A review of the advantages and disadvantages of popular products on the market to help you quit smoking, including natural alternative methods.
Nicotine chewing gums are one way to quit smoking and are recommended for a period of about 3 months. They come in a low nicotine dose and a high nicotine dose and should be chewed once each hour. After chewing for several minutes, the gum should be placed between the cheek and the gums, allowing the nicotine to absorb through the skin. The problem with nicotine gums is that they have a taste and a sensation that many people don't enjoy. If you're using this method, you might need to make yourself use the gum until you get used to it.
You can also purchase nicotine nasal sprays which are squirted directly into the nasal passages for almost instant absorption by the body. The sprays can be used once in each nostril, 32 doses per day. For particularly heavy smokers, this method is helpful and should be used for only 3 months. Similar to the nose spray is the inhaler which is also squirted into the nasal passages. Other methods of receiving nicotine are tablets and lozenges which are held in the mouth until absorbed completely.
Zyban, which works by tablet form and is prescribed by a physician, is one non-nicotine way to seriously reduce cigarette cravings. People who use it report that it works very well without replacing one nicotine form with another. It is recommended that the smoker take this prescription for a week, and then choose a date during the second week to stop smoking. The medication works in the brain rather than by nicotine. Side effects can include headaches, dry mouth and sleeplessness. Other non-nicotine help includes herbal cigarettes that provide hand-to-mouth stimulation, but do not contain anything to help the cravings, mouthwash which is supposed to make cigarettes taste bad, yoga or even hypno-therapy. No matter what method of smoke cessation you choose, stick with it and you can kick the habit just like thousand of people have done before you.
