Alternatives to Cold Turkey Methods of Quitting Smoking

Everyone is well aware of the dangers that smoking can bring. It is highly addictive since it contains nicotine, which is very addictive. Like heroine or any other recreational drugs, both the body and mind can quickly become used to the nicotine in cigarettes --- a substance that eventually becomes necessary to ingest to make a smoker feel good. A lot of people smoke regularly, for a variety of reasons. Peer pressure, curiosity, and family members who smoke can expose a young adult to cigarettes and smoking. Little do they know about the harsh effects that smoking can bring to a person's health, especially to the lungs.
Statistics have shown that nine out of ten tobacco users started smoking before the age of eighteen. Most adults who started smoking during their teen years would never expect to become addicted. This fact is not known by all smokers or for people who would want to try smoking. Naturally, if a person starts smoking, their lifestyle slowly changes, bringing in smoking as one of their pastimes.
People who smoke cigarettes or any other forms of tobacco does not consciously think about its consequences. They light a cigarette when waking up just to have the nicotine rush. This nicotine-induced rush helps them get rid of drowsiness. This can be habit forming, especially for those people who cannot wake up as fast as others. Smokers also light up a cigarette after eating, since this can eliminate any hunger pangs that they may have or crave. It stops the feeling of hunger, and eventually makes the person feel full. Other people smoke when they are bored. This usually happens when they wait for someone, or when they are on breaks at work or in school, or just to pass the time away. Either way, smoking can change one's lifestyle, but unfortunately for the worse.
For people with family members who smoke, it is best that the family members themselves provide the assistance needed to help the smoker quit this farmful habit. Of course, it would not be an easy task at all. Nicotine is addictive, and people who smoke really crave for that nicotine rush, even if they know its bad for them. One should not make a person quit smoking just like that, for it brings withdrawal symptoms. Uneasiness, restlessness, irritability, and aggressiveness often comes when cigarettes are not around. Tagged as “cold turkey”, these people who quickly quit smoking can really behave differently from how they used to when they were still smoking.
In order to help loved ones who smoke, people should talk to their loved ones about the dangers and consequences that smoking can bring. It is important that the person who smoke would want to stop smoking, so that quitting can be a lot easier. Try and purchase self-help books that teach quitting techniques that do not involve “cold turkey” methods. They have guidelines and ways to avoid smoking including such alternatives as eating carrots, and any other nibblets when they feel the need to smoke. Think of having a smoke-free home rule where no one is allowed to smoke inside the house. This can help the smoker slowly realize that smoking is just a waste of time and effort, and that there are other things to do besides smoking. Getting them to attend therapy sessions could also help. But at the end of the day, only the smoker can decide to stop smoking since it is the smoker's will to quit and concern for his health that will lead to such a life-saving decision.