Quitting smoking is the most significant step smokers can take to live longer and improve the quality of their lives, the U.S. Surgeon General says. Smokers face the difficult task of getting through nicotine withdrawal, which causes cravings. Nicotine creates pleasant feelings through brain chemicals that make smokers want to smoke more. The American Cancer Society recommends a combination of methods to quit smoking that may include medicine, changing personal habits and support.
Nicotine Replacement
Nicotine replacement therapy provides your body with nicotine so you can get over the withdrawal symptoms that occur when you stop smoking. Most smokers can't quit because of the cravings for nicotine that arise, the American Cancer Society points out. The body's physical need for nicotine is accompanied by a smoker's emotional attachment to smoking when nervous or bored, for example. Nicotine replacement comes in the form of patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers or sprays. The American Cancer Society recommends that you start using nicotine replacement products when you first quit, but it adds that some ex-smokers say they have been successful trying the therapy a day or more after quitting. The American Cancer Society advises people to use nicotine replacement therapy with other methods to help you quit.
Cessation Programs
Support and encouragement to stay off tobacco products are part of smoking cessation programs that use group counseling or one-on-one counseling. A good program has sessions that last at least 15 to 30 minutes, and at least four sessions over two or more weeks, according to the American Cancer Society. Smoking cessation clinics usually have counselors experienced in helping ex-smokers. Workplaces, support groups, health departments and local organizations often sponsor stop-smoking programs or have information on where to find them.
Hypnosis
Hypnosis relaxes the mind and allows people to block out old ways of thinking. Ex-smokers replace negative thinking with thoughts that discourage them from smoking. A hypnotist reaffirms the hazards of smoking and the benefits of quitting in the mind of a smoker. Smokers are relaxed enough during hypnosis sessions to build up a mental resistance to the temptations of smoking. Smokers need to use the hypnotic suggestions to quit smoking and focus on healthier alternatives.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture may curb the desire to smoke, according to the American Cancer Society, pointing to a study at the University of Oslo, Norway published in the November 2001 issue of Preventive Medicine. For five years, researchers followed 26 people in a test group and 20 people in a control group. The test group received acupuncture in skeletal and muscular areas related to points that affect smoking. The control group received acupuncture in areas unrelated to smoking. The test group reported smoking less and decreased desire to smoke. The control group experienced no lasting effects from the treatment.
References
- American Cancer Society: Guide to Quitting Smoking
- WorldwideHealth.com: Does Hypnosis Work to Help You Quit Smoking?
- American Cancer Society: Acupuncture Curbs Urge to Light Up
- National Center for Biotechnology Information: Effect of acupuncture on smoking cessation or reduction: an 8-month and 5-year follow-up study.
