Uppdaterad: June 7, 2023

Which stop smoking aids are available?

You have made up your mind, you have set a date and you are totally committed to quit smoking. Great – it’s the best decision you can make for yourself and your health. Now it’s just the hard bit you must learn to handle. What’s the best way to quit once and for all, and become completely tobacco free?

Anyone who has tried will attest, it’s not easy. Withdrawal symptoms can be severe and make you sweat, suffer and lose concentration. It’s a strange feeling not to have a cigarette between your fingers. The social aspect of smoking, that has been part of your lifestyle for so long, is suddenly gone. There are no lack of challenges. 🧗‍♀️

Don’t despair! Smart, safe and effective help is available. You don’t have to go through this process alone. Nicotine replacement products, therapy groups, online support, mindfulness, medical expertise, exercise and smart diet options – these are all excellent support methods in your efforts to shield off the urge to smoke.

There are lots of ex-smokers in the world. There is bound to be someone you know. A friend , a parent or a colleague, perhaps? Ask them about their experience. What did they find useful? How did they fight the urge to smoke? How did they keep their motivation up? Anything that works is fine! Tap in to all the great wisdom around you!

 

Which stop smoking aids are available?

Phone and chat support

The impact of mental stress can be significant and draining for anyone who is quitting smoking. Preventing the body from ingesting tobacco can play tricks with one’s mind and allow disobedient emotions to pop up and create chaos. In these situations, it’s really comforting to talk to someone who listens. Someone who understands what you are going through and who can give you both support and good advice.

Quit smoking services often offer free of charge services to people who want to quit smoking or stop using snus. Many of these help lines have both telephone and chat services, allowing you to get customised support from a tobacco cessation expert with experience from the health service sector.

People who have used a quit smoking service find them highly effective. Based on results from self-assessments, about 35% of smokers become tobacco free after having used the service for 12 months.

You can also consult:

  • Health care clinics
  • Certain regional quit smoking services
  • Health services online
  • Various online discussion forums for people in the same situation
  • Quit smoking groups that arrange support and therapy meetings get-togethers.

The difficulty of quitting

When Karl Olof Fagerström worked with drug addiction in the 1970s, he was surprised that so many of them told him that it was just as difficult to quit smoking as it was to quit drugs.

– I thought it sounded strange, because at that time smoking was mostly considered an ugly habit and those who had difficulty quitting were weak-willed or had a bad character, says Karl Olof and continues:

– But if you managed to break a drug addiction, you couldn’t be weak-willed, could you?

He therefore began to study the research that was available, to find out the reason why it is really so difficult to quit smoking.

A smart help on your journey to becoming smoke-free!

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Help to stop

The worst withdrawal usually goes away in a few days and after two to three weeks the brain’s receptors have calmed down significantly. But it can take several years before the urge to smoke disappears completely, explains addiction expert Karl Olof Fagerström.

Karl Olof realized early on that nicotine products were one of the best ways to help people to a smoke-free life.

– Nicotine is of course dangerous, but it is not nearly as harmful as smoking. For me, it’s about “harm reduction”, damage minimization. The really harmful thing about smoking is that we inhale the smoke, explains Karl Olof.

Effective nicotine replacement therapies that help fight the urge to smoke

Tobacco cravings can make you feel sick when quitting smoking. Your body, and particularly the receptors in the brain, are used to constantly being provided with nicotine. When the nicotine supply suddenly stops, it will cause you to feel sick with a number of withdrawal symptoms occurring.

Luckily there are effective nicotine replacement therapies available.

There are a broad range of products available today that help you fight the urge to smoke and to stop you from lighting that next cigarette. The range includes:

The preferred choice of nicotine replacement therapy is different for different people. The range is that broad, that you are bound to find a product that suits your needs really well.

You can buy nicotine replacement products at pharmacies, grocery stores and also online. You must be at least 18 years of age to buy nicotine replacement products.

Try it – and find out what’s right for you. Most nicotine replacement therapies in pharmacies and supermarkets come in both small and large package sizes. Always start with the small package when you try something new. That way, you’re not wasting your money if it turns out the product you bought is not the right one for you.

Try it – and find out what’s right for you. Most nicotine replacement therapies in pharmacies and supermarkets come in both small and large package sizes. Always start with the small package when you try something new. That way, you’re not wasting your money if it turns out the product you bought is not the right one for you.

