Quit Smoking

As a smoker, one of the hardest things you will ever have to do throughout the course of your life is to give up your habit and put down your cigarettes for good. The reason for this is the highly addictive nature of Nicotine, the narcotic element within cigarettes, thought by many within the scientific community to have equally or greater addictive properties than highly potent illegal substances such as heroin or cocaine. The benefits of giving up, both financially and for your health, greatly outweigh the difficulties of quitting and there are a number of different medicated aids and options to help you do this as easily as possible by  preventing the troublesome cravings which often cause smokers to relapse, even after they think they have given up.

What are the benefits of quitting?

The benefits of becoming a reformed smoker are huge, for both your health and your wallet, and they can become apparent within minutes of you stubbing out your last smoke. There are benefits to quitting at any age; despite how long you have smoked for, significantly reducing the risk of you developing one of the many conditions which can be attributed to smoking. These conditions, of which many can become terminal, include diabetes, angina, heart disease, lung cancer, erectile dysfunction and many others. If that’s not reason enough for you to throw out your boxes of duty free and novelty lighters, there are also the financial rewards to be had from quitting, with the average smoker in the UK spending a whopping £1,500 on their habit each year.

What treatments options are there available to give up smoking?

There are currently three smoking cessation drug options available to help smokers tackle the challenge of giving up and staying smoke free. The most common of these treatments is Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), which is a method of replacing the supply of nicotine which you would usually get from smoking. This medicated aid is available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from patches to inhalers and beyond. The next of these three treatments and the first of two prescription only options is Zyban, a medication which was first developed as an anti-depressant and later found to be beneficial for people who want to kick the habit. Last, but by no means least, we have Chantix, which has been developed by Pfizer specifically to help smokers ease off cigarettes. This treatment is revolutionary in its action, working to both stimulated the same receptors in the brain as nicotine whilst also stopping any nicotine that the body takes in from reaching these receptors. This helps to significantly reduce cravings and withdraw symptoms, with most smokers finding themselves stopping without little thought or effort. This treatment is also by far the most effective, with a success rate of 44%, compared with 29% with Zyban and less than 15% with NRT.

NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy)

Nicotine Replacement Therapy is available in a variety of different brand names and is the oldest approved medical method of giving up your addiction. It works by replacing the nicotine you would usually take into your body from smoking, but without any of the tar or poisons which make smoking so bad for you. The success rate of this method is quite low, with as little as 1 in 5 smokers managing to give up using a form of NRT treatment.

Zyban (bupropion)

Zyban is a treatment which was originally developed as an anti-depressant, but has been seen to have benefits for smokers during the clinical trial stage of the drug. Participants in the trial who smoked found that they were starting to smoke less frequently and in some cases, all together. The action which achieves this is at present not fully understood, however it is believed that it increases the levels of certain chemicals within the brain which help to regulate cravings. The success rate of this treatment is around 29% and is taken for a period of 12 weeks.

Chantix (varenicline)

Chantix is the newest medicated aid in the fight against nicotine addiction and has shown a much higher success rate than either of the alternative treatment options. It works to block the action of nicotine, whilst stimulating nicotine receptors within the brain to reduce both the effect of nicotine on the body as well as any cravings which may usually be suffered when trying to give up. This treatment has a success rate of 44%, which is significantly higher than any other treatment available within the market at this present time. The entire course lasts for the duration of 12 weeks, with many smokers giving up long before they reach the end of their treatment.