Everyone’s journey to quitting smoking is different, but studies have shown the most effective way to quit is through support from a healthcare professional combined with smoking cessation treatments.

Nicotine, the addictive property found in tobacco cigarettes, reaches the brain quickly by increasing levels of dopamine and positively reinforcing the dopamine reward pathway. When one’s reward pathway is activated, a person can feel more pleasure and less stress, calmer, and sensations of relaxation. Although these feelings are short-lived, repetitive interaction within one’s reward system makes nicotine highly addictive. Further, when nicotine is smoked through a cigarette, there are other chemicals and bi-products of smoking that produce harmfully detrimental long-term side effects throughout many systems within the body.

Quitting cold turkey means stopping using tobacco products suddenly. With nicotine’s highly addictive properties, sudden cessation of nicotine disrupts the body’s chemical balance and presents an array of unpleasant physical and psychological side effects. Statistically, quitting cold turkey is far less effective than other smoking cessation techniques such as nicotine replacement therapies.

Combining alternative treatment options alongside NRT has been shown the most effective route to smoking cessation. Other known adjunct treatments include: · Counseling · Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) · Hypnotherapy · Acupuncture

Most cravings don’t last longer than a couple of minutes. When they do happen though, having a plan in place will keep you on track. Making a list of helpful tricks alongside the use of NRT options can help get you through those tough moments in time.

Staying in tune with your body and how you feel is a telltale indication that you’ve kicked the habit. While the signs are different for everyone, you will know you are winning the battle when you know smoking is no longer an option for your health.

In Australia, first line pharmacotherapy options that have been shown to be effective, safe and are licensed for smoking cesstion include NRT, vernicline and slow-released bupropion.

We’ve all been there, setting out on the right course then something happens, and we fall off track, it’s all part of being human. Don’t be discouraged by slip-ups, learn from them. Then focus on making a plan to help stick to your routine and get you back on track.

1. Expect it to happen- Realise falling off track is normal. Find your trigger to realise why and how this happened, then forgive yourself. 2. Find your accountability- Contact a friend that holds you accountable. Loved ones want the best outcome for us and help us up when we get down. 3. Focus on the start- focus on just re-starting your cessation again. 4. Chart your Calendar- Make your quit a measurable priority. When track our intentions we are more likely to succeed. 5. Check your environment- Knowing our environment has a huge impact on our willpower, motivation and performance, create a space that represents health and success. 6. Do a ‘Get Back on Track’ Ritual- Taking a cold shower, citing positive affirmations or doing breathing exercises are all activities to help change your mental state and help get you back on track.

NOW. There is no greater time to give yourself the present of health than now.

The nicotine content found in cigarettes is highly variable between loose tobacco and pre-rolled cigarettes. On the lighter end, a single cigarette may contain 6 mg of nicotine whilst the higher end might contain 28mg. The average cigarette contains approximately 10-12mg of nicotine.

While weight gain can be a concern for some people looking to quit smoking, gaining a little weight is nothing compared to all the good things that you’re doing to your body by quitting. Use your decision to quit smoking as a motivator and apply it to eating healthier and exercising as well.

It is hard to put a price on your health or life, or the costs you could suffer from poor health associated with smoking. However, as the taxes on tobacco increases it makes sense to save money by stopping smoking. Some of the prescription products are PBS funded so the cost can be as low as $30 per month. Nicotine vape products are not funded, however light smokers requiring little nicotine replacement can spend as little as $50 per month. The cost will depend on the which prescription or treatment is used, and how often. Thankfully our smoking cessation consultations are Medicare funded.

Although withdrawal symptoms are temporary, they can range in severity between individuals. Some common symptoms can include intense cravings for cigarettes, irritability, feeling down, restlessness, difficulty sleeping, trouble concentrating, increased appetite, cough, nausea, and changes in bowel habits.

Nicotine replacement therapies are designed to help patients stop smoking by replacing the nicotine, but without the carcinogens and bi-products found in cigarettes. By gradually lowering the doses of nicotine, patients can then effectively taper down their nicotine dose without major withdrawals until replacement support it is no longer needed.

There are a variety of non-prescription nicotine replacement therapies as well as prescriptions available to patients in Australia. Non-prescription NRT options include: · Nicotine Patch · Nicotine Gum · Nicotine lozenges Prescription Options include: · Non-Nicotinic Pharmacotherapies · Nicotine Nasal Spray · Nicotine Inhalers · Nicotine Vaping Product

Pharmacotherapies are the treatment of disease using medication. In the case of nicotine dependence, non-nicotinic medications act by reducing cravings and aiding withdrawal symptoms. In Australia, there are currently two prescription medications available to help people quit smoking: Varenicline and Bupropion.

Nicotine Vaping Products (NVPs) or Inhaled Nicotine Replacement Therapy (INRT) as they are also commonly known, simulate the sensation of inhaling a cigarette through the use of an electronic rechargeable vapourising device that contains a replaceable pod or cartridge filled with a liquid nicotine solution. The vaping device heats the nicotine liquid producing an aerosol that is inhaled, mimicking the effect of smoking more quickly than other NRT options. Pharmacy-grade NVPs come with pre-filled nicotine cartridges that require a prescription to replace them.

The solution compatible with vaping devices is commonly known as e-liquid. Nicotine is the active ingredient along with propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG). When combined and heated, these safe liquids create a vapor that can be inhaled. Additionally, some nicotine cartridges come with flavoring, which can replicate the taste of tobacco or disassociate the perception with other flavours.

The most common potential adverse effects reported by patients using NVP’s were throat irritation, headaches, initiation cough and nausea. Due to the lack of available evidence the long-term health effects of NVP’s are currently unknown.

In October 2021 the Australian Government’s therapeutic goods regulatory body agreed that adult smokers could potentially benefit from accessing nicotine vaping products to support their smoking cessation and made them legally available by prescription only.

As nicotine vapes are considered an unapproved medication, to obtain an approval for a NVP a doctor needs apply to the TGA under the special access scheme (SAS B) or be an Authorised Prescriber (AP) of nicotine. Upon TGA approval, the Doctor is able to compose a prescription which can then be dispensed to you at a pharmacy.

Quality pharmaceutical-grade NVPs accessed from doctors and dispensed by a pharmacist are considered much safer than smoking as the toxic chemicals found in cigarettes are not present in nicotine vapes. Further, reviews found by Public Health England, experts’ opinions on the Tobacco Harm Reduction Senate Inquiry panel and the Royal College of Physicians endorse NVPs as significantly safer than smoking. Unregulated or black-market vaping can cause harm, as they are not tested for safety nor are regulated to quality control standards.

As vaping nicotine is comparatively new as opposed to smoking nicotine, the long-term health implications of vaping are not yet understood, however vaping nicotine is still regarded to be much safer than smoking nicotine.

Nicotine vaping products quickly relieve the urge to smoke by delivering nicotine quickly to the body and providing a ‘smoking-like experience’. Vaping nicotine provides the hand-to-mouth action, mimicking the behaviour of smoking, as well as the sensory experience of tasting and inhaling/ exhaling a visible vapour. Further, many smokers use nicotine for socializing and vaping nicotine fills the social aspects of the smoking ritual, without the harmful toxins found in cigarettes. Growing evidence has shown NVP’s are one of the most popular quitting aides and has helped many smokers quit smoking.