You can use either self-hypnosis or a professional hypnotherapy. The former is harder to see the results of, since it requires practice. The idea is to relax and invoke images of your smoking-free future. A hypnotherapist can do that in a single or multiple-session programs. Recently, many people have chosen a combination, that is, a recorded program by a hypnotherapist, which you could listen to at home or while asleep. The biggest upside of this choice is that you can listen to it in the most convenient time, when you feel your mind relaxed.

Another helpful phenomenon is auto-suggestion. It refers to the process one applies to all ideas and perceptions in their subconscious mind. Simply put, you suggest to yourself what to think and how to think about it, thus controlling what goes through the conscious mind. If you train yourself to auto-suggest incentives for quitting, the practice will translate into results more quickly. 

The nicotine inhaler usually consists of a mouthpiece and a replaceable canister which contains nicotine. Is use is simple: you just draw on the mouthpiece which will release a small amount of nicotine in your mouth and sate your cravings to smoke.
Similarly simple is the use of the nasal spray: all you have to do is lean your head backwards, place the spray tip in the back of your nostril, and press firmly and quickly; you may want to puff some nicotine in your other nostril as well.
An important feature of these aids is that since you have to hold the devices when applying them, your hands will be busy, too.

How many times per day you should use the products depends on several factors: first, your general health condition; second, the level of your dependency on cigarettes; third, the stage you are in your smoking cessation program (experts usually recommend 12-week programs, with gradual reduction of the nicotine intake); fourth, the specifics of the product you are using which should be listed in its instructions.

One very important fact to remember is that you should not smoke during your therapy or you run the risk of getting some dangerous nicotine overdose. Some of the symptoms associated with nicotine overdosing are nausea, vomiting, headaches, stomach pains, dizziness and cold sweats. Seek medical attention if you have any of them.
And, in general, in order to reduce the risk of any unwanted side effects and make the most of the cessation therapy, it is highly recommended that you consult a pharmacist or your GP before you start using nicotine inhalers or nasal sprays.

The nicotine gum is a form of nicotine replacement therapy, such as chewing gum, which delivers nicotine to the body. It is used to aid people who attempt to quit while chewing a gum, whenever they feel the need to smoke. It contains small amounts of nicotine which help people to combat cravings and gives the smokers something to do, different than holding a cigarette in their mouth. In practice, the gum delivers nicotine to the bloodstream via absorption by the tissues of the mouth, (i.e. using saliva itself) which makes the body think that person is actually smoking. However, because the gum contains nicotine, it has a peppery taste and may cause tingling sensation, while people chew it. Sometimes, people experience discomfort while chewing the nicotine gum, such as increased saliva, indigestion, jaw muscle aches or headache. These side effects should disappear with time.

Nevertheless, another issue is its proper use. It is important to chew the gum slowly because if you do it too fast, other side effects occur: vomiting, dizziness, cold sweats and even insomnia. You should be careful and watch yourself closely because sometimes, the symptoms are not side effects, but symptoms of an allergic reaction. Therefore, the use of the nicotine chewing gum should cease immediately. There is also a certain daily amount of gums to be chewed as to make the therapy work. In addition, you should not exceed the permissible dose in order to keep your health.

If you are truly decided to stop smoking, it is better to consult with your doctor or pharmacist in order to choose the product that suit you best. You should take your time to consider some precautions and continue the treatment without interruption. In order to make quitting comparatively nice task, medical companies that produce nicotine gums have made significant efforts to give it a nice taste and consistency. The standard nicotine gum is a small stick that comes in a variety of flavors, depending on the prefererred tastes. Some brands of popular nicotine gums are Orbit, Bubble Yum, Trident, Bazooka, Super Bubble, Carefree, Freedent, etc. Here is the good news: some types of gums are designed specifically for dental hygiene. These gums are multi-functional: besides satisfying nicotine hunger, they help to whiten the teeth, clean them and refresh your breath. Lovely, isn’t it?

Of all human organs, lungs are most directly affected by the bad habit: cigarette smoke is inhaled into them with each puff. More importantly, only ten percent of the toxic substances, contained within the cigarette smoke are exhaled, while the other ninety percent are deposited inside the lungs.

Would you believe if you hear that smoking has an artistic side: with every cigarette they lit, smokers add deadly brownish tones to the white canvas of their lungs. No?! Well, let’s see the bigger picture – imagine that each cigarette is a palette of carcinogens and other harmful substances, including tar. Seventy percent of the tar is deposited inside the smoker’s lungs, covering them with huge brown and black areas. These tars damage the cells in the airways of the smoker’s lungs. Eventually, the damages may lead to lung cancer or cancer of the larynx. To prevent this, the organism sends defense sells to tackle carcinogens, but these defenders are easily destroyed by the army of harmful substances in cigarette smoke. The dead defense cells then release substances which damage the lungs’ structure and cause a condition known as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD.

Even worse, not only do smokers damage their own lungs by practicing the habit, but they also harm the lungs of the people around them. This phenomenon is known as passive smoking. Passive smokers also inhale the smoke from the burning tips of cigarettes, which contains even more of the harmful cocktail of chemicals than the smoke that has passed through the cigarette filter. People with asthma or other respiratory problems are most troubled by the passive smoking. Due to passive smoking, children whose parents smoke are more likely to develop lung problems.

If people quit smoking, this will save not only their lungs, but also the lungs of his or her loved ones and, last but not least, they will help the environment. It is clear that smokers, as a whole, have their share in the global air pollution.

