subject: Aids To Quit Smoking [print this page] There are a number of aids on the market today designed to help people kick the smoking habit. In fact, there are so many available that sometimes it is difficult to turn on the television or radio without catching one of their ads. But how do you make sense out of them all? What types of symptoms can they help with? If you are a smoker struggling to quit, these are probably some of the questions you want answered.
Smoking aids are just what the name suggeststhey aid you as you navigate the tough-going of becoming a non-smoker. The most important piece of advice you need to know is that none of these aids is a complete substitute for your resolve. While many smoking cessation aids can assist in taking the edge off the physical and mental withdrawals associated with quitting, none of them can do the work for you.
Over time your body and mind have become accustomed to the nicotine found in cigarettes, and nicotine is a drug. It makes sense, then, that any abrupt stoppage of that drug is going to leave the body asking, Hey whats going on? It does this in the form of physical and mental withdrawals, including everything from general uneasiness to full blown irritability. Smoking aids can help ease the body and mind through this process and help you manage these uncomfortable feelings.
One class of smoking cessation aids are known as Nicotine Replacement aids, chiefly for the role they play. These aids, which include the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, lozenges and inhalers, actually replace the nicotine your body has grown accustomed to with smaller and more controlled amounts of the same drug. In the initial phase of cessation the amount of nicotine provided by these aids is at or just below the accustomed levels, but over time, the amount of nicotine is slowly decreased until you find you no longer need it.
The difficulty of quitting smoking has prompted the medical community to get involved as well, most recently taking the form of smoking cessation drugs. Chantix, a drug which partially activates nicotine receptors in the brain, is one example, while Wellbutrin, an antidepressant thought to help ease the discomfort of physical withdrawals, is another.
Hypnosis is another widely used smoking cessation aid. Thought to bring about an altered state where the patient is more open to suggestion, hypnosis attempts to completely change the smokers habitual thought patterns.
There are hundreds more of course, but the real trick is finding the one that works best for you. Either used alone or in combination, smoking aids can help free you from the nagging cravings that perpetually hamper your ability to quit.
