Many ex-smokers say quitting was the hardest thing they ever did. These days it is a different ball game from a few years back. Who can remember the times when your quitting methods were limited to going cold turkey, doing hypnoses or wearing nicotine patches?
Technology has changed how we live our lives forever. Whether it is a recipe for that lasagne you’ve always wanted to cook or to book that holiday that you’ve always dreamed of, technology has given us a whole new way to fulfil these tasks. Today there are many technical gadgets to help us throw away the cigarettes forever.
Mobile apps
Almost everybody carries around a smartphone, so iPhones and Androids are naturally seen as the first line of defence in the war against smoking.
Search the Apple App Store or Android marketplace and you will find a variety of apps designed to help smokers quit. Apps are a great way to kick the habit, as most have the ability to track your health, cravings, nicotine consumption and statistics. Here are a few:
-
- Livestrong’s MyQuit Coach app allows you to create a personalised plan to help you quit. You can either quit straight away or gradually decrease your nicotine intake. It is highly interactive as you can upload your own personalised motivational messages and earn badges and awards for your resistance in giving up.
-
- Quit it Lite is another popular app. The main feature of this app is its motivational aspects. Many people praise the ability of this app to encourage smokers to quit and to help ex-smokers to keep off the cigarettes. Another special feature is that the app can tell you how much money you have saved and how many cigarettes you smoked. It will show you how much your health will change when you have not smoked for different periods of time.
-
- Smoke Free focuses on the theory that quitting is easier when people can see and measure their progress. It tells you how long you have been smoke-free, how much money you have saved, how many cigarettes you have avoided and how your health is improving. You are also able to record a cravings diary.
-
- Kwit focuses on the fun aspect by using gaming techniques. The app has different levels you can reach until you become the “Ultimate Kwitter”.
-
- Quit Smoking with Andrew Johnson (clinical hypnotherapist and stress management guru). Johnson’s messages are all part of a confidence-boosting programme helping people to quit smoking. It teaches you how to break habits that you have associated with smoking. The lessons relax your mind and body until you are ready to let smoking go.
Social media
The boom in the use of social networks makes them a major role player in encouraging healthy lifestyles behaviours. This includes the promotion of a favourable attitude towards giving up smoking, supporting attempts to quit and maintaining abstinence.
-
- Social Media At Quitter’s Circle is designed so that quitters and their supporters can use social media to stay connected for a successful quit. It allows you to invite your loved ones to download the app, so they can join your quit team, follow your progress and send encouragement when you need it most.
-
- Facebook: Here you can find applications for giving up smoking (with advice), specific pages that include communities for giving up smoking and methods and places to go. One example is iCoach and a Facebook community Quit Smoking in which smokers give advice and support to those trying to give up.
-
- Twitter: The main advantage of Twitter is the personal messages of support during the attempt to give up smoking.
-
- Blogs: The key feature in the success of blogs is that they are predominantly written by past-smokers, providing an insight on what it takes to gives up. Two good examples are QuitCigs4Free and About.com Smoking Cessation as they are both written by writers who have the experience of giving up smoking. They also let readers submit their journey of giving up the habit.
-
- Forums: Through forums members can discuss specific topics with people all over the world. It is the perfect place to meet like-minded people. There are numerous forums for those individuals who wish to stop smoking. One forum worth mentioning is No Smoking Day, which is backed by the British Heart Foundation. It has individual threads for different stages of giving up, for example Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 4−7 and so forth.
-
- Websites: There are many self-help sites on the Internet for those who wish to give up smoking.
Gadgets
If you are a smoker, there is no need to suffer alone. And there is no need to cover yourself in patches. A Google search will render many high tech smoking gadgets. Here are a few:
-
- Electronic cigarettes: There’s still a lot of debate about whether using electronic cigarettes is safer than smoking regular ones. The e-cigarette is battery operated and works by heating and vaporising tobacco instead of burning it. As a result, you get the nicotine fix and smoking experience without the harmful toxins. There are hundreds of different e-cigarettes on the market ranging from beginner kits right up to advanced kits, in various price ranges.
-
- Lasers: Innovative laser therapy is a relatively new method. It uses low-level lasers, similar to those used to treat arthritis-related pain, to target specific acupuncture points on the body related to addiction, metabolism and stress. Some patients have reported that they have quitted smoking after one session.
-
- Wearable gadgets vary from simple rubber bracelets that count your daily steps to the most high-tech smart watches. During your quit, you can use these devices to monitor your daily heart rate, seeing how your vitals improve over time, or use the diet and fitness trackers to help stay on target with your health goals.
There are lots of different ways of using technology to help you quit smoking. The best option would be to do a thorough research and use a combination of these methods to help you reach your goal and enjoy a long smoke-free life. Everyone is an individual and there is no easy way to quit.
Sources
https://iq.intel.com/smokers-turn-to-tech-to-quit-3-tech-tools-to-extinguish-the-butts-for-good/
http://www.mensfitness.com/life/gearandtech/five-best-quit-smoking-apps
https://www.quitterscircle.com/story/4-tech-trends-to-help-you-quit-smoking
http://blog.nj.com/digitallife/2008/07/technology_is_helping_to_make.html