How many people do you know who have quit smoking for a month or a year or and then started up again? What methods did they use to quit smoking: hypnosis, drugs, cold turkey? If they started back up after trying to quit smoking, hypnosis was probably not one of the things they tried. Is that your story, too? Unfortunately, it’s really common.

Anyone who has smoked for a number of years comes to a point where they really want to quit. In fact, they’re desperate to quit. That’s when they find out just how addicted they are. Because even though they have really good reasons, and a lot of motivation to quit, they can’t.

Has this already happened to you? Have you already had the experience of wanting to quit because the new baby was on the way? Or your new boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t smoke. So you don’t want to anymore either? Or maybe you’re just tired of seeing so much of your hard-earned cash literally go up in smoke!

Whatever your reason for wanting to quit smoking, good intentions are usually not enough. Nicotine addiction is so strong, that you’ll need all the help he can get. The good news is, there’s a lot of help available. You have a lot of good quit smoking methods and products to choose from.

Quitting smoking is really a two-pronged process. You have to deal with both the physical nicotine addiction, and the psychological habits that you have created around smoking. Let’s call them your “smoking rituals”.

Everyone who has smoked for any number of years has actually built a whole set of smoking rituals that are unique to them. One of the reasons it’s so difficult to quit smoking is that the rituals become self reinforcing. What exactly does that mean?

It means that when you first began smoking you developed a set of habits, or actions, that you used every time you lit up your cigarette. And these are things like having a favorite ashtray, preferring a particular brand of cigarettes, using matches instead of a lighter, or always buying a red or a yellow lighter.

Now think about how many cigars or cigarettes you smoke every day. Do you smoke one pack a day? That’s 20 cigarettes. So that’s 20 times a day that you use your red lighter, or you look at that gold and white cigarette package. And then there are all of the habitual places and times that you smoke. You have a cigarette sitting in your favorite chair, or you light up after every meal.

So after even one year of smoking, do you really wonder why every time you see your cigarette lighter, or you finish a meal, it just feels natural to have a cigarette? In fact, it feels uncomfortable not to have one. And we’ve only been talking about your behavioral habits.

When you quit smoking cigarettes, you also have to face your nicotine addiction. And the physical addiction to nicotine is as strong or stronger than a physical addiction to heroin. The good news about that is: once you stop putting nicotine into your system, most of it flushes out within a couple of days.

Quit smoking drugs, like patches and pills and nasal sprays, are intended to help you get through the physical withdrawal period. They’re supposed to help reduce the nicotine cravings, and you’re supposed to gradually taper off from them. They work about 20% to 30% of the time for long-term smoking cessation. But if you talk to people who have successfully quit smoking for 10 or 20 years, you’ll probably find that they used self hypnosis at some point to help them stop smoking for good.

My boyfriend has been smoking for almost 3 years now. He probably smokes 2 packs a week.

How can I help him to quit? I want to be supportive and encourage him to do so. I know he gets frustrated and wants to quit but he never seems to do it or take any steps in the right direction. I don’t think he knows where to start.

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How to help a friend quit smoking

 Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death in the U.S.  Smoking causes lung cancer, heart attacks, emphysema, and stroke.  People who smoke have much  shorter life expectancies than people who don’t.

 How do you help a friend or family member quit smoking?  It isn’t easy.  Smoking is a difficult habit to break.  Smoking is an addiction with physiological and psychological components.

 Nevertheless, there are things you can do to help someone quit smoking.  In my talk I will explain how to present a smoker with information on the health consequences of smoking, how to develop a Quit Smoking Plan, and how to persuade a smoker to follow such a plan.

 I realize that by talking about the health affects of smoking I run the risk of depressing the whole audience.   I promise to move quickly to the more practical question of how to quit.

 The health consequences of smoking are well documented.  Two places to find such information are the Mayo Clinic website and the American Lung Association website.

 Smoking is responsible for nearly one in five deaths in the United States. Almost half a million people die every year from the consequences of smoking.

On average, smokers die 13 to 14 years sooner than nonsmokers do.

Lung cancer is the No.1 cause of cancer death in the United States.

Almost 90,000 Americans die each year of coronary heart disease caused by smoking.  Smokers have triple the risk of coronary heart disease that nonsmokers have.

Smoking raises your blood pressure, cholesterol level and your risk of blood clots. A smoker is two to six times more likely to have a heart attack, and the more you smoke, the higher your risk.

Depending on how well you know a smoker, you could simply mention these websites or print out and discuss the information with the smoker.

 After reviewing the health affects of smoking, the next step in quitting smoking is the Quit Smoking Plan.

 A quit smoking plan is a detailed list of steps that someone should take to quit smoking.  It is usually not realistic for someone to just wake up one day and quit smoking.  A certain amount of planning and preparation is needed.

A quit smoking plan should mention some of the health and other reasons that provide the motivation for a smoker to quit. 

A quit smoking plan should set a quit date, which is a date sometime in the near future, when the smoker will plan to stop smoking.  This gives a smoker time to prepare to kick the habit.

