Smoking is one of the addictive habits that affect many people worldwide, both the young and the old. The best way to treat smoking issues is to stop smoking, but based on the studies, it is difficult to achieve this without help. Smoking has advanced health risks and can result to death, respiratory diseases, cancer among others. The common treatment that are used for smoking issues include the combination of medication and counselling.
Medication
The use of medications such as smoking cessation help reduce symptoms and craving. When they are used alongside monitored programs by the physicians, they can be more comprehensive. The anti-smoking drugs are prescribed based on your smoking addiction issues. The FDA has approved the use of antidepressants such as bupropion, placebo, varenicline that help reduce cravings. Other drugs such as the Nicotine Replacement Therapy such as transdermal spray, gum, patch and lozenges can be effective in managing nicotine addiction.
Counselling
This involve behavioral treatments that help individual to develop skills required to quit smoking. These programs can be held at individual level or in groups. During the program, the individual learns techniques and strategies that can help them stop smoking. The treatments include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that helps patients learn their triggers and teach them skills and strategies such as relaxation techniques to help them cope.
- Motivational Interviewing (MI) where the counselor teaches the patients how to explore their ambivalence and possible ways of resolving it and quitting smoking and motivating them to make healthy changes.
- Mindfulness where patients learn how to detach themselves from thoughts, cravings and sensation by creating more awareness to them hence reducing relapse cases.
SomeTreating smoking issues is a process that involving using medication alongside counselling to help the patient recover fully. It takes time but the more the patients involves in the programs the higher the recovery rate.