Discover the most effective smoking alternatives to help you quit for good.
Key takeaways:
The best alternative depends on your lifestyle, dependency and personal triggers
Contents:
Giving up smoking can seem like a challenging task but, with its negative impact on life expectancy, it's a challenge worth taking on. Luckily there are plenty of alternatives to smoking that can help make it easier so you don’t have to rely on willpower alone. Dropping the cigs for good isn’t solely a case of managing nicotine cravings, but also means letting go of a deeply embedded habit.
In this guide, we talk about cigarette alternatives, the vast array of options available and the best smoking alternative for your needs.
It might have crossed your mind to go cold turkey and simply stop smoking by yourself. This can be done, but incorporating an alternative to smoking is more likely to result in long term success. Evidence has shown that nearly half of people trying to quit who relied only on willpower significantly increased their risk of failure.
That’s where evidence-based smoking alternatives come in.
Quitting smoking is more than just putting down a cigarette. There is both a physical dependency and ingrained psychological habits to overcome. Let’s take a look at how these two factors affect smoking cessation.
Nicotine reaches your brain within seconds after inhaling a cigarette. This triggers the release of dopamine and creates a short burst of calm and enjoyment. Your body slowly becomes used to this temporary high and starts to crave it.
When you stop smoking, and no longer receive nicotine and its associated chemical effects, you start to experience withdrawal.
Whilst all of this might sound daunting, it actually means that your body is healing and readjusting.
Smoking is a ritualistic part of a smoker's daily life. The routines you create around it, from a cigarette with your morning coffee to taking a smoke break at work, all perpetuate the cycle.
Whether it's the hand-to-mouth motion or the familiar sensation of inhaling smoke, quitting smoking means as well as needing alternatives to smoking tobacco, you’ll also need strategies to manage these triggers.
Luckily, there is an arsenal of smoking alternatives at your disposal, so you can get help to tackle both the physical and behavioural aspects of your addiction.
Your GP may be able to prescribe a completely nicotine-free smoking alternative. These medications target your brain chemistry, reducing the pleasure you receive from nicotine and easing withdrawal symptoms.
One of the most well known alternatives to smoking tobacco is using nicotine replacement products.
E-cigarettes and vape kits are now one of the most popular and effective smoking alternatives in the UK. Vaping bridges the gap by satisfying both nicotine cravings and physical smoking habits.
Vaping uses e-liquids which come in various forms including with or without nicotine. If you wish to taper off, you can start to use lower strength e-liquids and eventually go nicotine free.
Addressing the psychological side of addiction is just as crucial as managing nicotine withdrawal.
There is no right or wrong; find the one that works best for you. Consider your dependency and your specific smoking triggers.
Riot want to make it easy for you to quit smoking. We’ve created hassle free vape kits like the Oxva, Connex and Aspire. Join the Riot and find your new favourite smoking alternative now.
