Methods to Quit Smoking

Finding a way to quit smoking is as easy as typing a few words into your favorite search engine. You will be shocked by the vast number of methods to quit smoking there are, from the sublime to the bizarre, the tried and true to the gimmicky and suspect. Once you see what the options are, the choice is up to you. You will have to pick the right method to quit smoking for you and your own personal success. You will have to decide what your immediate and long term goals are. You have to know what will work for you and what will not. And, you will have to know what to watch out for to know what methods are nothing more than a money making scam.

Acupuncture and acupressure are both thought to be beneficial for smokers for different reasons. Consider these only if you are open minded, willing to try something that is still considered to be an alternative health treatment. If you have any serious or chronic health conditions, including diseases of the skin, consult your doctor before attempting acupuncture or acupressure.

Speaking of alternative health theories, there are many herbs and other products sold at health food stores that claim to help smokers either with the habit or the withdrawal symptoms. Again, make sure that you are aware of any product that you try and how they can interact or interfere with medications that you are currently taking.

Reducing the amount of nicotine until you can finally walk away from it is another method to quit smoking and can be done with nicotine reduction products like the patch, gum or inhalers. Using these products can allow you to step down gradually from level to level which in theory will reduce the amount of withdrawal symptoms that you have to deal with.

Hypnosis to quit smoking can be considered borderline in that some people swear by it and some will feel no lasting effect from the session. If they hypnosis occurs as part of a  huge group of people as is often the case, it is less likely to work across the board and may depend more on personal perception than real results.

Finally, replacement theories suggest that you replace smoking with something entirely different, including drinking a glass of water every time that you feel the urge to smoke. While increasing the amount of water you drink is certainly a good thing, as a method to quit smoking it probably leaves a lot to be desired. Of course, it is not as harmful as some of the other suspect methods that are touted, so watch out for the following signs that you are looking at a potential scam:

- Guarantees that seem unreasonable. Remember the adage if it sounds too good to be true, it isn’t.
-Companies that seem familiar but when researched either have no history or a spotty one. Scam artists will play on words to use familiar brands to fool their victims.
-Fake doctor testimonials. It is not ethical for doctors to advertise for a particular product. Be careful, and make sure that you choose a method that is valid and has some chance at success.