Quit Smoking Cold Turkey

One of the best natural ways to quit smoking is the cold turkey method. That means you select a date that will be your last day of smoking and then you throw away the cigarettes. You simply do not smoke any more after that date.

Quitting cold turkey does not attempt to get you to stop by tapering down the amount of smoking you do. There are no aids such as the nicotine gum or nicotine patch. You just stop smoking. It is a difficult thing to do, but the good news is that if you make it past 72 hours without smoking, you have kicked the physical addiction. At this point you will start to feel miserable and cranky because nicotine is no longer flowing through your body. To combat the cranky feelings and headaches, some patients prefer to take an herb called St. Johns Wort or valerian root. (Click here for more info on herbal remedies). They are both mood stabilizers that can get a smoker through this difficult time.

Cold turkey quitters have to figure out what to do with their hands now that they are no longer smoking, and holding on to a stress ball seems to help. A stress ball is a small ball that can be squeezed in your hand when the desire for a cigarette is craved. Other smokers choose to suck on lollipops or take up chewing gum to stop themselves from picking up a cigarette.

The need for a cigarette is only psychological at this point, so it is a matter of learning new habits. A good habit to take up is exercise. If you aren’t used to exercising, then start out slowly by walking whenever the desire for a cigarette returns. This will make you a healthier person and can prevent weight gain that many people experience as a side effect of quitting smoking.

Quitting cold turkey may not be the easiest way to stop smoking – but it can work, especially if you get creative!

Is This The Best Way To Quit Smoking?

There are many products on the market today to help us quit smoking. Unfortunately, many of them also have some side effects. For example the popular prescription drug Chantix can cause depression, and has even been linked to suicide. The other popular stop smoking drug Zyban has had similar complaints.

Another category of stop smoking aids is Nicotine Replacement (NRT). NRT includes products like the NicoDerm patch and Nicorette gum. The problem with these products is that they contain nicotine - the very drug you are trying to give up. The idea of course is that you take decreasing doses until you have completely quit. However there is a real risk that people will quit smoking but then continue to use the 'cure'. In one case, an ex-smoker was still chewing nicotine gum several years after he gave up cigarettes.

So that leaves us with more natural cures like 'cold turkey', hypnotherapy and herbal based products. While the cold turkey method requires nothing else except your will to stop, it is among the least successful ways to quit smoking. Hypnotherapy has had some success, but you have to be a suitable subject for hypnosis.

The herbal cures are often packaged with a complete quit smoking system to help you give up the habit. Their big advantage is that they contain no nicotine or drugs. There is not much statistical evidence though, supporting their success. However, I believe that if you really want to quit, and take a quit smoking herbal remedy to help, you will definitely increase your chances of quitting for good.

Conclusion
There is no guaranteed method for giving up cigarettes. A natural approach using herbal products like NicoCure or Rx-Hale could well be the best way to quit smoking.

For more information on herbal remedies (and other ways) to quit smoking visit 'Ways To Quit Smoking - Herbal Remedies'.

6 Popular Ways To Quit Smoking

As many of you reading this blog will know, quitting smoking is one of the hardest things to do. For this reason there are many stop smoking aids on the market today.
Following are some of the more popular ways that people use to help them kick the habit. Over the next few posts on Ways To Quit Smoking we will look at these and dicuss the pros and cons of each method.

1) Nicotine Replacement

This includes nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers. Each of these products actually contains nicotine that is delivered to the body in small doses. Over the course of the treatment the dosage is reduced until you no longer crave a cigarette.

2) Prescription Medications

These products do not contain any nicotine. Instead they use a drug that affects the brain in a similar fashion to nicotine. Like nicotine replacement the dosage is gradually reduced. Examples of stop smoking medications are Chantix and Zyban.

3) 'Cold Tukey'

This is the oldest, and some claim the most difficult, way to stop smoking. You simply stop smoking cigarettes and rely on your willpower alone to quit.

4) Herbal Remedies.

Although there is no conclusive evidence that these methods work, herbal remedies have become very popular. This is because they offer a natural remedy without nicotine or drugs to help you kick the smoking habit.

5) Hypnotherapy

Hypnotism is used to help the individual overcome the psychological need for cigarettes. Like the herbal remedies there is no proof that hypnotism to stop smoking works. However many people who have used this method have been able to quit successfully.

6) Laser Treatment

Sometimes called Soft Laser or Cold Laser this treatment uses laser beams to stimulate nerve centers in a way similar to acupuncture. This in turn relieves the craving for nicotine.

You can find more information on each of these methods and more, on the Ways To Quit Smoking website.

Please leave any comments you may have on your own experiences with quitting smoking.