Stop Smoking Without Using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
July 7, 2009 4:04 am quit smokingThe dependency on nicotine is the chief problem for people who want to stop smoking without using nicotine replacement (NRT). Mark Twain did not know that he had a nicotine addiction by he was cheeky enough to say that it was easy to stop smoking as he had done it a thousand times. Smokers are able to find a large amount of self help material, they can use drugs or NRT to try and stop, but no matter what you try, it is just not a simple thing to do.
And we do not all have the willpower of General De Gaulle who was a heavy smoker. He just realized one day that the cigarettes were controlling him, and not the other way around, so he just stopped! But we are not all made of the same stuff. Physical, psychological and emotional addictions are very difficult to control and changing the way we do things is also not easy, particularly if we still want to be around others who smoke. You can’t all of a sudden stop being friends with smokers because they smoke and you don’t want to.
Many states in the US have instituted free counseling services for smokers and it has been found that these work very well. They provide a support system, and this makes a very good alternative to using NRT. Some very good results have been seen from these services, and smokers are twice as easily able to stop with this support as without it.
Nicotine just happens to be one of the most habit forming substances we know of. It is for this reason that support is vital for the smoker who is trying to stop. This support starts at home with his family and extends, through friends, so-workers, employers and obviously the counseling service they are making use of. Encouragement is vital in this attempt to break the habit and ex-smokers swear that the support they receive is one of the chief reasons for achieving success.
It is a very simple matter to find all the information you need about stopping smoking from various sources: Your local hospital, your health insurance company, your employer and obviously from support groups. But the best help you will get, will come from an experienced and well trained counselor.
Counseling may be undertaken on an individual or group basis, and even over the telephone it has its merits. Because counselors are trained to help the smoker deal with the physical and emotional side of giving up this addiction, their assistance it so much more valuable, and much more than just a shoulder to cry on, it is also about understanding the withdrawal.
The thing to remember is that once you stop smoking, the nicotine remains in the body for as long as three to four days and it is when this period is over that the withdrawal symptoms begin to manifest. These are liable to last just a couple of days or in some instances even weeks. It is this time when the support is needed most so that the smoker has someone to turn to rather than back to the cigarettes.
Counseling is far more effective than NRT, because with NRT you are still putting this addictive drug into your body. You don’t need to do this, nor do you have to use other dangerous drugs if you have the right people on your side in your quest to stop smoking. Medical research has shown that individuals who receive counseling are 4 times more likely succeed than by using any other method to quit smoking.
