Smoking is a very addictive habit. It is also one of the most difficult habits to overcome. The irony is that smokers are not unaware of the dangers of smoking. They know and they are aware. The problem is that they cannot stop. Many people die every year from smoking cigarettes and other tobacco product.
It affects and destroys the lungs. It is also one of the leading causes of cancer and heart diseases. If smoking is difficult to stop, what can a person do to quit? Is there a perfect time to quit the habit? These are some of the questions that need to be answered. We will be looking at some tips to quit smoking and one of them is to buy nicotine patches.
Some useful tips for quitting smoking
These tips will go a long way in helping you overcome this habit.
- Behavioural changes: There are so many approaches that can be used to quit smoking behaviourally. You could seek counselling from an experienced healthcare. You could also get help from websites and web pages that discuss ways to quit the habit as well as benefits that can be gotten from the habit. Social support is also available to you and you can take advantage of that. The most important behavioural change comes from you. You must first decide to quit the habit and your action must prove this. Set a date and pursue the plan. Make sure you do away with anything that can set you back or remind you of the habit. It’s a battle and you need every support you can get. The brain always craves nicotine after it has gotten used to it. So no effort is too small or too much. You must also do away lighters, packs of cigarettes, and any other thing that can lure back. You also have to adjust your lifestyle to match the current reality. It could mean discussing your intentions to friends and loved ones. It could also mean disconnecting from friends that aren’t in support of your plans.
- Seek medical help: There are a few medicines that can help you quit smoking. Some useful medicines include bupropion, varenicline, and nicotine replacement therapy. The medical approach takes about 3 months to be fully effective. However, this approach works well if the patient doesn’t have an underlying medical or psychological condition such as depression, anxiety, or mental disorder. It is also possible to combine the behavioural and medical approaches. It yields better and quicker result.
Let us look at nicotine patches and what they have to offer.
Nicotine patch: This is a form of nicotine replacement therapy. Other forms are inhaler, gum, and lozenges. If you consume more than ten sticks of cigarettes daily, you may want to start with the 21mg dose nicotine patch. The patch should be used consistently for about six weeks. However, if you consume less than 10 sticks of cigarettes on a daily basis, it is okay to start with the 1 mg dose. The same approach applies to a person whose weight is less than 99 pounds.
If you do not feel comfortable with having the patch on your skin, the other approaches like the gum and inhaler are equally effective.
