Trying to quit smoking should be your goal no matter how long you have been used to the deadly habit. Smoking can cause a long list of diseases like cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke, cancer, diabetes, tooth decay, eye damage, and many others.
To break free from nicotine addiction, you must create the right game plan by choosing from the following alternatives.
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Get ready for the quit day
First, you must decide that you will quit smoking and then fix a date from when you will ultimately give it up. You can prepare for it in two ways – either keep smoking in the way you do up to the last day and then stop it entirely or reduce the rate of smoking gradually until you reach the date on which you will stop it. Keep in mind that the date you set should not be too far away from the day you make the decision. Both methods of quitting can work with neither being better than the other so you can choose any of the methods.
Try alternative therapies
Besides the processes mentioned above to quit smoking some people who find it hard to abstain from smoking completely prefer to try out some alternative therapies like vaping pod salt e-liquid which many consider a satisfying experience as to smoking tobacco. Although there is little evidence that e-cigarettes can help to give up the smoking habit, yet people like to give it a try. Also, there are some other smoking deterrents as well as magnet therapy, cold laser, therapy and herbs and supplements believed to help in giving up smoking. Studies have shown that among those who take up vaping, 18% had successfully given up tobacco smoking, although 80% continued with vaping.
Non-nicotine medications
Smokers can try out two non-nicotine medicines approved by the FDA – Chantix (varenicline) and Zyban (bupropion). Consult your physician before taking the drug to see how much it helps to quit smoking. The chemicals in Bupropion act on the brain to reduce the craving for nicotine and even play a role in reducing the nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
Twelve weeks is the recommended period within which you should be able to quit smoking. And even if it happens earlier, you should continue for another 3-6 months to prevent the chances of relapse.