Which Smoking Quit Method Will Work For Me?
Congratulations on making the decision to quit smoking. Your health and wallet will thank you in the long term and you are now one step closer to becoming a non-smoker. There are numerous methods that you can use to tackle your quit and there are pros and cons for each one. Here are a few of the more popular methods that you should take under consideration.
The cheapest method of quitting is to simply give up. This method is known as going “cold turkey” and it involves you setting a quit date, throwing away your cigarettes and then that’s it! No substitutions, just you and your mental willpower. So obviously the pro for this method is that there is no cost involved. The con for this method is that it does not suit those who find they suffer badly from nicotine withdrawal and don’t have the mental stamina to get through the first three days when it is reported that the withdrawal symptoms are at their worst.
Nicotine gum is a nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) product that can be used during a quit. The premise being that at the beginning you chew a piece of this gum at regular intervals to keep the cravings at bay. You can also consume additional pieces of gum if you are fighting an intense craving rather than resorting to having a cigarette. The positive for this method is that it will help to keep the nicotine cravings at bay, plus users report they enjoy the chewing motion as an alternative to the dragging on a cigarette motion they are used to with their mouth. The negatives are that it does delay the complete quit as you are still feeding the body with nicotine, plus there is a cost involved.
If you feel that your addiction to nicotine is going to be a tough battle, then consider speaking with your medical practitioner. There are several medications now available for prescription that will help retrain your brain away from the body’s need for nicotine. With these you don’t even have to quit smoking while you take them, for the first week you will smoke while taking the drug. Then once that week has past you will not experience a desire to smoke and will continue with the course of medication as prescribed. The pro of this method is that it has measurable success with those people who are afraid to take the first steps towards non-smoking, particularly fearing the first few days. The negatives are that there have been some side-effects reported and you will not know until taking the drug whether you will suffer from these.
When it is time to quit smoking there is no one size fits all approach that is going to work. The best thing you can do is chose a method to try, set your quit date, throw away your cigarettes and give it your best effort. If at first you don’t succeed, make sure you try again until the day that you can proudly call yourself a non-smoker.
