Clinics To Help You Quit Smoking

The Last Resort: A Quit Smoking Clinic

For those smokers who have tried all the normal methods of quitting there is one last option you can look into - the quit smoking clinic. These clinics take the concept of quitting smoking to a whole new level because there's human interaction. This interaction comes in the form of counselors and trained therapists who understand exactly what a smoker who's trying to quit goes through at each step of the process. In fact, many of the counselors are usually ex-smokers themselves. This is one-to-one quitting therapy - very intense and very focused.

The method, format and timescale for the counselling sessions varies. Some clinics run a single full day of counselling and you leave that evening a happy, well adjusted former smoker. Other clincs involve hour long sessions a few times per week until you quit. Most clinics will allow you to contact your counselor outside of normal counseling hours - most addiction therapists work in the same manner.

How A Clinic Can Help You

The initial stages of quitting smoking are usually the most straigtforward. The smoker is happy to have stopped smoking and never wants to smoke again. Unfortunately, the day will come when the smoker feels a temptation to smoke and this is when the counseling is most critical. The smoker has the emotional support of the therapist - a person they've come to know and trust over the last few weeks.

Some clinics integrate nicotine replacement therapies with the process of quitting to ease the smokers withdrawal symptoms - although not evey clinic employs this tactic. Some just go with the "cold turkey" approach and use pure psychology to help the smoker quit without any other "aids". Exercise is also a critical part of the quitting process for some clinics. Speaking from personal experience, getting more exercise is one of the most effective ways to stay off cigarettes - the desire to stay fit outweighs the desire to smoke 99.9% of the time.

Followup sessions are equally as important for the quitter as the initial sessions were. 75% of people who quit smoking will lapse at some stage and the more contact they have with the clinics the better they'll be able to deal with any lapses or temptations they have to endure.

What's The Success Rate At These Clinics?

What's the success rate of these clinics? Some of them claim a 75%+ success rate in helping people to quit smoking. The success rate will vary from clinic to clinc - depending on their approach and how much support they actually provide. Shop around and look for personal recommendations before you committ as some of these clinics can be quite expensive.