As we approach Christmas and the New Year, we are also coming up on the time which sees people all across the country making resolutions to better themselves in 2018, in one way or another. For the sake of their health, many thousands of those addicted to smoking are likely to resolve to ditch their habit, which is no small feat and requires a lot of willpower to be successful.
Fortunately though there is plenty of help and guidance and available for those looking to make such a sizable lifestyle change. Many previous smokers for instance have found great success by taking up vaping as a healthier alternative to regular smoking, with the similarity of the electronic ‘e-cigarette’ being valued due to its similarity to traditional alternatives. Preliminary research by the NHS has endorsed e-cigarettes as 95% less harmful than tobacco based products due to their reduction in harmful chemicals, although it should be noted that it is recommended that e-cigarettes are used as a short-term quitting aid rather than a long-term alternative to smoking.
Another option for successfully quitting cigarettes is to opt for another form of nicotine delivery method, such as a patch or nicotine gum. The frequency and potency of these can be gradually be reduced over time, and keeps the body accustomed to the intake of nicotine whilst removing the more toxic ingredients found in cigarettes such as tobacco and tar. Available on prescription as a form of replacement therapy, this is a form of medication that gives users a great degree of control over the speed of their move away from cigarettes.
Along with these alternative methods of taking in nicotine, changing up your lifestyle can also do wonders for your mental state and controlling your cravings. Taking up exercise of any type is considered by many to be the best move you can make as not only does it provide a welcome distraction from thoughts of smoking, but the longer you go without will enable your body to repair and you should feel your cardiovascular capacity improve as a result.
If you are looking to take such a big step to kickstart 2018 on a positive note, then admitting that you need to undergo some self-improvement is an excellent place to start. There’s no set schedule for quitting smoking for good, and different people will find they manage it at different rates, so don’t despair if the early days of your move towards better health initially seem beyond you. Plenty of support is available should you want to talk things through, but the willpower and desire to overcome your addiction has to ultimately come from within.