Quit Smoking Techniques that Really Work!
December 26th, 2007 Posted in Quit Smoking You have probably heard all over the television and radio about how you can quit smoking no matter how long you’ve smoked, how many cigarettes you smoke each day and no matter how many stop smoking aids you’ve tried. Yet, have these techniques worked for you? Are these commercials simply hype to help you stop smoking cigarettes or are there many quit smoking techniques , self-help and medical
help that can, with your willpower, help you to become smoke-free?
What Are the Best Ways to Quit Smoking?
As with anything, your success in a stop smoking program depends entirely upon your commitment to it. You must overcome your denial and admit that you are addicted to nicotine, one of the most powerfully addictive drugs known. Yes, nicotine is a formidable enemy, but does that mean that you cannot quit smoking? Do you feel helpless to quit smoking? The answer is NO! You can stop smoking anytime you are ready to participate in a stop smoking program that isn’t based upon media hype, but rely on stop smoking aids with a proven success record.
There are several ways to quit smoking that have been tried and proven over the years. These stop smoking programs rely upon your absolute dedication to become smoke-free. Let’s look at some of the most successful programs that have a demonstrated “track record” to help others stop smoking.
• Stop smoking aids can help your withdrawal from this addictive substance, nicotine, in a variety of ways. Using a nicotine patch or gum, that you can buy over the counter at your drugstore, supply you with an ever-decreasing dose of nicotine gradually reduces your withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. When you think about it being time to quit smoking, you will need to take into account that nicotine has a nasty withdrawal syndrome; anxiety, irritability, sleeplessness and weight gain, to mention a few. It is the withdrawal symptoms that cause an individual to relapse back into smoking. Thus, if you can manage these withdrawal symptoms through stop smoking aids, you have a much greater chance at success than if you stop “cold turkey.”
• Many smokers find help in mental health techniques like hypnosis to quit smoking. You may have some misinformation about hypnosis; it is simply a deep state of pure relaxation that makes you more susceptible to suggestions like, “I feel no urge to smoke,” or “I am strong enough to resist urges to smoke.” Contrary to Hollywood’s distortion, using hypnosis is an excellent way to quit smoking, and you won’t be quacking like a duck every time you hear a bell ring.
• To quit smoking, there is also medical treatment that will help you in your decision. To quit smoking with Zyban, a medication often used as a stop smoking aid, is something you should discuss with your physician. Stop smoking medications like Zyban can be of enormous help in quelling your cravings and urges to smoke. Zyban is also sold under the name Wellbutrin, a well-known and very effective antidepressant medication. At a smaller dose, this stop smoking aid can be of great benefit in acting upon neurotransmitters in the brain; most smokers find Zyban very helpful.
What About Herbal Preparations to Quit Smoking?
There is not magic quit smoking pill. Like weight loss, we have to do the hard part on our own. But considering the devastating health risks caused by smoking, perhaps you have determined that you will not give up years of your life in order to maintain your nicotine addiction. Many smokers find relief from nicotine withdrawal symptoms through herbal preparations to quit smoking. In fact, to quit smoking, you might consider doing whatever you need to do by any means necessary to eliminate your nicotine addiction. If herbal quit smoking preparations work for you, then as long as they’re safe, use them!
Several herbs have been found to help your quit smoking quest. Chamomile, for example, is a herb known for relaxation for at least a thousand years. Valerian root also has sedation properties that will help you sleep during your nicotine withdrawal period of up to 48 hours. St. John’s Wort is also a stop smoking aid due to its antidepressant and antianxiety properties.
Before you use any herbal preparation to quit smoking, please remember to consult with your physician; some herbs interact badly with other prescription medications.