By: Pailamod Paila
One of the most challenging things to do is to quit smoking. That one last puff can only fuel cravings for another stick. Medical disclaimers and anti-smoking campaigns do nothing to curb your cravings for a nicotine fix. This difficulty can be rewarded by the multitude of health benefits that can result from a smoke-free living.
Smoking is an addiction to nicotine. Its perceived benefits are limited to psychological and self-centered making it a more pleasurable activity for one yet an irritating habit for another. When you quit smoking, the benefits that your body can enjoy is numerous. For one, your breathing will be easier and your other sensory organs will be refreshed. You get back your sense of taste and your sense of smell. Your predisposition to certain illnesses is likewise curbed. You will be less likely to develop heart disease, lung disease, stroke or cancer.
There is help for anyone who wants to stop smoking. You can go to support group sessions to meet and interact with people who are in the same predicament and those who have been through the same situation and have succeeded in evading the lure of the stick. There are some companies that have introduced a number of quit smoking aids such as gums and patches. Nicotine replacement therapies are advertised in most media as tools to help manage nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Not all of them, though can be certified as effective.
You can also go for medical care to help you stop smoking. Drug companies have developed medication to help in the campaign against smoking. Antidepressant Bupropion lessens nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms. This drug is comparable to most nicotine replacement therapies. Studies show successful quitting behaviour in as short as three months. Another drug Varenicline, a prescription drug, is also known to be successful in helping people quit smoking. This drug is commonly marketed as Chantix in the USA. It is considered a nicotinic receptor partial antagonists which means that it reduces nicotine cravings and cuts down on the pleasurable effects of smoking.
There are also alternative medical care available that helps stop smoking. Alternative medicine practitioners can prescribe meditation as well as herbal supplements and drinks that can help control nicotine cravings. Meditation is a practice that relaxes your mind and body, bringing your focus inward towards yourself and taking it away from your cravings. The deep breathing techniques involved in most meditation exercises effectively oxygenates your body and relieves anxiety and stress making you less likely to look for a stick to light – aside from incense sticks, that is. Others go as far as going into hypnosis to get to the root of the psychological need for a smoke.
There is never a bad time to quit smoking. If you want to stop smoking, the best time to do it is always the present time. The tools to help you start breathing healthy are at your fingertips. All you have to do is to decide which one will fit your personality, lifestyle, and budget.
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