Thinking of quitting smoking? Good for you! That’s a brave first step to a healthier life. However, the road to a smoke-free life may not be quite as easy as slapping on a patch or chewing some gum. According to some scientists, relying on smoking cessation devices and drugs may have more pitfalls than promises.
Studies at the University of Oxford are now saying that while it certainly isn’t easy, simply going cold turkey may be far better than relying on gums, patches, or other nicotine resources. According to the study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine participants who tried to gradually reduce the levels with cessation products had less success in actually giving up smoking than those who simply threw away their cigarettes or other tobacco products and quit.
The kick back is that while it does seem to make giving up the actual cigarettes easier, there will be a point where you either have to stop using the cessation products, thereby eventually having to go without any nicotine at all, or be hooked on a different form of the real source of smoking addiction—nicotine anyway.
More Effective Alternatives for Abruptly Quitting Smoking
Quitting is probably the smartest choice you will ever make. It will improve your health, allow you to enjoy life better, and avoid countless health hazards associated with smoking. There are better options for stopping than nasal spray, gums and the rest, if you are considering going cold-turkey. Join a group online, find a therapy group for smokers in your community and get support. Of course, family and friends who are supportive are wonderful, but unless they have quit, or are trying to quit, they may not be able to provide you with the type of support and understanding you really need. For a non-smoker, the struggles of stopping do not seem real. Talk therapy does help a lot, however, when there are people who have been through it or are going through the same things you are.
Believe it, or not, your overall state of mind may play a much larger part in your success or failure when it comes to giving up tobacco. Having a positive perspective and a good outlook will help you get through the times when managing the cravings seem overwhelming. Don’t be fooled into complacency either. Many people who successfully quit for months, even years, end up going back, and to some that seems unthinkable. Just like an alcoholic, once a smoker, always a smoker. The key is in taking it one step, one day at a time, and realizing that you can never have “just one.”
Even after years, one of the dangers is that you can begin to feel overconfident, and forget that you were once addicted. Then something happens out of the blue, it could be a simple little aggravation or a big life-changing issue, and suddenly you may get hit with a craving and slide right off the wagon. Knowing that, and remembering that it can happen is one of the most powerful tools to avoiding relapse and picking up those cigarettes again. Your mind is your most helpful weapon against the dangers of tobacco.