Stop smoking apps – use modern technology to quit smoking

Your smartphone can be a great support in your efforts to quit smoking. There are many apps available today that aim at helping people quit smoking.

Most apps include features such as:

  • Chat
  • Success log
  • Reminders
  • Financial aspects

Try a few of them to see which one is best for you. Some are free, others cost you money and some are free to download and use but offer in-app purchases. Some apps contain ads.

Reliable apps! There are many quit smoking apps available, and many have been developed and are operated by credited health institutions. They are often ad-free and free to use. Look for one that is evidenced based and uses proven techniques to help you becoming tobacco free. The apps provide tips, facts and inspiration and often include features that help you track your progress. They allow you to see how your financial situation improves as you progress through to become completely tobacco free.

Reliable, Swedish app! The app “Rökfri” is developed and operated by Vårdguiden 1177. It is completely in Swedish, advertising-free and you can use it completely free of charge. The app consists of two parts – a preparatory phase before smoking cessation and a phase for the period itself when you are about to quit. In Rökfri you will find tips, facts and inspiration while you can follow your progress. In the diary function, you log your feelings and thus get a good picture of the process. The app gives you and information on how your finances are improved by not smoking.

Literature and audiobooks – a source to knowledge and support

Knowledge is an important pillar in becoming tobacco free. 🤓 A lot of people feel they are better prepared to quit smoking if they have a good understanding of the mechanisms behind nicotine addiction. It can be a great help through the tough times of withdrawal symptoms and tobacco cravings.

There are many quit smoking books in the market. They are often based on scientific facts and describe techniques and self-help strategies that can be useful for people who want to stop smoking. Having said that, there are also less credible books in this genre.

Remember that we all have different preferences and needs. Therefore, make sure to:

  • Do your research! What do others say about that particular book you are considering buying?
  • Are the tips provided based on scientific facts, or is there a less reliable “self-help guru” behind the book?
  • Is it an easy read and is the information easy to digest? When you’re trying to stop smoking, you are already under some stress. When you need inspiration to become tobacco free, the last thing you need is a badly written, incomprehensible book.’
  • One thing that is great with quit smoking books is that you keep your hands busy by holding the book.

Some people prefer listening to reading, and there is a broad range of audiobooks available on this topic. Listening to someone else talking can be both calming and comforting.

The advice that applies to traditional books also applies to audiobooks: find out as much as possible about the particular book you are interested in. Are there reviews available from previous readers that can provide some insight to the quality of the book? Is the author credible and reliable? Is the book based on scientific and medical facts?

These are all questions you should consider prior to spending money and time on books in your efforts to become tobacco free.

Mindfulness and psychological aids

Concepts such as mindfulness, meditation and acupuncture have become increasingly popular in recent times. They are often applied as techniques to handle stress and anxiety, or to treat pain. Some people advocate these methods for smoking cessation. 🧘‍♀️

Important to remember:

  • Alternative treatment methods often lack any scientific basis.
  • Positive outcomes are often linked to the placebo effect.
  • Conventional methods, e.g. nicotine replacement therapies, are supported by scientific facts.

Example of alternative quit smoking methods:

  • Meditation
  • Hypnosis
  • Acupuncture
  • Relaxation therapy
  • Massage
  • Electro stimulation therapy

There are certainly people who feel convinced these methods are useful and successful. However, studies on the different treatment methods are few, or carried out without control groups, which means they have no proven effect from a scientific perspective.

Having said that, people are different and none of the treatments above are inherently harmful. When it comes to becoming nicotine and tobacco free, it’s really only the individuals themselves who can determine what works. If you find acupuncture – or some other method – helpful in your efforts to fight the urge to smoke, then that’s a great victory – whether scientific or not!

Quit smoking without stop smoking aids – is that possible?

Of course, one can quit smoking without aids or replacement therapies – so called “cold turkey”. 🦃

It all has to do with willpower and self-control. Some people have a big dose of both, others struggle more with their tobacco cravings.

With the wide range of good, effective and safe nicotine replacement therapies available, there is no need to suffer unnecessarily. There is no prestige in quitting smoking without aids, and there is no shame in using aids to be successful. The main overarching goal is to become tobacco free, and thus enhancing one’s health and quality of life, extending one’s life and improving one’s financial situation. All options are worth trying. If they fail, simply try another alternative.

It is you who decide the pace and which method to use. To quit smoking is a big thing, a huge challenge, and for many a road lined with pitfalls. Everyone who quits smoking is a hero, no matter how you achieve it.