The most helpful aids for quitting smoking

If you want to quit smoking, there are a variety of quit-smoking aids that can help you kick the habit. You can plan your approach by using the START technique, and then add support through nicotine replacement products. Whatever you choose, it’s good to remember that it may take several tries before quitting smoking sticks.

“We need to normalize that it takes tobacco users an average of six attempts to quit. Each of these attempts should not be considered failures, but part of the process,” said Nick Galley, the manager for Healthy Results at IU Heath. “The best way to view your attempt to quit is that it’s an opportunity to learn what worked or didn’t work, and then apply that to the next step. Eventually, you’ll learn what it takes for you to quit. It’s a matter of when, not if.”

Galley says there are a variety of smoking cessation aids on the market, and research shows that some of them can significantly improve your chances of successfully quitting smoking. Specifically, the options approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have research to prove their effectiveness.

It’s important to review the benefits (pro) and disadvantages (con) of each option before you choose a support.

Prescription medications

The FDA has approved several prescription medications to help people quit smoking. Medications like varenicline (Chantix) or bupropion (Wellbutrin) work by blocking the receptors in your body that crave nicotine. Prescription nasal sprays also offer a quick relief to nicotine cravings.

Pro: By blocking the nicotine-hungry receptors, these medications decrease cravings and can help smokers taper their smoking down slowly while minimizing withdrawal effects.

Con: Medication to quit smoking can have side effects, especially if someone tries to quit cold turkey, which can cause headaches and irritability. Some people experience side effects from medications, like nausea, disturbed sleep and headaches. Nicotine nasal sprays can cause throat irritation and watery eyes. Plus, they offer such quick relief that sprays can also become addictive.

It’s best to take prescription medications under the guidance of a nurse or physician to help manage side effects, which can disappear over time.

Nicotine patches, nicotine gum and nicotine lozenges

Perhaps the most popular aids to quit smoking are nicotine patches, gums and lozenges, which are available without a prescription. These options release small amounts of nicotine to your body to help satisfy the receptors in your brain that crave nicotine. They also help to taper your usage while avoiding the dangerous chemicals in cigarette smoke.

Pro: Nicotine gums and patches are a simple, effective and accessible way to curtail smoking. You can combine them or alternate options if one stops working. The most effective options are those that are FDA-approved or prescribed by your doctor.

Con: Patches and gum can have minor side effects. You must move the patch around on your body so that it doesn’t irritate the same area of skin. Some people experience jaw soreness or stomach issues from using gum or lozenges.

Hypnotherapy to quit smoking

Hypnotherapy uses an altered state of awareness to create negative associations with smoking. A trained hypnotherapist will help a patient enter a sleep-like state. Then, the hypnotherapist helps the patient visualize unpleasant outcomes from smoking to discourage it. When the patient wakes up, the idea is that they have changed their mind about smoking.

Pro: Supporters of hypnotherapy say it helps people reduce the impulse to smoke and manages the anxiety that comes from quitting nicotine.

Con: Unfortunately, there is not enough scientific evidence to support hypnotherapy as an effective way to successfully quit smoking.

Nicotine gummies

Nicotine gummies are a type of oral nicotine product that comes in the form of gummy bears, squares or chews.

Pro: Nicotine gummies are often attractive because they look and taste like candy.

Con: There are several serious concerns about nicotine gummies. These products are not FDA-regulated, so you can’t be sure about their ingredients or nicotine levels. Health officials are also alarmed at how popular nicotine gummies are among young people, for whom they are often marketed. Plus, gummies rely on your digestive system to work, which can lead to overdose.

“When you consume a gummy, the digestion process takes time, which delays the gummy’s effects on nicotine cravings. Oftentimes, this causes people to take another gummy because they don’t feel anything,” Galley said. “There’s a real risk of consuming too much nicotine. And the fact that these are mostly marketed toward younger people has a lot of public health experts anticipating this to be a significant public health issue.”

Vaping

Vaping nicotine has quickly caught on as a smoke-less alternative to cigarettes, but it is not a recommended option. Vaping is still an addictive source of nicotine that comes with risks. Vaping involves inhaling a mist of flavored nicotine through a small, handheld device, like a vape pen or electronic cigarette. Instead of burning tobacco in a cigarette, vaping heats up the liquid into a mist that’s inhaled.

Pro: Swapping cigarette smoking for nicotine vaping removes the smoke that sends so many harmful chemicals into the body. However, vaping is still a form of nicotine, which is not recommended.

Con: Vaping has several health risks. The flavorings in some vapes release chemicals, like acetone and formaldehyde, that can damage the lungs. The metal heating function can cause burns, and sometimes the nicotine dose is even higher than in cigarettes, leading to greater dependency. Since research is still unclear about whether vaping leads to cancer, vaping is not a recommended alternative to smoking.

Combining aids with support to quit smoking

Research shows that combining smoking cessation aids with counseling from a tobacco treatment specialist greatly increase your chance of successfully quitting smoking. This approach not only acknowledges the chemical dependence on nicotine, but it also addresses the behaviors that need to change, with the support of a coach or counselor.

You can find support in a few different ways. Many healthcare providers like IU Health offer programs to support you in quitting smoking. Galley leads this program at IU Health.

“IU Health primary care patients can use my program, the Centralized Tobacco Treatment Program. This connects you with a specialist, like a nurse practitioner, who can meet with you to offer supportive nicotine replacement therapy,” Galley said. “There’s no real ‘end date’ for a program like this. We support patients for as long as they need, because people relapse. And sometimes they need to talk about it for three months before they decide to begin. There are a lot of unique needs, and we try to meet people where they are.”

You can also reach out for support by calling the Indiana Quit Now hotline at 1.800.Quit.Now or text READY to 34191. You can join a quit-smoking support group in your community.

Keep in mind that nicotine use is often tied to stress or trauma in someone’s life, so it’s important to be encouraging and kind to yourself or the person quitting. Working on stress management and mental health support can help build a better foundation before you decide to treat the nicotine addiction. Learn something from each time you attempt to quit and remember: Never give up.