If you have decided to quit smoking, you have taken the first step in the right direction. This is simply because the desire to quit smoking is very important if you even hope to stand a chance, and this is because tobacco addiction is easily one of the toughest addictions to give up. However, you should know that there are various strategies that can help you stop smoking.
Cold Turkey:
This is a method that many smokers try, but not many succeed. This is because this would require you to abstain from smoking, period. There is no reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke and there are no medications. This is when you would experience the withdrawal symptoms at their worst, and these withdrawal symptoms can include insomnia, nausea, headaches, irritability, shortness of breath, body ache, etc. This is definitely not an easy path to tread on and requires you to have a very strong will power.
Medication:
The marketplace is awash with medication that can help you quit smoking, and this includes nicotine based medication and non-nicotine based ones as well. Nicotine based medication includes nicotine patches which you would apply on your skin and receive your daily quota of nicotine; as well as nicotine chewing gum, lozenges, inhalers, pills, and nasal sprays, which also serve the same purpose.
Non-nicotine based medications include Bupropion which is an anti-depressant that works on the Slow Release (SR) method and helps reduce the withdrawal symptoms as well as cravings. If you have other medical conditions you should take this drug in consultation with your doctor. Varenicline tartrate is another non-nicotine based medication that reduces the cravings and helps control the withdrawal symptoms.
Behavioural:
Tracking behavioural patterns is another way that can help you quit smoking. This would essentially prepare you to recognize events, activities, moods, etc. that increase the possibilities of your lighting up. These could include after meals, when you visit the toilet, when you're depressed, when you're out socializing, etc. You would then have to develop a plan that would help you deal with these scenarios.
External Support:
The support that a smoker can get in the form of family and friends can be truly beneficial. If you plan to stop smoking, letting everybody who cares about you know of your plans is a good idea. It is also a good idea to try and find somebody who would want to quit smoking with you. This is simply because a buddy system is known to produce fairly good results. Getting help from support groups is also something that you can think about, as this would get you to interact with others who are going through the same things that you are.
Other Ways:
There are other ways that can help you quit smoking, and some of them include using hypnosis and acupuncture. You can also think about smoking herbal cigarettes, and these cigarettes are made using various herbs, and have no traces of tobacco or nicotine.
Remember, while there are various ways that can ease your quitting smoking endeavour, your really wanting to quit smoking in the first place is what is most important.
For Information on the Effects of Smoking Cigarettes: http://www.quitsmokingplace.com/health-effects-of-smoking.html