If you have decided that you want to quit smoking, don’t get discouraged if it takes you a few tries to do it, because you need to find the right way to quit if you hope to be off the smokes for good. The following are a few of the more alternative ways to stop smoking, all of which have been shown to be successful.

Electronic cigarettes

For a lot of people, one of the hardest parts about giving up smoking is that they miss the physical action of holding a cigarette and drawing on it, so for those who want the action of smoking without any of the negative effects, electronic cigarettes can provide an fantastic solution. E cigarettes are the same shape, size and approximate weight of a regular cigarette, and some even produce a harmless vapour that looks like smoke. The best part is that once you don’t need the e cigarette anymore, you can pass it on and help a friend quit.

Hypnotherapy

Some people are so addicted to smoking that they simply cannot imagine life without their cigarettes, and in these more extreme cases, one of the most successful ways to quit is by seeing a clinical hypnotherapist. By helping to break the psychological dependence, hypnotherapy can enable people who are heavily addicted to smoking to start letting go of cigarettes and moving on to a healthier life. If you are having trouble quitting, consider hypnotherapy, because it has worked for a lot of people.

Meditation

Addiction is very much a psychological thing, so it makes sense that by improving how well you can control your mind, you can help yourself to overcome addiction. Practise meditation in the mornings and the evenings, and then when you start experiencing cravings throughout the day, try to use meditation to help you overcome those cravings. A lot of people smoke as a way of dealing with stress, tension or anxiety, and meditation has been show to help with all three of these, so go easy on your body and use your mind to quit the smokes.

Acupuncture

For thousands of years, Chinese medicine has been using acupuncture to treat a wide variety of injuries and ailments, and it seems it can even help you to quit smoking. Acupuncture works by stimulating and awakening nerve endings, helping to promote a healthier flow of energy throughout your body, and has proven extremely effective in helping even long-term smokers quit.

Distract yourself: read!

If you are someone who likes to read, an effective way to give up smoking is to always carry a book with you, and every time you would normally smoke a cigarette — such as while you are waiting for the bus or on your breaks at work — read your book instead. By reading, you will be helping to keep your mind occupied and keep it from thinking about smoking, and before you know it you will be days, weeks or months off the cigarettes.