Have you decided that you would like to quit smoking? If so, you’ve already completed the first step. But what next? There is more than one method to quit smoking. Today I will share with you a few ways to quit smoking and help you decide which method is best for you.

First,  lets think about nicotine addiction and how it works. Remember your first cigarette? I remember mine. It tasted horrible and was in no way pleasant or enjoyable. Fast forward a few years. Why are they so pleasurable now? The answer is simple when you think about it. Each cigarette that you smoke produces withdrawal symptoms that are only relieved by smoking another cigarette. The non-smoker never suffers from these symptoms. Only us smokers do. The non-smoker never NEEDS a cigarette. Only us smokers do.  So when you really think about it, all we’re doing is relieving the pain of smoking a cigarette with, that’s right ANOTHER CIGARETTE. The cigarette’s not the cure for these withdrawal symptoms, it is the cause! The true cure is to quit!

The most well known method to quit smoking is called NRT, which stands for Nicotine Replacement Therapy. This method is the use of nicotine gum, patches, lozenges etc.  This method is intended to replace the nicotine that you’ve been getting from cigarettes with another source in order to slowly ween you off of nicotine. Makes sense right? Well, here’s the problem. Remember how we said that it’s the nicotine that’s CAUSING the withdrawal symptoms? Just the same, the use of these products keeps your addiction alive and keeps you feeling withdrawal symptoms. In addition, most of these products do not supply the same amount of nicotine as what you were getting from cigarettes so your withdrawal symptoms are never fully relieved. So, these products keep your addiction alive AND your in a constant state of withdrawal. This method may work well for some people, however it was not the best method for me. You may try it and find that it works. Then again, it may not.

Another one of the popular ways to quit smoking is hypnosis. With this method you go through a treatment program that is intended to reprogram your thinking at the subconsious level thus eliminating your desire to smoke. Some have reported success using this method and  it very well may work for you. There seems to be many indications that this method is effective and may be worth trying.

Of course, there’s the good old fashion method known as COLD TURKEY. This method is quite simple, DON”T SMOKE! There, that was easy right? Maybe it’s not THAT simple. This method can be successful if you are truly committed to quitting. The key is to change your thinking about smoking. As we discussed earlier, when you think about it, smoking is pointless. You are using a substance to relieve a discomfort brought on by THAT VERY substance. It took me a long time and many failed attempts, but a big step to success for me was changing my thinking in this way. Maybe it will help you too.

In the end, your success may not lie with only one method to quit smoking. You might find as I did that a combination of different ways to quit smoking works the best.  You may succeed on your first attempt or you may not. Perhaps you will find that even though you’ve failed, that what you learn along the will be the key to quitting for good. Remember to click the “store” link at the top of the page for great deals on products to help you on your journey to a smoke free life.