Smokers today have access to different types of stop smoking help: nicotine replacement therapies; drugs, such as Zyban; counseling; and self-help materials. Mark Twain is paraphrased as saying it best, "Stopping smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times." However, Mark Twain did not realize he was fighting a battle against nicotine, not stop smoking a cigarette. Today, we know to successfully stop smoking, this dependency on nicotine needs to be addressed first.
Psychological and emotional addictions are hard to break, especially while maintaining friendships with those who are still smoking. In cases like this, a useful help would be free telephone-counseling services, run by different states. Statistics show excellent results in this type of counseling, as smokers who counsel through the telephone services stop smoking twice as fast as those who do not.
Successful efforts to stop smoking are not about the smoker alone, but also about the encouragement and support shown to them by their family members, friends, co-workers, the stop smoking support team, and the counselors and medical teams. Many smokers say they would never have accomplished their goal to stop smoking, if not for this support. Smokers can get information about support groups from hospitals, local groups, health insurance companies, or even from their employers. However, the most useful help comes from skilled counselors, guiding the smokers in needed areas.
Individual or group counselors can help the smokers recognize nicotine withdrawal problems, or psychological and emotional issues that arise when they begin to stop smoking. It will not be easy, as nicotine is the strongest addiction there is. Once a smoker stops smoking, the nicotine is strong enough to stay present in the smoker's body for about three to four days. After that, the nicotine withdrawal symptoms will take over, and last for about two days to several weeks.
The counselors and group support teams assist the smoker once this level is reached, or the smoker may return to the habit of smoking to relieve the withdrawal. Studies show that smokers who attend a specialist clinic are four times more likely to succeed in giving up smoking than those who rely on self-control alone. The latest statistics show that trying to quit on your own was the most popular strategy to stop smoking, yet seemed to be the least successful.
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a therapy to help a person quit smoking and relieving any withdrawal symptoms. Different types being used are skin patches, lozenges, nasal spray, inhaler, chewing gum, or tablets and pills – all providing small doses of nicotine to the system. These help smokers relieve withdrawal symptoms but work best if used with some form of behavior change program at the same time. If both forms of assistance are used, NRT can double a smoker's chances of quitting smoking, as compared to those who use no therapy.
A drug that is gaining popularity is the non-nicotine pill, Zyban, also known as "bupropion hycrochloride." It was the first non-nicotine prescription medication approved by the FDA in 1997, also sold as an antidepressant under the name of Wellbutrin. Smokers begin treatment one week before quitting smoking, then the treatment will continue for 7 to 12 weeks. All smokers can quit smoking if they want, because of health reasons or health reasons. How they quit will depend on the smoker, as there are many options available to help them to stop smoking.
