Smoking cessation is a huge factor in the health and wellness realm today, and for good reason. The use of tobacco products persists despite well-documented health concerns and hazards directly related to the use of tobacco products. Major influences on personal health affected by tobacco use include heightened risks of cancer to the mouth, lungs, throat and more. Other factors are overall breathing, heart health, breakdown of immune system, neurological effects, of the addiction.
Even financial downfalls can result from smoking long-term. Quitting smoking is a tough battle that takes commitment, dedication and understanding of what the individual will be up against with the decision to quit. Luckily, there are numerous approaches to help cease smoking that can combat some of the hardest and most common reasons smokers refuse to quit. Nicotine, the active and addictive agent that affect a smoker’s brain is typically the key culprit when it comes to trouble quitting. Reduced/safer amounts of nicotine released in more health-positive mediums are a great start for kicking the habit.
The following nicotine products are available in patches, gum, lozenges and mouth spray in order to help the smoker overcome the urges and stick to their quit plan with a higher success rate:
1. Nicorette patches
Nicorette patches deliver small, time released dosages of nicotine discreetly to reduce the chemical craving to the smoker caused by the kicks of nicotine in cigarettes. This approach is best used for all day control and for those who want to quit privately, or who work in an environment that doesn’t support multiple dosages of other mediums throughout the day.
2. Nicotine gum
Nicotine gum is another discrete approach that works on two addiction levels. Much of the smokers habit becomes an oral fixation, making gum a viable option for breaking the habit. It also delivers small doses of nicotine, but gives the smoker a distraction by allowing them to chew gum for hours instead of smoking.
3. Nicotine lozenges
Like gum, lozenges help mediate both the nicotine to the brain and the oral fixation of hand-to-mouth that smokers often experience. Not lasting as long as the gum, the lozenges are good for a “quick fix”, particularly for individuals who have a schedule of taking short, brief smoke breaks throughout the day but can’t chew gum all day. The quick dose of nicotine, when used appropriately, can be used to cut down and eventually eliminate the habit of smoke breaks.
4. Nicotine mouth spray
Another approach to quitting smoking is a mouth spray, which works with an oral small dose of nicotine and freshens your mouth with a minty, clean taste that deters the want for a cigarette with many smokers. By giving a “clean” feeling, many users report that the taste for the cigarette is staved off, at least temporarily.
These different tools and their use, whether independently or in combination, give each individual a tailored quit plan for a higher success rate and the freedom of choosing how and what pace to quit. The benefits of quitting are clear, but that doesn’t make it any easier for those trying to do so. By offering a variety of options to lessen the blow, those trying to quit smoking for their health and personal benefit may have a better chance at sticking to quitting.
