The Brazilian Congress has heightened a ban currently in place to include enclosed areas in airports and bars, where smoking rooms have previously been exempt from the regulations. Additionally, Brazil will increase taxes on tobacco products and implement a minimum price rate for all tobacco products sold within the country. The cost to consumers will increase by 55 percent over a four-year period.

The restriction increases to the country's smoking ban, as reported by the Associated Press (AP), is directed to eliminate cigarettes entering the country illegally through Paraguay that are sold for a fraction of the price of Brazilian-made cigarettes.

For all persons who smoke tobacco, the health risks are imminent. Continue Reading

Have you noticed that you smoke more when you are stressed?

Every person has a different definition of stress. For one person, they might see normal life responsibilities as stress while another doesn't. As unique as each person is, so are stressors. The top five stressors are; money and finances, jobs or careers, family and children, health, and relationship with a significant other. Finding healthy ways to cope with changes in those key five areas will help reduce stress levels and will keep you from smoking more -- which actually increases stress responses in the body. Continue Reading

Grandparents have a unique relationship with grandchildren that is founded on love, support, and respect. Seldom are grandparents in a disciplinary roll, which makes communication more fluid and focused, especially important when it comes to discussing poor choices and health effects of any given activity.

Grandparents are key influencers on a child's sense of identity. The intergenerational connection between grandparent and grandchild could provide the support and encouragement for one child to decline the offer to try tobacco products down the road. Celebrate Grandparent's Day by discussing the ill effects of smoking. Continue Reading

Quitting smoking is a personal decision for every person out there. For some, the urge to quit smoking comes with seeing the devastating health risks common with cigarettes. Others quit to save money or at the seemingly unending requests of loved ones. No matter your reason for quitting smoking, preparing yourself for the journey is vital for your success.

List the reasons why you want to quit smoking and carry it with you. Having a detailed list of why you want to quit smoking at your finger tips can help stave off cravings while you work through the withdrawals. The list you create should be more than just a Continue Reading

Excruciating chest pain radiating to the left arm or jaw sends one person into the emergency department where many tests are run. It is determined that a heart attack has happened. Hospitalization is mandatory.

For a smoker, this is the time to quit. There is no smoking allowed on hospital property and the staff encourages cessation. Success is reached while under watchful care. It is the choice a smoker makes when walking out of the hospital that determines mortality. Italian researchers say that ‘resuming smoking after hospital discharge could increase the risk of dying as much as five-fold.’ Continue Reading

If you are still a tobacco cigarette smoker, you'll notice that the prices keep increasing. The primary reason for large price hikes is a higher tax rate. Taxes fuel the government's accounts, providing funding for many much needed programs. The other reason for tax hikes on tobacco products is to encourage people to quit. Some people might be deterred from buying another pack when they hear the price (As high as $15 a pack in New York City!), but not everyone will abandon one of hardest addictions to break.

According to a recent study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health conducted in Canada at Concordia University by economists found smokers between the age of 25 and 44 were most unresponsive to price increases. Higher taxes do prompt low and middle income earners to make additional attempts at quitting. Continue Reading

I've heard many arguments from smokers who defend their love of smoking as just that, not an addiction. It is these arguments that create an illusion within the mind that smoking is nothing more than a "habit" or a "confidence boost." For a smoker, those statements might sound good, but I'm going to bust through [...]

Electronic cigarettes continue to push limits. Many places across the country are including e-cigs in with tobacco legislation. Smoking bans are not the only place legislature is being rewritten to limit their purchase, too. In Millwood, Spokane County, Clark County and Tacoma-Pierce County, Washington, legislation has passed banning the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors.

Nicotine is highly addictive. It is compared to heroine and cocaine. There is no reason that any child should be using a substance that will create a monster within that takes many attempts and even more years to subdue. Continue Reading

Sixty-two-year-old Kenneth Heath of Canaan, VT made an important step in his health by making the attempt to quit smoking. He used the smoking cessation medication, Chantix. With a history of mental illness, Heath's mother noted behavioral changes that were concerning and took Heath to the hospital two days prior to the shooting. Medical professionals advised Heath to stop taking the prescription medication and released him from their care. The day of the shooting, Heath's mother went to check on him when Heath fired a shot that ultimately took his Mother's life. Continue Reading