How do I quit smoking? -
I really want to quit smoking and have done so a couple of times. Three months was my maximum.
Is there a way I can be successful?
Hi,
If you realy wants to quit smoking then you should know some facts.
This is for your information pl. that Cigarette smoking kills nearly about 420,000 people a year, making it more lethal than AIDS, accidents, homicides, suicides, drug overdoses, and fire.
The main risks of smoking are
1. Heart disease
2. Cancer
3. Dementia and neurologic diseases
4. Lung disease
5. Female infertility and pregnancy
6. Male sexuality and reproduction
7. Behavioural and Social Problems
8. Effects on bones and joints
The methods to quit smoking are
At this time the most effective methods for quitting is a combination of nicotine replacement products and the antidepressant drug bupropion bolstered by counselling.
1. Nicotine replacement
Nicotine replacement products provide low doses of nicotine that do not contain the contaminants found in smoke. They are proving to be twice as helpful as other standard quitting methods. Replacement products include nicotine patches, gums, nasal sprays, and inhalers. Side effects of any nicotine replacement product may include headaches, nausea, and other gastrointestinal problems. People often experience sleeplessness in the first few days, particularly with the patch, but the insomnia usually passes. Patients using very high doses are more likely to experience symptoms, and reducing the dose can prevent them. Certain individuals like people with heart disease, pregnant women, small children may need to avoid nicotine replacement products.
Nicotine patches: Nicotine patches, or transdermal nicotine, can be an effective way to quit smoking. The quit rate for patch users is around 20% after six months. Nicotine patches are available over the counter, but it is best to consult a doctor before using them, particularly people with any medical problems.
Nicotine gum: Nicotine gum (Nicorette), available over the counter, has also been effective for a number of people. Some prefer it to the patch because they can control the nicotine dosage and chewing satisfies the oral urge. Long-term dependence may be a problem with this method.
Nicotine inhaler: The nicotine inhaler resembles a plastic cigarette holder. It comes with a number of nicotine cartridges which are inserted into the inhaler. It has some specific advantages over other slower nicotine replacement products:
Nicotine nasal spray: The nasal spray satisfies immediate cravings by providing doses of nicotine rapidly, and thus may play a useful role in conjunction with slower acting nicotine replacement therapies.
Nicotine tablet: A nicotine tablet that is held under the tongue is also very useful.
2. Alternative and ther Methods for Quitting
Scheduled reduction: One study showed that people who used a systematic withdrawal schedule were twice as likely to quit as those who went cold turkey. The procedure involves the following steps:
Divide the number of minutes per day awake by the number of daily cigarettes; the result is the minute-long wait between smokes.
Set up a schedule with time intervals based on this result and using a timer, smoke only at those intervals; if the -cigarette appointment- is missed by more than five minutes, the smoker must skip that cigarette.
The following week, one-third fewer cigarettes are used and the smoking time is recalculated based on the lower number.
During the third week the count is again reduced by a third, and the smoker quits in the fourth week.
Change daily habits:
Change the daily schedule as much as possible. Eat at different times or eat many small meals instead of three large ones, sit in a different chair, rearrange the furniture.
Find other ways to close a meal. Play a tape or CD, eat a piece of fruit, get up and make a phone call, or take a walk (a good distraction that burns calories as well).
Substitute oral habits (eat celery, chew sugarless gum, suck on a cinnamon stick.) Go to public places and restaurants where smoking is prohibited or restricted.
Set short-term quitting goals and reward yourself when they are met, or every day put the money normally spent on cigarettes in a jar and buy something pleasurable at the end of a predetermined period of time.
Find activities that focus the hands and mind but are not taxing or fattening: computer games, solitaire, knitting, sewing, whittling, crossword puzzles.
Avoid heavy drinking of alcohol, caffeine, or other stimulants or mood altering substances.
Enjoy Life
I smoked for almost 30 years. I just recently stopped (that right-stopped, not quit!) smoking, just over 5 weeks ago now, and this is my first, and hopefully last time that I try. I have looked at hypnosis (I am apparently too strong-minded for that to work on me personally), at laser therapy (no place close enough to me does it to be an option for me-not to mention the initial cost), at cold turkey (ya right, with my addictive personality-please!), and with prescription medication. Can you guess my choice? I have tried the prescription method. I went to my doctor and asked for and received a per for Zyban (the anti-depressant medication), and after a discussion with both my doc and the pharmacist, I have followed the directions given with the per to quit smoking (apparently Zyban works better as a stop-smoking aid than an anti-depressant). Use Zyban for two weeks prior to quit date and smoke the same as always. Quit on the date you have chosen, and for me at least, there have been no PHYSICAL withdrawl symptoms to mention. My body is not having any withdrawl symptoms at all, however now my biggest problem is what to do with all the thoughts of smoking that go through my head every day-you know the ones I mean....I used to smoke after each meal, so my first thought after eating is for a smoke-even caught myself actually getting up to go for a moke a couple times too. Just keep telling yourself that you dont really need tha smoke and it goes away quickly. I also chew lots of gum and other small things like that. I have not gained any weight that I have noticed, and my moods do not seem to have changed (again, not that I have noticed). My girlfriend has also quit at the same time and in the same way-and yes we do live together too. Good luck with your stopping smoking-just be sure to NOT become on of those people that we smokers always hated! ;)
different things work for different people.
my Dad stopped --cold turkey, he said after the 5th month it was not so bad to not smoke
my friend got hypnotized - stopped for 8 months
my Mom-s friends got laser surgery ( on mouth - wrist) - they have stopped for years now
The very imp thing is your will power to quit smoking.
nobody can stop you except you.
just visit
http://www.quitline.com/
or call 18QUIT
You quit smoking the same way a person makes a million dollars or does anything difficult in life: by having the determination to do what it takes to do it.
Of course, most people don-t make a million dollars because they don-t have the determination it requires.
If you want to stop smoking, then stop smoking. If you don-t stop smoking, then you-ve made the decision that the reward of quitting is not worth the effort required, which is fine, too. But the question is, how bad do you want to quit smoking? Willpower is the only thing that will really help you.