Trying to quit smoking? Does nicotine have a strong hold over you? It’s one of the most addictive substances on the planet - found naturally in tobacco. Although not illegal, it’s equally as addictive as cocaine or heroine, two illegal drugs known for their strong addictive qualities. Nicotine can be one of the hardest obstacles to overcome when you are trying to quit smoking.
When you use nicotine, your body begins to rely on it both mentally and physically. You can’t quit smoking because you have to face both the psychological and physical issues facing you at this point, which is often overwhelming for anyone.
It’s not the smoke itself that wreaks havoc on your addictions and makes it nearly impossible for you to quit smoking – it’s the nicotine that gets carried in the smoke deep into your lungs where it plants itself in your bloodstream and then moves to every available part of your body to affect your internal health.
Your heart and blood vessels, your brain, your hormones, and your metabolism are all directly affected by nicotine. Even though you may logically know the damage being done, your ability to quit smoking is diminished because the drug has the same effect as endorphins, releasing mood-elevating feelings that cause you to crave more.
But nicotine has another result. When you try to quit smoking, or even stay at the same number of cigarettes you currently smoke, your body triggers you to smoke more, telling you that you’ve become tolerant of your current usage. Nicotine can cause your body to react faster than if you were given a drug intravenously.
If you are able to quit smoking, nicotine will still reside in your body for up to four days after you stop using it. Your body will go into withdrawal, which is both a mental and physical obstacle you have to overcome.
While the physical portion of the addiction has to be dealt with through symptoms such as sleep disturbance, headaches, and dizziness, when someone quits smoking, the mental portion is noticeable when the newly ex-smoker starts dealing with depression, frustration, and anger that results from nicotine withdrawal.
Because of the pressure felt in both the mind and body, many smokers return to the bad habit so that the nicotine will erase the symptoms they’re feeling. The dilemma of withdrawal symptoms when someone quits smoking can last for days or weeks, depending on the severity of the addiction.
Eventually, the symptoms disappear and the strong hold nicotine has over the user loosens up its grip and allows the ex-smoker to break the habit for good. Most smokers have to try several times before they’re able to quit smoking forever, although many do it on the first try using smoking cessation aids.
utorak, 24. srpnja 2007.
četvrtak, 19. srpnja 2007.
How To Change Your Car's Oil
There are many places you can go to get your oil changed. Most of the places are not too expensive, but they are often busy, and it is hard to get to the shop when you are busy working. If you are interested in changing your car's oil yourself, there are things you should know. First of all most cars are pretty much the same in this regard. If you have changed one car's oil you can probably change it in most cars. While the oil pan may be located in a different area of each individual model it is generally on the bottom of the vehicle. Below are a few tips that will help you make this task easier.
You will need at least six quarts of oil. Preferably you should use the same type of oil as you had in the engine before.
You will also need to purchase a new oil filter designed specifically for the model of your car.
During an oil change most people also change the air filters on their cars. The air filter tends to become dirty in about the same time as the oil needs changing, especially on older model vehicles. Therefore it may not be a bad idea to purchase an air filter as well.
If you have not done any prior work on the vehicle at home, you will need to purchase a car jack or tire racks. These racks allow you to drive up on them to elevate the front end of the car where you will be working. If you are using a jack or the racks you will need to place blocks behind the other two tires to keep the car from rolling because the parking brakes do not always hold the grip reliably.Make sure that the parking brakes are on and that the transmission is in park position. You need to elevate the car so that the oil will run out of the oil pan completely as well as make it easier for you to reach the oil pan.
Prepare a canister or a pan to catch the oil in. Most auto parts shops including those online will have oil pans that you can drain the oil into. These pans have a special design to make disposing of the oil into an oil drum easy.
You will also need an oil filter wrench. This wrench must be the correct wrench for the size of filter you have. There are many sizes depending on the type of car you have.Another tool you will need is the wrench for the oil pan nut. This nut has to be removed to let the oil escape. This is usually a metric or standard wrench depending on who manufactured your car. The best tool for this job is a socket wrench.
Once you have all of the tools and other items you will need to locate the oil pan. It is best to look in your car's manual for this information. Keep plenty of towels on hand as well.
First, loosen the nut on the oil pan, making sure that you are prepared for the first gush of oil by having the waste pan underneath the oil pan.
Next, locate the oil fill cap and remove it. Some manuals may tell you to do this first. I have found that this creates more of a gush if you wait to remove the hexagonal nut after, so the potential for a spill is higher.
