We all know cigarette smoke is unhealthy, but just because something is harmful doesn’t mean it’s easy not to do it.
Nicotine addiction is a problem that affects millions across the world. It’s an ongoing struggle, and for many people, a failed attempt follows a failed attempt.
But that’s no reason to lose hope. If you’re trying to kick the habit, but finding you just can’t seem to turn the corner, you’re not alone. If willpower alone isn’t working, consider the latest, new-age treatments.
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Nowadays, thanks to incredible advances in science and research, many cigarette smokers are finally stopping for good.
Let’s go over six ways to put your smoking days behind you, once and for all.
1. Virtual Reality Therapy
What does virtual reality have to do with quitting smoking, you ask? Well, it turns out that the virtual world is playing a major role in helping smokers all across the planet. When immersed in these simulated environments, smokers are essentially able to ‘hack’ their brains.
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So how does it work?
Well actually, it’s not all that complicated in theory. In the standard VR smoking cessation session, a person wears a VR headset and is then sent to a hyper-realistic setting that is controlled, safe, and stimulating. From there, the smoker is exposed to various known triggers.
These scenarios mimic real life, including everything from a porch or doorstep to a car, a social gathering, or a stressful situation. Other VR programs also include mindfulness strategies, teaching the brain to dissociate itself from common triggers and urges.
Don’t believe it works? In one study published in Addictive Behaviors, participants in VR-based therapy exhibited significant reductions in their smoking rates. The interactive and immersive environment of VR demonstrated how even the ‘fake world’ can have consequences in the real one.
RELATED: The Do’s and Don’ts of Smoking Cessation
2. Hypnotherapy
Sometimes, all you need to do is relax. Deeply relax.
With hypnotherapy and hypnosis sessions, this is exactly what happens. Smokers become more susceptible to the power of suggestion and, thereby more susceptible to subconscious inputs to quit smoking. After all, it’s no mystery that cigarette addiction is a powerful thing. It goes well beyond the mere conscious mind…
In a typical hypnotherapy session, several things happen. Firstly, a trained therapist employs induction techniques to put the patient into a trance state. This happens progressively, helped through breathing techniques, guided imagery, and visualization.
From there, the trance is deepened, usually through counting down or some other exercise to induce relaxation. And that’s when the suggestion begins. Various thoughts, beliefs, and soft commands are planted in the subconscious mind. The goal is to break the nicotine dependence, letting the client know that his or her addiction does not need to be.
Over repeated sessions, these subconscious suggestions begin to take root, slowly but surely changing the smoker’s behaviors.
According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, hypnotherapy has better long-term success rates than other similar approaches.
3. Smartphone Apps
Many smoking cessation apps now exist, thanks to our smartphones and devices. Some are just simple daily motivations and sayings. Others provide step-by-step guides for reducing your nicotine dependence until you’re fully free.
You can track your progress, connect with other smokers, and even see how your different biometrics (heart rate, sleep efficiency, etc.) are improving as you progress.
Craving management is at the core of many of these apps. Through various management techniques, users can practice deep breathing, distraction minimization, and even visualization techniques. Over time, with consistent effort, smokers can wean off in real-time.
Given the positive feedback and reinforcement of these apps, many smokers report lower rates of smoking and higher rates of cessation. For good apps, look into Smoke Free, Quit Genius, and Kwit.
You can even get 24/7 support, making these programs helpful no matter the situation, setting, or time of day!
4. Acupuncture
This ancient Chinese therapy is all about needles. Basically, you’re using fine needles that target precise points on the body to change the flow of energy. A popular complementary treatment, acupuncture helps by alleviating stress, anxiety, and cravings, while promoting calm and peace.
The idea of acupuncture is based on the concept of your body’s energy, Qi.
By creating an environment that facilitates Qi, acupuncturists can help patients reduce nicotine cravings. The physical nature of the therapy helps with irritability and insomnia as well, which often occur with withdrawal.
By impacting your body, and ‘rewiring’ your brain’s reward pathways, acupuncture may be a useful approach for smokers who have found little success elsewhere.
RELATED: 5 Tips For Coping With Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms
5. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
A form of talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy allows individuals to recognize and change negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is one of the most time-tested therapies out there, and has been used for a full range of mental health issues.
From everyday struggles to serious addictions, CBT has applications across the board. And when it comes to quitting nicotine, it’s all about learning the coping strategies that work.
The first step is to identify triggers. What thoughts, situations, and emotions lead to smoking? After that, the next step is to develop strategies to manage these negative aspects. How can a smoker react differently? How can he or she find something more positive and healthy to do when the craving for a cigarette rises?
Finally, smokers are asked to challenge their beliefs about smoking. Rather than think they need a cigarette to, say, relax or deal with trauma, what can they think instead? By changing the thinking patterns, smokers can then change the beliefs and behaviors that result.
Through numerous one-on-one sessions or group therapy sessions, smokers can use CBT to quit smoking. Research agrees. Over time, CBT is linked to significantly higher rates of long-term quitting.
6. Genetic Testing-Based Therapies
The latest weapon in the quit-smoking arsenal is gene-based testing. Through genetic tests, smokers can receive personalized treatment plans that are designed entirely for them. These are based on sophisticated gene profiles, environmental interactions, and other individual characteristics.
With a gene-based approach, people can get the nicotine assistance they need. Smokers can discover which medications are most likely to work, which interventions show the most promise, and which lifestyle modifications make the most sense.
It’s all about your genetic makeup.
But more than anything, it’s about what you do with what you have. While quitting smoking is rarely an easy endeavor, it can be done, and it can be done for good. Whether it’s through VR-based therapy, smartphone apps, cognitive behavioral therapy, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, or gene-based programs, you can make a change that lasts.
Discuss with healthcare professionals, keep a positive attitude, and never give up the fight. You’ve got this!
