Are Stop Smoking Drugs Right For You?

Though there are a few smokers that will tell you that they have no plans to quit any time soon, most will say that they wish they could stop and perhaps they wish that they never started. Cigarettes are very addictive, and often it only takes a few to get someone hooked for life. Many who start out young spend their entire lives trying to stop. It is a frustrating and hard journey, and some find that no matter how willing they are to quit, they can not seem to do it. This is when stop smoking drugs may be just what they need to finally succeed.

It is said that it takes the average person three tries to quit smoking. These are real tries, not just passing thoughts or when someone tries to cut down. For many, they try as many as ten or more times and still can not quit. There are many methods people use and while some work for some people, there is no clear cut plan that works for everyone. Some have success with gum, and others use patches as nicotine replacement to try to quit. For those that fail with these methods, stop smoking drugs may be the answer. They can also help someone quit the very first try.

The most popular and well known of the stop smoking drugs would be Chantix. This is something that does not replace the nicotine like other methods. This is taken for a while as the person continues to smoke. The person picks a quit date, usually a few weeks away, and then plans to quit on that day. They continue to take Chantix after the quit date. For many, this has been the only thing that has helped them to kick the habit once and for all. It does not guarantee anything, but many find it to be effective and a great jump in the right direction.

Chantix is not the only choice in stop smoking drugs out there. There are some that have been used a bit longer but are not going to work for everyone. Some can take the anti-depressant Wellbutrin to help them stop smoking. This is great for people that are depressed, and some stop smoking while they are taking it. This may have led to the discovery that it could be used to help people stop smoking as well. It will not work for everyone, but in some people, it greatly reduces the urge to smoke and some people quit while taking it.

There could be other stop smoking drugs that you can try. Talk to your doctor about your options, how long you have smoked, what you have already tried, and what you are willing to do to quit. At times, a nicotine replacement is more appropriate, and for yet others, things like hypnosis can help alone or in conjunction with one of the other ways to quit will work. Whatever the case for you, the important thing is that you try, and that you keep trying until you can quit.

Using A Quit Smoking Forum

If you were to go out and take a poll asking people of the one bad habit they want to get rid of as soon as they can, they will probably tell you that they want to quit smoking. They will also tell you that they feel it is one of the hardest things to do, and perhaps they have tried and failed many times. It is true that quitting is very hard, and most people that do successfully quit have had to try time and time again before they got it right. When quitting, it is important to use all of the tools you can find to give it your best go. Anyone wishing to give up the cigarettes should think about using a quit smoking forum as an extra tool for success.

A quit smoking forum is just one tool that will help a smoker when they are feeling weak or fighting off the physical symptoms that come from nicotine and smoke withdrawal. These are hard things to deal with and can effect someone in many ways. For one, someone who is quitting can have a hard time sleeping for the first few weeks. They are going to have bad cravings, even when they are using nicotine replacement. Smoking is about the habit as well as the drug, so there are those things to fight through as well. Forums can offer support when no one or nothing else can.

If you are having a craving in the middle of the night, it might be very hard to wake up your spouse or someone you are leaning on for support. Instead of this, you can go to online quite smoking forum areas to find someone that is awake and willing to talk to you. You can even just go there and read through old threads and messages for support to help you avoid giving in and having a cigarette. Chances are good that if you choose one that has enough members that someone is always going to be online, even when you think it is the middle of the night and everyone is sleeping. They may be having the same problem you are and are awake and looking for support.

There are a few interesting things that you can find on a quality quit smoking forum. For one, you are going to find good articles that show you why it is a good idea to quit and what smoking has been doing to your body. These should be in a prominent place on the forums so that you see them when you log on and so you can read them easily and quickly when you get there. You can find all types of hints, tricks, and guides on a good forum.

The best way to navigate a quit smoking forum is to be too the point, polite, and helpful. If you go on with an attitude, you may get the same back from everyone else. Anyone who is quitting smoking has problems with aggression in moments of weakness, so if you start showing that everyone else will do the same. If you want to vent, do not make it personal to anyone on the quit smoking forum you are using. Instead, talk about how frustrated you are and then thank those that have showed up to offer you support. Who knows? This type of forum may be what makes the difference between success and failure when you are trying to kick the habit for good.

Quit Smoking - Prepare To Succeed

For many smokers the will to give up smoking is strong yet it appears irrespective of what they do, they just cannot seem to break this devastating habit. The incapability to give up smoking causes many to secretly belittle themselves and curse their appearing weakness. For others it appears they just wake up one morning and decide to give up smoking. What makes the difference in these people? Is someone that makes a decision to give up smoking like this a more robust person than the one that still has to become a non-smoker? Let's evaluate. First off, most of the people even smokers don't truly enjoy smoking. Nicotine is very addictive, and breaking this obsession by not smoking can be very trying and tricky. So, if you are one who has still to stop smoking don't criticize or belittle yourself. Yes, nicotine is addictive, but it is an obsession that may be damaged. All these helps do have merit.