Once you have gotten the oil flowing out of the vehicle you can then set a bucket just under the oil filter. There will be a little oil drainage from the filter so having the bucket under there will help keep you from causing a spill. Once you have removed the old filter you can then screw on the new filter following the instructions on the box.
Now that you have removed all of the oil from your vehicle you will need to make sure that you replace the hexagonal nut on the oil pan and make sure that the oil filter is screwed on tight. Then you can begin replacing the oil. It is best to fill the engine with at least four quarts of oil and then let it settle. Check the engine oil level and then add a quart until it is full. Check with your manual on the exact amount of oil required for the engine.
You will need at least six quarts of oil. Preferably you should use the same type of oil as you had in the engine before.
You will also need to purchase a new oil filter designed specifically for the model of your car.
During an oil change most people also change the air filters on their cars. The air filter tends to become dirty in about the same time as the oil needs changing, especially on older model vehicles. Therefore it may not be a bad idea to purchase an air filter as well.
If you have not done any prior work on the vehicle at home, you will need to purchase a car jack or tire racks. These racks allow you to drive up on them to elevate the front end of the car where you will be working. If you are using a jack or the racks you will need to place blocks behind the other two tires to keep the car from rolling because the parking brakes do not always hold the grip reliably.Make sure that the parking brakes are on and that the transmission is in park position. You need to elevate the car so that the oil will run out of the oil pan completely as well as make it easier for you to reach the oil pan.
Prepare a canister or a pan to catch the oil in. Most auto parts shops including those online will have oil pans that you can drain the oil into. These pans have a special design to make disposing of the oil into an oil drum easy.
You will also need an oil filter wrench. This wrench must be the correct wrench for the size of filter you have. There are many sizes depending on the type of car you have.Another tool you will need is the wrench for the oil pan nut. This nut has to be removed to let the oil escape. This is usually a metric or standard wrench depending on who manufactured your car. The best tool for this job is a socket wrench.
Once you have all of the tools and other items you will need to locate the oil pan. It is best to look in your car's manual for this information. Keep plenty of towels on hand as well.
First, loosen the nut on the oil pan, making sure that you are prepared for the first gush of oil by having the waste pan underneath the oil pan.
Next, locate the oil fill cap and remove it. Some manuals may tell you to do this first. I have found that this creates more of a gush if you wait to remove the hexagonal nut after, so the potential for a spill is higher.
Once you have gotten the oil flowing out of the vehicle you can then set a bucket just under the oil filter. There will be a little oil drainage from the filter so having the bucket under there will help keep you from causing a spill. Once you have removed the old filter you can then screw on the new filter following the instructions on the box.
Now that you have removed all of the oil from your vehicle you will need to make sure that you replace the hexagonal nut on the oil pan and make sure that the oil filter is screwed on tight. Then you can begin replacing the oil. It is best to fill the engine with at least four quarts of oil and then let it settle. Check the engine oil level and then add a quart until it is full. Check with your manual on the exact amount of oil required for the engine.
How to Save Fuel
PLAN AND COMBINE YOUR TRIPS
* Plan your route to avoid needless traveling.
* Try to combine errands into one trip. Taking several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multi-purpose trip that covers the same distance when the engine is warm.
* Stagger your traveling time to avoid peak-hour rush. You spend less time getting stuck in traffic and consume less fuel too.
* Walk all short distances. Avoid driving if your destination is within walking distance. Not only do you save on fuel, it is a good form of exercise too.
* Take advantage of car pool. Take turns to drive with your neighbours, friends or colleagues.
KEEP YOUR CAR IN SHAPE
* Keep tyres properly inflated. The rolling resistance for under-inflated tyres will be greater and fuel consumption will increase. Properly inflated tyres are safer and last longer.
* Check for proper wheel alignment. More power is required to overcome improper alignment, and this in turn wastes fuel.* Keep your engine properly tuned.
* Use the correct octane rating that is appropriate for your car. Unless your car requires premium petrol, filling up your car with high-octane fuel that costs more would not boost your car's fuel economy or performance.
* Tighten up the fuel cap as fuel can evaporate from your fuel tank if it has an escape.
* Check and replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car fuel mileage and keeps impurities from damaging your car engine.
* Ensure that your car is serviced regularly in accordance to the service programme so that vehicle components that can affect fuel consumption can be inspected.
