The 7 Most Effective Strategies to Quit Smoking for Good

It's a puzzle that has thwarted even the most determined people: how to quit smoking once and for all. As much as you may seriously want to stop, smoking cessation is hard. Really, really hard.

Why ‌is‌ it so difficult for smokers to quit? It has to do with dopamine, the "feel-good" chemical in your brain.

"Nicotine stimulates the brain to release a large quantity of dopamine. Over time, the brain is conditioned to release more dopamine from nicotine and less from other pleasurable activities," Indra Cidambi, MD, board-certified addiction psychiatrist and medical director of Center for Network Therapy in Middlesex, New Jersey, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

So what is the most effective way to quit smoking? The answer can be different for everyone. The three major categories of smoking cessation plans are cognitive behavioral therapy, nicotine replacement and prescription medications, which we'll break down below, along with other helpful behavioral changes.

"The individual wanting to quit should decide on the treatment most comfortable and most feasible for them," Lawrence Weinstein, MD, Chief Medical Officer at American Addiction Centers in Brentwood, Tennessee, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

Here are seven tactics to try:

Working with a specially trained therapist to learn how to reshape destructive thought patterns — like, "I've been smoking so long that it must be hopeless" — can be a key component of long-term success.

"Behavioral therapy helps to address anxiety, depression, isolation and shame, and provides intervention strategies," Dr. Cidambi says.

CBT can be done one-on-one, or in a group with one therapist and several other people who are also trying to quit. In either case, the main job of the therapist is to help you recognize self-defeating thoughts and reshape them. Oftentimes, patients are given "homework" in between appointments to reinforce what the therapist has taught them.

"If the patient would like the cessation process to be a more holistic or medication-free experience, some form of behavioral therapy may be the best route," Dr. Weinstein says.

If you're interested in trying CBT to help you quit, ask your doctor where to find a therapist or program near you. Teletherapy may also be an option.

Because stress is a big force behind the urge to smoke, according to Smokefree.gov, CBT reinforces general stress-relief techniques.

Instead of reaching for a cigarette when stress strikes, try going for a short walk or doing some relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing, stretching or visualization.

The 4-7-8 breathing method is especially helpful for lowering stress and anxiety. To do it:

1. Sit up straight in a comfortable position.
2. With the tip of your tongue just behind your upper front teeth, slowly inhale through your nose for a count of 4, expanding your diaphragm as you do.
3. Hold your breath for a count of 7.
4. Open your mouth slightly, keeping your tongue in place, and exhale for a count of 8.
5. Repeat four times, or until you feel calmer.

Another important part of CBT is recognizing what your personal triggers are — when and where you are most likely to light up — then devising substitutes or workarounds.

For many smokers, triggers include:

• Alcohol
• Being around family or friends who smoke
• Eating a big meal

The idea is to replace smoking with substitutes that can diffuse those triggers. For example, that might be ordering nonalcoholic drinks in place of cocktails, asking your friends not to light up around you and chewing minty gum after dinner.

Starting an exercise program (with your doctor's sign off) can help with quitting as well.

Working out can reduce cravings, lower stress and make it easier to get through withdrawal symptoms, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It's a healthy outlet to ease feelings of anxiety or restlessness that come with quitting.

There's no one "best" exercise to do, but one small May 2017 study in ‌Nicotine and Tobacco Research‌ found that aerobic exercise (think: jogging, swimming) may act as a balm for the anxiety associated with nicotine withdrawal. It also seems to help with cravings.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans suggest adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise every week. It should also be spread throughout the week, so a half hour of activity on five or more days a week is a good goal. If this goal feels lofty, keep in mind that any amount of movement — even five minutes — is meaningful and has health benefits, per the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

Exercise can also help manage Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other lung conditions, such as asthma. If you have asthma, you may need to take medication before a workout, warm up beforehand and make other adjustments before physical activity, per the American Lung Association.

Social support can help you quit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Tell everyone you see regularly that you're going to stop smoking, and explain your plan for quitting. Directly ask for their encouragement. The more supportive folks in your corner, the better.

You may also want to ask a friend who is also a smoker to join you in quitting. Having someone to turn to who knows what you're going through — and keep you accountable — could make all the difference.

Online support can help, too. Consider joining a Facebook group that offers tips for quitting and stories from others going through the process, such as the CDC Tobacco Free group.

This type of therapy is pretty straightforward: You replace cigarettes with small, consistent deliveries of nicotine via a skin patch, lozenges, gum, nasal spray or an inhaler. This approach takes the edge off your nicotine withdrawal symptoms so you're able to better focus on breaking the psychological aspect of your addiction.

While nicotine replacement products are available over the counter, it's wise to chat with your doctor before starting to use any of them.

Those who are severely addicted to nicotine — signs include smoking within five minutes of waking up, when sick and in the middle of the night, as well as smoking more than a pack a day — should talk to their doctor about prescription medication options, according to the American Cancer Society. The two that have been approved by the FDA for this purpose are bupropion (brand name Zyban) and varenicline (brand name Chantix).

Neither one of these medications contains nicotine, and both need to be started in advance of the day you quit. Your physician will guide you in deciding which one is better for you, and when and how to take it.

The effects of smoking are serious and numerous. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, often leading to lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and debilitating respiratory conditions, including COPD, per the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association.

To be more specific, the average lifespan of people who smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day is 13 years shorter than that of nonsmokers, per a September 2017 study by Statistics Netherlands and the Trimbos Institute.

The habit can also cause harm that isn't as obvious, such as perpetuating belly fat, per a September 2012 study in ‌PLOS One‌. Beyond appearances, belly fat comes with its own health risks, including diabetes, dementia and cancer. Smoking is also harmful to those around you; secondhand smoke causes stroke, lung cancer and coronary heart disease in adults and increases the risk of respiratory infections and other health concerns in children, according to the CDC.

But quitting, even after years of smoking, can improve your health dramatically.

"Imagine this: Within two to three weeks of quitting smoking, the risk of having a heart attack decreases, and within one year the risk falls by half," Dr. Cidambi says.

If you have COPD, continuing to smoke will only drastically worsen the condition. Interestingly, smokers with COPD seem to be different from smokers without it.

According to a September 2015 study in ‌Respiration‌, smokers with COPD were more aware of and worried about the health risks of smoking. They also reported higher levels of depression and less self-efficacy (or belief in one's ability to achieve goals, per the American Psychological Association) to keep from lighting up. Taking those differences into account may help those with COPD come up with smoking cessation treatments that stick, particularly if they work with a doctor or other professional.

A large August 2016 study in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found evidence that smokers with COPD who receive a combination of high‐intensity behavioral support and medication are more than twice as likely to quit as people who receive only behavioral support. (The researchers could not determine whether any specific form of behavioral support is better than another for COPD-afflicted smokers.)