and healthy heart campaign. Electronic-Cigarette –dubbed the “healthier alternative to smoking” was recently launched in the Philippines by an all-Filipino owned firm – Denkat Trading, whose mission is provide Filipinos who ‘love the habit of smoking’ break its deadly side effects to healthy long life via what is considered a ‘healthier-option’ to smoking tobacco products –cigarettes, cigars or pipes. This world-famous electronic cigarette is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of non-nicotine vaporized solution commonly called the ‘E-Juice’ or ‘E-Liquid’ which in turn, eliminates cancer substances that has led many a smoker to develop deadly cancer cells that attacks people regardless of age factor.

It also protects non-smokers from inhaling 2nd hand smoke that is bad for both the lungs and the heart, plus prevents the formation of yellow teeth (often called ‘smokers teeth’), the proliferation of air-pollution that hampers free-flow of oxygen, and is non-fire hazard. Aside from its health-factors, E-cigarette users get to save almost P14,000 per year, based on a two-pack per day consumption for one-year.

Free demonstration and digital display of E-Cigarettes may be seen at the following venues: 3rd Floor, Robinson’s Place Manila, M. Adriatico Street, Malate, Manila; 2nd Floor, Centermall (2 Bldg.) Tutuban Mall, CM Recto street, Manila; 1st Floor, 1S01 Phase 5 Bldg. 168 Shopping Mall, Soler street, Sta. Cruz, Manila and at SM Sta. Mesa 1st Floor, Ramon Magsaysay Street, Quezon City. Interested health enthusiasts may receive free info/data on the BFAD-Approved Denkat Electronic Cigaretes, via its Secretariat Office @ 257-0459/577-1962 or visit www.pcrus.ph.

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Quit Smoking - Shocking Effects of Smoking (Video)

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After watching this video about the effects of smoking, do you still want to smoke? Stop smoking today and save yourself and your loved ones!

Quit Smoking - Exercise And Food To Help You Quit Smoking

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You have made the decision to quit smoking, now here are some tips for exercise and foods to help you quit smoking today.

Regular exercise is important to help you quit smoking, but doesn't have to be too strenuous. Take into account your personal fitness and the amount of exercise you normally do.

Just five minutes of walking or muscle flexing can be as effective in decreasing cravings as a nicotine patch. A light session of exercise will decrease cravings for about 15 minutes, and high levels of exercise will more than double this time. The really intense cravings don't normally last for more than a few minutes at a time, so a brisk walk is usually enough to keep these under control.

Many of the symptoms associated with withdrawal can be decreased by exercise, including anxiety, stress, irritability, tension, restlessness and low concentration levels.

Joining a fitness program or exercise group will not only help you with regular exercise, but will help you keep occupied in your leisure hours and keep your mind off those cigarettes. The styles and levels of exercise should be decided by your normal daily routine; just make sure that you do more than usual when trying to quit smoking.

 

Not only exercise but a healthy diet will help you through the difficult times of kicking your habit. Foods to help you quit smoking are fresh fruit and vegetables, and particularly alkaline-producing foods like spinach, figs, raisins and almonds. Avoid acid-forming foods like meat and fatty snacks, or soft drinks.

The alkaline diet is mostly necessary during the first stages of withdrawal when cravings are strongest. Vegetarian and raw foods help most in calming cravings. Beyond the first two or three weeks, once the craving starts to lessen, you can vary the diet some more, but still continue with a daily intake of fresh fruit and vegetable.

Oatmeal is one of the best foods to help you quit smoking, as it has very calming properties to soothe nerves and help you relax: This is especially helpful at bedtime.

A diet rich in antioxidants is especially helpful, coming from the nutrients like beta-carotene, vitamins A and C and the mineral selenium. Make sure to consume plenty of raw seeds and nuts, legumes and sprouts, and above all fresh fruit. Vitamin C is particularly necessary, as it neutralizes the toxins in cigarette smoke.

Drink plenty of water; keep a glass at hand at all times, which will keep your hands busy while at the same time keeping you hydrated. Water will also help to keep you feeling full, and less likely to feel the need to eat.

Avoid alcohol and caffeine as much as possible, not only because of the effects to your health, but also most smokers agree that an alcoholic drink or a cup of coffee will make them immediately want a cigarette.

Work out for yourself an exercise regime and healthy diet list and follow them carefully; you will soon notice the importance of exercise and foods to help you quit smoking today.

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