To quit, or not to quit? Every smoker has been at that crossroads of making a life-altering decision of whether or not to quit smoking. For those of you trying to discover the most effective way to quit smoking, congratulations on taking the first step to leading a smoke-free life. You’ve come to the right place!
Before we dive in, let’s bust some myths about quitting smoking. Quitting smoking has little to do with tuning into your willpower or using a tracking app. And before you ask, switching to vaping or chewing tobacco doesn’t mean you’re now smoke-free. In fact, you have just replaced one bad habit with another. They are not effective ways to quit smoking.
The truth is, quitting smoking has more to do with focusing on removing the desire to quit and practicing mindfulness. It involves understanding the principle of addiction and training your brain to cut down the supply of nicotine that it’s so used to receiving in large amounts daily. Easier said than done, isn’t it?
Trust me, with the right resources and support i.e. by using effective ways to quit smoking; any smoker can fight back the addiction and quit the habit for good. (Ask thousands of ex-smokers we’ve helped quit smoking through QuitSure. They’ll tell you all about it!)
Why is quitting smoking or vaping so hard, anyway? If it were so easy, everybody would lead a healthy and longer life! Everyone would find an effective way to stop vaping or smoking
There’s so much about the human brain that we don’t know enough about. So, before you jump on the wagon and declare that you will quit smoking in ‘x’ number of days, please sit down and do some research on how the principle of addiction works. This way, you’re more prepared to tackle the challenges that come your way in your journey to quitting smoking.
Addiction stems from a persistent and intense urge to do an activity, like smoking, despite its harmful consequences. But what also contributes to an addiction is the intensity and administration at which the action is performed.
The nucleus accumbens or more commonly referred to as the brain’s pleasure center, is a cluster of nerve cells that lies underneath the cerebral cortex. Every hit of dopamine induced by nicotine consumption gets released into the nucleus accumbens, thus creating a shortcut to flooding your nucleus accumbens with dopamine signals. A repetitive activity like smoking creates a conditioned response to the stimulus, which provokes the brain to continue seeking the pleasure stimulus, a.k.a. smoking.
What actually works to get rid of this addiction:
1. Being mindful
Let me introduce you to the art of practicing mindfulness. To be mindful, one has to pay attention and take notice of things around them and do things without being constantly distracted by their immediate environment. It is one of the effective ways to stop vaping and smoking.
Several physicians coach their patients to use mindful techniques while smoking. The first step here involves becoming more aware of the immediate smoking effects. While smoking mindfully, smokers can sense a "burning feeling" as they inhale and notice the foul smell and taste of smoke. They can immediately feel their heart pounding and a sensation in their temporal region. Therefore, being mindful creates a different experience than smoking without paying attention. When practiced frequently over time, mindful smoking helps ride cravings instead of acting on them.
2. Focusing on the reasons to quit
Improving health and quality of life are the most important reasons many people quit smoking. Many times, during the journey of quitting the habit, you will find yourself fighting the urge to smoke a cigarette. Because let’s face it, your brain isn’t going to be on board with the idea of not doing something that has been ingrained in its daily function. You will be challenged to fight the urge several times daily to quiet your brain. These times, it helps to focus on why you decided to quit. Focusing on your reasons to quit the habit enables you to be accountable and be more aware of your thoughts.
Your brain will try to convince you that it’s okay to have just one cigarette, but you don’t necessarily have to listen. In fact, talk back to your urges! The next time you find yourself thinking, “I think I will feel better if I smoke one cigarette,” talk back to your urges by saying, “Yes, I will feel better if I smoke one, but quitting the habit is more important to me, and I will feel a lot better after quitting”
As you practice more and more smoking cessation techniques, these urges tend to pass away over time, relieving you from the clutches of this addictive habit.
3. QuitSure (Yes, it’s a humble brag!)
Because all activities require discipline and a plan to be successful, thankfully, there is an app for mindful smoking. The most effective way to quit smoking is to try, QuitSure, the leading mobile app for smoking cessation.
It's a personalized smoking cessation program that changes your relationship with smoking using a psychological approach involving scientific information, thinking exercises, and mindful techniques. And it works!! It has over a 95% success rate (based on 4000+ user reviews). So when you are willing to quit smoking or vaping and want to make it a smooth process, the QuitSure program - the most effective way to quit vaping and smoking, with its mindful techniques, will be ready to help you and come out victorious.
4. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of therapy that focuses on changing negative thought patterns and behaviors. It can be one of the most effective ways to quit vaping or smoking by helping smokers identify triggers, develop coping strategies, and modify their behavior. CBT can be done with a therapist or through self-help resources such as books or online courses.
5. Support Groups
Support groups can be an excellent way to quit smoking. They offer a sense of community and provide smokers with a safe and supportive space to share their experiences, struggles, and successes. Support groups can be in-person or online, and they can be led by a professional or peer-led. They can be found through organizations such as the American Lung Association or through online resources like Reddit or Facebook. Read more about the role of support groups when it comes to quitting smoking.
6. Cold turkey
Cold turkey is a method of quitting smoking where you abruptly stop smoking without any aid of nicotine replacement therapy or medication. This method can be challenging as it requires strong willpower and determination to overcome nicotine withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, anxiety, and cravings. However, some people find this method the most effective way to quit vaping and smoking as it allows them to take control of their addiction and avoid any potential dependence on replacement therapies. But many people find it difficult to stop completely.
Final thoughts
In all honesty, the nicotine in cigarettes is a powerfully addictive drug, and overcoming these cravings is a challenge. But even if you have tried and failed multiple times, you can still kick the addiction using mindful techniques. After all, failure is only a stepping stone to success, not the end of the line! Just remember that every time you win over the urge to quit smoking, you’re one step closer to leading a smoke-free life. And with the most effective way to quit smoking in hand i.e. QuitSure which removes the desire to smoke from your subconscious, you can conquer your addiction. Your life is definitely worth fighting for.