Why Quit Smoking?

Is this you? You really want to quit smoking. Cravings for tobacco have made it impossible for you to succeed in the past. You’ve tried to quit “cold turkey” and failed. Is there anyway you can stop smoking for good?

It is common knowledge that smoking is one of the hardest habits to break. Smoking addiction is both a behavioral problem and a physical addiction to nicotine. Nicotine is one of the cheapest and fastest acting “feel good” drugs. This chemical is dependence-forming because it is acts like a stimulant and induces feelings of elation or relaxation, similar to the effects of upper drugs such as ecstasy or heroin. Regular intake and absorption of nicotine causes the brain and hormones of the body to react in such a way that pushes smokers to crave for more.

The not-so-good side in smoking addiction is that nicotine and other chemical compounds found in tobacco, cigarette, or cigar produce side effects that are bad for our overall health. In the long run, these chemicals pile up inside our body and can lead to illnesses like cancer, emphysema, heart attack, impotence, and a host of other conditions.

Today, there are a lot of smokers, possibly including yourself since you are reading this article, who would like to quit the whole smoking business. The problem is that the intention is there, but it is really hard to for the body to obey. The mind is willing but the body is weak, so they say. Aside from external factors, hormones and chemicals working inside your body causing you to crave tobacco even when you know it’s bad for you..

If you want to break the habit but find it hard to deal with nicotine cravings, there are still a number of ways for you quit smoking.

Nicotine Replacement
If you can’t quit cold turkey, the next best strategy is to slowly eliminate nicotine. You have to do it gradually or else, you will have withdrawal symptoms that can undermine your resolve to quit smoking. Since nicotine provides a good feeling, withdrawal may cause the opposite.

To avoid this, many doctors and quit smoking experts suggest that you stop smoking completely but continue to use a nicotine substitute to help you manage any withdrawal symptoms or cravings. You can use tobacco substitutes containing nicotine to help you quit smoking. Over time the nicotine content will be reduced until you no longer feel a need for it at all. Eventually, the craving will disappear completely.

Cigarette substitutes available today include nicotine gum, patches, lozenges, nasal sprays, and electronic cigarettes. These introduce controlled amounts of nicotine directly to the skin and thus absorbed by the tissues, and then by the blood. In this way, the craving for nicotine is attended to but is gradually lessened until it cease. The good thing here this is that at the same time, the habit of smoking is also broken. This would definitely make it a lot easier to quit without the feeling of missing out on what is perceived to be a benefit of smoking.

So if you are determined quit smoking, cravings shouldn’t stand in your way. Talk to your doctor about the best and healthiest way to break your smoking addiction. Don’t start any nicotine replacement therapy without checking with your own doctor.