Showing posts with label Quit smoking aids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quit smoking aids. Show all posts

Monday, August 10, 2009

Techniques to Quit Smoking

There are several techniques to quit smoking. Listed here are the popular and more successful ones -

  • Quitting "Cold Turkey" - The phrase ‘going cold turkey’ means stopping smoking immediately. It is the quitting method used by 80 to 90% of all long-term successful quitters.
  • Cutting down over a length of time can be particularly difficult, as smokers may inhale longer and harder to get the nicotine they want.
  • Nicotine replacement therapy involves "replacing" cigarettes with other nicotine substitutes, such as nicotine gum or a nicotine patch. The therapy helps smokers focus on breaking their psychological addiction to cigarettes and makes it easier to quit.
  • Non-Nicotine Medications such as varenicline (Chantix) help you stop smoking by reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Chantix do not contain nicotine and is approved as smoking cessation aid.
  • Taking help of smoking-cessation support and counseling over the internet, over the phone or in person.

Apart from the above listed techniques, smokers make use of spirituality, self-help books and herbs substitutions to make their smoking cessation program a success. Altering smoking behaviors such as avoiding people, places and situation that encourage smoking also helps in quitting. Similarly, one can take help of oral substitutes such as chewing gums, carrots etc to discourage the tendency to smoke.

Most importantly, it is vital to seek help of a doctor or a dentist and support from family and peer group when you have decided to go on a smoking cessation program. Please remember that with right guidance, love of dear ones and most importantly a strong will-power quitting is really achievable.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Quit smoking aids

If you have made a firm resolve to quit, then you may find many quit smoking aids available on the market. There are fewer people who manage to quit smoking by going cold turkey than those who use additional aids. Others can take quit smoking aids like Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRTs) including nicotine gums, nicotine inhalers, nicotine lozenges, and nicotine nasal spray. All these quit smoking aids inject small doses of nicotine to the body to overcome nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

There are some non-nicotine aids as well that can help you quit. These include bupropion and Chantix. The former is marketed with a brand name, Zyban and is primarily an anti-depressant that helps to reduce withdrawal effects of smoking. However, it is less popular than Chantix, which was approved by the FDA in 2006.

Chantix contains an active ingredient, "Varenicline tartrate" that works by reducing the strong nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms among people who quit. It also reduces their desire for cigarettes slowly until they completely quit smoking. Chantix treatment is generally recommended for a period of 12 weeks. Most of the people quit smoking successfully during this period. However, those who are unable to quit can be asked to repeat the treatment for another 12 weeks by the doctor.

Chantix is a proven and safe treatment for smoking cessation. It is available in all licensed pharmacies in the US. Chantix is also available online and you can buy it from any licensed online source that provides professional services of selling prescription drugs online.