The bulk of the quit smoking plan contains a series of actions the smoker needs to take to get ready to quit.  Such actions include joining a local smoking cessation class, identifying a group of people who can provide support when the smoker quits, and reviewing the quit smoking literature available on the ALA website.  This website contains a detailed seven module program called Freedom from Smoking which describes how to quit smoking.

A smoker can also join a gym or get a treadmill, because exercise is helpful for someone giving up smoking.  In addition, smokers can consult a doctor or pharmacist about nicotine patches and gum and become familiar with smokeless cigarettes as an alternative to smoking.  

Other possibilities include starting deep breathing yoga exercises, using relaxation CDs, or squeezing a physical therapy ball to relieve tension.  A quit smoking plan needs to be tailored a bit for each individual.

 A Quit Smoking Plan is fairly easy to prepare.  The hard part is getting a smoker to follow the plan.

 There is no guaranteed way to get a smoker to follow a quit smoking plan.  However there are some things you can try.
 To get the smoker’s attention you might try sending the smoker some of the anti smoking merchandise available for sale on the ALA web site.  There you can order T shirts and other items with slogans urging people not to smoke.

 You may be able to convince the smoker to prepare a quit smoking plan.  If not, you can prepare one yourself and give it to the smoker.  You can also talk about the plan with the smoker and explain the importance of each step of the plan.

 Repetition is a useful tool of persuasion, so remind the smoker as often as possible of the quit smoking day and the need to prepare for it. 

 Explain to the smoker that the withdrawal symptoms are worst in the first 7 to 10 days after quitting.  This may enable the smoker to get through the first few days.

 Spending some money on the effort may also help.  For example, if the smoker cannot afford a quit smoking class or an exercise program, you could pay for it yourself.  This will show that you take the issue seriously, and they should too.

 Preaching  to or nagging the smoker not to smoke is probably not that helpful.  Part of what you do will depend on the smoker’s attitude.  The smoker may have no interest in quitting and rebuff your efforts entirely.  Or, he or she might have some interest in giving up smoking, but may be unwilling to follow every step of the quit smoking plan.  In some cases a smoker might need just a little nudge to quit smoking.

 Another possibility is that after the quit smoking date the smoker succeeds in cutting down on smoking but does not quit entirely.  In this case you need to praise the smoker’s effort to quit but also remind the smoker that it is necessary to quit completely.  Review the reasons to quit with the smoker – often health benefits alone are not enough to persuade a smoker to quit.  Also review the parts of the quit smoking plan that were not followed and try to get the smoker to follow those parts of the plan as well.

 You are doing a friend a big favor by trying to help him or her quit smoking.

 To be successful, you need the right tools.  Consult relevant websites for information on the health affects of smoking.  Prepare a detailed quit smoking plan.  Convince the smoker to follow the plan.

 46 million Americans who once smoked have successfully quit.  It isn’t easy, but the health benefits are considerable. 

 You may feel bad if your friend does not quit.  The best thing to do in that case is to say “good try.”  Quitting smoking often takes several attempts, and each attempt is a step forward.

 If you have a friend or family member who smokes, try helping them to quit.  Stick with it.  If you are not successful on the first attempt, remember the old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

I want to be supportive of my husband while he quits smoking. He’s been a heavy smoker for seven years and he’s ready to quit. He’s been so excited while cutting back, making lists of all of the positive reasons for quitting. Also, he’s got a perscirption for the pills that help him to quit smoking.

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There are proven treatments that help people stop smoking. Medications and supportive discussion with a health care provider and counseling with a specialist will greatly increase your chances for stopping. In this video, health care providers from the Mayo Clinic describe medication and counseling options and explain how they work to help smokers stop smoking Patients tell how treatment provided for them the help they needed to become and stay smoke-free. There is effective treatment for anyone who smokes. Visit the Mayo Clinic website. www.mayoclinic.org/ndc-rst/

When someone wants to quit smoking, what would you reccommend they do? Maybe start out by cutting back or something else? (I’m curious, because my boyfriend says he wants to quit, but that he thinks it’s best he slowly cuts back on cigarettes per day.)

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While the debate over legalizing marijuana still rages and the pros and cons of this drug are debated endlessly those who have developed an unhealthy addiction to this drug know all too well the negative effects it can bring to ones life. From the massive amount of time that disappears from your life, the amount of money you keep shelling out to feed the addiction to the frightening lack of clarity and memory that comes from long term use, pot smokers looking to kick the habit keep looking for the answer on how to quit smoking marijuana.

Thankfully there are a few key facts about marijuana addiction that can help you quit marijuana forever. The first thing you must know is that marijuana is not a chemically addictive drug like cigarettes or cocaine which contain certain chemicals that give the user withdrawal symptoms that have physical side effects that only the drug itself seem to be able to cure. Marijuana has none of these properties which means that addiction to pot is a physiological addiction.

