Today, smoking and tobacco use have earned themselves terrible reputations as poisonous substances that can cause disease and even death. Warnings to this effect appear everywhere including billboards, magazine articles, the television and even tobacco packages themselves. Because of this, many smokers are searching for ways to give up their dangerous habit. While some older methods exist, the newer technological advances in this area are sure to create healthier smoking habits.
Why Is Smoking So Harmful to the Body?
The United States’ National Institute on Drug Abuse, at at http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/tobacco-addiction-nicotine, lists nicotine as the most heavily abused drug. Nicotine is the key component of the tobacco in cigarettes and cigars and is exceptionally addictive. However, while nicotine can be dangerous, there are many other components of a cigarette that are equally harmful. The tar is proven to cause lung and oral cancers while the carbon monoxide in the smoke causes heart and circulatory issues. Many of these concerns exist even with second-hand smoke. Some smokers choose to give up their habit simply for the sake of those with whom they live.
Old Methods of Giving up Smoking Habits
- Quitting cold turkey means giving up smoking immediately instead of quitting gradually. While some individuals have successfully quit using this method, it is generally not recommended because of nicotine’s highly addictive properties that cause physical and psychological dependence.
- Nicotine gum or lozenges are oral supplements sold over the counter that contain nicotine. They work over a twelve week period. However, many report that they do not notice many benefits from these and still irresistibly crave cigarettes.
- A nicotine patch is placed on the individual’s skin. It delivers a dose of nicotine into the bloodstream. These patches usually come in three levels with the highest level used first in an effort to wean the body from its addiction.
- A drug called Chantix is often prescribed by doctors. It blocks the nicotine receptors in the brain. It is prescribed in a gradual stair-step pattern to break the body’s dependence on nicotine. While the price of Chantix is around the same as the price of daily smoking, many people find it difficult to remember to take medication.
New Technological Methods of Giving up Smoking Habits
- Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or e-cigs, are newer devices that have been found to be quite helpful since they mimic the smoking of a real cigarette and also deliver some of the nicotine that the body craves. There are numerous brands of these cigarettes including Vapestick, Green Smoke, Luci and Apollo Cigs. A picture of a Vapestick can be seen at http://www.electroniccigarettedirect.co.uk/vapestick-v1-disposable-e-cigarette-review.html. An e-cigarette has a rechargeable lithium battery, a cartridge filled with a liquid containing nicotine and an atomizer to turn this liquid into a believable puff of smoke. Many people have found that these e-cigarettes are very helpful in their fight to stop smoking.
- QuitKey is another technological advance in smoking cessation. This device can be placed on one’s keychain and begins a two-step process. The first step simply tracks how much the individual smokes while the second step gradually decreases the number of cigarettes he smokes each day. QuitKey is easy to understand and is quite motivational since it clearly shows how long it will be until the next cigarette and how many days are left in the process. This helps to break the psychological dependence on the smoking habit. Check out QuitKey at http://www.amazon.com/LifeSign-QuitKey-Smoking-Cessation-Computer/dp/B000EY3IUG.
- Online communities are a way for those trying to quit smoking to connect with others in similar circumstances. The New England Journal of Medicine published a 2008 study at http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa0706154 that showed that people tend to want to quit in groups when there is adequate social support to do so. Blogs and other online communities can help in this effort and can inspire some to break their habit as they see others just like them doing the same.
Smoking cessation can be a long and difficult process. However, with some newer technological advances in this area, many individuals are beginning to find greater success. These technological products and features work because they are motivational and easily fit into people’s everyday lives.
This is Rohan, I’m a Digital marketing Expert, Full time Content Writer and founder of BoxerTechnology.com I can help people across the world through my articles. I am sharing the latest stories from companies like Apple, Samsung, Google, and Amazon.