Individual Program

Croatia hotelsQuitting on Your Own

By developing a personalized Quitting Plan you will increase your chances of success. To fully develop your quitting plan you will have to answer a few basic questions that will reflect who you are and how it is best for you to stop smoking. You will also have to pick a quit date to work toward.

Keep in mind that there is no "magic bullet" to cure your addiction to nicotine. Zyban and Nicotine Replacement may prove helpful, but do not deal with the psychological and behavioral components of nicotine addiction. We all know the personal rituals we have around lighting up, the favorite cigarette that we enjoy and the other behavioral factors that must be addressed.

The most effective strategies employ multiple components such as nicotine replacement and an organized stop smoking program.

Type of Program

The first question that you need to consider is what type of program you will use. The usual options are quitting on your own or a self help, a group program or an individual program.

	Self Help -- If you choose to quit on your own then you will need some self help materials. Most people make at least one attempt to quit smoking on their own. We offer some ideas about useful books and provide a self help package consisting of a book, self hypnosis tape and instructions to help you. There are also some links to sites to help you quit on your own.
	Group Support -- If you work best in a group and thrive on the support and the interactions from others, then a group format may be the best way for you to quit smoking. Coaching for Quitting has a group program that you might want to look at.
	Individual Support -- If you need to work individually with a coach to get the best results then an individual program is best for you.

Ways of Quitting

The second question to consider is which way of quitting will work best for you. Of course there are advantages and disadvantages to each approach. Take a few minutes and consider the alternatives. When you are finished with the page record your preferred way of quitting.

	Cold Turkey -- With the Cold Turkey approach you will simply throw away your cigarettes on the day that you decide to stop smoking. There is nothing gradual or spread out. On the quit day you just stop smoking. This method may sound extreme but it is used by the vast majority of the people who stop smoking. Try not to fall into the trap of waking up one day and deciding to stop smoking and just throw your cigarettes away. That approach is not the best and usually does not last past a few days. Instead set a quit date one to three weeks in the future and work towards that date.
	Nicotine Fading -- With the Nicotine Fading approach you will gradually reduce your nicotine intake by changing the type of cigarettes you smoke. You will still smoke the same number of cigarettes over the one to three week period of fading. If you are already smoking a very low nicotine cigarette this approach is not possible. If you scored high on the Nicotine Addiction quiz you might want to consider nicotine fading to head off withdrawal problems in the initial stages of quitting. In this way you can reduce your daily consumption of nicotine before quitting.
	Reducing the Number of Cigarettes --If you are smoking more than a pack of cigarettes per day you may want to try and decrease your nicotine intake by reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke by one third in the three or four days before quitting. This plan works best when used in the last few days before quitting. Do not reduce your smoking to less than twelve per day. Research suggests that below this point is counter productive as each cigarette becomes more and more important. Please consider the following guidelines. Your plan should be put in writing and carried with you. 1 -- One per hour -- limit your smoking to one cigarette per hour. This assures that no more than eighteen cigarettes can be smoked in a day. luxury hotels in Vienna 2 -- Pick the number of cigarettes at the start of the day and throw away the remainder from the pack. This way you will have to pace yourself during the day. 3 -- Pick the number of cigarettes that can be smoked and do not smoke during certain parts of the day e.g. at work or between 9 and 12. This has the added advantage of enforcing a discipline that can be useful later.

Nicotine Replacement and Medication

The third question of importance is what role will nicotine replacement or medication play in your quitting plans.

Nicotine Replacement -- Research has indicated that, overall, nicotine replacement doubles the success rate of quitting when combined with a stop smoking program. Nicotine replacement works by introducing nicotine into your body and reducing the cravings that most smokers feel when they stop using cigarettes. The nicotine patch produces allow you to supply a steady low level of nicotine to your body. Nicotine gum and nicotine inhalers allow you to control the amount of nicotine to help you reduce your stress levels and withdrawal.

Should you use Nicotine Replacement? -- If you are addicted to nicotine and have had withdrawal symptoms in the past you should definitely consider nicotine replacement as part of your quit smoking program. Discuss this issue with your doctor.

Before you take a nicotine replacement produce be sure to read the product inserts carefully -- nicotine replacement is not indicated for individuals with certain medical conditions.

Zyban -- a prescription pill, that helps people stop smoking is something that you may want to consider. It can be used alone or with nicotine replacement. If you are interested discuss this option with your doctor. Zyban was first used as an anti-depressant medication. Some studies have shown that it has the effect of increasing dopamine levels in the brain. Nicotine also increases dopamine levels in the brain so when you stop smoking and the dopamine levels would normally fall Zyban will cause them to increase and counteract that effect. This is one of the theories to explain Zyban's method of action.