Quitting smoking is overwhelming. That’s because it is more than just breaking physical dependence on nicotine. The move involves changing habits and lifestyle significantly. What’s more, a person needs coping strategies to stop smoking. Nevertheless, quitting smoking is an essential move that a person can make towards improving the quality and length of life.
It’s no secret that cigarette smoking is a harmful habit. That’s why many people are looking for ways to end the addiction. Unfortunately, nicotine is a highly addictive substance. Therefore, quitting smoking requires more than willpower. A person must know the techniques to employ to quit smoking.
After being unable to quit smoking, some people turn to nicotine replacement therapies. For instance, a person can invest in a desktop vaporizer (vapingdaily gives full info) and use it instead of smoking cigarettes whenever nicotine cravings strike. This device can be used to vaporize nicotine-containing concentrate instead of smoking traditional cigarettes. The popularity of vaporizers has proliferated as more people switch from smoking to vaping. That’s because vaping is seen as a less harmful alternative to smoking since it does not involve combustion.
Why Stop Smoking?
The effects of cigarette smoking are the major reason why many people want to quit the habit. According to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking causes about 390,000 premature deaths in the United States. Additionally, 16 million individuals suffer from smoking-related diseases.
It’s estimated that 41,000 people die from smoking-related illnesses every year due to secondhand smoke. Thus, smoking releases secondhand smoke with chemicals that are dangerous even to the people close to a smoker.
In addition to the adverse health effects of smoking, a person can realize significant financial savings when they end the habit. These include saving the money spent on the purchase of cigarettes and medical bills that arise from smoking-related illnesses. Essentially, quitting smoking at any age is beneficial, regardless of the duration for which a person has been a smoker.
Why Is It Hard to Stop Smoking?
The addictive nature of nicotine, which is a stimulant, is why many people have a hard time trying to quit the habit. Every cigarette has between one and two milligrams of pure nicotine. Once a person smokes, the nicotine receptor is stimulated in their brain. This stimulation leads to dopamine release, thereby increasing endorphin levels in the brain.
Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter. It makes a person realize that activities like having sex and eating are pleasurable. A person smokes a traditional cigarette or uses the best desktop vaporizer to supply nicotine to the brain. And, when the brain doesn’t the usual supply of nicotine, withdrawal occurs.
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms are the major reasons why many people have a hard time trying to quit. They include restlessness, irritability, headache, depression, increased appetite, and insomnia.
How to Stop Smoking
The quest to stop smoking can be the test of your willpower. However, having the willpower doesn’t always mean you deprive yourself of the external tools that you can use. Here are some of the ways you can stop smoking.
Cold Turkey
This is a common technique for quitting smoking. However, this is one of the least effective strategies for quitting smoking. Although it’s among the fastest quit-smoking methods, a person needs a lot of willpower to succeed. Therefore, it’s not recommended for individuals that want to quit quickly because of a severe medical condition.
Medications
Some people use nicotine replacement therapies to stop smoking. These therapies provide a safer smoking alternative, thereby making the quitting process easier. Common nicotine replacement therapies include patches, gums, nasal sprays, and inhalers.
Some prescription medications are also used to help individuals quit smoking. These medications are nicotine-free and not habit-forming, and they increase the success rate for most people. Such drugs include Bupropion and Varenicline.
Electronic Cigarettes
You probably know a person that has invested in a desktop dry herb vaporizer because they want to switch from smoking to vaping and eventually end the habit ultimately. Well, the current market has different types of electronic cigarettes that some people are using to quit smoking. These devices work like nicotine replacement therapies. Currently, smokers can find other brands of nicotine-containing e-liquids that they can use to decrease their intake gradually.
Using a desktop vape to supply nicotine to the body avoids the more than 7,000 chemicals produced whenever an individual smokes a traditional cigarette. Electronic cigarettes use a heating coil to vaporize e-liquids. And because most of them resemble traditional cigarettes, they address the physical aspect of smoking addiction.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
This is a form of therapy whose focus is on a specific problem in the life of a person. Some people use cognitive behavioral therapy to stop smoking because it changes their maladjusted patterns for thought. This maladjustment is the reason why a person experiences cravings when they attempt to quit smoking. When behavioral therapy is used to change the patterns, a person learns constructive and new ways of addressing the anxiety and stress associated with an attempt to quit smoking.
Tips to Help You Stop Smoking
As hinted, nicotine withdrawal makes the process of quitting smoking difficult for most people. Here are tips to help you overcome or deal with nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
- Avoid triggers to reduce your risk of relapsing.
- Wash anything that smells of cigarette smoking, including your clothes and home.
- Dispose of smoking paraphernalia to reduce your nicotine cravings.
- Exercise regularly to stimulate the release of dopamine in the brain.
- Engage in a new hobby to keep your body and mind occupied as a way of dealing with cravings.
- Choose healthy snacks to reach out for whenever appetite increases.
- Find ways to calm down and relax without turning to nicotine.
- Reduce your daily caffeine intake
- Meditate more often to deal with the psychological aspect of withdrawal from nicotine
- Drink more water to enhance nicotine detoxification
- Breathe deeply whenever nicotine craving strikes
The Bottom Line
Whether a person opts to go cold turkey or start by purchasing a tabletop vaporizer and quit gradually, their effort is worthwhile. That’s because smoking has many negative effects on the health of a person. Even those around a smoker can suffer the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. Nevertheless, quitting smoking requires more than willpower. Luckily, these techniques and tips can help you stop smoking for good.
