How To Stop Smoking

This article explores 10 different ways to quit smoking. Thousands of people quit every day. Many will confirm that there is not only one way to stop smoking. They will however, tell you that there is a universal truth: You have to want to quit.

1. Quitting 'cold turkey' or stopping completely, once and for all is a common approach to quitting for many smokers.
   This may require several attempts but you will improve your chances by thoughtful preparation. The links throughout this site are intended to help you prepare to quit smoking and deal with all the issues you are  likely to face and help you overcome the urge to smoke at will.
   
2. Stop smoking drug Varenicline (Chantix or Champix) is a prescription quit smoking medicine in the form of a pill used to treat smoking addiction.
   As a partial nicotinic receptor partial agonist, it both reduces cravings for and decreases the pleasurable effects of cigarettes and other tobacco products, and through these mechanisms it can assist some patients in stopping smoking.³
   Varenicline may be viewed as a form of aversion therapy that makes the act of smoking more repulsive.
   
3. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a type of treatment that uses special products to give small, steady doses of nicotine to help stop cravings and relieve symptoms that occur when a person is trying to quit smoking. These products include nicotine gum, nicotine inhaler, nicotine nasal spray, nicotine lozenges, and nicotine patch.¹
4. ZYBAN (bupropion hydrochloride sustained-release tablets or bupropion hcl sr) is a prescription medicine to help people quit smoking. Studies have shown that more than one third of people quit smoking for at least 1 month while taking ZYBAN and participating in a patient support program.
   For many patients, ZYBAN reduces withdrawal symptoms and the urge to smoke. ZYBAN should be used with a patient support program. It is important to participate in the behavioral program, counseling, or other support program your healthcare professional recommends.²
   
5. Some smokers have quit successfully by cutting down gradually, e.g cutting down to five cigarettes a day or less or delaying the first cigarette by an hour each day. Eventually however a point must be reached where smoking is stopped altogether (as in the cold turkey method above).
   If this approach is to work for you it is suggested that your final quit date is no more than two weeks after you start cutting down. Nicotine replacement therapy (discussed next) may also be an option to consider as part of any such plan.
   
6. Help in and support in the form of counselling or stop smoking programs should not be underestimated. In fact NRT manufacturers and National Health Service professionals recommend support as an integral part of any attempt to quit smoking.
   Speak to your doctor who will also be able to put you in touch with suitable agencies.
   
7. Scores of self-help books and booklets have been written on the subject. By far and away the most successful is Allen Carr's "Easy Way to Stop Smoking".
   

   The revolutionary international bestseller that will stop you smoking – for good.
   "If you follow my instructions you will be a happy non-smoker for the rest of your life." That's a strong claim from Allen Carr, but as the world's leading and most successful quit smoking expert, Allen was right to boast!
   Reading this book is all you need to give up smoking. You can even smoke while you read. There are no scare tactics, you will not gain weight and stopping will not feel like deprivation. If you want to kick the habit then go for it.
   Allen Carr helped millions of people become happy non-smokers. His unique method removes your psychological dependence on cigarettes and literally sets you free. Accept no substitute. Nine million people can't be wrong.
   

8. Hypnosis is an approach that should not to be underestimated. Countless ex-smokers swear by it.
   Hypnosis is basically a state of relaxation where both your body and mind are relaxed. The subconscious and conscious parts of the mind begin to work on the same concept at the same time and your mind becomes open to cleverly worded influences.
   Smokers can choose to use the services of a professional or self-induce to achieve a hypnotic state.
   

   Over the past fifteen years, Paul McKenna PhD has developed a unique approach that makes quitting smoking surprisingly easy.
   Through the simple conditioning system revealed in his book Quit Smoking Today without Gaining Weight and on the accompanying CD, you will retrain your mind and body so that you no longer need cigarettes and actually feel better without them. Better still, you will not gain any weight in the process!
   

9. Stop smoking aids (also see natural ways to quit smoking) can help but you must be sure that you do want to quit and be as prepared as you can.
   The best advice is be cautious and use common sense. Try to identify any issues you have difficulty with before deciding what type of products are suitable for you. E.g if you struggle with quitting simply because you like to smoke - Aversion therapy may be the answer.
   
10. Alternative therapies such as acupuncture, laser therapy or a quit smoking shot (injection) are other avenues you can explore.
    "There is no consistent evidence that acupuncture, acupressure, laser therapy or electrostimulation are effective for smoking cessation, but methodological problems mean that no firm conclusions can be drawn. Further research using frequent or continuous stimulation is justified."⁴
    

Choose an approach that YOU feel comfortable with.
If you are a teen smoker don't start smoking! If you have already begun to experiment with the odd cigarette the time to stop is now. Once you are addicted to nicotine and smoke cigarettes or tobacco on a daily basis, the battle to quit can turn into a war.