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Smoking is one of the unhealthiest habits imaginable. It should be no surprise that around 70% of all smokers intend to quit. The trouble is that nicotine withdrawal can be very severe, which makes it difficult to quit for good. Fortunately, there are a number of cigarette alternatives that make smoking cessation easier.
Cigarette alternatives offer valuable benefits to quit smoking
Smokers that are trying to quit have a long road ahead of them. They have three different options:
- They can try to quit cold turkey.
- Or, they can continue smoking but gradually cut back until they are ready to give up the habit for good.
- Perhaps even try using cigarette alternatives instead.
Cold turkey might be the safest way to give up cigarettes. However, it can be tricky if you don’t have the discipline to follow through.
Most smokers have developed a dependency on nicotine. They will experience painful withdrawal symptoms if they try to wean themselves off of it too quickly. Many smokers don’t have the willpower to quit completely, so they end up relapsing after trying the cold turkey approach.
They might feel better trying to wean themselves off cigarettes slowly. However, they are still inhaling dangerous carcinogens every time that they smoke a cigarette.
Cigarette alternatives are the best option for many people. These alternatives can curb withdrawal symptoms without having to continue smoking regularly.
What are the Best Cigarette Alternatives?
There are a lot of options if you are trying to quit smoking. The following nicotine alternatives are worth exploring.
Nicotine patch
The nicotine patch has been a popular smoking cessation product for decades. The first nicotine patch was developed by a team of researchers from the University of California Los Angeles back in 1984.
The nicotine patch has been fairly effective, but it isn’t the best approach for quitting smoking. One study found that about 20% of people that used the nicotine patch were able to quit within a year. This is around the same effectiveness as Chantix, which is a more expensive option for people trying to quit.
The effectiveness appears to be higher when nicotine patches are used in conjunction with other smoking cessation approaches, such as hypnosis and counseling. Therefore, while nicotine patches might not be the best option to quit smoking, they certainly can be useful.
Smokeless tobacco
Smokeless tobacco is another option that might be worth trying. Companies like https://blackbuffalo.com/ sell a number of tobacco alternatives for people that want to give up cigarettes.
These products provide enough nicotine to satisfy your cravings, but you don’t have to inhale thousands of toxic carcinogens. They also come in various flavors, so you don’t have the harsh taste of traditional tobacco in your mouth.
Vaping
Vaping is another alternative to cigarettes. Many people are turning to vaping as they try to move away from using cigarettes. The global vape and e-cigarette market is expected to be worth over $67 billion by 2027.
Some people are still skeptical about the benefits of using vapes instead of cigarettes. They point to some anecdotal evidence about the risks that they propose to teenagers. However, this analysis fails to factor for the health problems that cigarettes cause. There is good reason to believe that vaping is a safer nicotine alternative to cigarettes.
Experts are still studying the health impact of vapes. However, it is clear that people consume far fewer chemicals with vapes than cigarettes, so it stands to reason that they will be healthier as a result.
Good Old Nicotine Gum?
Formulated as a “gum” is another alternative to smoking cigarettes. Nicotine gum has been around since the late 1970s, when some researchers in Sweden decided to come up with one of the first smoking cessation products.
Nicotine chewing gum has enough nicotine to curb cigarette cravings. The biggest difference between this gum and the nicotine patches is that consumers need to make a conscious effort to use it throughout the day. This could be a good thing or a drawback, depending on each person‘s individual outlook.
When you have to make the mental effort to chew gum when you have a craving, you are forcing yourself to do something different than smoking. On the other hand, you might be consciously reinforcing the addiction.
Therefore, it is difficult to say whether nicotine gum or nicotine patches are better. However, one thing is clear – they are both much safer alternatives to smoking!
There are a lot of alternative sources of nicotine to help you quit smoking
You’re going to have to overcome some major hurdles when you are trying to quit smoking. The nicotine withdrawal symptoms can be overwhelming. Fortunately, you can use a number of cigarette alternatives to overcome your cravings.
