| If we measured how easy it is to do something by the number of available methods, quitting smoking would be a cinch. Besides just going cold turkey, there are nicotine replacement therapies, like the patch; pharmaceutical aids such as Wellbutrin, hypnosis and other new techniques coming out all of the time.
The reasons to quit keep piling up, too. According to a 2004 U.S. surgeon general's report, smoking harms nearly every organ, causing bladder, lung, oral and throat cancers; chronic lung diseases; coronary heart and cardiovascular disease; and cervical, kidney and pancreatic cancer. (The list goes on.) Not to mention, it's getting harder to find a place where you can smoke.
We've all heard of nicotine replacement therapy, or NRT, which gives the body nicotine via a patch or gum.
Shown to be slightly more effective than NRT is use of the non-nicotine-based, prescribed antidepressant Wellbutrin, formerly known as Zyban.
Even better may be using a combination of NRT and Wellbutrin, which gives smokers a 40% chance of success, Levy says.
A new prescription medication, Chantix, works by reducing a smoker's craving and withdrawal. If a person smokes while taking Chantix, it can potentially diminish the sense of satisfaction.
Participation of civil society:
Allen Carr, author of the book “Easy method to stop smoking” during his life, has sold 7 million books about the fight against smoking, opened 70 clinics in 30 countries worldwide and has freed millions of people from nicotine dependence.
Positive changes upon quitting smoking:
* After 2 hours, starts the withdrawal of nicotine from the body and first withdrawal symptoms are felt at this time;
* After 12 hours, carbon monoxide due to smoking gets completely withdrawn from the body, lungs start to function better, a sense of insufficient air is gone;
* After 2 days, gustatory sensitivity shall become sharper;
* After 12 weeks (3 months), blood circulation system improves, which allows easily walking and running;
* After 3-9 months, cough, dyspnea and respiration problems decrease and functioning of lungs increases by 10%;
* After 5 years, the risk of myocardial infarction becomes 2 times less than in smokers.
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According to the recent study by U.S. Centers for Disease Control there are over 45 million adult smokers in the U.S., 70% of whom said they wanted to quit. Only 5% to 10% of smokers are successful on any given attempt and it takes smokers five to six tries to end their addictions for good. ]
