In Spain, tobacco causes more than 50,000 deaths and represents 13% of total annual deaths, according to figures from the Cancer Observatory of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC). For this reason, among others, give up smoking it becomes the pending task of many people who take advantage of the beginning of a new year or a change of stage to overcome their addiction to nicotine permanently.
Although it may not seem like it, taking this important step and achieving it is much easier when you have resources and tools necessary to do it. There are not a few who resort to drugs to make the process more bearable or opt for certain tricks and home methods that, on many occasions, are completely effective.
smoking cessation drugs
Smokers hold up six media attempts until they quit smoking for good. So many times, to achieve this, the ideal is to go hand in hand with a treatment prescribed by a doctor.
- Nicotine replacement. This therapy consists of administering small doses of nicotine (through patches, chewing gum, inhalers…), but without the toxic products that tobacco carries, so that the withdrawal syndrome is more bearable. However, “because nicotine replacement therapy it treats physical dependence only, it is not expected to be the only thing used to quit smoking. Other methods will be needed to help with the psychological (emotional and mental) part, for example, a quit program“, they explain from the American Cancer Society.
- They all quote. To date, pharmacological treatments such as varecycline, known commercially as Chantix or Champix, were used, but it was withdrawn from the market, leaving a void that was replaced with Todacitan. A medicine whose active ingredient is cytistine and which promises to end addiction in 25 days.
- bupropion. It is an antidepressant that decreases the craving for tobacco use and reduces withdrawal symptoms. It must be prescribed by the doctor, as in the case of Todacitan, and for it to be effective, smoking must be stopped within the first week.
Tobacco deterrent devices
An option that many people opt for is to use similar alternatives to tobacco, but which are surrounded by some controversy due to the effects and/or contraindications that they could have in the long term.
- Electronic cigarette. Defenders of the electronic cigarette often hide behind the fact that it can be useful when it comes to giving up a habit that would be even more harmful, such as smoking. However, its detractors argue that there is significant evidence that it is a product that is harmful to health.
- Heated Tobacco or Heat-not-Burn. It is an alternative to consume tobacco in which the temperature of the tobacco does not reach levels as high as those of the cigarette. Heating tobacco instead of burning it produces fewer harmful chemicals than in cigarettes.
New smart and/or electronic therapies
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). It is a therapy used to treat neurological and mental health disorders, including tobacco addiction. The FDA has cleared the market for a device that uses transcranial magnetic stimulation as a short-term smoking cessation aid.
- A smart collar. Recently, we heard the news that researchers at Northwestern Medicine University (United States) had developed a smart device worn around the neck that detects smoking by capturing the heat signatures of thermal sensors. Something very useful so that when an ex-smoker has a relapse and the device detects it, they receive a phone call from a health advisor, for example, or even a text or video message via smartphone to help them.
Home tips and tricks to quit smoking
Quitting smoking starts with having willpower and, beyond the treatments that are carried out to achieve it, it is important to follow a series of basic guidelines and keys In day to day.
- Don’t leave it progressive: starting to smoke less and less tobacco does not work when it comes to quitting permanently. Addictions never go less, quite the opposite, you will smoke more and more each time.
- don’t drink alcohol: when you are quitting smoking, going out and drinking alcohol can be very counterproductive, above all, because you lose your willpower very easily.
- Tell your environment: Telling your friends and loved ones that you have quit smoking is essential, especially if one of them smokes. This will also give you some commitment.
- Download an app: There are mobile phone applications that can help you quit smoking, reminding you to do certain habits and/or keeping track of the days, money or health benefits you have achieved after quitting tobacco in a certain period of time.
- Change routines and keep your mind busy: It is true that on a daily basis it is customary to smoke at certain times, for example, after eating or before going to work. Changing these routines is essential so as not to fall into temptation. Likewise, you have to keep your mind busy with some activity that avoids thinking all the time about the desire to smoke.
References
Nicotine replacement therapy to treat smoking. (nd). Accessed at https://www.cancer.org/es/saludable/mantengase-alejado-del-tobaco/guia-para-dejar-de-fumar/terapia-de-reemplazo-de-nicotina.html on March 1, 2023.
5 new ways to quit smoking with medication | Quit smoking | Advice from ex-smokers | CDC. (nd). Accessed at https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/spanish/dejar-fumar/medicamentos/5-maneras-de-dejar-de-fumar-con-medicamentos/index.html on March 1, 2023.
Quitting smoking: 10 ways to resist the urge to use tobacco. (2022, May 28). Mayo Clinic. Accessed at https://www.mayoclinic.org/es-es/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/in-depth/nicotine-craving/art-20045454 on March 1, 2023.