Below are 6 of the most common ways people choose to kick the smoking habit.
Cold Turkey
Not only is this one of the hardest methods to use to quit smoking, but it also can be dangerous. When your body is addicted to any substance, research shows that quitting cold turkey has a huge negative impact. It causes stress, increased heart rate, and risk of high blood pressure and even heart attack, conditions made more probable by simply smoking.
This approach also often fails. If you are around others that smoke, either at work or at home, it is tempting to have just one, and then the just one turns into more, and pretty soon you are smoking again.
While possible, quitting cold turkey is the hardest and least effective method to quit smoking.
Taper Off
This method involves you just smoking less and less on a daily or weekly basis until your body is ready to quit. This can be very
The primary one is the temptation to smoke more, especially if the habit is part of a coping mechanism. Any stress can trigger the desire to smoke more and having cigarettes on hand makes this much more tempting and easier to do.
The Patch
Nicotine patches that taper you off of the habit have been around for a while now, and they do make quitting easier. The reason is a physical one, as it delivers nicotine through your skin, satisfying the physical cravings for the drug but without the toxins involved with smoking.
The primary drawback to this method is that there is a psychological element of smoking as well, the habits formed with your hands, and the hand to mouth motion and breathing involved. The patch does nothing to address these, and smokers have struggled with replacement manual habits for a long time.
The patch is still very effective, but not a perfect solution for everyone. Still, if you are a smoker it might be worth a try.
The Gum
Nicotine gum works much like the patch, only it is taken in orally. This sometimes helps with the oral addiction of smoking, although it is not a perfect replacement. Still, it can be. very effective.
The gum comes in different stages of nicotine as well, designed with the same physical tapering effect that the patch does. This takes care of the physical cravings, but it does have the effect that long-term use is not the best for your teeth. It is better for them than the staining caused by cigarettes though.
While nearly as effective as the patch, nicotine gum is not as popular as it once was. Part of the reason is the additional options available for smokers.
Medication
There are medications like Chantix that will help a smoker kick the habit. These medications are good for a number of reasons. They take away physical cravings without using nicotine, and some even have side effects that offer other benefits to the smoker, including weight loss and appetite suppression.
Unfortunately, like any other medication, there are negative side effects as well, and these need to be taken into account. Before trying any medication, even so-called natural methods, you should consult your physician to make sure no harmful interactions will occur.
Vaping
One of the most proven and the best ways to quit smoking is vaping. There are a number of reasons vapes are so good for this.
• Oral Fixation. Vaping involves the same oral habits as smoking, even mimics it, so the oral fixation of smoking is all satisfied.
• Breathing. The inhaling and breathing motion of smoking is duplicated by vaping as well, including taking vapor into your lungs.
• The hand to mouth motion. The hand to mouth motion, a part of the psychological challenge of quitting smoking is also a part of vaping, making it a great substitute.
• Tapered nicotine doses. The amount of nicotine in vape liquids can be controlled by the recipe, and many liquids have no nicotine in them at all. More advanced vape users tend to choose liquids with more vapor and less nicotine as they simply taste better.
Vaping has taken the place of smoking for many users and is the choice of many who are trying to quit. A quick google search will turn up with results to help you find the best vape if you choose to try this method.
There are a ton of ways to quit smoking, and each has its own issues. No one way is right for everyone but start with these six ideas when you are thinking about how to quit smoking.
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Edited by: Jessa (March 2, 2019)
