Synonyms
Tobacco smoking, nicotine consumption, nicotine abuse
- “cold turkey. “
- Acupuncture for smoking hypnosis
- Mesotherapy
- Behavioral Therapy
- Nicotine replacement therapy (Nicorette)
- Drug therapy
Cold withdrawal” means stopping smoking without any supporting measures. Acupuncture as well as hypnosis to quit are among the alternative healing methods of smoking.
For more information about hypnosis, please read our article: Hypnosis therapy The other mentioned methods are accompanied by professional, mostly medical, support, which more than doubles the success rate of the cessation. Also the drug therapy or nicotine replacement therapy reduces the relapse rate. In nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking, preparations containing nicotine are used.
These include nicotine patches, nicotine gum, nicotine spray, nicotine inhalers or nicotine-containing lozenges. A combination of different preparations is possible. Depending on the amount of tobacco previously smoked, its dosage is individually determined and the intake should ideally follow a fixed schedule, for example, one chewing gum every hour.
Alternatively, a drug therapy to quit smoking can be initiated in order to stop smoking in the long term. Approved tablets are bupropion and varenicline. Bupropion is a selective dopamine–noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor and belongs to the antidepressants.
By inhibiting the reuptake of dopamine released by nicotine, it remains longer at the receptors, thus reducing the withdrawal symptoms of stopping smoking. The second drug, varenicline, is an alkaloid derivative and acts through the same receptors as nicotine. It binds there, which is why the receptors are activated and as a result there are also fewer withdrawal symptoms when stopping smoking.
In addition, varenicline occupies the binding sites of the receptors, so that nicotine can no longer bind and thus becomes ineffective. As a result, the desired reward feeling does not occur when smoking. Behavioral therapy as a way to quit smoking aims first of all at motivating the smoker to give up nicotine consumption.
The positive effects of long-term abstinence and the negative consequences of long-term tobacco consumption are brought to the fore. This is followed by the prevention of a possible relapse by analyzing factors that could prevent or complicate stopping. For example, the smoker is encouraged to avoid certain situations that could lead to smoking. The final stage is to maintain and stabilize the newly learned smoke-free behavior. Overall, this type of smoking cessation follows the trans-theoretical model, which divides the planning of nicotine abstinence into 4 phases:
- Intention formation: Intention to quit smoking
- Preparation: Preparation of the smoke stop
- Action: Stop smoking
- Maintenance: Avoidance of smoking again
