Smoking Cessation

Smoking is one of the most addictive habit known to man and has now also been recognised as the leading cause of preventable deaths and diseases among people worldwide. Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognised this fact. Medical authorities across the world are now pushing for smoking cessation as the habit is linked to many serious health risks including lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Most smokers find it hard to give up smoking as the addiction to nicotine is way too strong. With as many as 4000 chemicals as its constituents, nicotine has been found to be more addictive than caffeine and even heroin and cocaine in some studies. No wonder it is so hard to give up, especially if you have no additional help.

Withdrawal symptoms such as insomnia, irritability, and anxiety make it tough for smokers to quit smoking. The only way of avoiding or alleviating these withdrawal symptoms is to seek effective anti-smoking treatment and support.

Effects of Smoking

It should actually be titled “adverse effects of smoking” because smoking does not have any other effects except adverse ones. Smoking is responsible for causing almost all known cancers, cardiovascular diseases, emphysema, and tuberculosis. It increases blood pressure and cholesterol and can lead to more deadly diseases than a lot of other factors combined.

Smoking is not only dangerous for the smoker but also those around him/her. Medical research has found that second hand smoke inhalation can also lead to cancers and heart disease in addition to causing infections of the respiratory tract and tuberculosis. All in all, smoking does not just affect you as a smoker, but also those around you in a big way.

Benefits of Quitting Smoking

These are largely obvious. First and foremost is that you extend your life expectancy by several years. Additionally, you save yourself and your near and dear ones from the trauma of diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Allot of people that have ditched the habit have felt not only the physical benefits of smoking cessation but also the financial benefits. By giving up smoking, you are once again saving money and improving your own financial standing.

How to Quit Smoking?

There is no simple way about quit smoking . Quitting smoking is one of the toughest tasks you will ever encounter and you may need help for it. Once you have decided to quit smoking , the first thing you should do is consult a doctor. A trained professional is generally best equipped to guide you on your path to smoking cessation.

There is no simple way about quit smoking . Quitting smoking is one of the toughest tasks you will ever encounter and you may need help for it. Once you have decided to quit smoking , the first thing you should do is consult a doctor. A trained professional is generally best equipped to guide you on your path to smoking cessation.

There are many quit smoking aids available for smokers who wish to switch to a smoke free life. These include Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), which comes in the form of nicotine gums and lozenges, counselling, and of course, prescription medications.

There are currently two major prescription medications for quitting smoking – Champix and Zyban. Of these, Champix is a more recently approved drug and one which has been tested in clinical trail. It is manufactured by Pfizer.

The other medication Zyban was originally designed to be an anti-depressant, but in clinical trials and actual use was found to help smokers give up smoking. This led the FDA to approve it as an anti-smoking medication. Zyban’s success rate is around 29% compared to 44% with Champix.

For either of these medications, you first need to consult a doctor, have a thorough physical examination and then get a prescription issued. Champix treatment is a 12 week course with varying dosages and should be followed as per doctor’s instructions.

An alternative method of getting smoking cessation pills is to attempt an online consultation from an online clinic. For this, you are required to fill in your personal and medical details in the online consultation form. These are then reviewed by a doctor and a prescription is issued based on your medical condition. While being very convenient, an online consultation can not replace a face-to-face consultation with your doctor.