How to quit smoking.

Many people finds it difficult to quit smoking due to its high level of addiction. In this article, I will show you effective ways to quit smoking.  The nicotine contained in tobacco makes it difficult (though not impossible) to quit.  Smoking does not harm only the smoker but also his family members, coworkers and others who inhale the cigarette. They are termed passive or secondhand smokers. Passive smoking can cause chronic bronchitis and pneumonia among infants up to 18months of age. This secondhand smoking can increase a child’s middle ear problem. Smoking is harmful to an unborn baby. A pregnant mother that smokes can increase the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight and infant death. Exposure to secondhand smoking can cause lung cancer, increase the risk stroke and heart disease. A teenager is twice likely to smoke if both parents smoke.

People that smoke experience strong withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop smoking due to nicotine dependence. These strong withdrawal symptoms include: irritability, headache, drowsiness, constipation, craving for tobacco, and diarrhea. You keep smoking despite the health problems. The person quits social and recreational activities that don’t allow him to smoke. Nicotine complications include: dull senses, larynx cancer, lung cancer, throat cancer, infertility, dry skin, and increased heart disease.

 Factors that cause one to smoke are hard to understand. Smoking can be started at a young age due to peer pressure, tobacco advertising and a conception that smoking is acceptable. Some people with smoke addiction have a friend or family member that smokes. Tobacco chewing and smoking proves difficult to stop once started due to the nicotine content.

Risk factors associated with smoking and tobacco chewing include: low self-esteem, behavioral problems (aggression), family member that smokes, poor social status, lack of education and illiteracy.

How to stop smoking

Stopping smoking can make a huge difference in the way you feel. Your breath starts to smell good, you can now smell and taste food better, and your cough stops right away. Quitting cuts the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and other respiratory diseases. Quitting smoking saves money.

Steps to guide you

Get ready to quit smoking. Fix a date for the quitting. If possible, look for a friend to quit the smoking with you. Then note when and why you smoke. When you desire for a cigarette, wait a few minutes. Try and think of another thing to do instead of smoking. You may start chewing gum or drink a glass water. You can switch to a brand of cigarette that you distaste. Stop that behavior that is making you to smoke. Avoid the situation or what triggers you into smoking. For instance, instead of waking up and grabbing a cigar rete by the bedside or smoking immediately after eating, try and substitute the strong desire for smoking with another activity such as: taking a stroll, watching television or reading a book.

Nicotine replacement therapy {NRT}. The aim of NRT is to replace another source of nicotine while cigarette is discontinued. The habit of smoking is abolished but the nicotine addiction is still intact. Once cigarettes are substituted with NRT, the quantity of nicotine slowly diminishes. Different form of NRT you can get without prescription include: nicotine transdermal systems (nicoderm CQ and nicotrol), nicotine polacrilex resin or gum (Nicorette), nicotine lozenges (commit). All these helps in absorption of the nicotine, also in dissolving the nicotine.

The rate of success for NRT increases from 35% to 40% when intensive behavioral counseling is joined.