If you are a smoker who is trying to quit those evil nicotine sticks, it is only normal that you want to know about effective quit smoking ways that you could try. You are killing yourself and you know it so you don't want to waste time with ineffective methods do you?
The problem with finding an effective quit smoking method is that you are an individual and what will work for you may not have worked for virtually all other smokers. On the other hand, what may work for you may well be the same approach that has worked for many other smokers.
The thing is, to quit smoking effectively; you will only ever do it once. To quit smoking for a year then start again or for a month and then start again is not a successful attempt in the truest sense. Once you have quit, you would always advise people to use the method that worked for you right? In that sense, it is difficult to advise you.
So what effective quit smoking ways are available for you to investigate? There are many available and choosing one is a very personal choice. Only you can assess what is likely to fit in with who you are.
The approaches available range from pharmaceutical approaches including drugs and nicotine replacement therapy, to holistic approaches including acupuncture and herbal treatments, through to psychological approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy and hypnosis. Finally, there is the trusty old willpower method with its very low chance of success.
The pharmaceutical approaches include two main drugs, only available on prescription, including Varenicline (sold as Chantix in the US and as Champix in Europe) and Zyban. Zyban has been in use for about 10 years now, whilst 2008 will be the second year of availability for Chantix.
It is easy to think that these pharmaceutical approaches offer a miracle cure but it is important to realize that there are risks associated with using drugs. Before you set your heart on a drug-based cure, make sure you talk to your doctor to help you decide if it is the right path for you.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) has been around for a couple of decades now and is often used in conjunction with Zyban, to increase the chances of success of both. NRT is available in gum, patches, lozenges, nasal sprays and inhalers and is usually as expensive as smoking itself. As a treatment, it is thought to double your chances of success compared to quitting cold turkey but there are many observers willing to argue against the effectiveness of NRT.
Holistic approaches are also available in forms such as acupuncture or herbal therapies or laser treatments or even 'bioresonance' whatever hokum that is. These approaches have not been tested using standard scientific trials like the ones used to evaluate pharmaceuticals, NRT, hypnosis or CBT. There is much anecdotal evidence to suggest that holistic approaches are effective quit smoking ways to try, but the scientific evidence is absent so it is difficult to comment.
Hypnosis and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are two other commonly acknowledged methods for helping people quit smoking. Hypnosis uses the hypnotic state to bypass analytical thinking and allows the therapist to seat new or different views in the subjects mind. It has been successfully trailed and has been found to have a positive effect on people quitting smoking.
Many people who have quit think of hypnosis as one of the more effect quit smoking ways available not least because it is an enjoyable relaxing process. Success however can depend on the therapist and no two hypnosis styles or scripts are the same.
CBT differs from hypnosis by challenging the thinking of a smoker head on. It allows the smoker to use their rational conscience to analyse and evaluate a different view of smoking. It does this by breaking smoking down into a number of components and then addressing each component one by one in an educational approach.
CBT is often reported as being an enlightening approach for quitting smoking; giving people an enormous feeling of confidence once they 'see the light'. Comparative testing has shown CBT to be a very effective method for quitting the evil cancer sticks.
Both hypnosis and CBT boast good long-term success rates. But if there is one flaw in these approaches though, it can make quitting smoking seem very easy and lull smokers into thinking they can choose when and when not to be a smoker. This is not advisable; once you have quit, you should stay quit!
Finally, the cold turkey method for quitting smoking faces smokers with the greatest challenges. They are expected to confront smoking head on without support or education unlike any of the other approaches. This often results in complete failure and only about 5% of people who try to quit smoking this way succeed.
However, the chances of long-term success are very good with an Australian study showing that of all the ex-smokers asked, almost 90% had quit smoking cold turkey, without support or education.
The fact of the matter is that there are many effective quit smoking ways you can try - the successful one for you could be any of them and it is only once you have tried them all that you will know what works for you.
The problem with finding an effective quit smoking method is that you are an individual and what will work for you may not have worked for virtually all other smokers. On the other hand, what may work for you may well be the same approach that has worked for many other smokers.
The thing is, to quit smoking effectively; you will only ever do it once. To quit smoking for a year then start again or for a month and then start again is not a successful attempt in the truest sense. Once you have quit, you would always advise people to use the method that worked for you right? In that sense, it is difficult to advise you.
So what effective quit smoking ways are available for you to investigate? There are many available and choosing one is a very personal choice. Only you can assess what is likely to fit in with who you are.
The approaches available range from pharmaceutical approaches including drugs and nicotine replacement therapy, to holistic approaches including acupuncture and herbal treatments, through to psychological approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy and hypnosis. Finally, there is the trusty old willpower method with its very low chance of success.
The pharmaceutical approaches include two main drugs, only available on prescription, including Varenicline (sold as Chantix in the US and as Champix in Europe) and Zyban. Zyban has been in use for about 10 years now, whilst 2008 will be the second year of availability for Chantix.
It is easy to think that these pharmaceutical approaches offer a miracle cure but it is important to realize that there are risks associated with using drugs. Before you set your heart on a drug-based cure, make sure you talk to your doctor to help you decide if it is the right path for you.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) has been around for a couple of decades now and is often used in conjunction with Zyban, to increase the chances of success of both. NRT is available in gum, patches, lozenges, nasal sprays and inhalers and is usually as expensive as smoking itself. As a treatment, it is thought to double your chances of success compared to quitting cold turkey but there are many observers willing to argue against the effectiveness of NRT.
Holistic approaches are also available in forms such as acupuncture or herbal therapies or laser treatments or even 'bioresonance' whatever hokum that is. These approaches have not been tested using standard scientific trials like the ones used to evaluate pharmaceuticals, NRT, hypnosis or CBT. There is much anecdotal evidence to suggest that holistic approaches are effective quit smoking ways to try, but the scientific evidence is absent so it is difficult to comment.
Hypnosis and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are two other commonly acknowledged methods for helping people quit smoking. Hypnosis uses the hypnotic state to bypass analytical thinking and allows the therapist to seat new or different views in the subjects mind. It has been successfully trailed and has been found to have a positive effect on people quitting smoking.
Many people who have quit think of hypnosis as one of the more effect quit smoking ways available not least because it is an enjoyable relaxing process. Success however can depend on the therapist and no two hypnosis styles or scripts are the same.
CBT differs from hypnosis by challenging the thinking of a smoker head on. It allows the smoker to use their rational conscience to analyse and evaluate a different view of smoking. It does this by breaking smoking down into a number of components and then addressing each component one by one in an educational approach.
CBT is often reported as being an enlightening approach for quitting smoking; giving people an enormous feeling of confidence once they 'see the light'. Comparative testing has shown CBT to be a very effective method for quitting the evil cancer sticks.
Both hypnosis and CBT boast good long-term success rates. But if there is one flaw in these approaches though, it can make quitting smoking seem very easy and lull smokers into thinking they can choose when and when not to be a smoker. This is not advisable; once you have quit, you should stay quit!
Finally, the cold turkey method for quitting smoking faces smokers with the greatest challenges. They are expected to confront smoking head on without support or education unlike any of the other approaches. This often results in complete failure and only about 5% of people who try to quit smoking this way succeed.
However, the chances of long-term success are very good with an Australian study showing that of all the ex-smokers asked, almost 90% had quit smoking cold turkey, without support or education.
The fact of the matter is that there are many effective quit smoking ways you can try - the successful one for you could be any of them and it is only once you have tried them all that you will know what works for you.
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