We think it’s important that you know the many ways you can stop smoking. Fortunately, there are several methods that people can use to help them quit smoking, and often people have used multiple ones over their nonsmoking journey. Please do your research to see which method you think will be the best fit for you.
- Cold turkey: This involves quitting smoking abruptly, without the use of any nicotine replacement or cessation products.
- Warm turkey: That’s what we think of with cold laser therapy (laser acupuncture) and needle acupuncture. It’s a cold turkey approach — no more nicotine from any device. From the moment you leave our office, you do not use any nicotine replacement or cessation products. The treatment is used to diminish (and sometimes completely eliminate!) physical withdrawal symptoms. This makes it easier for you as the nicotine leaves your body and serves to to aid you in your quitting success, thus the “warm turkey” name.
- Hypnosis taps into the subconscious mind to change negative habits and behaviors associated with smoking. The goal of hypnosis is to help individuals overcome their emotional and psychological attachment to smoking, so they can quit successfully and avoid relapse.
- Weaning: Weaning off cigarettes, also known as gradually reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke, can help someone stop smoking by gradually reducing their dependence on nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes. The idea behind weaning is to allow the body to adjust to smaller and smaller amounts of nicotine.
- Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). NTRs fall under the “harm reduction” umbrella. The main active ingredient in all nicotine replacement therapies is nicotine. By using NRT, you replace some of the nicotine you used to get from cigarettes, but without the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke. They involves using products such as nicotine patches*, nicotine gum*,, nicotine lozenges*, nicotine inhalers*, or nicotine nasal sprays*, to help reduce the cravings and withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting smoking.
- Recreational nicotine products, often marketed by the brands as Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). These aren’t regulated, so it’s hard to be sure of what’s in them. There are few long term studies. Please speak with your doctor or dentist before you choose to stop smoking using one of these methods. And, if you don’t smoke, please don’t start using these products!
Vaping: It’s highly addictive and introduces chemicals in vapor form in addition to nicotine into the body and brain of its users. The question remains, how much of a harm reduction product is it, if at all?
Oral nicotine pouches (for example Zyn, Velo, and Lucy brands) are held between the user’s lip and gum. Due to their having no tobacco in them, they’re different from other “smokeless” products with nicotine such as chewing tobacco, snuff, and snus. Concerns have to do with oral care.
Nicotine Toothpicks. Nicotine-infused toothpicks are wooden picks that incorporate nicotine along with various flavors. The production methods vary; some brands apply a blend of nicotine, flavorings, and preservatives directly onto the toothpicks, whereas others employ sophisticated vacuum chamber technology to distribute the mixture uniformly throughout the toothpick. - Medications: Prescription medications, such as Zyban* and Wellbutrin* can help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms and increase the chances of successfully quitting smoking.
- Counseling and coaching support: Talking to a counselor, joining a support group, or working with a quitting coach can provide emotional support and increase the chances of successfully quitting smoking.
- Combination approach: Using a combination of some of these approaches. In addition, people can also use more informal resources in conjunction with these methods too, such as Facebook support groups, apps, and quit hotlines.
It’s important to remember that quitting smoking is a process and that finding the method that works best for you may take a few tries. But, it’s most definitely worth it… because you’re worth it.
*The seven FDA-approved medications include five forms of NRT: the patch, gum, inhaler, nasal spray, and lozenge; as well as two non-NRT medications, bupropion SR (brand name Zyban®), and varenicline (brand name Chantix®)
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