Weekly Buzz: Quit Smoking
January 13, 2012, By Jack Heffron 0 comments
It's the time of year when our never-ending quests for personal perfection reach their zenith. If such quests are more often quixotic than successful, the fact that we continue to try is, I think, a testament to our strength of purpose if not, ultimately, to our will power.
We resolve to lose weight, to organize our lives, to save money, to get a better job. Another very popular resolution is to quit smoking. Any online top 10 list of resolutions will include it. Unfortunately, Time magazine also includes it on their list of most frequently broken resolutions, noting that only "an estimated 15% of people who try to quit manage to stay cigarette-free six months later."
And it's not that the number of stop-smoking products has decreased. In fact, there are more than ever. Smoke cessation drugs Chantix and Zyban are the market leaders, though the serious side effects, such as the possibility of suicide, tend to undermine their popularity.
For a safer stop-smoking aid, you can try one of the group of nicotine replacement products (NRP), including patches, lozenges and gum. The medical community has been optimistic about this approach as the way to success, but recent findings suggest that people using NRPs will relapse. Of course, there's always stop-smoking hypnosis or counseling or group therapy.
The most recent stop-smoking aid to gain popularity is the electronic cigarette. It delivers nicotine through water vapor rather than carcinogenic smoke. Because the vapor doesn't create harmful second-hand smoke, users can puff away indoors in most states. Some early studies show that the vapor can irritate a user's throat and lungs, however, so the jury is still out on this alternative.
The one truth that no one argues is the harm smoking will do to your health. So despite the fact that you might fall off the resolution-wagon every now and again, keep trying. Create a quit-smoking timeline and do your best to stick to it. You want to be around to enjoy your grandkids someday, and they want you to be there.
