The 5 Most Common Ways To Quit Smoking – Their Pros And Cons

Knowledge is power. And this is especially true when it comes to quitting smoking.

The journey to a smoke-free life is unique to each and everyone. There’s no end-all be-all solution when it comes to kicking cigarettes out of your life.

There are many different ways to drop the addiction – each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Knowing them, along with their PROs and CONs, will help you find the approach that suits you.

Let’s have a look at the 5 most popular ways of smoking cessation as well as their good and bad sides:

Method 1: Cold Turkey

What’s nice about quitting cold turkey is that there’s no planning involved. It’s free! Just like the dish itself, there’s very little preparation.

The bad side, however, is that it has a very low success rate. Willpower, on its own, can help you quit and stay smoke-free for years. The problem is that it can lead to a relapse.

If you’re a heavy smoker or someone who has tried quitting before but failed, this may not be for you.

Method 2: Counseling

You will find most smoking cessation experts touting the flag of counseling as one of the best ways to quit the habit.

It provides long-term empowerment along with psychological support.

Plus, unlike the first method, there are no distinct disadvantages. What more can you ask for?

Through it, you will understand the nature of your addiction and the experts will help develop a game plan suited for you.

Combined with medication or NRTs, the success rate of counseling far surpasses other quitting methods.

Method 3: Nicotine Patches

These small patches help you adhere to your decision to quit smoking.

They are stuck to your body and releases nicotine through your skin at a slow, steady, and manageable rate.

This keeps the nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cravings at bay. It’s convenient and requires little engagement.

The bad side, though, is that it can cause sleep disruptions. It can also irritate your skin and it’s not sensitive to your changing nicotine needs.

It won’t lower down the dose it pumps through your skin automatically. Not to mention a pack of seven patches costs about $35.

Method 4: Varenicline / Champix

The nice thing about Champix is that it’s been proven to be really effective.

It blocks the effects of nicotine in the body – along with the pleasures we came to associate with it as well as the cravings that quitters experience.

There are a lot of clinical trials that reveal this to be effective.

Still, however, it’s not for everyone. It’s not recommended especially if you are using NRT’s or nicotine replacement therapies. Side effects can include nausea, adverse mood and behavior changes.

That explains why this can be only bought through prescription.

Method 5: Zyban

Classified as an antidepressant, Zyban does a good job of toning down the physical cravings for cigarettes... effectively reducing the dreaded nicotine withdrawal symptoms that quitters have to put up with.

BUT just like the previous method, it’s not for everyone. There are side effects like insomnia, dry mouth, nausea, etc. that you need to keep an eye on.

It’s not recommended for people with epilepsy and can only be acquired through prescription.

Learn more about your health online when you read the rest of our information here about: How to stop smoking

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