FREE tip book for the Great American Smokeout

For everyone who signs up for my blog,  I will email you a FREE PDF copy of my "Tips to Win at Quitting Smoking".




Start now to build your plan to be successful as your 2013 New year's resolution. The tips in my book will walk you through how to build your plan. Start today and be smoke-free by next year.

Can personality traits tell which cessation medication will work best?

Every smoker is different and when trying to decide which medication is the best one to use, it is often a matter of trial and error. But over the years I have seen different patterns emerge. It's only my observation and not scientific but it may be better than trial and error.

I always ask smoker to complete the following sentence: "I want to quit BUT......" What I've noticed is what comes

Tobacco company sponsors teen cessation conference

A few weeks ago I listened to a webinar about reducing teen smoking rates. I knew it was sponsored by Altria (formerly known as Phillip Morris, AKA Marlboro land). It wasn't so much what was said but what was NOT said. There was no disclosure for this webinar that Altria was paying for it and I bet that if it had been disclosed, many of the call participants would have hung up.

Next, I started

Cancer research and prevention should be a national priority

"You have cancer," are the most terrifying words a person can hear in their lifetime, yet are so common with 1 out of 2 men and 1 out of 3 women being diagnosed within their lifetime with the big "C". I can't think of anything else that will affect every American in such a profound way.

I was in Washington DC this week as a legislative Ambassador for the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action

Tips to Win at Quitting Smoking, Finding the Missing Piece in Your Plan to Stop Smoking and Stay Quit

For less than the cost of a pack of  cigarettes, this comprehensive pocket guidebook to stop smoking is loaded with tips, suggestions, and ideas to guide any smoker through the quitting process. Based on clinical research proven to be effective, the information is divided into four steps: Building motivation, Creating a plan to be successful, Quit Day, Preventing relapse.

Discover:The 15 Tips

"Crush Your Butts", An effective five step process to Stop Smoking and Stay Quit forever

Are you one of millions of smokers stuck on the ambivalence fence having a love/hate relationship with your cigarettes? Do you want to quit but you also enjoy smoking? Learn the practical steps to get off the fence and become smoke-free on your own terms.
How many times have you tried to stop smoking?  Read this e-book to make your next time, your last time. Learn the secret to successful

Should couples quit together?

In a relationship where both are smokers, three things can happen:
1. Both really want to quit.2. One wants to quit and the other does not.3. One wants to quit and while the other really isn't ready to quit, but they go along with their mate.
For the best chance at success, you need to decide to quit for yourself regardless of the decision of your partner.  When Don and Susan quit together, Don

50 Restaurants offer smoke-free patios in the City of Riverside

In 1986, I went to a four star restaurant in Laguna Beach. As we sat down, I noticed that no one was smoking and there weren't any ashtrays on the table. I went into immediate panic of not being able to smoke there. I wanted to leave but the waiter assured me that I could smoke and brought me an ashtray.

Today, I wouldn't sit anywhere if smoking is allowed. I recently attended an event at one of

Another reason why quitters gain weight when becoming smoke-free

 I've been saying for 20 years that once you quit, you may feel hungrier than when you smoke and there is a study that proves it. Nicotine binds to receptors in the brain that tell you when to stop eating.
There are other reasons why quitters will gain weight but a comprehensive quitting plan will include weight management for those concerned. Here is the chapter about avoiding weight gain from

Genes to blame for difficulty in quitting

A new study shows some smokers have a genetic factor which makes it more difficult to quit smoking.  Smokers who have an abundance of "mu opioid receptors" (MOR) in their brain, are more likely to relapse because their brains find nicotine more rewarding. PET scans were used to show that smokers with excess MOR's had different genetic factors than smokers with less MOR's.
When nicotine fits into

It's time for the City of La Quinta to have Smoke-free parks

Feeling like a slug after surgery, I wasn't able to take my dog Joey, for his daily 45 minute walk. Instead we went to the local dog park. Within a few minutes someone else walked in, sat next to me and lit up a cigarette. I could have asked her to put it out but since it's not against the law in La Quinta, she didn't have to, and after having major surgery, I wasn't up to a confrontation with a

Environmental Hazards of tobacco

There are many personal reasons to become smokefree such as better health, and saving money, but quitting is also good for the environment.
Trash
Cigarette butts are the number one trash item collected on our beaches with over one million butts collected in the United States alone. Worldwide over 4 trillion butts are smoked each year. Each butt is made of about 12,000 plastic fibers which take 12

Shame and guilt keep smokers smoking

Often what keeps smokers smoking is either shame or guilt or both. As a coach, I never want to add to either emotion with my clients. Shame is "there is something wrong with me (that's why I can't quit)". Guilt is "I'm doing something wrong (but I don't know how to stop)". I remember feeling both after my first cancer diagnosis---even smokers would bug me to quit--"VJ, why are you smoking, you've

What is addiction?

Have you ever thought of the perfect response to a comment later? That happened to me a few days ago when I was talking to a group of physicians. One said, "Nicotine is not an addiction. Addiction is when you hold up your mother for money to buy your drugs." I mumbled some answer and only later thought about what I wish I had said:

When I talk about nicotine being addictive, I'm talking about