Monday, August 10, 2009

Quit Smoking: For a good cause

If you are thinking about quitting, then you are on the right track. Smoking is injurious to ones health is there is a statutory warning that is written on every pack of cigarettes. Still smoking is the most common habit among people worldwide.

Why to quit smoking?

It’s very important you evaluate all the pros of quit smoking and cons of smoking before deciding about the quit smoking date. Just list the health benefits that you will get after quitting smoking. Not only health benefits think about the financial benefits as well.

There are numerous health benefits that are associated with quitting smoking successfully. You will feel healthier than before with better concentration levels. Your sense of smell and taste will get better and the food you eat will be tastier. By quitting and not smoking again, you can set an example and become a role model for your friends, family, children, and even co-workers.

The immediate effects of quitting smoking are generally hard to overcome for most of the smokers. The withdrawal symptoms and strong cravings for nicotine can make their life difficult. But with the help of any suitable quit smoking aids, these symptoms can be reduced.

What are the ways to quit smoking?

There are many ways that can help you quit smoking once for all. If you are a strong willed person, you can go cold turkey way. Generally, most people opt for nicotine replacement therapies to reduce their cravings for nicotine and withdrawal symptoms after they quit smoking. The small doses of nicotine are injected through patches, gums, nasal sprays, and lozenges to help them reduce these symptoms. But there are drawbacks of nicotine therapy, as most people revert to smoking after some time.

The nicotine free treatments can be quite helpful, as these don’t inject any trace of nicotine in any form. A few examples of nicotine free treatment for quit smoking include Zyban and Chantix.

Zyban helps to reduce the physical withdrawal symptoms that appear after quitting smoking. But another drug, Chantix can help to reduce the withdrawal symptoms as well as string nicotine cravings. Chantix is available in the US where you can get it on a valid prescription of a doctor only.

Chantix is a quit smoking medication that can help you quit but you should take it under proper medical care. It is quite different from other quit smoking aids and effective as well. Chantix works in two ways – it targets nicotine receptors in the brain and blocks nicotine from reaching them. It mimics the effects of nicotine, thus activating the receptors without actually providing them any trace of nicotine.

Chantix is a useful treatment but you should start it about a week before you actually stop smoking. This will provide a type of build up in the body for a long treatment with Chantix that is generally recommended for a period of 12 weeks. The results can be quite visible during the end of treatment itself, but for people who still get the cravings for cigarettes may be asked to repeat the treatment for another 12 weeks.