Stop Smoking Aids
Nicotine Gum |
Nicotine Patch |
Hypnosis
There are several stop
smoking aids available if you want to stop smoking.
These vary from natural
stop smoking aids, such as hypnosis, acupuncture, herbal cigarettes,
self-help groups, books, and clinics - to pharmaceutical aids such
as nicotine replacement and other drugs. Laser therapy is the latest
method. It is not very well known yet but is gaining popularity.
Lets look at the stop
smoking aids in a bit more detail. And how do you know which are
right for you? It all depends on your disposition and the reasons
why you smoke.
If you smoke and find you
have a heavy physical addiction to nicotine (in other words, you
find that you really have heavy withdrawal symptoms such as
nervousness, insomnia, irritability and so on) and your will power
is low, you might look at using pharmaceutical aids.
The most popular
pharmaceutical aids are nicotine replacement therapy, which come in
various forms; and the drug Zyban.
The principle behind
nicotine replacement therapy is to slowly reduce the dependence on
the nicotine found in cigarettes by replacing it with slowly
decreasing dosages of nicotine in a different format. This reduces
emotional distress and withdrawal symptons and therefore cuts down
on the physical discomfort of stopping smoking. Nicotine replacement
therapy comes in the form of gums, patches, tablets, nasal sprays
and inhalers that contain lower amount of nicotine than cigarettes.
Zyban was originally
prescribed as an anti-depressant and one of the possitive side
effects was that it seemed to reduce the need to smoke.
Zyban works on the
nicotine sensors present in the brain. Another drug that also helps
by working on the nicotine sensors is Verenicline. These drugs
nullify the pleasurable effects obtained through a smoke. These
drugs should not be taken by people who are suffering from
hypertension or epilepsy. They are only available on prescription in
any case so you should definitely consult your doctor first to see
if these drugs are right for you to use.
If the reasons why you
smoke are more that it is a habit rather than a severe physical
addiction, and if you have a strong willpower, then you might look
at more natural stop smoking aids.
Examples are to smoke
cigarettes that contain herbal ingredients. This may reduce
dependence on smoking but can also cause side effects because they
contain high levels of tar and carbon monoxide. Also, you are not
really reducing the smoking habit as such and you might therefore
find it easy to relapse into smoking real cigarettes. Rather utilise
that strong willpower of yours and look into other ways to stop
smoking, such as acupuncture and acupressure.
Both these Oriental
methods stimulate the release of endorphins. Endorphins are natural
painkillers that create a sense of well being and lower the
dependence on cigarettes. The advantage of these aids is that they
don't cause any side-effects.
Lastly, laser therapy is
the latest stop smoking aid that is gaining popularity. A low
intensity laser bean is used to stimulate the release of endorphins
(almost like acupuncture for the 21st century!) and create a sense
of well-being. Theoretically this reduces the need to smoke - but
pull out the willpower as well. Laser therapy and acupuncture is not
going to do it on its own!
Self-help clinics are
almost like the AA for alcoholics. These encourage smokers to use
their will power to give up smoking and teach smokers several mind
exercises to reduce the craving for cigarettes.
Lastly, if you are really
serious about stopping smoking, the best stop smoking aid is the
book 'The Easy Way to stop smoking' by Allen Carr. This book has a
very high success rate and comes highly recommended by everyone who
has read it. You cannot lose much by reading the book and it might
just do the trick for you.
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Christine
Anderssen has some stop smoking tips for you on http://www.stopsmokingpal.com
Visit us for a free course to help you kick the habit and the best
stop smoking products Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_Anderssen
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