Ways To Stop Smoking - Why Some Of Them Work And Why Some Do Not

For some reason, nicotine replacement therapy has become one of the most popular ways to stop smoking in the world today. The main principle of this method is to replace the addictive ingredient in the cigarettes, i.e. nicotine with an agent that is less harmful and less addictive. Naturally, the replaced substance must be similar to nicotine in taste, or it would not be an ideal replacement at all.

In most cases, the Indian tobacco, i.e. lobelia is used. Indians have been smoking beedis (i.e. herbal cigarettes with lobelia wrapped in betel leaves) for centuries, without any addiction. Also, these herbal cigarettes do not contain any tar. Nicotine replacement therapy uses several products such as lozenges, gums, cigarettes, patches, etc. with substances similar to nicotine.

The main intention of the substances used in all kinds of nicotine replacement therapy is certainly to gradually wean away the person from the addiction and protect him or her from pumping dangerous tar and carbon monoxide in the body. They have attained a degree of success and popularity too, and indeed doctors have also been prescribing these methods for hardened smokers.

But the fact remains that with nicotine replacement therapies, the person is not actually kept away from nicotine. In some cases - such as the nicotine patches - nicotine itself could be used in the therapy. If that is done, then the person does not really get deaddicted at all. Tar is prevented from entering the body, but the addiction to nicotine could persist. There is a very high chance that the person may revert to active smoking as soon as he or she stops using the nicotine patch.

In short, a person on a nicotine patch may have to wear it for life. Then there are other problems too. Nicotine patches can cause irritation of the skin. That could be a reason why its use could be discontinued. Some people have also experienced nightmares and vivid dreams when on the nicotine patch. So, it is not guaranteed that nicotine patches and nicotine replacement therapies may actually work.

Even medications cannot be considered as very effective ways to stop smoking. All medications that are used for smoke cessation nowadays, such as buproprion and varenicline, are nothing more than antidepressants. These medications would help smokers to resolve their anxiety pangs that occur when they are giving up smoking, but they do not actively dissuade the person from smoking. Also, they cannot repair the organs already damaged by the smoke. Doctors would not recommend antidepressants to everybody because several conditions of the body may make their use dangerous. Old people and pregnant women, for example, must not take antidepressants at all.

With such disfavor for most smoke cessation methods that exist today, the herbal remedies are making their presence felt as effective ways to stop smoking. These are made from natural herbs, which do not have side-effects on the body, and can be used by most people, even with health conditions. Herbal remedies wean people away from their addiction and also repair the damage that has been caused in their body due to long years of smoking.

Several herbal ways to stop smoking are popular today, like the SmokeRX, which is a kit of herbal supplements aimed at bringing results within as less as seven days. Hundreds of herbal remedies are available today, and they are also showing good results. Herbal remedies work because they address all the problems smoking causes, and do not target just one of the problems. They can be used against the addiction, depression as well as for the repair of the tissue and cell damage already caused.