Stop smoking now. What comes to mind? How do you overcome the withdrawal symptoms? What are the neurological causes? How effective is cognitive behaviour therapy? How effective is nicotine replacement therapy and cognitive behaviour therapy? Is hypnosis really the last resort?

Smoking is the main preventable cause of death with 5 million deaths worldwide every year. With the risks of both lung cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease any insights on how to stop smoking are most welcome. Addiction occurs when the individual loses any control over an activity supposed to be pleasurable and satisfying some need. As with any addiction, when the activity ceases there are unpleasant physical and mental reactions called withdrawal symptoms.

Because the individual requires energy and activity to respond to the changing high demands of our everyday environment, where our body lacks the resources to match these demands, the result is stress. Stress triggers smoking but smoking then triggers stress. From the psychology perspective, we have self perpetuating vicious circle.

Nicotine has many complex effects on both the brain and the body. If each cigarette has 10mg of nicotine, our typical smoker inhales 1mg. So therefore when nicotine is inhaled into the lungs or absorbed through the skin and lining of the mouth or nose it reaches peak levels in the bloodstream and the brain within 10 seconds of circulation.

Smoking behaviour is triggered without any conscious awareness by you because it is an automatic programme in your brain. Without being totally aware, you smoke. This mindlessness shows as you go about routines without any conscious control as basic behaviour. Such mindlessness is due to automatic programmes in your brain responding to stimulation.

Much more molecular genetic research is finding evidence for the biobehavioural basis of nicotine dependence. When the D2 dopamine receptor gene was recently discovered it was thought to cause alcoholism. Now, it is also thought to cause nicotine and cocaine addiction and obesity.

An enzyme known as momoamineoxidase decreases during any smoking activity. Since this enzyme breaks down the dopamine chemical neurotransmitter, nicotine increases the levels of dopamine which activates brain circuitry where sensations and pleasure feelings are activated. Because the effects of nicotine vanish once dopamine is increased, the dosage of nicotine is repeated regularly so it now becomes habituated.

Withdrawal symptoms when you stop smoking are temporary physical and mental changes which occur as you have interrupted your pattern of drug use. Many and varied withdrawal symptoms occur. Such as 10 weeks of increased appetite, urges to smoke for 3 weeks, restlessness, loss of concentration for 2 weeks, irritability for about one month, insomnia for about 1 week, cough and cold symptoms for 2 weeks.

Some other withdrawal symptoms occurring when you stop smoking are reduced heart rate, decreased tremor, increased skin temperature, decreased caffeine metabolism and average weight increases of 6kg on average which I have personally experienced. What is more, there is throat soreness, chest problems and increased coughing. With such withdrawal symptoms, no wonder so many start to smoke again.

Craving, lapse, relapse can all be successfully treated using many methods which don't require the use of medication. Nicotine replacement therapy lessens the smoking urge and removes many of the withdrawal effects. Whether it is chewing gum, dermal patches, nasal spray, inhalers, lozenges NRT has double the success rate of those who stop smoking by will power.

For hardened smokers, bupropion is available by prescription and taken at 300mg per day for 7-12 weeks and is significantly better than nicotine patches or placebo. However, bupropion creates insomnia, changes in appetite, agitation, headaches, skin rash, shakiness.

Learning how to keep calm when confronted with undesirable stress is one of the benefits of using cognitive behaviour therapy. CBT uses self-questioning about how to stop your smoking triggers because most emotional and behavioural reactions are learned.

Applying methods and ways to change your old thinking patterns and habits can train your mind to think and respond differently to how you have been in the past. Cognitive processes are how you think. By slowing down the smoking process and stopping automatic negative thinking you learn to pay attention to being consciously aware and understandinging how, when, where you are smoking to break the unconscious automatic mental processes controlling your thoughts, feelings, behaviour to .

Cognitive behaviour therapy teaches you to put into place new behaviours to remove the old ones in everyday real-life situations. By changing what we feel in our emotion-related behaviour chain our thoughts, emotions and behaviour can be changed. Being calm, relaxed, at peace and quiet is what our emotional state has to be to stop smoking. Positive thinking, motivation, confidence, enthusiasm combined with the purging of self-doubts can help you regain control over your habit as it is essential to be aware that the brain is programmed by the addiction process.

Meditation for 20 minutes per day will remove negative thoughts and aid in stopping withdrawal symptoms once the physiological addiction cravings start to take effect. Music therapy, relaxing, increasing your exercise, increasing your interests and activities, eating control, preventing stress and strain by knowing how to behave differently to your triggers are essential extra activities you should undertake when undertaking cognitive behaviour therapy.

Knowing how to stop smoking depends on you knowing how to take conscious control over your thoughts to stop smoking to beat the involuntary and mindless habit caused by this addiction.