The Cold Turkey

Cold turkey is a method to quit smoking that consists in fact in not using any aid at all. With this method most of the nicotine is out of the body in  a few days. This can be hard for some people, because it produces a lot of discomforts. It can be very challenging depending on the amount of withdrawal symptoms that the smoker may face. This is also a method with which people have great success.
 
The origin of this term is unknown but some people think that it dates back to 1910. It was also previously used in relation to the effects of trying to quit heroine. 
 
 
 
Many people prefer to quit by doing it one cigarette at a time.  While this can be an easy method is not the most effective. If you like most people do not actually count how many cigarettes you smoke per day, it will be hard to say how much you are in fact reducing. In some days you may accidentally (or not so accidentally) smoke one or  two more cigarettes and will be going backwards instead. When you do the cold turkey you stop smoking completely at once, which means you cannot make this mistake. 
 
For people who smoke 20+ cigarettes per day it could be very hard to make the cold turkey technique. The challenge to quit smoking includes mental and physical pain. It’s hard to quit at once because nicotine is very addictive. 
 
If you plan to try this method, it’s advisable to drink a lot of fluid before you begin with your cold turkey. Carrots and celery are also good to fight the symptoms. It’s important to throw all your cigarette packets before you start. In that way you wont be easily tempted. Specially during the first day you will feel the pain of the abstinence. Try eating food that you like and to divert your mind on other things. As the days pass you will see that the cravings are milder.

Risks associated to smoking

People who smoke are not just in risk of developing lung cancer, recent studies have shown that they are also in danger of developing other cancer forms, such as colorectal cancer.
 
 
This conclusion was reached by a team of scientists after studying the association  between colorectal cancer and long term cigarette smoking. 185,000 participants where studied from 1992 through 2005. Their age ranged from 50 to 74 years. In the study the participants where required to describe their medical conditions and behaviors.   
 
Those who smoked for more than 40 years, and those who not stopped smoking before being 40 years old, had from 30 to 50 percent higher risk of developing rectal or colon cancer. That’s even after analyzing other risk factors.  
 
Smoking have also being linked with increased risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes.  A systematic review of the incidence of diabetes and other metabolism irregularities showed that active smokers have 44 percent higher risk of developing diabetes, compared with people who do not smoke.  They reached this conclusion after making an analysis of 25 different studies on which a total of 1.2 million people participated.  
 
The study also showed that the more you smoke, the higher the risk.  For heavy smokers (more than 20 cigarettes per day) the risk was 61 percent higher, while the risk for lighter smokers was 29 percent. For people who had quit smoking the risk was even lower, 23 percent.

Nicotine Tablets

Nicotine tablets are tablets that have a nicotine complex. While the tablet is in your mouth it dissolves and nicotine gets released. The nicotine levels that you get are similar to the ones obtained from gums of 2mg. They are effective to reduce the symptoms that you get from withdrawal. They have the advantage that they are very discreet to use. This is not the case of chewing gum, which may be inappropriate on some cases.
 
There should be dissolved under the tongue. They are not to be swallowed.  The nicotine is absorbed through the mouth and goes to your blood. You should not chew, or suck the tablet. Just let it rest in your mouth while it dissolves.
  
If you smoke less than 20 cigarettes per day you should start taking around 1 tablet per hour. If the amount of cigarets you take per day is greater you should use around 2 tablets per hour. It’s advised that you use this full doses for 3 months and then begin to gradually reduce it until you reach zero. It should not be used for more than 12 months.
 
It has being reported that the craving for cigarettes is reduced in around 50% while using tablets. Clinical trials found that around 20 percent of users do not smoke more after 12 months of the treatment. This is compared to around 13 percent in groups that used a placebo.
 
The most frequent side effect reported was the irritation of the mouth. This usually reduces over time. Also some users do not like the taste. As with other medications, those who are pregnant, breast feeding, or have any illness should take advice from their doctor before using any nicotine product.

