Smoking Cessation: What is it?

Smoking cessation refers to the process where a person would quit his/her smoking habits. Smoking cigarettes or tobacco has a number of negative health impacts on the body, mostly because of the high nicotine concentration that makes them so addicting. It is because of this that quitting smoking can be a challenging process that may take a long time.

People who smoke run the risk of developing heart disease and lung cancer, among other tobacco-related illnesses. However, even though many people want to stop smoking, they struggle to do so.

5 Stages to Quit Smoking

There are generally five stages that a smoker goes through in order to quit the habit of smoking. 

• Pre-contemplation

This stage is where people are not really thinking about quitting and if offended, will most likely defend their smoking habits. 

• Contemplation

This stage is where they will start thinking about the idea of quitting and are aware of the consequences and consider that their habit has become a problem. 

• Preparation

People at this stage have made up their minds about ending the bad habit of smoking and would take a gradual approach to quit. 

• Action

This is the stage in which people do their best to stop smoking and use various ways to stop the habit such as rewarding themself or keeping themselves motivated with the help of a family member. This is the stage where they would need the most support and help. 

• Maintenance

This stage is where they maintain being a non-smoker since they have understood the pros and cons of what it can do if they keep doing it. This is where they learn to control themselves and handle the temptation of having a cigarette. 

Methods of Smoking Cessation

There are proven smoking cessation methods for a person who is trying to stop smoking and some of them can either be counseling, prescription medications, or even nicotine replacement therapy. It is no easy thing for someone who has gotten used to a habit for so long to just stop everything all at once. Hence, there are methods that can be proven helpful in such cases. 

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

This method can help a person to resist the temptation if they have an intense craving for a cigarette. This would include nicotine gum, lozenges, or a nasal spray. This has been proven to be safe but it is always best to consult with a health professional before going ahead with this method. 

This method would help slowly break your addiction since it helps you use less and less nicotine and you will manage the cravings for it as well. 

Relaxation Techniques

 For some people, smoking would have been a way of them dealing with their everyday stress in life. You can find ways to keep yourself relaxed like deep breathing, yoga, or listening to relaxing music. It would be stressful to keep yourself from having a cigarette as well but keep in mind your health always.

Prescription Medications

For this method, you would need a consultation from your doctor since you need a prescription to get the medication you need. The drug would need time to get built up into your system, hence, you would need to take it before the day you stop quit smoking. 

 

In conclusion, it is not easy for a person to stop the habit of smoking but there are ways and methods for them to do so. There is no right way to stop smoking but you can seek advice from a healthcare professional who can tell you what you need to know. 

 

With sound guidance and a quit-smoking plan, our pharmacists can assist you with a smoking cessation plan that would help you live a longer and healthy life.

 

You can contact us for more details or visit our website to learn more.