 It’s very easy for non-smokers to lecture smokers on how to stop the habit, and we often hear them spout things like, ‘why don’t you just apply a bit of will power?’. Of course, such advice coming from someone who has never had to fight against the power of nicotine is pretty worthless to a smoker, and somewhat irritating to hear. It’s about as welcome as an individual who has never had a problem with weight telling a fat person to put less in their mouth and get more exercise. No, for smokers that have been puffing away regularly for many years, the ‘cold turkey’ approach usually ends in a failed attempt, which is why so many of us who are genuine in our attempt to stop smoking find the various products and support groups more useful than the nagging, though well meaning, friends and family members.
When I first took a look at the various ways on how to quit smoking, it was nicotine patches that made the most sense, and here’s why: A new self-adhesive nicotine patch is placed on the smoker’s skin for 24 hours and left to work its magic. What happens is that these patches release a steady flow of nicotine into your bloodstream at a continuous rate throughout the 24 hour period. It is this constant feed of nicotine which stops the physical craving which develops when a regular smoker is deprived of the drug. When smokers crave a nicotine fix they are at their most vulnerable and likely to either relapse or become impossible to be around due to mood swings including restlessness, irritability, and discontentment.
 A course of nicotine patches usually lasts for 3 months and come in different strengths with the strongest being taken on month 1 and the weakest on the 3rd month. By the end of month 3, the craving should be pretty curbed and the smoker is free to stop the treatment. As smoking is a habit as well as an addiction, the habit may take a little longer to get over, but doesn’t usually pose a threat of relapse. There are plenty of stop smoking tips and tricks to help break the habit which will be added to this site soon.
So as you can see, if you’re serious about stopping, and are looking for ways on how to quit smoking, then you might want to consider using patches and especially if you’ve tried other methods and failed.
The drawbacks of nicotine patches is that they can be a bit expensive, but a box of 7 twenty four hour patches usually cost less than a weeks supply of cigarettes for a moderate smoker, so that argument is not really valid! Some folks report skin irritation and aching muscles, so the solution here is to not put the patches on the same spot each day. And finally, other folks report problems with bad dreams but this is something you will have to try to find out.
Nicotine replacement therapy doesn’t stop at nicotine patches. There are inhalers, and gum too, but what many like about the patches is the simplicity of the program in that you just slap on one patch a day for three months. Additionally, the side effects of nicotine patches are usually little more than a slight skin rash developing and a muscular ache, but even these usually only occur when the patch is placed on the same location each day. By slapping your stop smoking patch onto a different area of skin each time will usually eliminate these mild complaints.
Myth: Nicotine stop smoking patches are so expensive that many smokers can’t afford them!
It’s that denial thing again. That searching for reasons why not to quit! How much is a packet of cigarettes for crying out loud? How much is a year’s supply of cigarettes? Ok, compare the above to a 3 months course of nicotine patches and you decide how the sums add up. Oh, and don’t forget to then add up how much money you’ll be saving after your nicotine replacement therapy is over.
The costs of Smoking! Depending which country you come from, smoking can be very expensive. Critics often say that smokers are paying to die, but the same could be said with consuming various foods and drinks too. Enough said! Nevertheless, smoking is not money well spent whichever way you look at it. For example, folks in the UK who smoke just 1 pack of cigarettes a day will be spending an average of £2,000, that's $2,851 or €2,266.61 a year (rates as of Feb 2009). Of course, there are many who smoke far more than this! When put into perspective, quitting smoking with a 3 month course of nicotine patches doesn't seem costly at all. Does it?
Also read: How to Quit Smoking after numerous failed attempts
Stop Smoking by Hypnosis Works!
Hypnosis to Quit Smoking
Quitting Smoking?
7 Tips for Quitting Smoking
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