The harm caused by smoking to a human health has been known for several decades now. The scientists maintain that smoking has a severe negative impact on almost every organ of a human body causing a great number of diseases such as lung, throat, bladder cancer, heart failure, chronic lung diseases, impacting blood pressure and vessels among others (Van Dusen, 2006). Today, a person willing to quit smoking has a variety of methods to choose from. Some of them are more popular than others and some require a more discipline, personal organization and will-power. The level of efficiency of these methods differs as well.
The most popular smoking cessation methods these days involve different medicines invented specifically to help address the habit of smoking. There are several of such medications and they have different formulas. Among them there are bupropion also known as Zyban and varenicline tartrate also called Chantix (Quitting Smoking, 2015). They are designed to reduce the feeling of withdrawal and help the patients break the habit easier.
Another group of smoking cessation means that can be purchased as a drug store includes nicotine patches, gums, sprays and inhalers. These methods are a part of NRT or nicotine replacement therapy, they work according to the principle of providing the smoker with small portions of nicotine to minimize the addiction gradually and at the same time help them to stop the habit of smoking as an action.
Besides, a number of smokers choose the most drastic way of quitting which is referred to as cold turkey. This method entails sudden and complete refusal of smoking. It is the cheapest way because it does not require any tools or help from the outside (Methods to Facilitate Smoking Cessation: Guidelines and Treatment Modalities, 2015). Yet, it may be rather hard for a person to give up a habit this way.
Finally, behavioral therapy, counseling, support groups and hypnotherapy compose one more method of getting rid of a habit. This method may be rather pricy as counseling is known to cost a lot, besides, it can be combined with other methods such as medications and nicotine patches.
Statistically, all of the methods are evaluated differently based on their efficiency. Medications such as Zyban and Chantix are said to have 35% efficiency rate, which is a little bit higher than that of nicotine replacement treatments that have 25 to 30% effectiveness after six months (Van Dusen, 2006). NRT and medications are especially effective when used in combination; in this case they give the quitters 40% chance of success. When it comes to cold turkey method, regardless of its popularity, the doctors do not recommend it because such a drastic change of behavior may result in a number of negative outcomes such as anxiety, gained weight, nervousness, stress, depression triggered by withdrawal.
Statistically, cold turkey method is very inefficient and out of a hundred of smokers only three to five stay away from the habit after a year of withdrawal (Sutherland, 2014). In other words, cold turkey gives the smokers only 3 to 5% chance to succeed and defeat a habit. Rates for counseling, hypnotherapy and acupuncture also show only 30% chance for success after one year (Sutherland, 2014).
In conclusion, addressing the habit of smoking therapists work with a chemical, physical and psychological addictions. This way, the only way to ensure a long-term success for a patient is addressing all of these addictions in complex, otherwise the habit is extremely likely to return.
Reference List
Methods to Facilitate Smoking Cessation: Guidelines and Treatment Modalities. (2015). MedScape. Web.
Sutherland, G. (2014). Methods for quitting. Web.
Quitting Smoking. (2015). CDC. Web.
Van Dusen, A. (2006). The Best Ways To Quit Smoking. Web.