Smoking has a negative affect on the entire body. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, only one in 10 smokers is able to quit. Nicotine attaches to receptors in your brain, causing them to release dopamine. This means you have to overcome a physical as well as a mental addiction to smoking. Few people are able to quit cold turkey, and most need to try two or more methods before finding what works for them. There are a large number of methods available for smoking cessation.
Instructions
1. Pick an exact date that you are going to quit and tell your family and friends. Choose the methods you are going to try first and set up a support group who will help you. Throw out cigarettes and ashtrays at home and work, and get a supply of substitutes like gum, straws, toothpicks, hard candy, and celery or carrot sticks. Notice what situations make you want a cigarette and figure out ways to avoid those situations.
2. Call a quit line. All states have a toll-free phone line that allows smokers to talk to counselors about methods to quit smoking that fit their smoking pattern. Call your local American Cancer Society to find your state's toll-free number. Find support groups in your area by calling (800) 227-2345.
3. Discuss methods to quit smoking with your doctor and with other people who have quit smoking successfully. Some methods to stop smoking are available over-the-counter and on the Internet, but others are available by prescription only. Zyban is a prescription medication that reduces symptoms of withdrawal, such as irritability, anger, anxiety, restlessness and depression. Chantix is a newer prescription that works on the part of your brain that controls craving. It makes smoking less appealing by blocking dopamines that are released by nicotine and it removes withdrawal symptoms. Both have some side effects, including dry mouth and trouble sleeping, so you should talk to your doctor before choosing medication as your method to stop smoking.
4. Buy nicotine replacements. Some people have success with nicotine gum, lozenges or patches that deal with your physical addiction by giving you nicotine without the other dangerous chemicals in tobacco. The amount of nicotine is decreased over time. For some people, eight weeks is long enough, but others need six to nine months of nicotine replacement therapy.
5. Consider hypnosis. You can see a doctor that specializes in hypnosis or buy a disc or video hypnosis program. Hypnosis can help if it is used with other methods to quit smoking. Acupuncture and accupressure has also been helpful for a few smokers.
6. Try smokeless cigarette substitutes that give you something to do with your hands and mouth. An artificial cigarette system called E-Z Quit allows you to inhale and can be used by itself or with other methods. Cigarette filters, such as Sokeeze, remove tar and nicotine from cigarettes until you're ready to quit. Herbal stop-smoking patches, such as Zero Nicotine, are used like nicotine patches, but they don't contain nicotine.
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