If Only I Had…

With the myriad of drugs, herbs, patches, gum, inhalers, programs and therapies available to assist you, you might be tempted to try them all just so something will finally stop you from smoking. You might be telling yourself that you can’t quit without something to help. So you go from drug to drug, therapy to therapy, and program to program searching for that magic bullet.

The thing you are leaving out of the equation is you. If you don’t explore the reasons you smoke, you may not be successful at quitting with any program or drug. These are simply tools to accomplish a task. When I was a smoker, I had low self esteem. I smoked to fit in and because I really didn’t care if I was hurting my health. You might smoke for these reasons or maybe you started to smoke for one reason and now you fear the possible severe withdrawal symptoms, so you keep smoking. Exploring the reasons you smoke with a counselor or your doctor can increase the chance of your success at quitting.

Do the drugs and therapies help? For some they do. First make the decision to quit, and then develop a plan of action with your doctor and with or without these stop smoking aids. Can these aids make you more successful the first time around? Sometimes, but make sure you keep the proper mindset and stay committed to your non-smoker status. With this even if you fall off the wagon, you’ll be able to get right back on track. The truth of the matter is you have what you need most, the desire to quit.