One part is imperative if any of these helps are to work for the person which has formerly attempted to stop smoking and failed.

This part is your perspective. Before you even begin the process to give up smoking, you will likely need some adjustments in your angle. The way to start to prepare yourself is to come to certain realizations. You can not give up because your heavy other wants you to give up smoking. Most likely fear isn't a good incentive for you either. You have developed a powerful will to resume, although you criticize yourself for it.

So, for you the call to give up smoking must be accompanied by a will that's just as powerful, if not stronger than your current will to give up smoking. Most will tell you to set a quit date at least ten days out, and do not really quit smoking till your give up date. It is also suggested that cold turkey is the most successful give up trail. During those days before your actual give up smoking target date, you are mentally preparing yourself to be free from smoking. This has got to be a robust call that only you can make for yourself. To steer you to the strength you want to effectively stop smoking, you will have to guage yourself and the genuine reasons for why you're still smoking. This isn't a straightforward task for most but once they have listed all of the true reasons, and have adopted the psychological perspective to replace smoking with other items which will supply better benefits, the job of quitting becomes far easier. Once your give up smoking date arrives, you may wish to use some of the AIDS debated above to boost your success rate.

The point is that if you have correctly done your preparation previously your opportunity for success will be seriously improved. Remember, the body and mind prosper and accommodate whatever substance you give it. You can give up smoking.

Give up smoking for the holidays? Ironically, this may be your best opportunity to quit for good!

There are plenty of smokers, just like you, who have a desire to quit this bad habit. When it comes time that you decide to give up smoking, there's always that element of timing. You're going on vacation next week. You're going back to school to train for a new career. You've invited guests for the weekend. You're too stressed out at your job. You know the drill. It seems that there's always some reason that makes this a bad time to try to give up smoking. While you might genuinely want to quit smoking, it's far easier to rationalize that 'this just isn't the time' and put the whole idea on the back burner. The usual result? You put it off for a 'better time'. Here we've got a novel idea that turns that rationalization on its head – and works!

When people make an attempt to quit smoking, one of the major obstacles involves keeping your hands busy and your mind distracted from cigarettes. You may do a little housework, then give yourself a break – hey, why not have a smoke and a cup of coffee? Smokers all have 'triggers' that put a cigarette at the front of their consciousness. Coffee, tasks which require focus and concentration, the famous after-meal smoke ... these are common triggers to light up. Becoming aware of all of your triggers is helpful in any attempt to give up smoking.

Now, during the holiday season, most of us don't have time on our hands. In fact, we find our plates full of tasks to ready our homes for the holiday season, including decorating, menu planning, shopping and gift wrapping. Many of us also get the urge to clean up accumulated clutter, straighten up linen closets, lest visitors should inadvertently see such un-festive touches and think you're a poor housekeeper. Notice what all of these holiday preparations have in common: your hands are busy and your mind is sufficiently occupied to keep those thoughts of a smoke at bay. When you consider a 'right time' to give up smoking, the holidays may, paradoxically, be the perfect time.

When you want to – successfully - give up smoking, it's really not quite as simple as the 'mind over matter' concept. You've got to use a few psychological tricks on yourself to help you along. If your morning cup of Joe is the usual partner for a smoke, try switching drinks. Have a cup of tea, juice or a smoothie instead. Changing rituals is an important component. How about that 'inevitable' after-meal cigarette? Why not plan an alternate activity that immediately follows the meal. The holidays are perfect for playing board games, checkers, chess or card games. Have the game table ready to go, serving a beverage that isn't one of your triggers.

Following a rigorous housecleaning session, relax in the bath with a magazine or book. Bubble bath or herbal bath sachets help you to relax and remind you that these scents are far more attractive than a burning cigarette. Besides, it's kind of hard to smoke with wet hands!

Group family activities, such as decorating the tree, hanging lights and gift wrapping for friends and relatives helps keep you occupied – and honest.

The busier you are, occupied with activities you enjoy, the less likely it is that your mind will drift to that smoke! When you decide to give up smoking, make the first several days packed with non-stop activities. If you can resist smoking for just three days, you're over the worst. You'll find that you sleep better, breathe easier and think less and less of smoking. After three weeks, you're 'clean'.

Choosing to give up smoking during the holidays may, ironically, be the magic bullet you've been looking for all these years! As for your New Year's resolutions, that list will be one item shorter. See if this upside-down strategy doesn't work for you!

Want to quit smoking for good? Motivation and a good support system is the answer

Smoking is a bad habit. It's an invitation to dire health problems down the road, unattractive and expensive. Cigarette companies have done their darndest to encourage sales and continuation of this nasty habit, despite being legally barred from advertising in the magazine and television ads of the past. Cigarette smoking is a generational problem.

