Smoking: cutting down or quittingAddiction to tobacco is both physical and psychological. Every smoker knows how difficult it is to stop smoking or even cut down. Reducing the amount you smoke is a start and better than nothing, but the ultimate goal should be to quit altogether. And, as many ex-smokers will tell you, it is possible. There are two parts to addiction:physical addiction occurs because you become addicted to the nicotine in the cigarette. This addiction causes real withdrawal symptoms if you cut down or quit. psychological addiction occurs because smoking becomes part of your daily routine. This means if you want to cut down or quit, you will have to change your habits.Tackling physical addictionResearch has shown that using nicotine replacement therapy such as nicotine patches or chewing gum can reduce the number of cigarettes smoked and cut down the amount of dangerous smoke inhaled. However, there is a slight risk the body will get used to this new form of nicotine. For this reason, it's important to keep an eye on how much of the substitute you're using. Bupropion (Zyban) is an antidepressant medicine that is also effective in relieving the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. This can be prescribed by your GP on prescription, often through a stop-smoking clinic.It works in a different way to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) by reducing the desire to smoke. It has a similar success rate to NRT.Tackling psychological addiction There are several ways smokers can help break a psychological addiction.Decide how you want to quit either by cutting down gradually or, preferably, stopping completely on a pre-determined date.Make a list of reasons why you want to quit. Carry t...
