Many people have tried quitting smoking year after year, yet they find it difficult to quit the habit for good. Even though there are many support groups and medical institutions ready to help, the tobacco industry seems to be adding more customers every day. Many people relapse due to the withdrawal symptoms the addiction causes. If the addiction is understood properly, any smoker can give up the habit with ease say, researchers, doctors, and successful quitters.

Stopping any habit starts and ends with the mind. A mental shift is necessary to make a change. On the other side of the struggle is greatness. To face a challenge one must understand and have the capability to overcome the obstacle. And there is no other way than meeting the obstacle head-on. Here are a few facts about smoking tobacco along with some effective methods for smoking cessation.

Smoking Tobacco is Deadly
People might still argue that smoking does not kill. However, the numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that more than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness. And there are more than 480,000 deaths per year due to cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than non-smokers. Tobacco smoke when inhaled carries with it 70 carcinogens and one among them nicotine. One effective method for smoking cessation is to constantly be aware of the damage this habit can do, so the frequency can decline to some extent.

Smoking Tobacco is Addictive
Nicotine boosts the mood and concentration, reduces appetite, depression, and irritability and enhances concentration, and short term memory. Nicotine is also addictive. Science reveals that nicotine interacts with the brain cells that cause habit formation. Nicotine also triggers the reward system in the brain which also contributes to strengthening the habit. Thus, addiction is a habit. So much so that according to the CDC report, more than 7 out of 100 people who tried quitting succeeded in 2018. One can try using nicotine patches to curb the habit of smoking.

Addictions Cause Severe Withdrawal Symptoms
Withdrawal from smoking tobacco causes tingling in the hands and feet, sweating, nausea and abdominal cramping, constipation, headaches, coughing, sore throat, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, irritability, depression, weight gain and an intense craving for nicotine. And these withdrawal symptoms start kicking in two or three days. It’s important to have a support system in such situations.

Cold Turkey Happens with a Mental Shift
Many people have successfully quit smoking over time. Either way, it can happen only when the mind understands and gets ready to change. And then change is only a matter of time. There are effective methods of smoking cessation such as the 12-step process used by Alcoholics Anonymous, or by using NRTs or medications to slowly curb the habit of smoking or seek support groups where help is readily offered to people who want to become smoke-free.

Your Will is Greater than the Addiction
Cigarettes are cheap and available in most places. One can light up the cigarette in almost any open space. With such prominence, the cigarette makes way into the lives of many people and stays on. The reason is that it is addictive. Yet people do break free from the shackles of addiction. There is enough evidence that the mind can achieve whatever it can conceive and believe. Humanity has overcome the obstacles and has led to where we are today. When setting a strong reason and envisioning a smoke-free and healthy life are the best methods in stopping the habit.

These methods for smoking cessation have proven to be effective and will be of great help if followed properly.