Quit Smoking Aids

Nearly all smokers want to quit but cannot easily do so because of the addictive nature of the nicotine, the active crave-inducing ingredient in tobacco products. Just as the problem is widespread, there are many potential solutions. Some of them are covered here.

 Way back when, there was only self control. You simply stopped. The problem was, and still is, that this doesn’t work very well. The overwhelming urge to smoke keeps coming back. Nicotine is such a powerful addictive agent that it can overpower even a strong will to quit. Some studies put the success rate as low as five per cent.

 There has been a little better success with NRT’s, or nicotine replacement therapies, as they are properly known. NRT’s come in many forms. You can find gums, lozenges, sprays, and patches. They only lead to success in about ten per cent of the cases after a six month period. That’s double the rate of using no assistance at all but is still not impressive.

 There are supplements to take, such as Zyban and Wellbutin, that have also showed about a ten per cent effectiveness rate. However, when used concurrently with an NRT program, the rate just about doubles, to twenty per cent. That’s starting to become a bit more encouraging.

 New products are entering the market all the time. One such is the chemical varenicline, known by the trade names of Chantix or Champix. The makers claim a forty-four per cent success rate. While independent, and less biased, studies have yet to verify this; it does nonetheless offer hope.

 The internet seems to be everywhere in our daily lives these days and that’s also the case with stop smoking aids. Stay away from the ads that have suggestive language describing a supplement in terms such as “miracle” or “guaranteed to work for you.” Instead, look away from internet supplements and toward advice on programs that offer assistance, not an absolute cure.

 There are scientific terms, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapies, Hypnosis or Neuro-Linguistic Programming, among others, that describe techniques that have shown impressive success records. One reliable study concluded as high as seventy per cent success.

 Only you can stop smoking but when you decide you really want to, you should look into your options. Every one of them will not work for every person, and indeed some don’t work at all. But, there is help out there for you if you are ready to try to quit smoking.