How to quit smoking?

2023-07-17 22:05:00, Blog CNA

Anyone who has tried to quit smoking will tell you how hard it is. There is always the temptation to have a cigarette with a friend over a glass of beer or coffee, or to escape work for a quick "smoke".

A recent study says that 60-75% of people start smoking again within six months of trying to quit. As with other forms of addiction, quitting smoking is an uphill psychological battle. But the health benefits of long-term abstinence are great.

Smoking is one of the biggest killers: About 14% of deaths worldwide are attributed to smoking-related diseases, according to data from the World Health Organization in 2019.

"Smoking is a huge global health burden. There will be one billion deaths worldwide this century from smoking-related diseases if we don't reduce smoking rates," says Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), based in Great Britain.

Why do cigarettes make you addicted?

When you smoke a cigarette, the burning tobacco releases nicotine, which enters the bloodstream through the lungs. Nicotine is carried to the brain, where it activates the so-called nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Activation of these receptors causes the brain to release neurotransmitters, such as dopamine.

The release of dopamine is not necessarily addictive. But when it acts on a specific part of the brain — where our so-called reward system resides — it can become addictive.

And that's how addiction works: When nicotine triggers the release of dopamine in the reward system, a rewarding feeling is created, like a mini boost. Every cigarette you smoke reinforces this feeling, making you crave cigarettes and thus become addicted to them.

How to quit smoking?

So when we want to stop smoking, we need to break this link between cigarettes and the feeling of reward. It is difficult. Need all the help you can get to make it work long term. But it is possible.

Interventions to stop smoking

There are two main methods of breaking the psychological bond with cigarettes: willpower and self-discipline. You can also use therapy to satisfy nicotine cravings, but without the health problems associated with active smoking.

There are three types of therapy.

First, there are nicotine replacement therapies, such as nicotine-leukoplast, gum or inhalers that slowly release nicotine, stopping the urge to smoke. Nicotine itself is not harmful, it is the smoke you inhale from cigarettes that is harmful.

How to quit smoking?

There are also medications, such as varenicline and bupropion.

Varenicline stimulates the release of dopamine in the reward pathway, mimicking the reward of smoking and removing some of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

Bupropion works in a similar way, but through a different neurotransmitter system, known as GABA, which inhibits brain activity.

"Although drugs are a more expensive treatment, they are extremely effective when you look at the impact of smoking on health and health systems," says Cheeseman.

Electronic cigarettes - good or bad?

E-cigarettes have a strange reputation when it comes to quitting smoking.

"There's good evidence that e-cigarettes can help you stop smoking. But they're not a licensed medical product, so they're not treated as medicine," Cheeseman said.

But e-cigarettes can create new addictions or be a gateway to smoking. There is a lot of evidence to show that teenagers who use e-cigarettes are more likely to start smoking at some point.

How to quit smoking?

Try everything to quit smoking, all at once

The scientific consensus says that it is best to combine all methods simultaneously. This has been proven by a 2020 analysis of more than 700 clinical studies.

Everyone has their own way to quit smoking, one does it with therapy, the other without help. Someone else may need a little time to find the right path, but the bottom line is: Do you want to quit smoking?/ DW