Psychological addiction is similar to gambling addiction or alcohol addiction in that the user seeks the high of this activity because they desperately want it for reasons to do with their state of mind not what their body craves. While a problem gambler may keep gambling for the elation of winning and the chance to gain back his losses a marijuana addict must have a core set of issues that bring tem back to the drug time and time again. For some it is simple as being a relaxant they rely on to help them calm down, others are drawn back because all of their friends also smoke and they do it to be social, others still may have mental problems that cut deep and the high of marijuana smoking is the only thing they feel can help them escape their constant torment.

In any case however the solution is similar, find these core issues you have before you try to give up on marijuana! If you do not have a firm grasp on the issues that keep you coming back to the drug you will never be able to quit smoking pot and keep sliding back into using it again and again.

So before you even start trying to quit smoking marijuana take this advice and look at the root causes of your addiction which may not be the same as why you started smoking either. I hope this can help you to quit marijuana and live the life you want to lead!

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I’ve been smoking for as long as I can remember. I know the doctors tell me it will help my axiety, I have extreme anxiety and panic disorder. But it’s hard to quit especially when everyone around me smokes cigarettes too. Have any of you anxiety sufferers quit smoking and did it help? And what’s the easiest and quickest way to quit? Help Please!

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“Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it a thousand times.” This quote by Mark Twain, aptly describes how tough it is for the addicts to stop smoking once and for all. Quitting cold turkey does help many smokers but many succumb to the temptation of having a puff again which gradually leads them back to their habit of chain smoking. In fact it has been observed that some smokers have to make 3 – 10 attempts to quit smoking in their life.

To make quitting attempts convenient and successful there are several quit smoking aids available in the market. Smokers can get help from a doctor or a dentist to decide on the most suitable quit smoking aid for them when they make a committed decision to quit.

Quit Smoking Aids
Smokers are very much aware of the health risk posed by cigarettes on their body and most of them have an unconscious desire to break the habit one day. The biggest fear faced by smokers thinking about quitting are the withdrawal symptoms and whether they will be too much to handle. Withdrawal symptoms like cravings, headache, cough, fatigue, anxiety, anger, insomnia, constipation, weight gain etc can put tremendous pressure on someone who is trying to give it up, and more than often leads to them picking up the habit again. Often, the fear of nicotine withdrawal symptoms dissuade smokers from even making an attempt to quit smoking while those who attempt give in to the symptoms and get back to their old habit.

To help smokers quit successfully with minimum discomfort there are large number of quit smoking aids available today. Listed here are few of the most successful ones –

-Nicotine Replacement Therapy
The nicotine in cigarettes causes an addiction and unpleasant feelings of withdrawal when a person tries to quit. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) works by providing the body with nicotine generally in the form of a Nicotine Chewing Gum or Nicotine Patch without the other harmful parts of tobacco. Other forms of nicotine based quit smoking aids include nicotine tabs, lozenges, nicotine nasal spray, inhalators. These aids can help a person concentrate more on quitting the habit of smoking by relieving the symptoms of withdrawal.

However, since NRTs contain nicotine, a certain risk of re-addiction is involved when using these products. Therefore, one must use this method carefully by following instructions from doctor.

-Nicotine-Free Quit Smoking Aids
These days there are several forms of quit smoking aids that do not use nicotine as an active ingredient. These are prescription based drugs and hence should be taken under a doctor’s care.

Zyban – The active ingredient in this quit smoking aid is bupropion hydrochloride. Developed as an anti-depressant drug, Zyban has been shown to dramatically reduce physical withdrawal symptoms associated with nicotine and hence works well as a smoking cessation aid.

Chantix – Developed by Pfizer, Chantix (varenicline tartrate) was approved by FDA in May 2006. Unique property of this popular quit smoking aid is that it reduces the level of satisfaction derived from smoking. Chantix also reduces the nicotine withdrawal effects and thus makes it convenient to quit.

Processes to Follow Quit Smoking Aids
Following processes may help smokers quit smoking successfully –

1.Decide to Quit – This is the fundamental aspect of any smoking cessation program. Tell yourself honestly that you want to quit and you will quit.

2.Prepare to Quit – Planning makes it possible. Set a quit date, seek support of your friends and family, and be prepared for the cravings that come with withdrawal.

3.Use Quit Smoking Aids – Quitting cold turkey is tough for people addicted to nicotine. Prescription drugs like Chantix reduce the impact of withdrawal and helps you quit successfully.

Benefits of Quit Smoking Drugs
Studies reveal that quit smoking drugs quadruples a person’s chances to quit smoking as compared to trying it cold turkey. The best part of quit smoking drugs like Chantix is that it makes quitting a painless process as it significantly reduces the effects of nicotine withdrawals. The other good characteristic of Chantix is that is makes smoking less enjoyable for you. People on Chantix do not derive any pleasure out of smoking and are therefore reluctant to light up again. This is a significant feature of Chantix for smokers who are unable to bear the craving and have a tendency to break their smoking cessation program by lighting a cigarette.

Seek your doctor’s approval before using Chantix as a quit smoking aid and get the cigarettes out of your life, forever.