Nicotine Replacement Therapies

Nicotine replacement therapies (known also as NTRs) work by providing doses of nicotine to the body through the day. This measured doses help to ease the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. One of the advantages of NRTs (nicotine replacement therapies) is that they do not contain any carcinogenic chemicals, as cigarettes do. They only contain nicotine. 
 
NRTs allow their user to gradually reduce the amount of each dose, until you reach to zero. There are many forms of NRTs therapies which include patches, gums, tablets, inhalers, lozenges, and sprays.  Almost all of them are available as over the counter medications.                              
 
If you are a heavy smoker, from 20 cigarettes per day and up, you will need to start with higher doses. Once you began the treatment you should continue with it for at least 8 to 12 weeks for having the best chance to succeed. As you advance the treatment, the doses of nicotine is reduced until its stopped completely. But NRTs alone will not make you quit smoking, you will still need strong will to break the habit. It’s specially good if you can get advice from a doctor, a nurse or a psychologist.
 
Manufacturers of NRTs also provide support in the form of telephone counseling and other ways. Watch for those before you start your program. In that way you will be more likely to succeed. 
 
Are NRTs really effective to quit smoking?  
Several studies have shown that the possibility of having success to stop smoking increases in around 70% when you take some form of NRTs compared to a placebo. If you combine some form of NRT with counseling the chances increase even more. Which kind of NRT is best suited for you depend on your personal preferences. Most of the products state the amount of nicotine you will be taking. You can compare this with the amount of nicotine that comes in the daily number of cigarettes that you smoke to have an idea of what doses you should take.

Nicotine Patches

Nicotine patches are patches that you place in your skin and slowly release nicotine into your blood. Using nicotine patch have proven to be really helpful  to increase the chances of being able to quit smoking. In fact they double the chance of being able to succeed. The nicotine patch provides a controlled dose of nicotine during the whole day. This reduces the withdrawal effects when you are not smoking. 
 
There are patches that last 16 hours, which you use during the day. There are also patches that last 24 hours, this are to be wear every time, and you usually change them after taking a bath. The disadvantage of the 24 hour patch is that sometimes it disturbs sleep. The advantage is that it helps with the urges of smoking early in the morning. This kind of smoking have being found to be one of the most dangerous for your health. Patches also come with different strengths, usually 21mg, 14mg, and 7mg. If you smoke 20 or more cigarettes per day you should begin with the 21mg patch. 
 
 Another advantage of patches are that they are discreet. They pass unnoticed by other people. It’s usually recommended (as with other NRTs) that you reduce the strength of the doses over time until you can quit completely. Patches do not deliver a high doses of nicotine at any time. This can be a disadvantage because smokers are usually used to get high amounts of nicotine for brief periods of time. In some users there could be skin irritation under the patch.

Nicotine Inhalers

The nicotine inhaler is a device that simulates a cigarette. Cartridges are inserted into the inhaler, and you use it as if you were smoking. When you inhale through them a mist of nicotine is released into your lungs.  The cartridges last for around 20 minutes. Each day you should use from 6 to 12 cartridges, then slowly reduce the doses until you quit completely. 
 
This type of device is very useful if when you try to quit you find that you miss the sensation and of the smoking movement, from hand to mouth and backwards. The nicotine inhaler also contains menthol. It works by saturating the air that enters the device when it’s inhaled. This is then absorbed through the mouth and the esophagus. 
 
With this kind of device that absorption of nicotine is slower than with a cigarette. The peak of the doses occurs around 12 minutes after you finish using the inhaler. Also each doses contain less nicotine that a regular cigarette, around 10 times less. If you puff frequently for 20 or more minutes you will get the best results. 
 
It’s recommended that you use from 6 to 16 cartridges per day to relive the symptoms of cigarette withdrawal. If in the beginning you use the inhaler less than 2 times per day, your chances of success are less. The principle of the inhaler and other NRTs methods is the same, it’s just the method that differs. As other methods, this is more effective when used in combination of other support programs.