To Smoke or Not

Can we be forgiven for being a bit cynical about the news that the pharmaceuticals have produced a drug to beat the smoking habit, just in time it would appear, for the nationwide smoking ban to come into force in the UK.

Apparently the new pill Champix, also known as CHX 1.0 or varenicline, has to be taken twice daily and will be available on the NHS by prescription only.

Nicotine has been described by some doctors as being as addictive as heroin. I would beg to differ. Heroin is a narcotic, requiring larger and larger intakes to achieve the same result and very quickly becomes a necessity to be able to function at all. Nicotine by itself is not that addictive. However it does have a certain psychological and physiological addictiveness conspiring to make it a difficult habit to throw.

Physiologically, once nicotine reaches the brain it stimulates particular nerve cells to give a greater awareness and faster reaction times. It can also prevent the degradation of dopamine and actually release more to give you that feelgood high. As if that wasn’t enough, nicotine increases the levels of endorphins which reduce pain, thus inducing euphoria and the extra glutamate availability can improve the memory.

In sharp contrast, Bupropion, also known as Zyban, the previous prescription drug for helping smokers quit, had a long list of side effects such as insomnia, headaches, dry mouth and seizures. Interestingly the seizures had not come to light during the trials of the drug.

The new drug Champix, we are assured is quite safe and has been tested in clinical trials. Nevertheless Pfizer, the producers of Champix have admitted to some side effects such as nausea, insomnia, headaches and hallucinatory dreams. This admission does not bode well for consumers of this latest pill since we know from past human tragedies, clinical trials undertaken on behalf of pharmaceuticals have a habit, some would call it an addiction, of emphasizing the positive and discounting or covering up the most unfavourable aspects.

Smoking of course, is not healthy and is becoming more socially unacceptable by the day in most parts of the western world. But if I was a smoker the choice between a slow death by poisonous pills or a slow death by cigarettes would not be a difficult one to call.

There is a much easier way to give up smoking, or any other unwanted habit for that matter, by using modern hypnosis techniques or any of the excellent subliminal products available to us all on the market today.

In fact the human mind can be optimized in almost any area. The only criteria is that you must want to achieve your goal whether it’s quitting smoking, losing weight or healing your body. Anything is possible. Start by taking control of your own life.

Elga Mackie writes extensively on rediscovering the hidden, and mostly untapped power that lies within. More thought provoking information can be found at http://www.justmindpower.com
Copyright 2007 Elga G Mackie - All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, give author name credit and follow all of the EzineArticles terms of service for Publishers