Smoking cessation means to quit smoking. There are various treatments available in the UK, regardless of your reasons for quitting smoking.
The ideal treatment for each individual depends on age, personal preference, pregnancy, or any medical conditions. If you are considering quitting smoking, a good place to start for advice is talking to your GP, or a stop smoking advisor via the NHS.
Treatment options for smoking cessation
As aforementioned, there are several different treatment options available. These include Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), non nicotine medication, e-cigarettes and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). As smokers tend to be addicted to nicotine and withdrawal from nicotine when trying to quit can be unpleasant, NRT aims to reduce the adverse moods and cravings that may occur when one quits smoking. NRT does so by providing a low level of nicotine, can be acquired in shops and pharmacies, and is available via your GP or an NHS stop smoking service. It can come in various forms such as skin patches, chewing gum, inhalators, tablets, strips, lozenges, nasal or mouth sprays. NRT treatment typically lasts between eight to twelve weeks, after which the dosage is gradually reduced until you eventually stop. Other non nicotine medications that it is used in smoking cessation include bupropion, which is an antidepressant that seems to have been effective in helping smokers to quit. Bupropion is prescription only medicine(i.e. must be sold or supplied according to a prescription prescribed by an appropriately qualified health practitioner, such as your GP) and treatment tends to last from seven to nine weeks. Electronic cigarettes are electronic devices that deliver nicotine in the form of vapor that does not contain carbon monoxide or tar typically found in tobacco products. Whilst the treatment methods mentioned above address the physical side of smoking, cognitive behavioural therapy targets the psychological aspect of it. https://mindlercare.com/uk/cbt, used in different settings, that focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings, behaviours and physical symptoms; CBT identifies detrimental thoughts or behaviours and finding ways in which to change thought process and behaviours. In regards to CBT and smoking cessation, this approach can help the individual understand their motivations for quitting by identifying why they started smoking, what their triggers are, and how to control their urges to smoke.