There are two aspects to stopping smoking that have to be addressed in order for individuals to have a better chance of overcoming the addiction. There are psychological addictions and physical addictions that must both be addressed so that the individuals can overcome the habit. There are many benefits to stopping smoking, some of which can be found almost immediately after stopping. Further benefits come almost daily as the people’s bodies become detoxified from smoking for the amount of time that they have been doing so.

There are patches and gums that can help lessen the withdrawal symptoms on the physical side of things and people can work with their doctors to find the best method for them and what dosage to start at. There are also free stop smoking programs that individuals can use to help with the psychological effects of smoking.

Hotlines and Groups

There are different hotlines and groups that can be utilized by individuals to help with the psychological effects of smoking. Individuals have more success when trying to stop smoking when these free services are used, either on a one to one basis or in a group setting. There are some telephone hotlines that can be called by individuals at any time in the day or night to get encouragement when they are feeling like picking up a cigarette.

There are also free stop smoking support groups that are available in different communities such as Nicotine Anonymous groups that meet at least once per week. These groups have a twelve step program that individuals can go through to help them overcome the effects of the addiction.

If you’re a veteran, you can join a free stop smoking group through your local VA hospital. I personally found this resource very helpful in my quitting smoking.

These free stop smoking groups also help in that there are other people that are going through the same symptoms or are a little further along in the process so that there is encouragement along the way in the process. These groups also help to link people up with sponsors that people can call when they are feeling weak.

There are other stop smoking programs that are not free to use. Even though they are not free, there are many that do not cost a lot of money to obtain the materials and short term counseling services that help individuals stop smoking. There are other, more intense counseling services that can be bought for more money, and these are usually more appropriate for individuals who have been smoking heavily for years. These programs often combine medications with the counseling to help their patients.