The First Few Steps To Tobacco Addiction Prevention

Tobacco is legal. It can be bought easily. It can be eaten or smoked in public. All these factors combine to make tobacco addiction harder to hide. The good news is that knowing a person is addicted to tobacco can help others take the first few steps to prevention.

• Check for symptoms

Few persons have no problem with smoking once in a while or just socially, but others get addicted to it pretty fast. Look for these symptoms, if you think a person has tobacco addiction:

• They have withdrawal symptoms upon quitting such as shaky hands, sweating, irritability, or rapid heart rate.
• Even after attempting to quit, they can’t stop smoking or chewing.
• Smoking or chewing is a must after every meal or after a long time without using as a work meeting.
• Tobacco products are a must for them to feel “normal.”
• They turn to tobacco during times of stress.
• They give up activities, miss events, or stop going to places where smoking or tobacco use is not allowed.
• Even with health problems, they continue to smoke.

• Utilise treatment options

There are different methods of curbing tobacco addiction. Some of the common ones are:

• The patch or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a tiny sticker that looks like a bandage. It is applied to the arm or back. The patch gives to the body low levels of nicotine which aids in gradually weaning the body off it.
• Nicotine gum is one more form of NRT. It is most helpful for individuals who have an oral fascination with smoking or chewing. It is common in people who are trying to quit because they have the urge to put something into their mouths. The gum helps satiate the fixation and deliver small doses of nicotine to manage cravings.
• Nicotine sprays and inhalers also give low doses of nicotine without consuming any tobacco. The spray directly sends nicotine to the lungs as it is inhaled. Inhalers are sold over the counter and are extensively accessible.
• Medications are recommended by a few doctors to curtail tobacco addiction. These are mostly antidepressants or high blood pressure drugs. Varenicline is the most commonly used medicine, while bupropion is the other. All these medications suppress the desire to smoke and hence bring the addiction under control.