Not until the early 1970s was cigarette smoking revealed to be the culprit behind lung cancer, emphysema and COPD. By this time, there were hundreds of millions of cigarette addicts, now looking for a way out of this life-sapping addiction. Children learn by example. Many of the cigarette smoker's children took up the habit as a result. They got hooked too. Even when their parents quit smoking for good, their kids did not. “Hey, my Mom smoked for thirty years and she's doing just fine. It can't be that bad!”

No matter what generation you belong to, if you're still smoking, it will catch up to you in some very unpleasant health consequences, in the future. If you want to quit smoking for good, and make an airtight case for your kids and grandkids to do the same, you need to be motivated, educated and have a good support system to make it happen.

Motivation is perhaps the easiest step in your journey to quit smoking for good. Try a Google image search of 'lung cancer effects', 'emphysema' and 'COPD breathing'. This five minute exercise ought to knock your socks off. If you're also desirous of spreading the news, print out a few of the choicest images and share them with family members you hope to inspire to also quit smoking for good. It's a good idea to create a file folder, on your PC and in hard copy format. It's enough to turn your stomach. Share the results with your currently smoking loved ones.

If this is not sufficient motivation, use Google to collect information on the scientific facts and consequences of smoking.

Now that you're motivated, check out some of the quit smoking forums and discussion groups. You'll find thousands of people, who have been smoking for decades. You'll hear horror stories of the 'based on a true story' type that will surely bolster your motivation to quit smoking for good. You'll also discover success stories in people who managed to quit smoking before it was too late. You'll learn tricks and tips from former smokers that may help you overcome the smoking habit. Smoking forums, message groups and other smoking information venues can provide plenty of support. You'll find people just like you, still smoking, but desiring to quit smoking for good. You know that you can use all the help you can get!

When you've found several forums, message boards and quit smoking informational articles, copy and paste the most relevant remarks in your PC folder. Print it all out. Tape your motivational quotes, scientific studies and pictures of smoking members of your family on the frig, or prominently displayed around your desk.

If you want to quit smoking for good, this ought to do it! If you absolutely need to substitute food for smokes, do it! If you gain a few pounds in the process of quitting cigarettes, that's a far easier task than quitting smoking.

Quit smoking for good and take a few loved ones with you!

Trying to ditch the smoking habit? Quit smoking helplines are awesome sources of compassionate and practical support!

Anyone who has ever smoked for more than a year can tell you that quitting smoking is anything but easy. Most smokers acquired the habit while it was considered to be cool, in their peer group.

Before you blow the trumpet, declaring, “I'm quitting!”, you must know why you want to quit. What's your personal motivation? Give this a good deal of thought. Make a list of all the reasons that matter to you. Remember, once you've publicly advertised, to friends, family and co-workers, your commitment to quit, all eyes will be upon you.

Political correctness is certainly a two-edged sword! Once upon a time, the tobacco lobbyists were in their heyday, gaining favors via low taxation, and freely advertising their poisonous products via magazine and TV ads. The FDA looked the other way as cigarette manufacturers loaded their product with more dangerous and addictive chemicals than you might ever imagine. All included to really get you on the hook.

Then we began to hear of the link between smoking and lung cancer. It wasn't long before smoking became a social stigma issue. People who hadn't taken up the habit now had a PC social edge over these ignorant smokers, adopting the holier-than-thou attitude. This social divide only served to alienate the smoker. Some people chose to continue smoking as a simple act of social rebellion.

Fortunately, for wannabee quitters, quit smoking helplines, with a mission to actually help people quit without being judgmental, began springing up everywhere. The quit smoking helplines are a terrific front line of defense. Unlike your sister, brother or a friend, the staff on the quit smoking helplines won't tire of your calls, whining – sure, it happens – about how much you want a smoke now, at 3am! Any smoker or successful quitter knows that major troubles usually arise first thing in the morning, after meals, or in the wee hours. Like Pavlov's dog, you're conditioned to expect to give a particular response to a certain trigger.

The quit smoking helplines are designed to be like a 'buddy' system, a sort of smoker's 9-1-1, when you are biting your nails, pulling your hair and more than ready to go out to the all night mini mart for some smokes. It's funny to realize that the people who don't even know you can offer superior support. The vast majority of quit smoking helpline staff are former smokers, so they know what you're going through. They're not going to dish you lectures. They've been there, done that. They are familiar with all the pitfalls and obstacles which stand in your way and can offer practical advice and strategies to help you through a crises moment.

In addition to the quit smoking helplines, forums and message boards are another 24/7 option to help keep you 'on the wagon'. Believe me, the tree-huggers aren't going to help. You need to be in touch with people who are also victims of the cigarette scam. They know all the tricks, all of the psychological trips you face.

As an ex-smoker, here's my best advice: seek help from those who know. The quit smoking helplines can make your goal a success! To freedom from smoke!