Freedom from Nicotine Addiction

Every year millions of Americans try unsuccessfully to stop smoking. Nicotine addiction is by no means easy to break. If you would like to stop smoking and are intimidated and/or don't know where to start the following are steps you can take. Bear in mind that in light of the fact that is it difficult to quit, you must have a real desire to be free from nicotine addiction.

Patches, Inhalers, And Gum - Oh My!

Stopping all at once, commonly referred to as "Cold Turkey" is by far the most difficult of all the ways to stop smoking. Because of this drug companies make available a wide variety of products specifically designed to administer small doses of nicotine to your system, in increasingly smaller portions, over a long period of time.

Patches allow the nicotine to be transferred directly through the skin; the inhalers administer nicotine into the lungs, even as a cigarette; and the gum administers your dose of nicotine through your saliva and the skin in your mouth.

Not everyone has success using these products, as a matter of fact many complain that they are made sick by the large amounts of pure nicotine being delivered into their systems.These products are specifically designed to allow you to slowly wean your body off of its nicotine addiction, while at the same time working on the psychological aspect of nicotine addiction - namely, the hand-to-mouth habit that many find harder to break than the actual nicotine.

Substitutes for Nicotine

Because a body’s nicotine addiction is due largely to the extra dopamine (feel-good chemical in the brain) rush, it can be extremely difficult to combat unless you are prepared to replace it with a healthier alternative. Beginning a daily, high-energy exercise program will also allow you to experience those large rushes of adrenaline and dopamine; not to mention the fact that they will help to combat the overpowering need to eat that some people experience with nicotine cessation.

Another helpful strategy is to keep plenty of citrus juice on hand. Whenever you feel a craving if you either eat an orangeg or grapefruit or drink it, many say the cravings are curbed. This is a healthful and inexpensive alternative and can really make kicking the habit easier.