There are countless techniques that claim to help you quit smoking. But do they work? Following is an overview of some of the more common ways to quit. Find out for yourself if they can live up to their promises.

Medications

Many people who decide to stop smoking give nicotine patches a try. They work by slowly decreasing the amount of nicotine that you ingest each day. This helps to ease the symptoms of withdrawal once nicotine is gone from your system completely.

A hot new pharmaceutical product is Chantix, a quit smoking pill. This medication causes the release of dopamine, a feel good chemical in your brain. Your brain gets the sensation that nicotine is doing its thing. Using this form of treatment, withdrawal symptoms are virtually nonexistent.

It’s important to note that using medications to help you stop smoking isn’t always the complete answer. The reason is that it’s not only the physical addiction that’s the problem. Smoking is also psychologically addictive, which is equally difficult to deal with.

Cold Turkey

This is one of the most popular methods among people who decide to quit smoking. Essentially, it involves simply quitting, without any gradual tapering off or pharmaceutical assistance. Even though it’s a favorite technique, it isn’t always the best choice.

Most people who smoke are addicted to the large quantities of nicotine that are contained in cigarettes. It’s an extremely addictive substance, and if you don’t get your fix, you’ll exhibit withdrawal symptoms right away. Quitting cold turkey heightens the withdrawal effect, and your symptoms will go on for at least two weeks.

The hard part is to learn how to take your mind off these symptoms when they come over you. Smokers usually have too much difficulty with this approach and end up succumbing to the craving.

Substituting

This method typically replaces the act of smoking with a substitute. Many people have found success by sucking on hard candy or chewing gum when the urge to smoke hits. This can help ease your oral craving by keeping your mouth occupied.

Others have substituted certain activities such as exercise in place of smoking. When they crave a cigarette, they simply go for a run or get on an exercise bike.

Any ex-smoker will tell you how hard it is to quit. And anyone who has been successful will probably tell you that it took several attempts to quit smoking for good. However, it’s important that you don’t give up. After all, your life is on the line.

Tags: quit smoking, stop smoking