Breaking A Nicotine Addiction
Every year millions of Americans try unsuccessfully to stop smoking. A nicotine addiction can be one of the hardest of all to break, especially if you are not aware of the many things that you can do to help your body give up this terrible addiction. If you are thinking about quitting smoking, but aren't quite sure where to start, read on. We've compiled a comprehensive list of steps that you can put into action immediately to help you in your fight against your nicotine addiction. Please keep in mind that an addiction to nicotine can be extraordinarily hard to break, and the only real way you will succeed is if you truly want to quit.
Patches, Inhalers, And Gum - Oh My!
One of the most difficult things reported with trying to break a nicotine addiction is trying to stop all use of nicotine products all at once, or cold turkey. It is for this reason that drug companies offer 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, as they are pulled on the same as a cigarette; and the gum administers your dose of nicotine through your saliva and the skin in your mouth.
These products do not work for everyone battling a nicotine addiction, however; and many people report 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.
Healthy Alternatives
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.
Breaking a nicotine addiction is also easier if you replace the cravings you have for cigarettes with a healthy alternative. Citrus juices, such as orange and grapefruit, have been shown to curb the cravings that almost everyone experiences when they quit smoking. Each time you feel the need for a cigarette, try drinking a small glass of orange juice. Notice the huge difference it will make in your cravings, as you battle your nicotine addiction.