Stopping smoking is immensely challenging, as the nicotine you find in tobacco is so highly addictive. It is up there with the likes of heroin and methamphetamine with how addictive it is, and many people struggle when they try to quit. There is a physical addiction to nicotine and a mental one, and you need to change your lifestyle to ensure you stick with not smoking cigarettes again. Below are some of the various factors you will need to consider giving yourself the best chances of success and never smoking another cigarette again.
Going Cold Turkey Is Hard
Going cold turkey when you are trying to quit smoking is something many people have tried, and it is something that they often fail at doing. When you first quit smoking, there will be a constant craving in the background for a cigarette, which is expected. However, there will also be intense cravings that awake your desire to smoke, which are often triggered by specific cues, such as drinking alcohol, eating, or first thing in the morning. Many people struggle going cold turkey and a high percentage of people who try often go back to smoking again within a few weeks or months.
Consider Using Nicotine Replacement Therapy
One way to help combat the intense cravings you get when you quit smoking is using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). It changes how your body gets nicotine and is much better for your health than smoking. However, you need to ensure that you wean yourself off your dependency on nicotine and slowly reduce the dosage you take. One of the most common methods of taking nicotine other than smoking is vaping, which millions of people worldwide have used to quit smoking and not go back to cigarettes successfully. You can use various types of vaping devices, and you can get the e-liquid from Vapoholic.co.uk and other reputable online retailers, supermarkets, newsagents, and vape shops. There are also other NRTs you can consider using, such as:
- Nicotine Patches
- Nicotine Oral Spray
- Nicotine Nasal Spray
- Dissolvable Nicotine Strips
- Nicotine Gum
- Nicotine Lozenges
Getting Started Quitting
Before quitting smoking, you will first want to make an appointment with your doctor and explain what you want to do to them. They can go through everything that will happen with your body and talk about the various NRTs you can consider using to give you the best chance of success. They can explain the pros and cons of each NRT and go through the different support available on the NHS, including support groups and counselling you can consider.
You will then need to formulate a plan for you to quit smoking and ensure on the day you decide, you throw away your cigarettes and start using your chosen NRT. You may also need to remove yourself from potential trigger situations in the first few weeks, where you may find yourself in a situation that you want to smoke, such as in the pub. For the first few weeks, try and remove yourself as far away from temptation as possible, and you will see that giving up smoking can be easier than you thought.