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There’s no shortage of methods to stop smoking. But are any of them for real? Following is an overview of some of the more common ways to quit. Find out for yourself if they can live up to their promises.

Medications

Nicotine patches are a popular method for quitting smoking. This method allows you to gradually taper down the amount of nicotine that goes into your system. This helps to ease the symptoms of withdrawal once nicotine is gone from your system completely.

A new option in prescription drugs is the quit smoking pill known as Chantix. This drug releases dopamine into your system, which is a chemical that makes you feel better. The brain experiences the same effect as if nicotine were present in your bloodstream. Withdrawal symptoms become almost nonexistent with this treatment.

It’s important to note that using medications to help you stop smoking isn’t always the complete answer. The reason is that it’s not only the physical addiction that’s the problem. There is also a psychological dependence on smoking that is hard to overcome.

Cold Turkey

This is one of the most popular methods among people who decide to quit smoking. This is a rather brutal approach that means just stopping; no medications and no slowly tapering down. Even though it’s a favorite technique, it isn’t always the best choice.

It’s all that nicotine that is contained in cigarettes that is so addictive to people who smoke. It’s an extremely addictive substance, and if you don’t get your fix, you’ll exhibit withdrawal symptoms right away. Quitting cold turkey heightens the withdrawal effect, and your symptoms will go on for at least two weeks.

The challenge is finding ways to distract yourself from these symptoms when they occur. Many people find this too difficult and eventually give in to their cravings.

Substitution

This technique involves replacing smoking with some other activity or behavior. Many people have found success by sucking on hard candy or chewing gum when the urge to smoke hits. Sometimes this will help to satisfy the oral fixation by giving your mouth something else to do.

Others have substituted certain activities such as exercise in place of smoking. When they crave a cigarette, they simply go for a run or get on an exercise bike.

Any ex-smoker will tell you how hard it is to quit. And anyone who has been successful will probably tell you that it took several attempts to quit smoking for good. But it’s worth it to keep trying. Your life might depend on it.