All the ways to quit smoking!

1. Ways to Stop Smoking
Introduction
Smoking is still the leading cause of death in the United States as well as the developed and
developing countries. Between 1965 and 2014, over 20 million Americans have died because of
smoking, including 2.5 million nonsmokers (because of passive smoking) and more than 0.1 million
babies (because of smoking mothers leading to SIDS-Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Smoking kills
more people than alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined.
Diseases such as the following are on the rise since the past decade or so:
1. Lung Cancer: Lungs are highly susceptible to smoke from the cigarettes. This cell damage
can lead to tumors that often start in the lungs. Lung cancer can spread to other parts of the
body.
2. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease): COPD points towards chronic lung
diseases including bronchitis and emphysema. Breathing becomes difficult and lungs get
worse day after day.
3. Stroke: Due to smoking clots form in the vessels which leads to the person stroking out due
to the lack of blood flow towards the brain.
4. Coronary Heart Disease: A common issue among smokers is the narrowing of the blood
vessels especially the ones around the heart. This causes the heart to pump harder and a
time comes when it simply gives in. In common terms this is known as the coronary heart
disease
Coming to the most difficult part of the smoking- smokers do want to quit. That is a fact. The
question however remains that what causes them to not do so? Smoking is a craving and a habit.
The smokers feel unsettled when not allowed a smoke.
Considerable amount of research has been done in this regard. Different ways have been
discovered, different plans devised to help the smokers stop smoking.
Some of the more popular ways to stop smoking are listed as under:-
Cold Turkey
Going cold turkey is great for any addict. It means cessation from smoking and it is probably one of
the hardest methods to quit smoking. People who go cold turkey quit smoking without any
treatment involving drugs or a therapy. One of the great advantages that cold turkey holds is the
removal of nicotine in days rather than months. It requires huge will power and resolve. Even
heavy smokers are able to go completely nicotine-free within a couple of weeks.
Some of the side effects that quitting smoking through cold turkey include anxiety and irritation
followed up with depression.

2. Nicotine Replacement Therapy
Next up is the NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) which is one of the most popular ways to quit
smoking. The theory behind NRT is providing the smoker with a measured dose of nicotine through
various ways and change the habit and cravings by reducing the nicotine dose in the process.
The process could be harmful for pregnant women and medically unfit people because it could also
lead to a nicotine overdose.
Some of the ways to introduce nicotine in a measured amount in the smoker’s body are as follows:
1. Nicotine Gum
It is the mostly used method. A piece of gum containing nicotine is chewed briefly and
slowly. It leads to the absorption of some nicotine through the mouth lining- a process
similar to any other gum. Nicotine gum is feasible for a period up to 6 months.
2. Nicotine Lozenges
Again the purpose is to introduce a measured dose of nicotine in the body of the smoker.
Lozenges are hard candies available at any local pharmacy which can be sucked for about
half an hour. Here too, the nicotine inside the lozenges gets absorbed within the mouth
cavity. It can be used up to 3 months.
3. Nicotine Patch
One of the most popular ways for NRT is the nicotine patch. Nicotine patches contain
prescription meds which are applied to the skin every day. The nicotine in turn is absorbed
through the skin into the body. The nicotine patch is available in 16-hour and 24-hour doses
and it can be used up to 2-3 months.
4. Nicotine Nasal Spray
Nicotine Nasal Spray is again full of prescription medicine for NRT which is to be sprayed
into the nostril after every couple of hours. It is generally used up to a maximum of 6
months.
5. Nicotine Inhaler
Nicotine inhaler is used to combat cravings. It has also a treatment period of about 6
months. Starting off with a large quantity and then reducing it day by day is an effective use
of the inhaler.
Electronic Cigarettes
It is a Chinese invention, the use of which has now spread around the world and in a way it is also
being used as method to quit smoking although it has been debated far and wide whether it actually
causes a decrease or an increase in the already abundant smoking.
Electronic cigarettes or E-cigarettes contain a liquid solution which has nicotine in it. When that
liquid is heated and the vapors are inhaled, the nicotine is delivered to the body in a far less
quantity as compared to regular cigarettes and of course with the absence of tar. Using an e-
cigarette is called "vaping."

3. Recent research has suggested that e-cigarettes could be as harmful as the normal ones because
they lead to similar withdrawal symptoms as any normal cigarette including irritation, depression,
restlessness and anxiety. It can be dangerous for people with heart problems because it harms the
arteries overtime.
The pros of e-cigarettes in one way or the other outweigh its cons. There isn’t any tar, no smoke
leading to no passive smoking. Thus, e-cigarettes may turn out to be an effective way to quit
smoking.
Psychology
Playing with the mind is another way to lay a person off smoking. Psychological treatment helps in
multiple ways. Although the results do end up at withdrawal and the regular symptoms but the
path to recovery is smoother than expected.
Some of the psychological techniques used in quitting smoking include:
 Education
It involves informing oneself of the consequences of continuing to smoke. It also involves
considering the financial benefits and other positive outcomes of quitting smoking.
 Identifying and Eliminating the Triggers
This requires careful observation of the everyday habits and the times at which the craving
is ultimate. This helps in removing the triggers involved in everyday smoking.
 Group Therapy
Group therapy is one of the key resources of psychological help. Quitting smoking is difficult
in general, but doing it alone is almost impossible. In such cases, sharing your problems in a
group help a lot and in turn hearing what other people are doing to cope with the
withdrawal stress and manage without smoking helps in broadening the perspective to a
great extent.
 Small Steps
In psychology, these small steps are actually the ones which change your behavior entirely
and make sure that you don’t go into relapse. These small steps towards freedom from
smoking include daily exercise and healthy eating habits going on towards a balanced diet.
You might find that gum or breath mints provide a nice oral substitute. New hobbies ought
to help you get going too.
 Medicinal Help
It is a fact that medicines improve the chances of quitting smoking. As discussed above,
Nicotine Replacement Therapy in conjunction with psychological help could be a huge
advantage and that which is expected to happen in months could become possible in weeks.
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is defined as an altered state of awareness in which you appear to be asleep while the
hypnotherapist works on changing your behavior. Clinically hypnosis has been known to carry
solutions for physical as well as psychological issues. In certain patients it helps in controlling pain.

4. Thus, addiction problems are also handled using hypnotic treatment. These addiction problems
include the ones involving smoking issues.
The procedure for hypnosis might look relatively straightforward but it does not work for
everybody. According to a careful estimate, only one in four people can benefit from hypnosis. The
hypnotherapist during a hypnosis session asks the patient to imagine unpleasant conditions
resulting from smoking. Here, the therapist uses different analogies to scare the brain into a state
where it might start thinking that smoking in reality is a harmful habit and needs to be stopped.
Some other ideas that stem from hypnosis include telling the person that smoking poisons the body,
you need your body to live and you should respect your body and protect it. Self-hypnosis is also
another option in the treatment.
Conclusion
It all may sound very easy and straightforward but in reality quitting smoking depends a lot on a
person’s will power and his ability to control his cravings. This involves handling any relapse and
controlling yourself and others to avoid smoking which as explained earlier is a dangerous habit.
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