DRIVE MORE EFFICIENTLY
* Do not keep the engine idle as it uses more fuel and increase wear ad tear. Drive as soon as your engine is started, though slowly at first, picking up speed as you go. This way, the engine will warm up faster and lubricate faster. If you need to wait for more than 5 minutes, switch off your engine.
* Do not ride the brake and clutch pedals. This increases fuel consumption and causes needless wear on the brake and clutch.
* Accelerate gently, brake gradually and avoid hard stops. Aggressive driving (i.e. speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes fuel. As fuel consumption increases dramatically over the first few hundred metres from a standing start, you should hence accelerate smoothly. Sensible driving is not only safer for you and other road users, it saves you fuel and money too.
* Maintain steady speeds for the best fuel economy. A car uses extra fuel when it accelerates.
* Use the air conditioner sparingly. Switch on the air conditioner only when it is necessary.
* Travel light. Clear out your boot and do not carry unnecessary weight as additional weight and vehicle add-ons have a negative effect on aerodynamics, causing engines to work harder and burn more fuel.
CHOOSE A MORE EFFICIENT VEHICLE
If you are thinking of buying or changing to a new vehicle, select a more fuel-efficient vehicle that will meet your needs.
Consider the following:
* Four-wheel-drive vehicles generally uses more fuel compared to other vehicles
* Vehicles with automatic transmissions may use more fuel than those with manual transmissions
* Smaller capacity cars usually equate with better fuel mileage
* Light interior and exterior colours and tinted windows can reduce heat build up, which saves on air-conditioning.
* Plan your route to avoid needless traveling.
* Try to combine errands into one trip. Taking several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multi-purpose trip that covers the same distance when the engine is warm.
* Stagger your traveling time to avoid peak-hour rush. You spend less time getting stuck in traffic and consume less fuel too.
* Walk all short distances. Avoid driving if your destination is within walking distance. Not only do you save on fuel, it is a good form of exercise too.
* Take advantage of car pool. Take turns to drive with your neighbours, friends or colleagues.
KEEP YOUR CAR IN SHAPE
* Keep tyres properly inflated. The rolling resistance for under-inflated tyres will be greater and fuel consumption will increase. Properly inflated tyres are safer and last longer.
* Check for proper wheel alignment. More power is required to overcome improper alignment, and this in turn wastes fuel.* Keep your engine properly tuned.
* Use the correct octane rating that is appropriate for your car. Unless your car requires premium petrol, filling up your car with high-octane fuel that costs more would not boost your car's fuel economy or performance.
* Tighten up the fuel cap as fuel can evaporate from your fuel tank if it has an escape.
* Check and replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car fuel mileage and keeps impurities from damaging your car engine.
* Ensure that your car is serviced regularly in accordance to the service programme so that vehicle components that can affect fuel consumption can be inspected.
DRIVE MORE EFFICIENTLY
* Do not keep the engine idle as it uses more fuel and increase wear ad tear. Drive as soon as your engine is started, though slowly at first, picking up speed as you go. This way, the engine will warm up faster and lubricate faster. If you need to wait for more than 5 minutes, switch off your engine.
* Do not ride the brake and clutch pedals. This increases fuel consumption and causes needless wear on the brake and clutch.
* Accelerate gently, brake gradually and avoid hard stops. Aggressive driving (i.e. speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes fuel. As fuel consumption increases dramatically over the first few hundred metres from a standing start, you should hence accelerate smoothly. Sensible driving is not only safer for you and other road users, it saves you fuel and money too.
* Maintain steady speeds for the best fuel economy. A car uses extra fuel when it accelerates.
* Use the air conditioner sparingly. Switch on the air conditioner only when it is necessary.
* Travel light. Clear out your boot and do not carry unnecessary weight as additional weight and vehicle add-ons have a negative effect on aerodynamics, causing engines to work harder and burn more fuel.
CHOOSE A MORE EFFICIENT VEHICLE
If you are thinking of buying or changing to a new vehicle, select a more fuel-efficient vehicle that will meet your needs.
Consider the following:
* Four-wheel-drive vehicles generally uses more fuel compared to other vehicles
* Vehicles with automatic transmissions may use more fuel than those with manual transmissions
* Smaller capacity cars usually equate with better fuel mileage
* Light interior and exterior colours and tinted windows can reduce heat build up, which saves on air-conditioning.
srijeda, 18. srpnja 2007.
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