Quitting Smoking

Poll

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Author:
Waller Jamison

Choosing the best way to stop smoking can be difficult, with so many options available. Whichever method you decide upon, you have to want to stop smoking, because no matter how effective the technique, it will not work if you really don’t want to quit.

You decision will depend on several things – your smoking habits, your personality and your bank balance.

First let’s consider your habits. If you only smoke a few cigarettes a day, cold turkey may work well for you, as it’s possible that you aren’t yet addicted to nicotine. However, if you have been smoking 40 cigarettes a day for years, the habit may be a little harder to break. Despite this, many people opt for cold turkey and it is certainly the cheapest option. However, it is not the easiest way to quit, as it involves unpleasant side effects and despite getting through the initial week, only around 5% of those who choose it are non-smokers a year later.

Your personality will also determine which method works best for you. For example, if you reach for a cigarette when you are stressed and like to have something in your mouth, nicotine replacement therapy in the form of gum might be a good choice.

Alternatively, if you don’t believe that you have the willpower to stop, you may find that hypnotherapy, which targets your unconscious mind will work best for you.

Price is of course an important factor, although it could be argued that if the method is effective, over time you will save a great deal more than the cost of treatment. However, some methods come with a hefty price tag and so you will have to balance the pros and the cons.

Some people find that a combination of methods is more successful, and choose counselling, either in a group or individually, in conjunction with nicotine replacement or anti-smoking drugs such as zyban.

With new methods coming on the market all the time, including the prospect of a vaccine in the next few years, it is important to research the options before reaching a final decision.

© Waller Jamison 2006

Waller Jamison qualified as an acupuncturist and reflexologist and her main focus now is writing. For more information on ways to stop smoking, go to Ways to Stop Smoking

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Smoking... Smoking Linked with Lower IQ Most smokers have a love/hate relationship with cigarettes. They love the taste, hate the smell. They love the act of smoking and think that there is something "cool" about it, even though they know it is bad for their health. They want to quit but don't want to because they love it. And I was no different. I had wanted to quit smoking for a long time and for all the obvious reasons: it would save money, better my health; I wouldn't stink so much, etc. Plus, my boyfriend wasn't crazy about kissing a smoker [and if you have, you know how gross it can be]. After, I had decided that I was going to quit [cold turkey, no less] I came across this article [http://www.hmnews.org/article2720.html] and was stunned. The first lines of the article are what really drew my attention, "Smokers often say that smoking a cigarette helps them concentrate and feel more alert. But years of tobacco use may have the opposite effect, dimming the speed and accuracy of a person's thinking ability and bringing down their IQ, according to a new study led by University of Michigan researchers." Because I, too, believed that smoking helped to think, concentrate, and be brilliant. Yet in actuality, my 6 years of smoking could be completely damaging my brain. Causing me to have a lower IQ. Smoking is just as bad as alcoholism can be to a person's brain. While the study isn't conclusive and solid, it still scared me enough to commit to really quit smoking. No cheating. No smoking while drinking or socially. No smoking because I'm stressed out. No cheating. With this article, I hope to inspire one other person to quit smoking or at least think about how much you are affecting every part of your body when you inhale. Good luck. Lauren Wastal is living in Seattle, Washington and a former...