Best Way to Stop Smoking

Best Way to Stop Smoking

Alright, I cheated a little bit. There isn’t any best way to stop smoking that will work for everyone, every time. It might be more that there’s a best time--when you’re ready--than a best way. Or, you might could look at it this way…the best way is the one that works, for you!

Let’s look at the main ways people actually quit smoking.

Best Way...Cold Turkey

First off, there’s cold turkey. It’s completely simple. You just throw the cigarettes in the trash and quit! Don’t laugh. Something like 80% of the smokers who are successful at quitting smoking do it with the cold turkey method.

My father-in-law quit smoking this way. He smoked until he was in his forties. He’s now 90 years old and in great health!

What does cold turkey take? Well, a willingness to quit smoking and maybe a body chemistry that responds to nicotine addiction in a less dependent way. What I mean is, I’m not convinced that everyone can quit cold turkey.

(Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try!)

It’s a clinically proven fact, though, that cold turkey combined with either prescriptions drugs like Bupropion or Varenicline can double your chances of quitting. Getting professional counseling can double that! Don't dismiss something like cold turkey just because it's so low tech! It truly might be your best way to quit smoking.

Best Way...Medications

So, what about these drugs?

You probably know Bupropion as either Wellbutrin or Zyban. This drug was originally used as an antidepressant, but it was found to help people quit smoking.

Varenicline is otherwise known as Chantix. Chantix reduces your cravings for cigarettes along with the pleasure you get when you actually smoke.

Both these drugs are prescription drugs. So, you can’t get them except through a doctor, which is good because smokers who seek help from their physician are also more likely to quit and successfully stay quit.

Both of these drugs have been clinically proven to help people quit smoking. Investigate them...they might be your best way to stop!

There are other drug based therapies. Usually called Nicotine Replacement Therapy or NRT, for short.

The idea behind NRT therapies is you get your nicotine in another way other than smoking a cigarette. Look, it’s actually not the cigarette you’re after, it’s the nicotine in the cigarette. And while you’re getting your dose of nicotine through smoking that cigarette you’re inhaling over 4,000 other chemicals, 43 of which are known carcinogens, including Benzene, which is very carcinogenic.

With NRT, you can get your nicotine fix in a healthier way, but also you can control how much you get and reduce the amount you need gradually every day. Doing this decreases your physical addiction to smoking. Combine that with counseling to work on your psychological addiction and you’ve got a winning combination!

Here’s a list of NRT methods

• Patches
• Gum
• Lozenges
• Nasal spray
• Inhalers

Currently, the nasal spray and inhalers are prescription. The first three are not.

While we’re on the subject of medications, let’s not forget shots.

Some doctors offer a “smoking shot”. The shot is composed of a mixture of scopolamine and atropine. Again, you have to get these through a doctor.

There are also nicotine “vaccinations” that either are available for will soon be. You would get these through a doctor.

Best Way...Alternative Therapies

But your best way to stop smoking does not have to be a high powered drug.

There are a number of “alternative therapies”. Lots of people claim to have stopped smoking using them--and I have no reason to dispute their claims. It’s just that truly scientific studies have not backed up these claims.

Does this mean you shouldn’t try these therapies. Of course not! Not as long as they are safe. You can ask your doctor about that.

A list of these:

• Hypnosis
• Acupuncture (traditional with needles)
• Acupuncture (with lasers)
• Taper method
• Herbs and supplements
• Prayer

There are more alternative ways to stop smoking, but these are the main ones.

Don’t laugh at these! One of them may hold the key to your freedom from smoking.

Conclusion

The bottom line is there is no one way that’s the best way to stop smoking for everyone.

But for you there certainly is a “best way”. That would be the one that works.

How do you know which one works for you?

Learn all you can about quitting smoking. Go see your doctor. Decide on a method and try it. If it works, great! You’re free! If not, then try something else.

Just don’t stop until you are free from your addiction.

Remember two things:

1. It’s never too late to quit, and
2. It sounds hokey, but you really do have the rest of your life in front of you. Why not live it smoke-free?

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