St John’s Wort

This herb is one of the most often employed natural cures to quit smoking. Initially used as an antidepressant, it has been proved to help smokers fight off their withdrawal symptoms. Studies have estimated that one in every three persons, subjected to a 3-month treatment with the herb, has permanently quit smoking. Not only it has a relatively good success rate, but St. John’s wort is also a much safer remedy to stop smoking than those which utilize pure nicotine (i.e. the ones mentioned in the intro).
Nonetheless, it is advisable that you consult a specialist before beginning a treatment with the herb, as it may interfere with other over-the-counter drugs you are taking. Also, pregnant or nursing women or people with bipolar disorder should refrain from using it.

Lobelia

This herb, also known as Indian tobacco, has been used as a nicotine substitute for years. Its main substance, lobeline, is known to reduce nicotine cravings and calm down the bouts of irritation in the smoker.
However, high doses of the lobelia herb may cause vomiting, rapid heartbeat, convulsions or other adverse reactions. Therefore, you ought to consult a qualified health practitioner before you start a program with it.

Alkaline Foods

Eating foods with high level of alkalinity may help you give up smoking by changing the preference of your taste buds. Boiled oats, for example, have been used in India for centuries to treat various addictions. Apart from cooked wild oats, you may also want to try a diet with other alkaline foods such as spinach, raisins, figs, almonds, and beet greens.

Salt

As some ex-smokers testify, licking a bit of salt every time you feel like lighting a cigarette can help you break your habit within a month.

Cancer

This is the most serious disease that secondhand smoking can lead to. Studies have shown that the relative risk of lung cancer increases significantly if a person lives on a day-to-day basis with a heavy smoker.
Passive smoking may also be contributive to breast cancer. Thus, the California Environmental Protection Agency found out in 2005 that the exposure to passive smoke of younger women increased the risk of breast cancer by 70%. This statistic should be a warning to you if you have a teenage daughter in your family.

Asthma

Involuntary smoking may also lead to various lung diseases, most notably, to asthma. A study on more than 700 people, conducted in 2001 by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, discovered that individuals whose partners smoke are exposed to almost five times higher risk of developing asthma in their adulthood than the ones who are smoke-free and also that “those who are exposed to second hand smoke at work are more than twice as likely to develop respiratory problems”.  But even without such scientific verdict, one can easily see the damage smoking does to the respiratory system: just listen to an inveterate smoker breathe or cough, and you will immediately realize that smoking poses real dangers.

Cognitive Impairment

A quite recent research, published in the British Medical Journal in February 2009, has reached the definite conclusion that long-term exposure to secondhand smoke may increase the risk of cognitive disorders and dementia in people, aged 50 or more.

Various Children’s Diseases

The people we love the most, our children, are the greatest victims of passive smoking. Among the many diseases careless parents may inflict on their boys and girls are: brain tumor, lung infections, tuberculosis, tooth decay, bronchiolitis, developmental delays, and even, when it comes to infants, sudden death.
Having said all this, we hope that you will want to reconsider your obstinacy to continue smoking.



Of course, the habit becomes, soon enough, part of your own lifestyle and a way to overcome stress and challenging situations. In order to quit, you need to devote yourself to changing this lifestyle and reducing your stress unleashing factors. It is here that the circle closes – to do that you need to change your social surroundings.

It is true that quitting is your quest and the success depends on the strength of your will, but some help from friends and family might do most of the hard work. First of all, they must know you are quitting – both to refrain from tempting you and to check up on you. It is even better if you share your feelings and seek their advice, just to know that you are not alone in this effort. Also, if you go through the process with another “quitter”, you could support each other and achieve better results. However, it is important not to let yourself become too sure of the success. If your friends and family congratulate you too soon for a few smoke-free days, it might create an illusion of infallibility which easily leads to lighting up “just one cigarette.”

Another important environmental factor is your workplace. Although smoking is forbidden at most office spaces, the urge to smoke might be even worse there. Being used to loosen up and get rid of the stress with a cigarette, smokers find it hard to find another way of easing the pressure. Also, the short 10-minute breaks are often “sacred” to smokers and giving them up might seem like giving up the better part of the workday.

A study, carried out by vets in the United States, reached the conclusion that cats, whose owners smoked were prone to feline lymphoma, a form of cancer that kills 3 out 4 cats within a year of its diagnosis. The researchers found out that such cats were twice as likely to develop the disease when compared to cats with non-smoking owners. Furthermore, it was discovered that if two people living in the house smoked, the risk for the cat to contract cancer was four times as big.
Dogs are similarly endangered by passive smoking. Researches have established that the development of canine asthma, nasal and lung cancer may be prompted by exposure to secondhand smoke. So, if someone in your household smokes, watch out for your dog coughing, wheezing, or having difficulties to breathe. These are all bad signs for your pet’s health. Passive smoking is particularly dangerous for puppies, which have weaker immune systems and are, therefore, more susceptible to infection.

But the risk of getting ill as a result of involuntary smoking is not restricted to cats and dogs. In fact, other pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, or any bird species are no less vulnerable to the dangers of secondhand smoke inhalation.

So what is to be done? One thing you can do if you are a smoking pet-owner is to avoid smoking in the room where your pet lives. This, however, is only a partial solution as 85% of the smoke is invisible, and you can never be completely sure that it doesn’t affect your pet. You can also try smoking outdoors, but this will be rather uncomfortable for you, especially in the winter months. There is also third option: you can simply quit smoking; it is this solution that will benefit both your pet and you the most.