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July 31, 2013 / Business Insider / — When someone says a substance is addictive, they can mean two separate things. Physically addictive, more accurately physically dependent, is when your body begins to depend on the presence of a particular substance for its physical well being. It’s begun compensating its normal processes to adjust for the new artificial normal. The sudden absence of that substance won’t allow enough time for the body to compensate without the substance. The result will be withdrawal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, chest pains, head and body aches, seizures, uncontrolled body sweats, and shortness of breath. Alcohol is a great example. If you don’t normally consume it, and then all of a sudden decide to drink... Read More

  For Immediate Release LIFE JUST GOT EASIER Novus Twigs:  A New Choice For New Year’s Smoking Resolutions   New York City,NY/1/28/2013 —  Now that all of the holidays and celebrations are behind us, many who made those well-intentioned New Year’s Resolutions are beginning to lose their stick-to-it resolve as the day-to-day grind of a regular work week sets in. According to experts, the most common resolutions include going on a diet, quitting smoking, increasing exercise, reducing alcohol consumption and getting more sleep.  While some of these are easily achieved through behavior modifications, lifestyle changes like quitting smoking can be particularly challenging. The Surgeon General officially declared... Read More

January 23, 2013 / Wall Street Journal / – Five decades after the U.S. surgeon general first warned of the hazards of smoking, researchers reported fresh evidence Wednesday of tobacco’s devastating toll on the health of the U.S. population—and of the benefits of quitting. Two studies that looked at the effects of smoking over a lifetime found that both men and women who smoke were about three times as likely to die before reaching age 80 in one study, and 75 in the other study, compared with those who never smoked. One of the studies found that women who smoke through their lives lose 11 years of longevity, compared with never-smokers, while men lose about 12 years. “Men and women are now equal—they both lose a decade... Read More

December 30, 2012 / ABCNews.com / — There is no scientific proof that electronic cigarettes are useful in combating smoking addiction and they should not be used by young people because they are still delivering nicotine to the body, a study by the Italian Health Ministry said today. The gadgets often known as e-cigarettes have growing in popularity in Italy as well as the U.S. The Health Ministry report, published Friday, warned that this “fashion gadget” should not be used by young people because, even if smaller quantities of nicotine are inhaled in this way, there are still serious potential health risks. The report also raised the concern that the use of this gadget could lead young people to graduate from these... Read More

by Taylor Ellsworth [ Original article first appeared in : The Fix ]   I’ve quit smoking enough times to make me an expert.  And I’ve learned something along the way: not everyone wants me to succeed. I’m 55 days off of smoking cigarettes. Quitting is an incredibly difficult feat; urban legend tells us that it takes most people an average of seven attempts to quit successfully. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve tried. Though you’d think that triumphing over alcohol and bulimia would render nicotine an easy feat, it’s been anything but. In theory, it’s odd that I ever took up smoking in the first place. I’m incredibly vain and I’ve always been active. One of my first memories is comprised of rummaging through my... Read More

December 29, 2012 / NewHampshire.com / —  New Year’s Day usually means a new start, a chance to reboot and begin healthier habits. And one of the most common health-related resolutions is to quit smoking. A recent trend in that arena, however, has some medical and cessation experts somewhat concerned. The trend has been in the use of e-cigarettes and other electronic devices that emit vapors to simulate the inhalation of tobacco smoke. “I’ve had mixed reviews on them, because they are not (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) approved and they are not regulated in any way,” said Kate McNally, program coordinator for the Cheshire Coalition for Tobacco Free Communities. “The results people are going to... Read More

December 24, 2012 / Syracuse.com / ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New state laws banning sales of electronic cigarettes to minors and giving businesses new tax exemptions for installing solar energy systems are set to take effect next week. In 2013, New Yorkers will also calculate state income taxes owed based on the new rates that took effect in 2012 and which should have already been reflected in payroll deductions. Meanwhile, taxable income amounts could change based on a cost-of-living index adjustment in the law for the next two years. The ban on sales to those under 18 of e-cigarettes, battery-powered devices used to inhale vaporized liquid nicotine instead of tobacco smoke, is effective Jan. 1. Though initially sold as an alternative to... Read More

December 19, 2012 / WebMD / — Plans for e-cigarettes to be regulated for the first time and bigger health warnings on cigarette packets have been announced by the European Commission. The plans have been welcomed by Cancer Research UK and the anti-smoking group ASH. Tobacco products directive The EC planned legislation tightens rules and introduces new measures on how tobacco products can be manufactured, marketed and sold. In a press statement the commissioner in charge of Health and Consumer Policy, Tonio Borg says: “Tobacco kills half of its users and is highly addictive. With 70% of the smokers starting before the age of 18, the ambition of today’s proposal is to make tobacco products and smoking less attractive... Read More

Now, however, its alarming effects on the mental well-being of millions of smokers have been outlined by scientists in the UK. Lighting up regularly has been associated with a sharp decline in the performance of the brain, according to their study. They found that middle-aged smokers performed worse on tests compared with those without the tobacco habit. The project examined memory, planning and overall mental ability after four and eight years. The tests included asking people to learn new words or name as many animals as they could in a minute. Researchers concluded that smoking "consistently" reduced all three performance measures after four years. They also found that high blood pressure and being overweight took their toll of... Read More