Stop Smoking Programs – Which Ones Really Work?

Exploring and trying out options for quitting smoking can be overwhelming and turn out to be very expensive and frustrating. The greatest myth about smoking is that if you break the nicotine addiction, you can quit. But the nicotine addiction is broken in 3 to 4 days, so why is it that 95% of smokers who quit "cold turkey" return to smoking within 6 months? On top of it all, none of the programs mentioned above properly address the nicotine addiction in the first place, so the "weaning process" is severely flawed from the start, setting up the smoker for failure.

Although initial research shows that each cigarette contains between 3 to 4 milligrams of nicotine, most premium brands are treated with chemicals by the manufacturer that increase the potency up to 35 times. In May of 1998, the State of Minnesota and Blue Cross/Blue Shield sued the major cigarette manufacturers, including Marlboro, who settled for over 6 billion dollars in damages incurred due to the use of ammonia as a free-basing agent for the nicotine.

Long story made short – one cigarette contains up to 100 milligrams of nicotine potency. The patch delivers about .9 milligrams per hour of nicotine into the bloodstream. Nicotine gum contains 3 to 4 milligrams of nicotine per piece, which, again, is nothing close to a cigarette.

Quit smoking pills like Chantix and Zyban don't contain any nicotine at all, but block the brain's receptors to it, so a smoker can actually keep smoking and stay on the pills. This is highly dangerous because, besides blocking nicotine, the brain is also blocked from receiving dopamine and serotonin, the natural body chemistry for dealing with stress, including motivation for fight or flight situations. This sets up the client for heightened anxiety and feelings of suicide, all while not getting any nicotine.

Hypnosis addresses the urge to smoke and the mental and emotional moments of will power. Hypnosis is best for people who have quit smoking and want to assure they never go back. Electronic cigarettes still deliver high potency nicotine and most of the chemicals that come along with it.

The best, most comprehensive smoking cessation program involves addressing not only the nicotine addiction, but all habits, behaviors, and rituals smokers have developed, and replacing them with healthy behaviors that replenish a severely depleted system. The ultimate goal of quitting cigarettes is to never go back. In order to accomplish this, a smoker must consider the whole picture, including breathing patterns, hand to mouth habits, environment changes, vitamins, supplements, motivation, and a host of other aspects that are lacking in their lives.