Stop Smoking Support - You Will Need All The Help You Can Get!

Stop Smoking Support - You Will Need All The Help You Can Get!
by Mike Singh


Today, a smoker wanting to give up smoking is not alone as there are several stop smoking support services that will help the smoker. These include self-help groups and stop smoking clinics both online, through the local medical community, or smoking associations. Besides this, there are several professional counselors who are willing to extend a helping hand. All that the smoker needs to do is to reach out to these support services with the desire to quit smoking.
The biggest advantage that these support services offer is counseling to the smoker when they feel they cannot do it alone, or really want to take another cigarette after they have committed to quit smoking, or just simply to take that first step to quit. They advise the smoker of the kinds of treatment available; and even help the smoker select the treatment that will suit him most based on their own needs and lifestyles. They also offer emotional support and guidance when the smoker is struggling to cope with withdrawal symptoms.
The smoker is provided proper guidance in drawing up a quit smoking plan through therapy or counseling sessions, proving a beginning date, and help to follow through until the goal is achieved. This professional guidance includes details of the kind of withdrawal symptoms the smoker will face, and how the smoker should overcome them in the best way possible. The smoker will be advised about the nicotine replacement therapy, and the different products that are available under this therapy. These include nicotine patches, nicotine gum, nicotine tablets, and nicotine inhalers. All these products release a small amount of nicotine in the smoker's bloodstream reducing the smoker's craving for a cigarette.
The smoker is also told of the advantages of drugs like Zyban that create feelings similar to that of smoking. The smoker is advised of the length of the course, the side effects of Zyban and when to start or stop the cure. Zyban prods the pituitary gland to release endorphins in the bloodstream, which, in turn, cause a positive upswing in the smoker's mood. Generally, a Zyban course lasts 8 to 12 weeks and should be taken under medical supervision. But if drugs are not desired by the smoker, then in some cases, the counselors advise smokers to go for acupressure treatment. Such treatment releases positive energy in the body making a smoker feel cheerful and happy even though he may be going through the withdrawal phase.
There are many self-help groups that provide useful literature, and also spend time with the smoker during the withdrawal stages, such as the American Heart and Lung Association. Support is readily available to the smoker, through many avenues along with the therapy classes and counseling, in addition to the support is given by family and friends who help the smoker engage in new activities to keep his mind off cigarettes.
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