If you are tired of feeling out-of-place by being a smoker and find it hard to quit smoking you are not alone. Enlightenment is what is needed to make your move to successful cessation from the powerful addiction of nicotine.
Today smoking is viewed as a taboo because of the proven health hazards of smoking and second-hand smoke. More and more places are introducing bylaws to limit areas where you can publicly smoke. You are now outnumbered by ex-smokers and non-smokers. You smell, your clothes smell and if you smoke in the house everything in your house smells. You know this and you want to quit; but how do you quit?
Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances. When you introduce it into your lungs, it reaches your brain in 6 seconds. It can take only one cigarette to become addicted and once addicted over time you form habits around smoking. You have one with coffee, a favourite drink or alcohol, while talking on the phone, when you get up or after you eat. You know your own habits that are tied to smoking. When the cravings hit you smoke and it feels good. Those cravings are both physical and psychological.
The reason why it can be so difficult to quit is because of the combination of those physical and psychological cravings that support your addiction. The physical craving is from the lack of nicotine in your brain's feel good receptors that takes place of your endorphins. Those craving are triggered by the nicotine floating around in your blood stream. The psychological cravings come from your minds inner self that rationalizes your addiction. That inner self is the addictive voice that you created with this addition. The Rational Recovery Group whom teaches the addictive voice recognition concept for dealing with addictions calls this inner voice the beast. You can give it whatever name you want; it supports your addiction.
As a smoker, in your mind you may want to quit smoking, but when the mind and brain is in conflict it is the brain that usually wins. Your brain which is stimulated by pain and pleasure is addicted to the temporary pleasure provided by nicotine. When you're out of nicotine the toxins from the cigarette make you feel bad but you want to feel good. Your mind with your addictive voice will make sure of that. Now that you know all this how do you quit?
In order to succeed in smoking cessation you must deal with three aspects to quitting smoking. They are the physical withdrawal, the psychological withdrawal and the detoxification of the body from nicotine and toxins introduced by your smoking. Foremost you must want to quit and even though the process of quitting may be a tough challenge, you will succeed and you will join the ranks of ex-smokers.
There are a variety of methods for quitting smoking. Cold turkey with a plan using information found on the Internet will work. There are support groups, websites and quit smoking books that will improve your success. Quit smoking aids known as the patch, gum and now inhaler work by slowly withdrawing the nicotine over time. Aids do work, however, they still put nicotine into your system and they too may become habit-forming. Another method is using drugs known as Zyban and Champix. Your doctor can prescribe one of these drugs to help with the physical withdrawal from nicotine. Their down side are the hefty warnings regarding their possible side effects. Other natural health methods are, acupuncture, laser therapy, hypnosis and bio-resonance. These methods are drug-free and despite the fact that each of them does not have an official study on their success rate, unofficial data shows them to be quite high. They usually have a program that deals with the three aspects to quitting smoking and provide support.
Knowledge gives you the power to achieve your goal. Garner as much as you can on the methods to quit and make your decision. Also check to see if you have referrals. Whatever method you choose, you must incorporate in your plan the three aspects to quitting smoking. Want, know, do and you will succeed.
Phil Barrs is and ex-smoker for more than 25 years. He had to quit the hard way "Cold Turkey". He knows the zero tolerance rule that applies to ex-smokers. Addiction happens again from one puff of one cigarette 2 minutes, 2 hours, 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 years or 20 years from the day of quitting. Phil moved from the computer industry to the heath and fitness field to pursue his interest in helping people with their well-being and self-improvement using low level laser therapy. You can find out more information at Imagine Laserworks Vancouver.
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