5. What are the best ways to quit smoking?
Luckily for you, the half-life of nicotine is only
about one hour. This means that for every one hour
after you ingest nicotine, it is diluted to one half
of what it was. So let’s start by getting those
initial levels down! If you’re a heavy smoker, start
by cutting down on the amount of cigarettes you smoke
per day. If you’re an indoor smoker, make yourself go
outside for a butt. Smell is the sense most strongly
linked to memory, and this will help to eliminate one
of your most powerful triggers.
Do everything possible to assure your success. Set
yourself a definite quit date. Throw out your
ashtrays. Get your car interior shampooed. Either have
your teeth professionally whitened or do it yourself.
People will immediately notice a difference, and this
will do wonders for your self-esteem and strengthen
your resolve. For the first two weeks, keep your
‘fridge stocked with your favorite food. Withdrawal
symptoms may include increased appetite, but this is
completely temporary, so go with it! Once your lungs
are back in shape you’ll have no problem losing a
pound or two.
The typical success rate for cigarette smokers
quitting by themselves with no help at all is a meager
3.4 percent. A fast-selling aid to check out is here. So let’s up your chances by identifying the most successful methods! We’ll use one year as our basis of comparison for quitting rates, with statistics taken from the November 2006 issue of Addictive Behaviors.
Pure willpower, or “cold turkey”, has an average
success rate of 3.4%. Using antidepressants resulted
in a success rate of 8.1%, but when combined with
nicotine replacement treatments increased to 9.2%.
Acupuncture had a maximum success rate of 5.2%.
According to this study, nicotine replacement
therapies available over the counter “increase the
odds of quitting approximately 1.5 to 2 fold.”
(Silagy, Lancaster, Stead, Mant, & Fowler, 2002).
Nasal spray had the highest success rate at 11.5%,
inhalators had a 10.8% success rate, followed by
lozenges at 8.8%, patches at 6.9%, and gum at 6.2%.
Clonidine had a 9.5% success rate, though the
researchers added that the “prominent side-effects
limited the usefulness.”
Statistically, nicotine replacement therapies in
general seem to have the highest rates of
effectiveness over one year. Most physicians agree
that combining one or more forms of treatment yield
the best success rates, and some imply that you can
double your chances of quitting once again, if for
example you used a nicotine replacement therapy and
also attended a smokers support group. The more you
can incorporate into your quit smoking plan, the more
likely you are to quit for good!
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