The War Against Smoking Addiction

Have you ever tried to quit smoking, only to fail after a short period of cold turkey? You are not alone in this world in the war against smoking addiction. The adverse effects are well-documented, which includes the many health risks and the high cost of maintaining this habit.

In order to defeat this unseen enemy, you have to understand and study it. The reason why it is so hard to quit is because of the chemical Nicotine, which creates a biochemical reaction in your body that affects the user's mood, reasoning ability and metabolism. Just like any drug in the market today, the more you take the higher the dependency reached.

Now that you identified the enemy, how do you deal with it? There are two ways, a straight forward cold turkey treatment or through a gradual process. However, if you are a heavy smoker, the latter may be the better option as there is a lesser chance of falling back into the habit. There are several products in the market like nicotine patches or e-cigarettes that will help in this aspect.

The hardest part of the treatment is fighting off the urge. There are many ways to do this, for example:

1. Keep yourself busy. Household chores, errands or a short exercise will do the trick.

2. Meditation. Close your eyes, suck in air through your mouth and exhale. This is an effective way to relaxation and a substitute to the action of puffing on a cigarette.

3. Put something in your mouth. Sweets, gum, toothpicks will do the trick

Once confident enough to handle the urge, you may focus on the social and emotional aspects of smoking. During the treatment process, it is strongly advisable to avoid situations where you may be tempted to smoke like during coffee/lunch breaks or social events. here This is important if you are the type of person who is susceptible to peer pressure.

When you are stressed out during work or study, let go of the negative emotions either through meditation or stress-relief aids (stress balls) and leave the immediate area for a break. Be careful to avoid areas where you may meet ex-smoking partners. Get rid of all visual materials that may tempt you like ashtrays, lighters, matches etc.

With the above information and the will to quit, half the battle is already won. The other half is down to persistence and determination in your personal war against smoking.