How to quit Smoking in today?

Smoking cessation is quite uncommon. According to a 2016 study published in the British Medical Journal Global Health[2], only around 5% of men in the age group of 45–59 years are ex-smokers. This indicates that there is a need to raise awareness about smoking cessation and help people quit smoking.

Nicotine is a highly addictive substance that works on your brain in ways similar to heroin and cocaine. One to two hours after you smoke a cigarette, the nicotine level in your body tends to drop, which can cause you to crave for another puff. This is the reason why you experience severe withdrawal symptoms when you quit smoking which in turn can make you feel uncomfortable

Tips To Quit Smoking

If you are planning to kick the butt and wondering how to quit smoking, then there are two ways to deal with it: cognitive-behavioral therapy and pharmacological/ medical therapies. Here’s how these two methods can help.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy To Deal With Withdrawal Symptoms

Headaches: 

If you are experiencing headaches after you quit smoking make sure you get adequate sleep, eat right and exercise on a regular basis. These lifestyle choices should make the headaches come to a halt or at least decrease its severity.

Coughing:

It is essential to stay hydrated to ensure that coughing ceases. Also, you can have a spoonful of honey, juices or warm teas, or inhale vapors which act as remedies to fight cough.

Mood Changes (Sadness, irritability, frustration or anger):

It is commonly experienced by many smokers who quit smoking. It is essential to think positive during this time and to keep your spirits up. To make it easier for you, you can try listening to music or try any other form of distraction to feel apt positive and beat mood swings.

Restlessness:

The best way to deal with restlessness is by engaging yourself in some kind of physical activity. Go for a jog in the park or play some sport with your friends to take out that extra energy.

Decreased Heart Rate:

This symptom can be managed by making healthy lifestyle choices such as eating right, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly which can help stabilize your heart rate.

Difficulty To Concentrate:

Meditation and yoga are some of the tricks that can help you to improve your concentration and fine-tune your cognitive abilities. Whenever you feel your concentration is dipping, give yourself a 10-minute break just to meditate. It is bound to make a huge difference as you will find yourself energized and revitalized.

Flu-like Symptoms:

Take sufficient rest and hydrate properly as it plays a key role to keep these flu-like symptoms at bay. Keep drinking enough water, eat healthy food and make sure your body is getting enough sleep to help you come out of this phase.

Insomnia:

Many of those who quit smoking recently complain of insomnia or the lack of ability to fall asleep. In order to overcome this hurdle, it is best to practice meditation and try some tips and tricks to help you sleep well instead of counting sheep at night.

Why use NRT to Quit Smoking?

Another way in which nicotine withdrawal symptoms can be dealt with is through pharmacological therapies. There are two main types of medications available to treat nicotine withdrawal symptoms: nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) and non-nicotine replacement therapies. Nicotine replacement therapies consist of nicotine patches and gums while non-nicotine replacement therapies consist of medications such as Bupropion and Varenicline. Do consult your doctor before you take up any kind of pharmacological therapy to quit smoking

Nicotine gum: Nicotine gum delivers nicotine through the lining of the mouth. It is available in the doses of 2mg and 4mg. Usually, people who smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day are given a higher dose of 4mg while those who smoke less than 20 cigarettes per day are given a smaller dose of 2mg for quit smoking.

Nicotine patch: Nicotine patches deliver nicotine through the skin. It is available for 24-hour delivery in 7mg, 14mg and 21mg and 16-hour delivery in 7mg, 14mg and 25mg. The dosage ranges from 14 mg per day to up to 42 mg per day depending on the number of cigarettes a person smokes in a day.

Bupropion: Bupropion was initially used as an antidepressant. It affects the levels of neurotransmitters which in turn are known to be associated with an urge to smoke. It is available as a 150mg sustained release tablet. Talk to your doctor to know the exact dose and time before when taking these medications to quit smoking.

Varenicline: Varenicline attaches itself to nicotine receptors and partially blocks the pathways of nicotine that can trigger its production. However, it partially stimulates the nicotine receptors which helps to prevent severe withdrawal symptoms caused due to sudden quitting of smoking. It is available in 0.5mg and 1mg dosages.

Nicotex and 2baconil are two of the common brands of NRT available in India. Do consult your doctor to know the right dose and the right form of NRT based on your requirement.

How To Quit Smoking? Tips To Keep In Mind

Smoking may also be related to a person’s different emotions. By saying this, what is meant is that a person may link smoking to different emotions by smoking when he is sad, happy, and angry. It is hard to dislodge such emotional links, but it has to be done if you want to quit smoking for good.

Quitting can be made easier by reminding yourself of the benefits of quitting and the dangers of smoking. It is important to reinforce positive self-talk such as ‘quitting smoking can help me save money’, ‘quitting smoking may save my life’, ‘quitting smoking can keep my family healthy’, etc.

Most people associated smoking with other day-to-day activities, which makes it a habit to smoke. These include smoking after eating, smoking as a social activity, and smoking as a stress reliever. There are ways and means to dissociate smoking with such habits. For example, if you smoke every day after you eat, you could replace it with some other activity such as exercising or playing with kids. What is important is that you replace smoking cigarettes with some other activity so that the link between smoking and a certain task may be broken.