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If to this you add the likelihood of suffering respiratory and heart illnesses, different types of cancer which in 40 percent of cases are diagnosed too late, premature ageing of the skin, devitalized hair, bad breath, etc. What are waiting for to give up smoking?

The first thing you should do is make a firm decision. In its "Gu�a Pr�ctica para dejar de fumar" (Practical Guide to giving up smoking), the specialists of the "Servicio Canario de Salud" (Canarian Health Service) (Tel. 922 47 57 15) advise you to repeat to yourself everyday the reasons that have lead you to give it up. The next step is to cover a box in loud-coloured paper and rennounce using others. Doing so will help you to smoke less. Why? Because on seeing the loud-coloured paper you will realise what you are going to do. On top of this, the cigarette, without any kind of marketing which normally accompanies it, will stop seeming attractive.

Then, choose a specific day to give up smoking. It is important that you tell everyone about your decision. If your partner smokes, ask him / her not to do in front of you. Also, you should try to avoid spicy and abundant foods and you should drink lots of water and natural juices with vitamin C. These liquids accelerate the elimination of nicotine from the body and produce the feeling of being full, which will avoid you from putting on extra kilos in weight.

Methods for giving up
Alongside the traditional products with nicotine: chewing gum in order to get rid rid of momentary anxiety, nasal nebulisers for heavy smokers and patches which are stuck onto the skin and continually release nicotine into the blood stream, there are other methods you can use in order that you can light up your last cigarette. These are:

• The �Asociaci�n Espa�ola Contra el C�ncer� (Spanish Anti-Cancer Association) (Tel. 91 319 41 38 and 91 308 26 27) carries out free programmes to help people stop smoking using group therapy. There are seven one-hour sessions; the first is given by a doctor and the following six are given by a psychologist..
• In the Natural Medical Centre of Madrid (Tel. 91 576 21 25), they reccomend the use of medicinal plants. Infusions of lobelia, for instance, provide an alkaloid similar to nicotine, but without its side effects. Coltsfoot and grindelia decongest the airways. And in order to combat the anxiety brought on by abstinence, they advise of herbal teas with valeriana and passiflora.
• Another method is accupuncture. It consists of� the application of needles in strategic points around the body, in order to overcome withdrawal symptoms and reinforce will-power. An average of three one-hour sessions are required. The telephone number of the �Sociedad de Acupuntura de Espa�a� (Spanish Accupuncture Society) is 93 370 13 01.
• The Allen Carr method, endorsed by the OMS, is promoted in our country by R. Sivi (Tel. 91 543 85 04), who gives a talk which lasts for several hours in which he criticizes�the tobacco industry, followed by 15 minutes relaxation in which people smoke their last cigarette.
• The holoenergetic method given by the doctors Piro and Aussell (Tel. 93 464 48 01) is destined towards smokers who need cigarettes in order to confront certain situations. The treatment consists of three thirty-minute sessions, with an interval of several weeks between each one.
• You can also opt for the Tobbac-End method (Tel. 91 431 97 99 and 93 215 98 45), discovered by the neurologist P. Nogier and approved of by the OMS. It consists of stimulating points of energy in the outer ear with an electronic pencil, with the aim to normalize the production of endorphins and erradicate anxiety. The treatment is carried out in two consecutive one-hour sessions, which are sometimes repeated after 15 to 30 days.

If you are unable to give up
First of all don�t feel guilty. 7 in 10 people who want to stop smoking fail to do so. The reason being is that the dependency generated by tobacco is four times greater than that produced by heroin. That aside, if you continue smoking, try to do so in a way that is less harmful to your health and that of other people:

• Don�t smoke on an empty stomach or after exercising.
• Don�t take very deep puffs.
• Don�t wait until you reach the filter before putting the cigarette out.
• Don�t smoke between dishes in meals.
• Try to mix more with non-smokers.
• Eat food rich in vitamin C and folic acid.
• Try smoking with a cigarette holder.
• Buy metholated pipettes and sugar-free chewing gum.
• Put the money you save from smoking less in a money box.