On the 19th of November, 2009, the Great American Smokeout Day was held, and now with the New Year upon us, there has never been a better time to quit smoking. The facts about smoking are overwhelming and in disfavor of anyone choosing to smoke cigarettes. Smoking facts like increased risk of lung cancer and heart disease should not be overlooked, but acted upon as soon as possible. Luckily, there are several stop smoking aids on the market that can help you through what for many is a difficult period of cessation.
Before you try any of these methods, drugs, or nicotine replacement therapies, you should consult with your doctor to see if you have any preexisting conditions that might hinder you from using the product. You doctor might also serve as a “cheerleader” for you in your efforts to stop smoking, so keep a good dialogue with him or her.
Stop smoking aids: Medication
Zyban
Made by Glaxo, Zyban is a FDA-approved stop smoking aid drug that’s purpose is to help you quit smoking. While there are people who have used Zyban and successfully quit smoking, it did get some bad press in the 80s related to seizure side-effects that were reported to be caused by the drug. This turned out to be a problem with dosage, and should not be an issue if you take the drug as prescribed by your physician. Approximately three in one hundred people who try smoke cessation solely based on self-motivation end up succeeding, and at that for only three months. Ten times that number succeeds when on Zyban, though after the 3 month mark Zyban has been reported to start losing its effect.
Chantix
The second drug, Chantix, can also help you quit smoking. While Zyban was initially developed for depression related treatment, Chantix was created specifically to combat smoking addiction and function as a stop smoking aid. It helps you by both making smoking less pleasurable and satisfying, and making quitting less painful. As for the statistics, it looks like Chantix is the clear winner. Over the long term, one in every five who try Chantix succeeds in quitting smoking. I even read that in a double-blind study conducted on the drug, that 23% of those on Chantix were successful at 1 year after the beginning of the study.
Reluctance to use Chantix or Zyban
There are definitely people that have used Chantix or Zyban and been able to quit smoking. But, there are many people that are reluctant to try these products because they are afraid to gain weight. It is difficult to pin point why some gain weight when they use stop smoking aids. Is it the aid or is it a side effect of quitting smoking all together? When you quit smoking you might feel an unconscious urge to substitute the cigarette with something else that can give you a high. Sugar is such substance, and is often used excessively, and a weight gains is therefore guaranteed to follow if your activity isn’t picked up in pace with the added calories. As they say, Chocolate can be soothing, and in the same way you used smoke to sooth yourself, candy and unhealthy food can be used for the same.
Stop smoking aids: Nicotine replacement therapy
Nicotine replacement therapy is a suite of products that are meant to replace the cigarette as the means to get nicotine in your body. There are several different products available, which all try to decrease the cravings you will have when you quit smoking.
Nicotine patch
These look like and work like a normal band-aid, but with the added effect that they transfer nicotine from the band-aid surface to your skin. You skin then absorbs the nicotine through the skin and in to your blood. The effects of these types of stop smoking aids have been debated, and some studies indicate that the efficacy was comparable with not using anything at all. However, the official word from The American Cancer Society is that they recommend nicotine patches to help decrease the severity of withdrawal symptom while on smoking cessation.
Nicotine gum
Nicotine gum is made like a chewing gum, but with the added effect of delivering nicotine to your body as you chew. The first gum made as a nicotine replacement therapy hit the market in the early 1990’s and have been a popular substitute for cigarettes ever since, especially the last 10 years where many countries have allowed over-the-counter sales of these products.
Nicotine inhaler and nasal spray
Works like the gum and patches, except that the nicotine spray is either inhaled through your mouth or nose.
Stop smoking aids: Alternative methods
These are alternative methods that really don’t have the data and research behind them to claim a good effect on people who try to quit smoking. Non the less, they are listed for your own consideration.
Hypnosis to quit smoking
As the title implies, this method uses hypnosis to quit smoking. There is some research that suggests that hypnosis can be effective as a stop smoking aid, but there are also those that doubt its effect. In any event, if your doctor says it’s safe to try, than why not?
Acupuncture to quit smoking
The evidence that acupuncture can help you quit smoking is very thin or non existent. But as with hypnosis for quitting smoking, if it isn’t harmful then why not try it?
Consult your doctor or physician
Even though science has come far in reducing side-effects of drugs, there still are some possible side effects you need to know about. Please discuss the common, and un-common, side-effects of all these stop smoking aids with your doctor or physician.
Smoking facts
The negative facts about smoking are just too many and too serious to not act upon. Make yourself a goal today to stop smoking, and start your path to a new life without cigarettes!
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